4 in one day! You should feel blessed! Also there is a dragon in this post

A dragon! A dragon on school grounds! This morning (the 20^th of May) there was a large group of students gathered around something in the assembly area and I was told by some very excited students that there was a lizard. Of course, I rushed down as quickly as possible and it was a little aegamid! Its body was about the length of my middle finger (I realise that's not very helpful for those of you who have not met me, sorry) and its tail was longer again. Its complete length was about the same as Dawson's (who is a sony vaio notebook). Obviously the little dragon was much littler than T'eo but behaved slightly similarly. I was able to catch him or her who seemed quite happy to sit on my hand while the students and some teachers admired it but I wouldn't let them pet the little one as I didn't think that would be appreciated. The T'eo-like behaviour was when the dragon decided that it had had enough of sitting on my hand and decided that my shirt looked like a much nicer place to be. It jumped on my shirt and ran up on to my shoulder much to the delight of the students. Fortunately, I was able to pick him or her up again and let it go in the foresty bit on the edge of the school though it was very tempting to bring it home so it could catch the crickets who enjoy chirping as loudly as they can right when I'm trying to sleep. I swear that they're louder than any of the crickets which I gave to T'eo.

Hopefully I'll be able to post a picture of it at some stage as a teacher had their phone handy. I really should start taking my camera with me everywhere. But just in case, it was greyish-white with black marks and a longer, thinner face than T'eo's. It didn't have a nice, puffy beard but it did open its mouth once and I'm sure that it would have puffed if it could. On the back of its neck was the beginning of a crest. I think it wasn't really sure if it wanted a crest or not so it's just trying a small one to start and might grow a bigger one if it thinks the little one looks good.

So it was a pretty good start to the week. The weekend was fairly successful too. The nicest thing being that I was finally able to get a full gas tank. Even better, I got the gas situation fixed without a carpenter, electrician, glazier or painter having to be called round (See Flanders and Swann). And one of my students brought me some mushrooms from her village and insisted on cooking them for me. They were delicious, even though I didn't have any chillies which she found odd, but I felt bad as she had to go home before the food had finished cooking. I did make her take a bunch of cookies as I felt guilty that she didn't get to eat her own cooking. Some others came round too and asked if I had any cartoons. I don't think South Park or Futurama would be very appropriate so I offered them My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or Adventure Time. MLP was chosen and we managed to watch the first two episodes. I'm going to continue the David Attenborough education but sadly I didn't bring that many with me and I think MLP fits in very well with the Gross National Happiness. I'm not too sure if Adventure Time always does though it should mostly. Helping people, studying science and things overcoming differences are all good things but I don't think sword-fighting is encouraged. Or at least, not until you've tried lots of less violent things first.

The only slightly annoying thing about the weekend was that for the first time in a little while I was able to sleep in past 6:15 and I was really looking forward to that. Unfortunately, my upstairs neighbour I suspect does weaving. At first I thought that there was construction work going on as the noise which woke me at about 6 sounded a lot like hammering. I've heard it before but mostly in the afternoons and evenings. What I now suspect it is, is weaving on a backstrap loom. I saw a lady do it in Thimphu and the loom is about 45 degrees off vertical and there was some sort of wooden thing which was used to compress the already woven threads. I'm not positive that it was weaving which woke me up but it was slightly irritating whatever it was. I did managed to get back to sleep but kept being woken up so at about 8 I decided that trying to sleep was too much work. I'm thinking ear-plugs might come in handy next Saturday night.

Just a quick update on Saturday the 25^th of May. Today was a holiday (normally we have school till about noon on Saturdays) and I was really looking forward to a sleep in and even found my earplugs so the loom wouldn't irritate but the earplugs are no match for my doorbell. It has quite a piercing tone especially at 6:20 am on a day off! One of my choir member thought she had left something, which she hadn't, last night and thought that 6:20 am in the morning (hello daddy!) would be the best time to come and look for it. When we couldn't find it she asked if I would play one song on my 'guitar.' She had brought me a handful of green beans so I played one verse of something, I really can't remember what, and then politely hinted that maybe she had better things to do which, fortunately, she did. I couldn't really get irritated with her because I think the idea of someone sleeping in on a day off was as weird to her as getting up early on a day off is to me! Argh! If someone could please send instructions on how to safely disconnect a doorbell I would be very much obliged!

