Crack-free...and loving it!
A catchup of the last three days...as we've been -
believe it or not...busy!
At the bottom of the elevator-shaft pretending to be
the driveway of our hotel resides this "most-lovely" ad. We can only hope for
such a strong anti-drug message on our construction
projects....
No trip to Darjeeling would be complete without a visit to the Oxford Book store. This place has a great selection of books covering everything from expeditions to Mr. Everest to treatises on Tibetan, Nepalese & Sikkimese culture to (best of all) lots of books by PG Wodehouse - and we're both great fans! So, we stocked up on our reading matter and have been chuckling ever since. I didn't see any myself, but Amber, apparently, discovered a limbo instructional manual while I wasn't looking...
We headed over to North Point yesterday morning as school had restarted after the Diwali holidays. We were invited to participate in the Assembly held at 10:20. It's quite a sight - with the entire uniformed bunch lined up in the quadrangle! We were welcomed by Kinley and presented (with the great Nepali honour) of being draped in a "Kadha" - which is a fine piece of cloth placed around your neck. I had a meeting set up with the senior staff and some interested students to discuss directions for the existing website - plus ideas for developing a far more sophisticated version. Amber had the brilliant idea of, while I was holding court, of joining a beginner's Hindi class. Of course, joining a beginner's Hindi class in India means learning with the Grade 3 lunatics! She loved it...and went back again today...
In the meantime, the entire school was getting it's annual student photos taken. I suggested an informal one with the little guys....and found myself in the middle of a fun-filled riot!
The main street up to the Chowrasta - I think it's Nehru Road - is blocked off from traffic (thankfully) and is lined with stores on one side and stalls on the other. This means it's almost always filled with people - which makes it quite different from the average Canadian strip mall - thank goodness! (oh yeah...the other difference is there is virtually nothing that even resembles a parking lot)!
We'd decided to go out in search of a bank machine a couple of nights ago...but the one on the Chowrasta didn't accept international bank cards. So we were directed to find a machine run by the ICICI (say that 5 times quickly) Bank. We'd seen one on the road below our hotel but, it too, did not want to be generous with its contents (why do all Canadian bank cards use the Plus system and not Cirrus?). Anyway, the friendly security guard (all ATMs have one) directed us to the Poddar Retail Showroom - which also doubles as a moneychanger - and could run my VISA through and give me cash (albeit with a healthy 12% commission - OUCH!). At Poddar we met two lovely young women (Barkha & Nimisha) with whom we hit it off really well and spent the next 2 hours chatting to - about just about everything under the sun. Oh yeah...we also bought a few things....
We had to go back the following evening to pick out yet more items....so B&N treated us to blowing up a few fireworks once they'd closed up the shop. It was craziness I tell you....
I walked over to the school this morning - a really nice 45 minutes - and was given the role of substitute teacher to a grade 9 math class! Apparently I have the ability to babble on for quite some time without any trouble whatsoever - because next thing I knew the bell rang. I started off trying to get them motivated to participate in the running program that I was helping set up - but got a few glazed looks until I suggested that if, after they left school, they did nothing but watch tv and play computer games - they'd get fat and never get a date! Suddenly, they were all ears - and asking questions! Ha!
I met Amber later this morning at Hayden Hall - a place North Point alumni had set up in the early '70's to try and help disadvantaged women. Their goal is to provide poor women with the basics of health care, nutrition and day care for their children - and then help them develop skills so they can help earn for their families. Women are also trained as paramedics and provide all sorts of care (vaccination, mid-wife services, etc...) to around 60 poor villages in the area. They also have a Co-operative Credit Agency set up (& owned by these same women) so that loans can be provided without the necessity of having assets as security. It's really an amazing setup and attracts volunteers from all over the world. Min, with Amber, is a "corporate refugee" from the US and is spending a year volunteering while she does her Phd.
After these women learn to weave carpets, tablecloths, etc...they are given looms so they can produce goods which are then sold in the Co-op's storefront.
Here are some of the crazy-cute kids in the daycare....we arrived during nap-time...
After a lunch of Tibetan Momos at the little cafe run by one of the Co-op-trained women, we hopped into the one of the shared-taxis bound for North Point. The creaky Ambassador had four of us in the back and five - count 'em - five in the front!
We walked home (up hill....more up hill...and yet more up hill....) and worked feverishly to put the weblog entry together...and now have to rush off for a beer with Min & the Engish volunteers (Becky & Emma) at Hayden Hall. We can feel the "Buzz" already....
