On Tuesday we were all up bright and early for our first day of the programme. I dropped off some clothes at one of the laundrettes; 150 rupees (£1) for same day washing and drying which is a bargain! This was the laundrette, it’s basically someone’s back garden and home.

After breakfast we did some lesson planning for the children and drew some flash cards for games we could play with the children. We left the home stay and had a 30 minute walk in the hot morning sun through the little villages north of our digs. That morning was one of the hottest in Nepal so far. When we made it to the school, we were greeted by many enthusiastic 2-3 year olds, all excited to see the volunteers who they knew from the past few weeks. I was quickly introduced to the DiDi’s (sisters) who ran the daycare and we began playing the games we had planned. After this, we had playtime followed by teaching the kids how to brush their teeth properly and wash their hands thoroughly. This was absolute chaos but really fun to do!

The kids then had lunch and we tidied up and headed for lunch ourselves; I had roti with vegetable curry which was perfect. After another 30 minute walk home, I pretty much passed out in bed from tiredness and didn’t wake until late in the afternoon. I headed to the Himalayan Java coffee house again to try and perk myself up before dinner and to relax beside the lake with an americano. I luckily didn’t forget to collect my washing afterwards which was dry and perfectly folded.

After dinner we headed to Roadhouse restaurant on the main street as we were all craving milkshakes for some reason. It was a modern American style restaurant with pretty fairy lights everywhere draped over wooden walls. The ice cream cappuccino was so tasty! Coffee in England will never compare to the coffee here. Unfortunately the waiter mixed myself and Pooja’s order up so we were stuck with a veggie wrap instead of a veggie pizza to share, but it turned out to be decent for less than £3.

Back to the home stay and it was up again for another day of childcare, this time with the kids having a long playtime in the morning which I was happy about as the walk in the scorching heat meant I needed a bit of a break. We did more games and songs then the kids had lunch and we followed suit. Unfortunately, many of the kids are quite unwell which was sad to see as they weren’t up for playing with a couple of them falling asleep before lunchtime. I had veg chow mein for lunch and then we soldiered on back to the home stay, most of us exhausted from the heat. Some of us popped by Perky Beans for a cheeky smoothie or milkshake. Around 4.30pm we had conversation club with the local children and played games down by the lakeside such as heads up and I Spy. We also did leaf tracing which many of the kids excelled at. The level of intelligence of the kids here is amazing and their English is impeccable for their age. I had one boy talking to me about how polluted Nepal was and the reasons for this.

I was so fasincated with how the lake looked during sunset as it had been rainy most of the time I’ve been here. We also had our first glimpse of Machapuchare aka ‘Fishtail Mountain’ which is part of the Annapurna Range and gains it’s nickname from its two peaks. It’s the only mountain in the world that is forbidden to submitted as it is believed that the god Shiva resides at the top and so is holy to the Hindus in Nepal. I can’t wait to trek to Australian Base Camp on Sunday and hopefully view the Annapurna Range in all its glory.

After dinner, about 11 of us headed for drinks down by the lake to a place called Bamboo Bar. Everywhere here seems to do 2 for 1 cocktails and happy hour on beer. We played a couple of games around the table but I’ve been feeling quite run down from working prior to coming here and busy days so I had an early night and settled in bed around 10.30pm.

The following morning I grabbed breakfast but decided to take a day out and rest as well as do some lesson planning for next week. We will hopefully be doing a whole week at childcare on Hygiene to help the kids understand how to stay clean and why. That afternoon I went with the childcare team to Pokhara Java coffee house and we did some lesson planning for the kids at the Boys Home we will be visiting on Friday afternoon. During my time off in the morning, I contacted both CIWEC and Manipal Hospitals in Pokhara to see if they could show me around and I could experience a day in the life of the clinical areas here. Both hospitals replied; I will be going to CIWEC Hospital on Friday morning and Manipal Hospital next Tuesday morning, I’m really looking forward to meeting the directors.

Tonight will be the first time I will be eating out in the evening here and we’re going to OR2K restaurant again as they are showing The Grand Budapest Hotel movie at 8pm.

The movie was amazing and so was the food! I had a vegan Buddha bowl which came with miso mushrooms and a peanut based dressing. This was followed by a vegan creme brûlée with a homemade honey and ginger ale on the side. So delicious!

I would highly recommend this place if you’re willing to spend more than 300 rupees on a main meal. I had two courses and a drink for £8 so it still wasn’t too bad.

I’m so excited to go to CIWEC Hospital tomorrow and update you guys on the differences in healthcare!

Take care for now.

Jovi

* Trip sponsored by RTC Medical Solutions and Bangor University *