Having discovered that school was in effect out for the week, with regard to us, we decided to spend the week doing a whole lot of nothing. Laura and Fenella made a trip into Badshahpur to book their trains for their onward travels from Tikli Bottom. We walked around all 3 villages that our kids come from to school and said our farewells. It was fascinating to see that the kids spend their time off school sweating it out in the fields with their parents collecting in the crops as it is currently harvest season (which is part of the reason they have a week off, even if they didn't; most of the kids wouldn't turn up anyway).
Apart from these occasional activities interspersed with packing we lay by the pool soaking up the sizzling hot (37°) sunshine and indulging in both lunch and dinner up at the house. It was lovely to spend some more time with our favourite little ones who live at the house. There was a lot of shrieking and splashing - particularly by 3 year old Yash who I have now renamed Splashy Yashy - and trying to persuade young Elena further into the water which didn't get very far as she is terrified of leaving the shallow bit! There was also a lot of 'feet flying' where they put my feet on their stomachs and I lifted them to fly above me! I also indulged in multiple games of hide and seek and teaching some of them how to make loom band bracelets.
One evening, we were taken by Kumar on a leopard hunt (we're going to catch a big one, we're not scared!) in the hills surrounding Tikli B, sadly we were unsuccessful so we went and drowned our sorrows at his house with rum and coke, pakora and plenty of spicy food. The following evening we planned to sleep on the roof, however, as we were driven back to our room enormous blobs of rain fell on the windscreen so we abandoned that plan.
On Friday, Fenella and Laura departed for Khajuraho so we bid them goodbye and good luck in their travels, it is very weird to think how close the 4 of us have become and yet 3 months ago I didn't know any of them! I guess thats what happens when you face the trials and tribulations of travelling and living in India together. It was also very strange to be down to 2, just kat and I for the duration of Saturday although my excitement for my family's arrival distracted me.
Kat and I slept on the roof on Saturday night as it was so much cooler outside our room and we wanted to sleep under the stars and see the sunrise on waking up. Sadly the one night we chose, it was cloudy when we woke up so there was no sunrise to be seen, but I did have the best night sleep in a while. On our walk up to the house, I was savagely attacked by one of Mr Kumar's dogs.... We knew it was a bit unpredictable so we were just casually walking past it keeping calm when it charged at me barking and bit me, extremely hard, on my bum! In my shock, all I could do was emit a blood-curdling scream but thankfully Kat's inner man came out and she shouted at the dog with so much authority that it ran away. I was still a bit stunned when Kumar's girlfriend and daughter came running out (having heard my scream) and only at that point did I dare assess the damage! I had puncture holes in my left bum cheek and he had ripped straight through my lovely peacock skirt but other than that I was fine. We continued up to the house, rather shaken, and found some antiseptic (thankfully the dog is all jabbed up and safe, disease wise) and a needle and thread to stitch up my beloved skirt just before my family showed up.
It was so lovely to see them but also incredibly strange to have them here, in my domain, where they didn't really seem to belong. They were also scarily pastey white after lack of sun but I'm sure that won't last long. We spent the day catching up and making the most of each other's company (as predicted my mother was horrified by my dog bite) and I showed them around the house and the school so they could see where I have spent the last 3 months. They were all very exhausted after a sleepless flight so had an early night and Kat and I returned to our, rather empty, bedroom just before an enormous storm broke it with forks of lightning right over our heads - we were very glad when we woke up the next morning and neither of us had been electrocuted ;)
On Monday, we all went for a walk through the local villages so they could meet some of my students (as they were still off school) who all ran up to us shouting 'Lucy madam, Lucy madam' - I am definitely going to miss them all, although maybe not the times in class with the constant 'mam mam mam mam' like the seagulls in Finding Nemo! In the afternoon we caught a Tuk Tuk into the delights of Badshahpur so they could experience a rickshaw and the joys of the local town. Kat and I then packed up all of our stuff (way too much) and I drove Annie's car down to school to pick it up and bring it back up to the house. We had been treated to a night up there seeing as there were no other guests, which was such a luxury! We had our last supper, which was also Annie's last supper as she flew back to England for the summer that night, but it definitely hadn't sunk in that I was actually leaving!
The next morning we were up bright and early for a quick brekky and then our massive tourist bus arrived to ferry us into Delhi to catch a train to Agra.
I cannot believe that I have now left Tikli Bottom and Gairatpur Baas Panchayat School for the last time, it doesn't feel real as I have left it so many times just for a weekend. I have had the most amazing 3 months there and have really enjoyed teaching the kids. Even though it has been hard work at times, it has always been a pleasure and it is so good to think that I have enhanced those children's lives a tiny bit and hopefully improved their chances for getting a well-paid job in the future. I have also been very spoilt by Annie and Martin with a large, western meal every evening and access to their pool at the same time as being able to travel around and see so much of this incredible country! I have learned so much from this experience and I won't forget it easily. I now look forward to spending the next 3 weeks travelling around India, in a little more luxury than previously, and exposing my family to Indian life and culture.