Hugs hugs and congratulations to all who have managed to get through all my recent entries!

Sorry about the lack of photos. I keep forgetting my camera

Well, this morning started off wonderfully (no sarcasm. It's so hard to tell tone of voice when things are written!) because I got to sleep in till 6:15 and about two minutes into the walk to school the students who walk with me noticed the caretaker driving up and waved him down so we could get a lift. I was also glad that the students didn't have to carry my bag and umbrella up the hill. They absolutely insist on helping me carry my stuff which makes me feel very guilty. Some days I don't carry anything up the hill! I should say that the walk to school isn't too long but I do get a bit hot so it's nice to have a day off from it.

The walk to school is the main reason why I've stopped wearing my kiras to work. They were fine in the cold north and I was even still wearing my thermals in Bjishong, but here the heavy rectangle of material plus the two piece blouse is hot and not practical when walking up a sometimes very muddy hill. So it's been trousers and shirts. I've been too afraid to wear my pi and dinosaur t-shirts because, though they are both very educational, I worry that they might be too casual. Though if I return next year, nothing will stop me wearing my pi shirt on March 14^th.

Another thing that has happened is that my house has become the David Attenborough Theatre. Some girls asked if I had any movies, except they said 'pictures' which lead to a slight misunderstanding though they still seemed to enjoy the photos, and I just didn't think showing them Jurassic Park, The Big Lebowski or My Favourite Wife would be appropriate so I found some of my David Attenboroughs. Life in Cold Blood was a big hit, especially the parts with snakes and crocodilians and now we've moved on to The Blue Planet where I spend most of the time trying to explain the differences between sharks and dolphins, whales and fish and snakes and eels but the children are certainly impressed with the images.

I've also started a very small choir by accident. The kids who tend to visit each night are fascinated with my ukulele, which the either call a guitar or a 'laylay,' and so I've been playing them Yellow Submarine and various Scottish folk songs. They also take turns strumming it and singing Bhutanese songs. The strumming doesn't always match what they're singing but what they more than make up for that in enthusiasm. Yellow Submarine is the current favourite and they are getting much better. The first few times they each had their own speed, tune and occasionally lyrics but the choir is almost together now. A couple of the girls even brought notebooks last night (it is currently the 18^th of May) so they could write down the lyrics. I'm hoping they'll be able to perform relatively soon. Little brothers tend to come along as well but instead of singing, they dance which a few nights ago led to the cutest scene of the girls desperately trying to sing along, the little brothers were dancing like extras from a Wiggles concert while I was playing the occasional correct chord on my uke. I think Will You Go, Lassie, Go was the easiest as, though the girls kept getting ahead of the tune, it was easier for them to slow down than to try and catch up. Sadly, since I was playing the whole time, I couldn't get pictures but I'll figure something out.

Now for some incredible important information for Tom Dudgeon, Port and Starboard, the Death and Glories and Dick (I'm sure Dorothea would be interested too but not quite as much. Oh, and see Coot Club if you are unlucky enough not to know who these people are). I saw a white-bellied heron! I was on my way to Kuru from Samdinkha and it was flying very gracefully above us. The driver, who couldn't help noticing it after I involuntarily pointed and went 'Oh!' very loudly tried to tell me that it was a black-necked crane which would be a lovely thing to see but very strange as they don't come to Samdinkha. It also didn't have a black neck but he rightly knew the bird as something special to see. They are unfortunately an endangered species and you often see billboards asking you to help save them. Sadly for me, I didn't have my camera but I'll try to next time!

The other bird seen recently was at Andrea's place at Tashidenkha which looked like a baby of its species so I wasn't too hurt when it wouldn't tell me an Interesting Anecdote full of long words like 'Encyclopaedia' and 'Rhododendron' and it wouldn't spell 'Tuesday' either. It may not have learned how to not spell it right yet. It was, of course, a little wol (now see Winnie the Pooh, the original books, if you are confused. If you aren't it might be nice to read them again anyway.) Sarah Shmidt noticed him or her in the morning being berated by some bul-buls but it just sat, a bit more like Old Brown (Squirrel Nutkin this time) than Wol. It did react when we walked down the stairs but it didn't fly off and, even more surprisingly, it was still there when we got back. We were a bit afraid that it might be ill or something but the next morning its perch was empty so it was probably just afraid of flying during the day (I would make a Swallowdale reference now but I don't want to confuse you with mentioning too many books in one blog entry).

