Previously

• using the Russian term for it instead of the English. However, I held firm and it did calm down in the end. So actually the refuseniks were more of an issue than those that were very excited. Most of the classes are now going relatively well, but I find a couple of the after school classes challenging, but much of the time I feel good, like a proper teacher and think maybe I could do this and fantasize about staying on next year. The year one children are really impressing me with enthusiasm and their ability to recite some English lines, but how to do it without me prompting that is the question. I have also been practicing a song with year zero and really enjoyed dancing the birdie song in French of all things with them and I have managed to sort of turn the Hungry Caterpillar into something that the year two students can present to their parents, but I do not think that they understand what it is for, Nestan for instance keeps wanting to be the butterfly, but each person was chosen to speak a specific part, including her, except the butterfly. I had forgotten to allocate him a part, but suddenly realised because he is a very funny kid that he could add a nice comic touch, by going yum, yum yum across the stage and then going to sleep before turning into a butterfly. If everyone is there that day it should work well, if they can remember their lines, but it does need everyone to be there for the numbers to work as there is one apple, two pears etc.
  So in theory everything is working, except the internet so I am writing this on my computer instead and hope to upload it as soon as possible. It was supposed to have been sorted by Friday, but Friday came and went and it is still not working. So I have spent my time reading (I have finally finished the Tolstoy biography and a very good easy read novel the Marriage Plot) and doing some painting in preparation for some teaching next term. Another slight problem is that for the last few weeks I have been trying to gather anything and everything that I think can be used to makes some puppets for next term. In the UK there is a bit of a ban against using the cardboard inside of toilet rolls but I have the suspicion that this problem does not exist here so I have been gathering as many as possible plus some old building materials and had them just in my room. When I came home on Wednesday I thought oh how lovely they have cleaned my room, which was necessary, but then I realised to my horror that they had taken away all my “rubbish” that I had been storing on my bed under the misapprehension that it really was rubbish. For some less clear reason they have also removed the flower seeds I had only just bagged up ready for trying to sprout in Spring to show the kids and to make matters worse as I sat doing my Thursday after school class I suddenly realised I could see all the kids from the earlier class taking the last of the flowers the seeds came from and dumping them by the outside toilet. Which is why I was to be found scouting round the loos as soon as I could but almost all the seed heads had been destroyed in the process.
  
  
  
  
  
  
     
  And my tights are not working either. I was very brave and went to the shops in the village again, I sort of avoid them as 1 I am so visible and 2 I only have big notes because of the way I am paid so really need to buy several items but on Wednesday buoyed up by several smooth classes, I went in pointed to my tights asked for chon tights, ie big ones, got what looked like a really good pair and several other useful things. I also bumped into one of the felt making women so that was nice and made me feel much more comfortable in the shop, but when I got home my big tights only came half way up my legs, so both they and the the internet are down. And because the internet was down I could not apply for a job at my nephew's school. I was finding it hard to know whether to apply for it or not and at first could not find the details, however, eventually I got everything emailed through to me, and I was going to just trawl through what information I had to cobble the application together (e.g. dates of working in different places was going to have to be gleaned from any old applications I could find in emails as my notes on things like that are back in the UK) and see what happened, but fate took over and so rather than dealing with rural life and the cold in Durham I will continue to deal with rural life and the cold here instead.    

The Ashu has been full of interesting people again this week so that really does help and there has been a lovely wood fire lit each day in the dinning room. One of the people who came down has been before. I did not speak with her that time but I did say hello to her son, his charming behaviour impressed me, but he also reminded me of a ten year old Nathan. I have seen a couple of African Americans in Bishkek and sometimes get excited that someone black has come to the school only to realise that it is the light and it is another very weathered Kyrgyz, but this young man is the only child African American in the country as far as I can see. He is a delight, which is nice, but this really does mean that he has the burden of representation on him. He and his mum were here with another single mum, another very interesting woman, with twins and working full time for the EU here. It took me back to the days when almost all my friends were single mums with young children. I must say that they were both very inspirational and they also both made me kick myself as I waited for Nathan to grow up before heading off, but they have managed to make travelling work for them and their children, so that is both very sensible and very adventurous. I had some very interesting chats with the EU woman about some of the way that their funding works and hope to find out more,she knows it is the Kyrgys people who really need this information but getting it out to them is quite a challenge, however, at least if I know the basics I can try and share it where possible.

The other interesting visitors were the owners relatively new wife and new baby. They all occupied the house I live in. I find it intriguing that they do not have a house of their own, but use this space, which can operates like a family home, but also houses guests. So for example the grandad lives in the little lean too outside and comes in to have his wash and showers, which is fine, and means that there is always someone around, but today for example earlier today his great grandson was being fed iand pampered in the lounge area that I am now sitting in, which was very sweet but meant I felt I had to stay in my room till this intimate moment was over. .So it really changes the dynamics of the place when people are here even nice people, which is why I am pleased to have the place to myself again for the moment. Apparently they are planning to spend more time down here so I had better get used to sort of being in the midst of a family, but not being part of a family.

Anyway, I think that it is time to take my headache to bed and hope that the snow is manageable tomorrow when I get up.

Monday 28th.

The internet is working at school yippee but did not use it because I stupidly assumed it would be working at the Ashu, WRONG. The printers are working at the school, yippee, but I did not use them because everyone else was demanding the computer guys time now he is finally back.

Despite getting to work for 10 (getting up was a real struggle) I found that I had scarcely enough time to prepare today's four lessons, but I am pleased to say that the year zero kids did their work very well, all managed to copy out the word face, and draw themselves, they also really enjoyed the story that they have written now that they understand it a bit more and they liked the voices I put on for it. However, year 2 were terrible today re their Autumn play. I am not sure if we have been scheduled to perform on Friday and with so much snow Autumn seems a bit of a misnomer, but I still want to try and get them to do something.

Most days I have to turn food down at breakfast including something called Kasha or something like that it is a buckwheat or rice type porridge and most mornings I am too full, but today what with all the snow I could have done with some but as there are no guests I had to make my own breakfast. I also note that everyone had on more clothes for the cold weather than me, so heaven knows how much they will wear when it gets really cold. At least today because of the sun it was warm when walking but I am pleased to have got home before sun went down.