No red carpet but not a bad afternoon.

I am sitting in my Bishkek Guest House, very tired, so perhaps it is good that the TV does not work as I would probably sit and watch it longer than I should however, I often find I do the same with the internet, which does work so must try and be a bit disciplined. For some reason I have been sleeping very badly this week so really hope that coming away will be more relaxing.

Anyway my first visit to the cinema for ages and my first film here. All in Russian I guess with subtitles in Kyrgyz, but much of it sort of self explanatory. Having been told that it was going to be about Kyrgyz weddings and then that it was probably about bride kidnapping here, which apparently really does happen, it turned out to be about inspirational fairly young Kyrgyz success stories, inter cut with interviews with young students and absolutely stunning pictures of the country.   It started a bit late with an introduction in English by a Swiss guy as a Swiss organisation has supported the development of the film.   The cinema was packed with people who are in the film or friends and family members.  There were lots of pictures taken, but people were not as dressed up as I had anticipated, especially as many Bishkek residents really like nice and very fashionable clothes.I did however, see at least two people that I had met at Ashu.  Lots of people had bunches of flowers with them which presumably they were going to present to the hosts at the end, including my colleagues.  I had assumed they were going to make a day of it after, but apparently they planned to return to Chon Kemin when the film ended. As I wanted to catch my friend for her Thanksgiving do I planned to stay till about 4 and then get a taxi. I sat at the end of the row and checked that I could get out by the nearest exit. I also checked that the cinema was in the north and therefore the direction to head in at the end. About 20 to 4 my colleague stepped out so when she returned I decided to go out, but could I get out, no. I stood between two sets of doors, one back to the full cinema; the other in theory open for use in the pitch black,  rattling away at the door, but eventually had to give in and go back into the cinema then crouch down as I flitted past everyone and back up the other aisle and out.  So a complete failure in terms of subtle exit. However, I was very pleased with myself when I spotted a tram going back into town, which given I had been told that the cinema was north, seemed the right thing to do, however, when I got out, near to where my friend's home was supposed to be, I thought this is not right. At which point a taxi driver with an extensively bandaged hand leaned out his taxi window and asked in English if he could help me!.  Apparently the cinema had been relatively close to where I was trying to get to, so I had come away from it, luckily he was still able to drive so he took me back past the cinema and right to the outskirts of Bishkek to my friends. The driver, explained that he had learned his English in Afganistan, where he had worked as engineer, he is the second Kyrgyz civilian I have met who learned his English there, however, the injury was two drunks from the night before.

The flat where my friend lived could have been a modern flat almost anywhere in the world, but the guests were from the States, Kyrgyzstan, Europe and possibly the Middle East.  Most of the others had been there a lot longer and I stayed briefly after they all parted as it was just nice to catch up and the place was lovely.  Cheap in Bishkek terms, but more than the expenses that I receive for working here. Or do at times. Rather frustratingly I did not get a small wodge of cash from anyone today so I will probably have to wait for some one to bring it to Shabdan, but I could do with it now to pay for the guest house which turns out to be cash only. For the first time in my life I have a credit card - the only way I could book with the airline - and I had hoped to be able to use it here but obviously not.  I hope the cash I have with me is enough.  The taxi could not find it and had to turn round several times and ring the guest house at least twice to get here. We seemed to drive miles, past a surprisingly large number of restaurants, apart from their external lighting  it was pitch black.  I certainly did not feel like exploring the area when I got here.   I do not understand why Bishkek is so expensive both for living and staying in.  The hostel I stayed in first time round is closed for the winter so I thought I would splash out and try and find a cheap but pleasant guest house.  It will be interesting to see if this place seems more positive in the morning.  However, I have had a nice warming sauna and the host seems very nice but breakfast at nine seems a very long way away.

Anyway I am hoping I can find a way to get a copy of the film from today at some point as I think it would be very nice to share with others to show one how lovely some of the kids are and two how beautiful it can be here.

I have been hearing a lot about the problems with insulation in the UK, interesting here, they sort of staple big sheets on polystyrene to the outside of the property and then re-plaster it, it is very quick. Felt is available too and would be more ecological, but polystyrene seems to be the preferred way as it is cheaper. Is anyone doing anything similar in the UK?

