i'm settling into my new teacher/mother life now and finding both roles very rewarding. the children are so affectionate and quick to learn. We've been singing 'you are my sunshine' a lot together, and when i went to say goodnight to the girls a few days ago they sang me "you are our suzanne ma'm, our only suzanne ma'm, you make us happy when we are sad ... please don't take our suzanne ma'm away". i nearly cried.
they're learning the flute now too, and some have already mastered 'twinkle twinkle', which will no doubt be a relief to the neighbours, who have been subjected to high pitch screeching noises every break time since the children were each awarded their own instrument of torture!
i thought the many monkeys lingering around the house were so cute ... until they ganged up on me one day when i was alone hanging washing out on the roof. three of them crept up and jumped on me, and my screams of surprise brought lobsang la ma'm and vikrand running upstairs, thinking i had fallen off the roof or something. a bit embarassing, but i'd done nothing to provoke them; why would they go for me like that?!
having largely avoided budgets in my 3 years of fundraising, i am now responsible for my own expenses, those of the household, and the pocket money of all the kids, each budget recorded in a separate book, requiring 'bills' (receipts) for even the smallest amount - another example of the incredible lengths indians go to to make life as bureaucratic as possible! i prefer being with the kids than the figures, but i'm getting to grips with it all now.
my first day off took me into town and its busy market streets, where it is definitely an advantage to go with a local/hindi speaker. shops just aren't obvious in the way there are in the UK (it took me a few attempts to find the post office when i went alone for the first time, as there is no big red sign announcing its presence; you have to look really carefully to see that this particular counter handles letters rather than chickens or onions, which are also outside, camouflaging the post box). but on monday, aided by gayatri, i managed to select some beautiful material from the vast array on offer and was measured up by one of the many tailors scattered around the streets. my first made-to-measure outfits will be ready on sunday! can it really true that it will cost only 200 rupees (about $5) to have two new suits made just for me???