I'm still wondering when I'll be able to post all of these. Perhaps if I treat myself to a night in Bajo which has not only wi-fi but a pizza restaurant too!

Hugs to all and I miss T'eo. Hope he's not getting too grumpy in the cold weather.

This will hopefully explain the lateness

It's goodbye to Pigeon Post and hello to Wind in the Willows. Sadly I'll be leaving Gasa with its over-abundance of teachers and I'll be south to Punakha to a school which could use a few more. The school is in Jibjokha (people who make Flying Jibjokha jokes will probably get hit) which is about 14 kilometres from Punakha dzong. My new place is in an absolute bustling metropolis compared with Bjishong with about half a dozen shops, which apparently all sell the same things but it's still nice to have a choice of where to go, and I can see buildings from my window which have nothing to do with the school! It's Wind in the Willows because the Phochu river flows almost right outside my door. It flows a little bit fast to mess about in a boat on but it's still very pretty. I could also say it's Coot Club as the white-bellied heron which is sadly endangered lives in the area. Nobody shall be mooring in the wrong place or collecting eggs as long as I'm there.

Since all my things are still up in Gasa and it's Friday today (the 26^th of April in case I can't post for a while) I may not be able to start on Monday but hopefully I'll find a vehicle that can break the sound barrier. I'll also have to make sure the teachers look after Argus as I doubt he'd like the move. And the students too, of course. There won't be any takin about but because it gets much hotter here there are many more reptiles. T'eo is not to get jealous! I will try and get photos so he can see his new subjects. I promise I'll be very careful if I take photos of friends of Eve and Padraig. Mom won't see them unless she wants to.

Time has passed and it's now the 6^th of May. I'm having difficulty posting because of the lack of internet. I'm sure I'll figure something out. Would saving my entries on a usb and then posting it to Australia for my parents to post be too extreme? Possibly. I've started at Jibjokha, which is a beautiful little school just up the hill from where I live (Samdinkha). Because it's so soon before the holidays the principal and teachers have decided not to change the timetable until next semester and I'll co-teach with the current teachers until then. Lucky for me, the students are about where years 7 and 8 at Bjishong are so I don't drastically need to change my plans.

No dogs have adopted me but my neighbours have an adorable cat who behaved just as a cat should. You know, demanding food and assuming everything is theirs. I asked what his name was but, just like the cat in Coraline, he doesn't seem to need one. He seems to have accepted me as one of his slaves which is nice. The other day I treated myself to some chips and decided to enjoy them on the bench outside my place. The second I opened the bag he was at my side probably wondering why it was taking me so long to feed him some. He didn't quite get half but I'm afraid he did get a fair few. I'm not sure if I can cope with him not having a name though. At the moment I'm just calling him 'Jili' as that's Dzongkha for 'Cat.' It doesn't seem to quite work though.

My house is coming together quite nicely. It has almost no furniture but I have finally got curtains for my bedroom. I promise to have some for the guest room by the time Dad comes to visit. And I have a resident gecko! He or she is a darling little thing and comes out most nights. Really I have no idea if it's the same one I keep seeing or if there are a few but I've just seen one at a time.

I'm loving the school as well, though I still miss my old students. My first day was the 2^nd of May which was Teachers' Day and I can heartily recommend starting at a new school on that day. There were no classes and it was a day for students to spoil their teachers. First we got treated to a talent show with lots of singing and dancing from many students. It was very impressive and when one student sang I thought he was miming until he stumbled over the words. The students had also decorated the hall with posters which had quotes about how lovely teachers are. My favourite one was one that with less than perfect spelling where the writer had run out of room. It read

LONG LIVE OUR TEACH

AR

I chose to read it as the piratical statement, 'Long live our teach! Arrrrr!' Though that may not be what the writer intended.

After the talent show, year 7 treated the teachers to morning tea but I suspect they were also trying to fatten us up given the number of biscuits they insisted we eat. We were also given lunch but, despite my best efforts, I just couldn't finish it due to my wimpiness when it comes to chillies. Possibly the most impressive thing about the day was that it was fully organised by the students themselves without any help from teachers. Take note Australian students!

