I've been here nearly 6 months now and I still haven’t used my feet to
get to Gedu - a mere 12km away down the gravelly road - so I decided
to do it last Sunday! I woke early – 7ish, did some washing up from
the night before, which naturally led on to a complete clean of the
kitchen before a hearty breakfast of porridge and a cup of tea. Then
I dabbled with a song I’d recorded on the laptop the night before
(such rudimentary recording – internal laptop mic, no decent
effects, no mastering – I love it). This naturally led to me having
a read of the recently written prologue to Jacks (novel), which
needed attention as it was one of those ‘wake up in the middle
of the night with the answer’ prologues. Time was ticking…
but the Sunday was going well thus far…
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| Me and My Support - when he moves I fall over |
Around
lunchtime a couple of boys came in asking for the chess-board, which
I gave to them to use outside, but they were back in moments, the
elder of the two complaining about the other fellow's complete lack
of understanding (the kid in the picture above). They lingered for a while looking at stuff, and
then they started to tidy! Out came the brush. The rug was lifted.
The clothes that were strewn on my bed were folded. Recycling was
stuffed into bags (to be disposed of in unsegregated waste dumps –
not sure why I persist with this, but I can’t allow myself to stop…
). The enthusiasm of the two boys swept me along and I joined in,
gladly giving them gifts of half-wanted objects that we found along
the way. In no time at all… we were done. It hadn't escaped my
notice that I hadn't yet left for Gedu and it was getting close
1pm. So...
At
this moment, in came Prem. He’s in Class IX and I like the lad,
partly because he’s got an endless supply of infectious enthusiasm
and partly because he’s just plain funny. He often appears at my
door seeking water (we still have an issue with supply). The boy
either has more thirst than a whole hostel of his peers, or more
gumption to just keep knocking and asking. He has a tendency to tarry
sometimes and I have to be firm and send him away. Living in the
middle of two hostels demands a certain stern vigilance in
maintaining one’s own private space! But as the Sunday was going so
well, I thought I’d tarry myself, allow him to play guitar for a
while and play a few games of Chess with him.
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| Prem - Playing My Guitar Badly But Enjoying Himself Nevertheless |
Like
most teenage boys (and Hawkish American Secretaries of ‘Defence’),
he tends to charge in with bluster and gusto and then realize a
little too late that his preparations for the outcome are ill-thought
out. Imagine his disappointment when he finds his Queen standing
alone in a field of angry pawns! We played 3 or 4 quick games and I
gave him some advice about balancing risk with caution, attack with
defence, which felt a bit like teaching a kitten to meditate. By now
it was gone 2pm, and I still hadn’t left. Prem left for study, I
hastily packed a bag and finally set off.
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| The Prayer Flags at the School Entrance |
They
call this season the Season of the Fungus. The school is
almost always lost in diaphanous fog, and the air is laden with
moisture all the time. Nothing dries here. My down sleeping bag seems
like a silly choice now, as I can’t wash it for fear I’ll lose it
to mould, and it needs washing. There’s a flip-side to every
downer, and in this instance, it’s the environment. This is the
season when everything comes alive. The trees go nuts with growth.
Fireflies animate the nights like twirling fairy lights. (I found one
on its belly yesterday, it's bottom blinking fluorescent green
flashes, it's batteries slowly running out.) Birds, crickets,
beetles, bugs and monkeys sing all day. The smell is intoxicating.
It's sub-tropical! In a word, it's lush.
Off
I went, marching through it all in my slowly dilapidating but still
just about trusty enough boots (that have carried me up many a
mountain). I stopped occasionally for water or to take photos, but
leaving at such a late hour gave me little leeway so I powered along
the road determinedly. I will reach Gedu! 4Km along the way, Mr
Rinchen beeped his horn and opened the car door for me, whereupon I
gave up the dream and took the ride. Ah well – the road isn’t
going anywhere except Gedu, and neither am I, at least for the next
six months.
Next
up... Gedu and the Tale of the Unexpected Tailor.
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| In the Unexpected Tailor's |
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