Hi there everyone. Heaps of funny things have happened lately so I thought it was about time...and maybe the only chance with the inconsistency of the opening of the internet cafe...to tell you about my last few days at Tashijong.

After a slow and slightly uncomfortable start here, I've started to feel more and more at home every day. At first I spose I felt reserved, and saw the people here as different to me and felt there was a barrier between us. Now I have discovered that really, we are all just people, our lives may be so different, but fundamentally we are human beings and even speaking another language, there are ways we can connect.

The teaching has been fun! The little lamas are pretty cheeky, but they are always smiling and it brightens my day. Matilda and I decided to take one class each of the older monks - so I'm taking the big lamas, who are about 15 -20 year olds and a pretty small class most of the time. I find that teaching them is really different to the little lamas, but is again quite rewarding because they seem to have a desire to learn and it makes it easier for me. Aswell as our three classes, we have had a few requests from others at Tashijong to help them out with their English. Last night two monks from the Institute (where they study the philosophy of Buddhism) came to visit us in our room. It was actually really funny because we've been really paranoid about people coming and going from our place lately...I'll tell you why later! So anyway, I was freaking out and Matilda said she'd heard someone knocking at the door. We use a metal stake thing to lock our door and I approached and took it and opened the door and saw two monks emerging from the darkness. I freaked out and started laughing because they really scared me. Haha. I'd say they were about 16 years old and one of them hid beneath his robes laughing while the other one quizzed me about some English vocab. So I'm pretty sure I left quite a funny impression with those two.

So to tell you about my day a couple of days back - it was quite different to the regular day here at Tashijong. It's pretty amazing how such a little town can be so buzzing and full of life. Seriously, there are so many sights and sounds here. By night I am kept awake by the sound of stray dogs, fighting and barking, and by day the sound of people chatting away in quite a few different languages...it's very hard to keep up, or the sound of motorbikes and vehicles pulling in, men leaning out of their taxis to say "Taxi, Maaaaam, taxi?" Haha. It's a fun place. But yeah, the other day, was Tibetan Uprising day, where Tibetan people march to free Tibet of China.

So thinking we were waking to a regular day of teaching, we were told instead to, "Go jump on that truck!" by the Tibetan man in the office. So off we went, practically still dressed in our pyjamas, piled on the back of a truck for a ride that took over an hour, standing with about 25 other women in the back of a truck. We then marched for Tibetan rights for about an hour, myself holding a sign that read, "Long live Indo Tibetan friendship!"

After another bumpy and eventful trip back to Tashijong with a happy, smiley group of women, we made it back to find the whole town had formed a pathway leading up to the temple. You see, on the same day was the return of Rinpoche - the man whose temple is here at Tashijong. There had been flags put up, Buddhist symbols drawn in chalk across the ground, and women were madly sweeping and clearing the steps of dust and leaves.

Rinpoche arrived and we all stood, hands in a prayer position and followed him up to his Temple. That day I was blessed for the first time.

Since then, things have continued to become really comfortable and more like home at Tashijong. Yesterday I went for my first trip alone to the nearby town of Paprola, to pick up some bananas. So I climbed on a totally Indian bus, packed full of staring men and I was jammed up against a man with bad B.O haha. On my way back I got a ride back to Tashijong on the back of a Tibetan man's motorbike! The benefits of walking alone...

Last night we met a couple of Indian men and a couple of Tibetan men. One of the Indians just didn't stop talking!!! But in good English, so it was a refreshing change. He seemed cool and told us that we could also help out teaching at the town school, teaching girls a combination of sport, art, english...whatever we want! He said it'd be cool just to hang out with them and that they could teach us some Hindi :). Fun.Ohh and he also said we could go on long walks through the mountains with them, which will be good! He mentioned that soon in Dharamshala (nearest big town) there will be a little world cricket series and he might be able to hook us in with some tickets! Fingers crossed. Some Aussie cricketers would definitely be playing!

Oh and if you're wondering why we've been so freaked out to walk around our little house section here at Tashijong? It's because we've had a few mysterious losses from our bathroom! And weird things too...the burgulars choose to take Matilda's undies, yet leave her jumper. My face wash and shampoo has gone missing too...Ahhh India.