Well the tshechu's over and I guess it will be a little while before I get the comforts of Season's pizza and the Zone's burgers. But I did manage to download the video of the Doctor Who cast and crew doing '500 Miles' by the Proclaimers so that should keep me happy.
Pi Day activities went well with my class sixes. Frisbee games were the focus of the lesson. Sadly, the students won't actually learn about pi until class 8 but I still tried to explain it very quickly and was wearing my pi shirt so they would at least know what the symbol looked like. Frisbees flew everywhere including occasionally, where the students wanted them to go. The final activity was a competition to see who could throw the frisbee and have it land closest to a target. Despite me explaining it three times and demonstrating twice (I even got pretty close which I wasn't expecting) a few students still thought it was a 'Who can throw the frisbee furthest' competition and so didn't do so well but first and second place got within a metre which I thought was pretty good. They were rewarded with a chupa chup as it was the only round prize I had. I've been asked if I can bring the frisbees back and so would be grateful for any Frisbee game suggestions. I know ultimate frisbee exists but have no idea what the rules are. I know I could look it up the next time I have net access but I may be busy looking at pictures of T’eo and other quadripedic and nullpedic Seccombes (I’ve been promised that there will be new photos by this weekend and there’d better be!).
At the moment in Samdinkha, and possibly Jibjokha, we are having slight electricity problems. It started on Wednesday when one of my lights flickered and then started to smoke. I thought I had solved the problem by turning the light off and assumed that I had done something to cause the burning. You know, I might have looked at the light the wrong way or forgotten to top up the gatorade in front of my amber statue of Tesla and angered the electricity gods. The electricity vaguely thought about staying for a while but then decided it was too much bother. We had actually had a power surge in the building and I got off easy but my neighbour now owns a completely fried laptop charger. I think his laptop’s ok though. Naturally, the electricians were able to fix everyone’s power except mine but it was back on when I got back home from school yesterday but now, for whatever reason, all the lights are off but the power points are fine. Why is that? None of my neighbours, including people in other buildings have lights but our rice cookers and water boilers are all working. Can someone please explain that to me? Keeping in mind that I really don’t remember any of the electricity stuff I studied in physics. Thank you!
And today marked the start of what I think will be a long and celebrated career for me as a football, as in soccer, coach. The house competition starts next week and it was clear that the girls expected me to do something even though I thought the best thing I could do was stay far away. I realised when I got there that I might not have quite entered in to the spirit of things when my first thought was, ‘Bugger, I’ve left my book in the staffroom.’ I was then asked by some of the girls where they were meant to stand and what the positions were. I think I deserve points by not answering the first question with ‘On the field.’ Fortunately another house master was able to sort them out and I stood on the side lines and yelled things like, ‘Excellent kick, Dawa! Oh, it’s gone out. Never mind, it was a great try!’ And I sometimes got in trouble from the alternates for my house who were standing next to me when I yelled ‘well done!’ and so forth for members of the other team who made a good save or something. The Ravens scored the only goal of the practice match so at least I didn’t get in trouble for cheering for a goal against us.
The alternates, rather than paying attention to the game, decided to talk to me and ask lots of questions. They were also fascinated by my white hands and at one stage three of them were poking my hands in way that suggested that they expected some weird chemical reaction would take place. Sadly, many girls here feel that dark skin is unattractive and there are tonnes of ads for skin-lightening creams everywhere. I try to explain that thousands of dollars are spent on tanning booths and fake tans in Australia but I’m not sure they believe me. Fortunately, they find it very funny how I sometimes go red in the sun and I point out how lucky they are that they don’t have that problem.
They also asked why I’m not married, to which I gave the answer I always give here which is that I haven’t found a guy who likes both snakes and sailing, and then they asked me who I’d like to marry. Not really knowing what answer they wanted and obviously not thinking things through, I said ‘Tom Hiddleston.’ This was a big mistake because now they are convinced that I know Tom Hiddleston and we are engaged. I tried to explain that he is an actor and I’ve never met him but just like guys who act like velociraptors but that didn’t really work. So if Tom Hiddleston would like to come to Jibjokha to help explain the situation, I would be quite grateful. And then we can have a Jurassic Park movie night.
Oh and I almost forgot! About a week ago, an MP came to Samdinkha and I was invited with three seconds notice to a dinner with him and a bunch of other people. I don’t think anyone minded that I was wearing trackies and a sweater. Or if they did, they didn’t say so. At the dinner was also the 2010 winner Bhutanese Idol (I don’t think it’s called that but you get the idea) and the 2011 runner-up. During dinner, which was outside around a bonfire, they were asked to sing for us. Unfortunately, the sound system wouldn’t accept their usb and I was asked if I had a laptop plug into the speakers so they could play the backing track. I got Jerry they seemed happy enough but they must have clicked the wrong button because through the speakers for all of Samdinkha to hear came, “Mr Dixon had been up the fell before breakfast and brought down the news that the ice on the tarn was bearing properly at last.”
I think it was GNH that guided the hand of whomever clicked on that as nothing could give more happiness than Arthur Ransome. Except perhaps T’eo. I sat and enjoyed the book, expecting it to stop any second but it went on for so long that I actually went to help them even though I knew that no singing competition winner could be better. The singers did sing very beautifully but I still wish that Winter Holiday could have gone on longer. I also got to take part in some Bhutanese dances which are conducted in a circle. This is useful for me as it means I can watch the feet of the person opposite me and do my best to copy.
Wish my Raven girls good luck on Monday for their first match and Happy Birthday to Camille on the 31st! I may be able to get to the internet again before then but just in case I’ll say it now!
Hugs to All!
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