The joy of skype

It has been a tough day just cos I am tired and the classes I teach today tend to be the noisiest. Kyrgyz children like to talk, but I have made life easier by with two groups making puppets. However, I was just checking my emails prior to going home in case there is no internet at the Ashu when the phone started ringing. I get skype calls even when not logged in. Once logged in Nathan was ringing to ask how to bleed the radiators as they are leaking water. Amazingly chatting about where an Allan key might be and whether that was the right thing, he worked out how to do it using a screwdriver and he and my nephew managed to remove the extractor fan that I was sold with the flat which does not and has never worked!!  I know where I would like to shove it, but think that the local gypsies who work as rag and bone men in the area will take it.  Anyway household chores done, I showed Nathan the school and was very cheeky and just interrupted a class so that he could say hello. This is the first time my students have been able to say hello to someone in the UK with me,   hopefully it will not be the last time as we want the students to speak with people Anyway so what started out as a bit of a yucky day has ended very well.

I saw this beautiful picture years ago but little did I know that one day I would live in such a scene. Grabar. 

Will Cinders go to the ball?

There are times living at the Ashu when I think my position is a little like Governesses in the days of yore.(Jane Austen rather than Ellie Austen)   I am both part of the fabric, but not part of the fabric. All this week I have thought I would be facing a cold night and preparing my own food instead of which the place is full again and I have been whisked into the kitchen to eat. This week as the owner is around and even my colleague has come over that makes it quite lively. There was even a disco the other night, but Cinders was not invited. However, I might be going to a film premiere on Saturday.  Having not gone to Bishkek last weekend, I planned to go this weekend, but the person I was going to stay with has so much work on she has had to cancel. So I was like, should I try and arrange something or should I let the usual Krygyz adventure happen instead. Nevertheless feeling in need of a break I thought  let's see if the other people I know are around. The bosses wife had also mentioned the premier of her sister in law's film  and I thought it was going to be in someone's house so I thought if I get to Bishkek perhaps I can pop in and see it. So I provisionally arranged to see an American woman I know for Thanksgiving and try and see the film but I have now found out that the school is running a bus up to Bishkek to see the premier and there is a meal after and probably lots of vodka. So at the this point I have no idea what will happen on Saturday but sometimes just sometimes I feel like I am in the midst of something extra-ordinary being involved with this school and this family and these people. I think that the family in Senegal would have liked it if  I had got more involved with their lives. They were very nice people, very business smart people and based on their beautiful houses pretty rich,  so I always felt inadequate around them, here although these guys have a lot more than me, somehow because I have my own little room here, and they also just have a little room here and I have my role as governess so to speak it seems more manageable.

Progress?

I have just been sitting with an ex colonel from Kyrgyzstan with excellent English who us an at the Ashu for a seminar on refugees. They seem a nice lot, lively but with no time for me except this man who was very interested in my work at the school.  He posed a question I have posed myself about whether I get through to the children and if so how.  At the end of the month I have to say how each class and how each child is doing, I think it is a very nice idea.  This month has its highs and lows (an as a friend noted having started the process to renew my work visa, the highs must be outweighing the lows). It takes me a huge amount of energy to teach the kids.  It is like taking a group of people all of whom want to go off in different directions, but are wearing blinkers so cannot see where they are going and the only way that they will get there is to follow my instructions and my instructions are in a foreign language.

With the little ones they are mostly happy to sing with me, they do a tiny interaction say show me a letter and I help indicate the letter, and they are happy to repeat almost everything I say, so if I cough in a song they cough. But they are not stupid at all in most of this, because they understand things like sit down, and can tell me to sit down, so some of the English phraseology of the class room rather than the specific English taught is being used by them. I found something similar in Senegal where the kids could say be quiet in English but not know other words!!!.  The class has recently been introduced to the letter I.  I got them all to decorate letters and then turned them into alphabet cards for them. I is for Izat and Islam for example, two of the children, which helps them relate to the material a bit we also dip into a book for the course, and the children enjoy the audio clips. The year 1 children also used the same book and most do not know their alphabet and I think that although I will know that all the children have been introduced to the letters most will have only grasped some of them. However, what really impresses me is that they can write so well with very little guidance. The children here like having books, maybe they feel safe with them, they just follow the guidelines and although if they rush ahead they can get things wrong really they just enjoy using the material and in some instances it supports what they are learning.

