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Hello everybody,
Hope everyone is well in the U.K it won't be long till I return now. Time has really flown. So since I last wrote I have been working in the Child's protection home. The home is in Siphal on the outskirts of Katmandu and has a school twinned with it. I have been doing activities with the younger kids [bug group] who don't go to school (youngest is 3 eldest is about 6) the kids in bug group are completely wild! They are a lot of fun too but haven't really been taught not to hit each other, or share, or be quiet (etc) so they can be a bit tiring. There is an older group who goes to school till 4pm [mountain group¬] (aged between 10 and 12 years old) and are not quite as raucous we managed to make 3 different pieces of origami and play games yesterday without too many hitches. The kids in the home are there, not because they are orphans but because their parents are in prison and have no other family members to care for them. I am not sure if any of their parents will get released or even if they do that they get reunited with their family. It is quite a sad set up but most of the kids seem happy and love the volunteers and always fight to hold our hands. It is not the greatest standard of care and environment but I’d imagine it is fairly good by Nepal standards.
As well as volunteering in the children’s home I have continued to visit the monastery to teach Tenzin, and just relax. I had lunch with Tenzin today! Loads of food that I couldn’t manage and I had to leave some of it. (Not sure if I was being offensive by doing so or not!)
I have also been to see Harry Potter (which I thought was incredible) Nepali style. It’s a bit of a different set up to home. The cinema has 3 classes of seats ranging in price, 100, 150 and 200 rupees. I went for the most expensive and got a front row balcony seat. (200 rupees is still only £1.61!!!) The adverts before the movie are loud, brash and pretty in your face! They also have an intermission exactly at the half way point. No matter what scene it just gets cut for 15 minutes while the viewers get refreshments and use the facilities. It’s quite odd to have the film just cut in mid air.
As well as attending a Nepali cinema I have also been to a place called Pattan which is just outside of Katmandu. There is a zoo and a durbar square. The zoo was surprisingly nice (I was a bit worried what the standards would be in Nepal) and it had some amazing big cats and even elephants roaming around inside. I went with some of the other volunteers there was 7 of us in total. We then walked round the historic durbar square looking at temples, stupas, statues (etc)
I am not sure what my plan is for this weekend or the following week but I have a lot to still fit in with my teaching, helping out in the children’s home and doing any other touristy things I may have missed.
I will try to update again soon! Laura x
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