Last Manali News

What a week! I had a brilliant one apart from two days of it where I actually began to want to come home because I felt so ill!

Monday and Tuesday I went into both schools (see pics-younger ones are from rajahstahn school and older ones are at the Buddhist school 5km away from Manali). I was attempting to teach English to both groups, but obviously different approches were required from the age groups!The older ones English was actually very good apart from the tenses (past/present/future) after assessing them, so I spent time working on that, and tried to make it more fun for them by putting them into teams and they gained points for getting it right, as learning correct tense is not the most stimulating of subjects to learn for 16 year olds. Anyway whilst all this was happening I had noticed that for the past few days my stools (for want of a better word) were not as healthy as one would expect (detail ends there). By Tuesday I was feeling nauseous and not enjoying my food. I felt progressively more sick as tuesday went by, took some herbal products to help, but to no avail. I had a banana for tea as I figured I should eat something even though I didn't feel like it. I went to bed, optimistically hoping I could 'sleep it off'. My body had other plans much to my dismay as by 3am I was throwing up. Very pleasant. I felt very sorry for myself at this point and decided I didn';t like India any more and wanted to come home to a land that didn't horribly give you belly bugs! HUMPH! so there.

Next day I couldn't do anything and felt crap as had to cancel the voluntary work in the schools. I ate nothing all day and slept until 4-m in the afternoon, still not hungry and weak cos I hadn't had any food I had some water and a rehydration sachet, and summoned up energy to go downstairs. Everything was too much, I could hear honking, indian men clearing their throats and burping and contemplated on the finer attributes of India. Finally I met God (well, it felt like it could have been to me), a canadian guy, who happened to have some 'belly bug' antibiotics which he gave to me after I had described my symptoms.Two antibiotics later and a day later I felt a bit better and had a little breakfast and managed not to bring it up. YIPPEE! The drugs were working. I slept more and got back in the schools Friday, though was disappointed to had missed a couple of days.The children did their role plays in English (the ones who were able to!) and we sang the ABC song. At the end of the day Dominique invited me to a party with the kids (as she was returning to France). We taught them a couple of circle games and we were lucky enough to get a stereo and played musical statues which was great (36 kids doing the indian dance-change lightbulb pat a dog) and we then had some food and performances of the ones who liked showing off some dances (see pics!). It was a nice way to close the week and I decided I liked India after all!! (just not when I am ill!)

By the way I am heading to Daramasala tonight leaving at 7pm, and looks like I have to get a local bus as the coach seems to have stopped running. 10 hours on a local bus should be fun!

Will try to update soon...