Hot Springs Trek and Final Days of Teaching

It's FRIDAY!!! Only a half day of school and half of that day is spent singing and dancing...what more could you want on Friday. Funny stories! First, all the students from the ENTIRE school pack into one classroom for the sing-along. And at one point ALL the Nepali teachers were outside and ABsolute choas reigned. No worries, someone soon came back and restored order. Also two girls got in a fight during sing-along and one was crying. So ofcourse, when the teacher came over the one who wasn't crying got smacked so hard she started to cry. Physical punishment is normal in Nepal, used frequently and effectively. Alls well that ends well, by the end of the day the two girls who had been fighting were exchanging toys and snacks. Jake was on a day trek Friday, so after school I went for a walk and then met this really nice German couple who were spending their last night in Dolpa at the hotel. The lady was a psychologist, her and I had some of the most amazing conversation about research. She would like to conduct a study in Third World countries on resilience....how cool would that be? I know AWESOME!!! One of my favorite things about coming to Nepal is meeting all these unique and wonderful individuals along the way.
Saturday, trekking to the hot springs. I was so pumped!!! For like the first hour and then we started walking up SERIOUS inclines and that was when I was thinking "Oh shit! If Annapurna is like this I am going to want to kill myself for 16 days! Yikes!" But then the uphill part ended and we walked for about another hour after that and then....we were at the HOT SPRINGS! I had no intention of going in because I had not brought a bathing suit to Dolpa. Man! Am I glad I didn't bring a bathing suit. Seriously, 15 Nepali people packed into a "bath" as big as a queen size mattress. Hell no! Not to mention many of these Nepali folk, were taking the whole "bath" part literally....yeh! They were naked! So while the guys (Jake, Tarak and Prem (our guide)) bathed...I sat in the sun on a rock near the Toola Bheri river. It was beautiful and relaxing but all too soon we had to head back. The walk back was uneventful, EXCEPT...we had to cross the river and ofcourse I got all wet. Eh! You win some you lose some. Ha! Then we crossed paths with a guy from Alaska (he guides treks in Alaska as his job, how cool!) who was walking to Duni, and (yes!) when I told him I was from Michigan he held up his right hand and said "where?" See meeting another really cool person in Nepal. Loved It! The walk home I felt like dying, but I finally made it and after a cold bath out of a pitcher of water (yes....just a pitcher!) I was like a new woman!
Sunday and Monday, went on with the usual school days...except they had examinations this week, which just meant Jake and I had longer breaks in between teaching. The kids in LKG were still naughty as ever and I now know why the teachers hit the kids! I honestly felt like hitting a few of them that were in LKG, but I had to step back and realize how little they actually understood me. It is also official, I can no longer talk about food of any kind other than that is actually available to me....or I might go crazy. I have missed American food sooooo much here in Dolpa, because all you get is Dal Bhat twice a day...Dal Bhat, Dal Bhat, Dal Bhat! I miss cheese and beef and pasta....like it's my job! Seriously! No talking about FOOD!
Today, was the last day of teaching. Ha! Last night, I "made" (on the computer) my volunteer certificate that they gave me today...it just cracks me up, it is so Nepal. Jake and I taught UKG, then a long break from examinations which we filled by eating Simosa (yummy curried vegetables wrapped in fried dough! YAY!). Then back at school I got to teach my favorite class 1, one last time. When I told the only girl in the class I was leaving today, she said "no!" I said "yes I am going trekking and then I am going back to the capital..." she still said "no!" She said no a couple more times...it was really cute because the expression on her face was soooo serious.
After teaching was completed, we went around to each classroom and said goodbye. Then they had a program from us, where they gave Jake a traditional hat and I got a traditional woman's jacket called a choli. I knew we were going to get teeka...what I didn't know was that EVERY single student in the school was going to teeka Jake and I. It was all in good fun, but I was COVERED in teeka paint at the end of the program. There was ofcourse lots of singing and dancing, which Jake and I actually were forced to take part in...ha! Jake did the sprinkler and the lawnmower, he had ALL the kids laughing. What a great day!
Now I am off for 5 days of trekking to Poksom Lake! I am really excited and alittle nervous that I will be too slow for Jake. Send me some good vibes that I make it through okay. I miss you all! Until Next Time.