There is a very good reason why this is late, I promise.

I promised to tell you about the Rimdro and so here I go. Firstly, a Rimdro is an annual Buddhist ceremony to purify a building or place. It's meant to drive out evil spirits so everyone will be happy and healthy for the year. I've been able to see two, the National Park centre's on the 6^th of April and, of course, the school's.

I didn't really know what to expect at the park's one. I was just told that there would be lunch and then a ceremony. Sadly, I had a coughing attack due to a spicy bit of beef but fortunately, it was a fairly small one and I've learned to always carry a bottle of water with me in case of such an incident. I can't remember if I mentioned the terrible coughing attack at the King's Birthday and there was nothing to drink. For the last few staff dinners I have managed to eat everything, even the ema datsi, so I feel quite proud of myself!

After lunch was the ceremony. As a non-Buddhist, I didn't feel comfortable prostrating in front of the alter but I still gave a donation. The monks were there with their impressive drums and horns which look vaguely similar to alpine horns but are made of brass. Or it looked like brass, anyway. There were also two masked monks with burning torches. They had some powdery stuff which they threw through the flame which caused a puff of fire. They did this into people's faces and, I'm sorry to say, when they did it close to me, I got scared and hid behind a tall man next to me. I didn't particularly want to get set on fire. All this was to scare away the nasty demons and I suppose there must be something nasty demon-y about me as I felt quite scared. Maybe if I were a good person I wouldn't have been so nervous.

The following Wednesday and Thursday, it was the school's turn. Classes were cancelled on Wednesday afternoon to prepare and I'm sorry to say only some students took their preparation duties seriously and other stood around and chatted. I think that proved that they are perfectly normal students.

At around 5 in the evening, we welcomed the lama and the other monks who came armed with their horns and drums. The same trumpeting and drumming took place and it really sounded as if the wolf from 'Peter and the Wolf' had moved to Bhutan and added a slight Buddhist influence to his theme. The fire dancers were there again and one must have thought that I needed purifying as he threw a big handful of powder at me. Unfortunately, the powder, which I have since discovered is rhododendron bark, did not go through the flame so I got a face full of powdered bark. Since I wasn't expecting it, it got in my eyes, nose, mouth, all through my hair and clothes and even in my open handbag. It did not taste nice. And I still have remnants of it in my bag.

Later on, I discovered that they would be purifying, not only the classrooms and dormitories but the staff quarters as well. I hoped as a non-Buddhist that my quarters wouldn't have to be purified, but no. The bad thing was that, since I had been given no warning, my place was not exactly perfectly tidy. I had books that I had been marking all over my desk and piled around it, plus some laundry lying about. They should have warned me! My place would have been perfect then. But the lama and monks came in, waved some fire around and threw some rocks around. Now that they've done this, I'll be really annoyed if I get sick this year! Before I would have just been mildly irritated.

The next day there were no classes at all, just the continuation of the ceremony, including a fun bit where we got to throw rice around. I was very glad to be at the very back of the hall so not much landed on me. I was also told to prostrate myself before the lama 6 times. I wish that someone had told me that women put their rachus (scarves) around their necks when they do this because I just left mine over my shoulder and so it fell off every time I bowed down. If I had just been able to see a woman do it before me that would have been ok but there were only men around when they told me to bow. Ah well.

The next day everyone was exhausted but not all classes were on because of the clean up. Even on Saturday, people still looked like they needed a nap. I was very happy not to have to cook on Saturday night as I got to go to a house-warming where I got to try ara again. It certainly has a unique taste though I'd never had it with scrambled eggs mixed in before. I'm embarrassed to say that I couldn't quite finish the eze (spicy, salsa-type salad) as it was just a tiny bit too hot. Lee (fellow BCF-er) would probably have complained that it was too bland.

We also watched a football game, Norwich vs Arsenal, and I decided to go for Norwich just because it's pretty there. They lost but I did teach the others the correct way to pronounce it so it was still a win!

I've also found out that the park manager studied at Oxford, which is a small town in England which makes very good marmalade and apparently has some sort of school in it, so Dad will have to have a boat race with him. Dad, of course, went to the wonderfully brilliant and world renowned university of Cambridge.