No trip to Darjeeling would be complete without a visit to the Oxford Book store. This place has a great selection of books covering everything from expeditions to Mr. Everest to treatises on Tibetan, Nepalese & Sikkimese culture to (best of all) lots of books by PG Wodehouse - and we're both great fans! So, we stocked up on our reading matter and have been chuckling ever since. I didn't see any myself, but Amber, apparently, discovered a limbo instructional manual while I wasn't looking...
We headed over to North Point yesterday morning as school had restarted after the Diwali holidays. We were invited to participate in the Assembly held at 10:20. It's quite a sight - with the entire uniformed bunch lined up in the quadrangle! We were welcomed by Kinley and presented (with the great Nepali honour) of being draped in a "Kadha" - which is a fine piece of cloth placed around your neck. I had a meeting set up with the senior staff and some interested students to discuss directions for the existing website - plus ideas for developing a far more sophisticated version. Amber had the brilliant idea of, while I was holding court, of joining a beginner's Hindi class. Of course, joining a beginner's Hindi class in India means learning with the Grade 3 lunatics! She loved it...and went back again today...
In the meantime, the entire school was getting it's annual student photos taken. I suggested an informal one with the little guys....and found myself in the middle of a fun-filled riot!
The main street up to the Chowrasta - I think it's Nehru Road - is blocked off from traffic (thankfully) and is lined with stores on one side and stalls on the other. This means it's almost always filled with people - which makes it quite different from the average Canadian strip mall - thank goodness! (oh yeah...the other difference is there is virtually nothing that even resembles a parking lot)!
We'd decided to go out in search of a bank machine a couple of nights ago...but the one on the Chowrasta didn't accept international bank cards. So we were directed to find a machine run by the ICICI (say that 5 times quickly) Bank. We'd seen one on the road below our hotel but, it too, did not want to be generous with its contents (why do all Canadian bank cards use the Plus system and not Cirrus?). Anyway, the friendly security guard (all ATMs have one) directed us to the Poddar Retail Showroom - which also doubles as a moneychanger - and could run my VISA through and give me cash (albeit with a healthy 12% commission - OUCH!). At Poddar we met two lovely young women (Barkha & Nimisha) with whom we hit it off really well and spent the next 2 hours chatting to - about just about everything under the sun. Oh yeah...we also bought a few things....
We had to go back the following evening to pick out yet more items....so B&N treated us to blowing up a few fireworks once they'd closed up the shop. It was craziness I tell you....
I walked over to the school this morning - a really nice 45 minutes - and was given the role of substitute teacher to a grade 9 math class! Apparently I have the ability to babble on for quite some time without any trouble whatsoever - because next thing I knew the bell rang. I started off trying to get them motivated to participate in the running program that I was helping set up - but got a few glazed looks until I suggested that if, after they left school, they did nothing but watch tv and play computer games - they'd get fat and never get a date! Suddenly, they were all ears - and asking questions! Ha!
I met Amber later this morning at Hayden Hall - a place North Point alumni had set up in the early '70's to try and help disadvantaged women. Their goal is to provide poor women with the basics of health care, nutrition and day care for their children - and then help them develop skills so they can help earn for their families. Women are also trained as paramedics and provide all sorts of care (vaccination, mid-wife services, etc...) to around 60 poor villages in the area. They also have a Co-operative Credit Agency set up (& owned by these same women) so that loans can be provided without the necessity of having assets as security. It's really an amazing setup and attracts volunteers from all over the world. Min, with Amber, is a "corporate refugee" from the US and is spending a year volunteering while she does her Phd.
After these women learn to weave carpets, tablecloths, etc...they are given looms so they can produce goods which are then sold in the Co-op's storefront.
Here are some of the crazy-cute kids in the daycare....we arrived during nap-time...
After a lunch of Tibetan Momos at the little cafe run by one of the Co-op-trained women, we hopped into the one of the shared-taxis bound for North Point. The creaky Ambassador had four of us in the back and five - count 'em - five in the front!
We walked home (up hill....more up hill...and yet more up hill....) and worked feverishly to put the weblog entry together...and now have to rush off for a beer with Min & the Engish volunteers (Becky & Emma) at Hayden Hall. We can feel the "Buzz" already....
Posted: Thu - October 30, 2003 at 06:05 PM
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Published On: Nov 21, 2003 04:41 PM
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Published On: Nov 21, 2003 04:41 PM