Apart from these occasional activities interspersed with packing we lay by the pool soaking up the sizzling hot (37°) sunshine and indulging in both lunch and dinner up at the house. It was lovely to spend some more time with our favourite little ones who live at the house. There was a lot of shrieking and splashing - particularly by 3 year old Yash who I have now renamed Splashy Yashy - and trying to persuade young Elena further into the water which didn't get very far as she is terrified of leaving the shallow bit! There was also a lot of 'feet flying' where they put my feet on their stomachs and I lifted them to fly above me! I also indulged in multiple games of hide and seek and teaching some of them how to make loom band bracelets.
One evening, we were taken by Kumar on a leopard hunt (we're going to catch a big one, we're not scared!) in the hills surrounding Tikli B, sadly we were unsuccessful so we went and drowned our sorrows at his house with rum and coke, pakora and plenty of spicy food. The following evening we planned to sleep on the roof, however, as we were driven back to our room enormous blobs of rain fell on the windscreen so we abandoned that plan.
On Friday, Fenella and Laura departed for Khajuraho so we bid them goodbye and good luck in their travels, it is very weird to think how close the 4 of us have become and yet 3 months ago I didn't know any of them! I guess thats what happens when you face the trials and tribulations of travelling and living in India together. It was also very strange to be down to 2, just kat and I for the duration of Saturday although my excitement for my family's arrival distracted me.
Kat and I slept on the roof on Saturday night as it was so much cooler outside our room and we wanted to sleep under the stars and see the sunrise on waking up. Sadly the one night we chose, it was cloudy when we woke up so there was no sunrise to be seen, but I did have the best night sleep in a while. On our walk up to the house, I was savagely attacked by one of Mr Kumar's dogs.... We knew it was a bit unpredictable so we were just casually walking past it keeping calm when it charged at me barking and bit me, extremely hard, on my bum! In my shock, all I could do was emit a blood-curdling scream but thankfully Kat's inner man came out and she shouted at the dog with so much authority that it ran away. I was still a bit stunned when Kumar's girlfriend and daughter came running out (having heard my scream) and only at that point did I dare assess the damage! I had puncture holes in my left bum cheek and he had ripped straight through my lovely peacock skirt but other than that I was fine. We continued up to the house, rather shaken, and found some antiseptic (thankfully the dog is all jabbed up and safe, disease wise) and a needle and thread to stitch up my beloved skirt just before my family showed up.
It was so lovely to see them but also incredibly strange to have them here, in my domain, where they didn't really seem to belong. They were also scarily pastey white after lack of sun but I'm sure that won't last long. We spent the day catching up and making the most of each other's company (as predicted my mother was horrified by my dog bite) and I showed them around the house and the school so they could see where I have spent the last 3 months. They were all very exhausted after a sleepless flight so had an early night and Kat and I returned to our, rather empty, bedroom just before an enormous storm broke it with forks of lightning right over our heads - we were very glad when we woke up the next morning and neither of us had been electrocuted ;)
On Monday, we all went for a walk through the local villages so they could meet some of my students (as they were still off school) who all ran up to us shouting 'Lucy madam, Lucy madam' - I am definitely going to miss them all, although maybe not the times in class with the constant 'mam mam mam mam' like the seagulls in Finding Nemo! In the afternoon we caught a Tuk Tuk into the delights of Badshahpur so they could experience a rickshaw and the joys of the local town. Kat and I then packed up all of our stuff (way too much) and I drove Annie's car down to school to pick it up and bring it back up to the house. We had been treated to a night up there seeing as there were no other guests, which was such a luxury! We had our last supper, which was also Annie's last supper as she flew back to England for the summer that night, but it definitely hadn't sunk in that I was actually leaving!
The next morning we were up bright and early for a quick brekky and then our massive tourist bus arrived to ferry us into Delhi to catch a train to Agra.
I cannot believe that I have now left Tikli Bottom and Gairatpur Baas Panchayat School for the last time, it doesn't feel real as I have left it so many times just for a weekend. I have had the most amazing 3 months there and have really enjoyed teaching the kids. Even though it has been hard work at times, it has always been a pleasure and it is so good to think that I have enhanced those children's lives a tiny bit and hopefully improved their chances for getting a well-paid job in the future. I have also been very spoilt by Annie and Martin with a large, western meal every evening and access to their pool at the same time as being able to travel around and see so much of this incredible country! I have learned so much from this experience and I won't forget it easily. I now look forward to spending the next 3 weeks travelling around India, in a little more luxury than previously, and exposing my family to Indian life and culture.
