Hi All!

Okay, so I know I've been falling down on the job of keeping this blog updated - but it's hard to find the time!

The participants from Australia/UK are gone, which is a shame because they were so much fun! (they were all about our age so it was nice to hang out with them). There's a larger program starting on weds (35 people!) but they have a huge range of ages... 12 up to 85! so it should be pretty interesting!

Before they left, though, we did a few typical girl guide things - like have a campfire! I did the great big moose song and helped jemma out with rattlin bog (apparently they sing it around campfires in ireland!) I also learned some great new songs! can't wait to teach them to the girls at home! We also had a special guest for the week - Flat Paige! A brownie in texas sent her over for a project or badge or something, so we took her around and took pictures of her at different places. You can see her there in Jemma's hand.



before they left, we also went over to Eszter and Einard's apartment for a "grah pravesh" (house warming)party. They have lived there a while but they had just finished painting and stuff. This is a photo of our hosts, hanging out on the patio. They sleep out here in the hot season.



Speaking of weather, this is the end of their winter, and it's been consistently 35 degrees all week. Although it doesn't feel as hot as 35 degrees would at home since they haven't had rain since the monsoon season, it's a very dry heat. It isn't too bad, but it's going to get a whole lot hotter the longer we're here, and when Bretta comes in early April it's going to brutal. (I have the advantage of "working up to it" at least... Bretta comes more or less "cold turkey") But I'm really excited about her coming and I can't wait to take her shopping and to check out all the cool places around here and just share some of my India experience with her.

So, since I last wrote we had camp (you can see pictures on facebook - check out my last blog entry for a link to the facebook album. You can still look at them even if you're not on facebook) It was a little crazy - approx 20 kids from each of 14 creche sites attended the camp, so there were a lot of kids!! We didn't really have much to do at the camp since it had all been organized ahead of time, so we just kinda helped out where we could, and occupied children during long waits.

I've also had a few more weeks in the creche (minus 2 days cause i was sick with a cold. normally I'd go to work anyways with a cold, but these days are just too brutal). It is getting a lot easier, but it's still just as exhausting and frustrating. The teachers don't seem to teach, it's really aggravating. I teach the older kids in the morning, and that seems to be the only teaching done. The younger kids just scribble on slates all day long and the infants just sit around. At first we thought it was just because they were getting ready for camp, but since camp it hasn't gotten much better (the other creches have, so maybe it's just mine??). So I've had to get used to the kid just running mad all afternoon since there's no way i can control them all without their language and with the huge variation of ages and abilities. So in the afternoons I tend to hang out with the infants who aren't napping - calm them down if they're crying and try to play with the ones who stare off vacantly. Most of the babies like me and like being up with me, although a few are still terrified of me. Including the one who cries ALL the time, so there's not much I can do for her... she just cries more if she sees me.

Friday, one of the supervisors came for an hour to do a special project - The kids put their hand prints in red paint on a giant sheet of paper protesting the lack of respect for child rights.



Running out of typing steam... it's kind of difficult on the little keyboard...

We went out for dinner on Saturday night to a restaurant in Koregan Park called Malaka Spice. On the way there, we happened to cross the bridge right as the sun was setting so the rickshaw driver was nice enough to pull over to let me try and get picture, but we were on the wrong side of the bridge, unfortunately, and I had to try and grab the photo between busses and trucks... so it's not good. Soon I'll get a proper picture of the Indian sunset because it's absolutely spectacular every single evening.



After supper we went out with Maddie to a bar called North Main for drinks and a chat. It was nice just hanging out and the bar was really nice. She called a "friend" (aka, someone she met at some point and had his number) and he (his name is Amit - tallest Indian I've seen yet) and his friend, Beni (probably the shortest Indian I've seen yet) picked us up and brought us to a club called Gaia to meet up with their friends. It's way across town and is right on the bank of a river, under a huge canopy of trees, all lit up with coloured lights and white mini lights strung through the trees. There was a visiting DJ from Mumbai playing house music. She must be pretty popular cause the place was packed. Above the stage there was a wooden platform that felt just like a treehouse - great place! We danced a few hours and then crammed ourselves back into their car - with one extra person (hence the photo)


i also need to get Maddies photos that she took that night - there were some ones of us with the guys!
I was still working on that cold of mine so I got them to drop me at the rickshaw stand at the end of north main road and went home - Which was a good thing, cause I didn't get home until 2:00 am but Maddie and Lindsay went out again so they didn't get home til 4:30 am. I slept through breakfast as it was... I don't think I would have done too well with that late a night!!

Time to run! still things to do before bed.
I hope all is well at home, believe it or not, i miss the snow! I can't wait to feel cold again - I love snuggling up in warm pjs.