With year one and two  I try and make them actually do the activities in the books vaguely correctly but how do you do that when the children cannot read and do not understand what they are doing.  I find it very interesting that having tried to introduce year two to categories through games, through board work, through writing up the answers so that they know in principle what the activity involves so that they can transfer that to the next similar activity for the most part they cannot for example they can count to 10 no problem so can the year zero children, but ask them to put numbers in the right category and they do not have a clue. Similarly with making a sentence, even when I write the answers on the board so that the children have a model at least two will get the answers wrong, it is very hard to know how to help them. The only thing that helps me is knowing how bad I am at languages.  One little girl I know she feels in despair at times, so I keep saying you can do it, but whether then sense of what I am saying reaches I do not know, but yesterday she did suddenly realise that she could see and use what I had written on the board. It has taken 3 months, but maybe that will help her.

There are sudden breakthroughs. The children here learn a lot through rote and that helps with the English because they just copy what I say. So one child had to say one sausage during the Hungry Catepillar presentation. He had a picture of the sausage from the book, but I did not realise that that had not necessarily signified to him until the other day he pointed to one of the trilingual pictures that hang in the kitchen where we eat.  It was a picture of a sausage, he asked me what it was called in English so I said sausage and he immediately said One sausage (his line) and the boy next door said, "and one cupcake" his line, suddenly what they had said had more resonance.    So one sausage at a time they are getting there slightly more than not. At least I think they are.

Help!!!!!!!

So if you recall, I have been promised that there will always be a class teacher with me.

And today I was going to try something difficult, I wanted to go round to each child with their book and try and help them catch up on their work.

So finding a) no teacher and b) her youngest 4 year old child in the class instead was not the best start, but someone did pop in saw I was managing, which I was actually,  amazingly and she went.

The kids sung the song we have been practising beautifully, so that was nice as it was just as the owner of the Ashu, who has been building the school went past. And then onto the tricky business of giving the student a hand out expecting them to get on with it or play a card game whilst I went round class and hope all is well. Which is mostly was. I was just finishing up and just spending a few minutes with the child who finds everything difficult, when all of us realised that lots of men, with lots of cameras were passing by.   Not just passing by but taking a picture through the glass and into the class. Luckily most of the kids who were beginning to play up a bit sat and pretended to work while I just prayed as yes it was the deputy prime minister yet again on a return visit but this time with press entourage to witness my class and film it HHHHEEEELLLPP. (No hundreds of forms getting parents permission required here as far as I can see) I tried to keep the kids vaguely engaged for ages whilst the party moved on but remained within sight. A few of the kids went out and were filmed with their books. Then I finally escaped.

I wandered past year 2 and thought why isn't  there someone in there when I realised that I was supposed to be in there, I was 20 minutes late!  I had been so busy trying to preserve things with year 1 I had forgotten year 2.  The kids were most put out and did not want to work, but I knew behind the next door inspecting this fantastic school was the Deputy Prime Minster and his party.  So I soldiered on and made the kids accept that the class was now.

I had just finished and was writing up my class notes, when I realised that the Head who was due to be taking the after school class, was of course still with the Deputy Prime Minister so I thought I had better just start teaching the Head's class. Originally I thought it would be for a few minutes so just introduced them to animal snap and animal dominoes, which is what I had been doing with year 0,  but in the end I covered the whole class. I have just finished.  Time to go home and have a lie down I think heaven knows where the video of yours truly will end up, but hopefully not in the media. Or at least please edit it so I knew what I was doing.

All about the visas.

I could not write yesterday as the internet was so bad.

Having planned a quiet weekend, first my colleague came and went having got my passport to sort out my visa, then the owner of the Ashu, his wife, their baby and a friend came down, so that was pretty nice. I spent the afternoon chatting to them, then we had a traditional evening meal, sat low on the floor, round the long table in the house where I usually live, followed by a chance for some quiet reading.

On Sunday we had lunch in the same place, which I needed after having had an hour long walk.  Despite the snow it was really warm, then we tried going online to sort out their visas for America. You know there is something wrong when even the owner of the Ashu cannot get the internet to work.  Getting the visas was so important that last night after dinner they returned to Bishkek to sort things out

Most of the time things are very modern here, sitting with the family, their other guests having dinner sitting on the floor, being able to look at all the various Kyrgyz faces, was very good gave me a flavour of what it must have been like in the yurt days.

For reasons unknown by the time everyone had headed off I had a terrible headache so happily retreated to bed. Except for a surreptitious visit to give the dog some left overs. Poor creature, it has a swollen eye and sore foot, so I felt it needed some love. However, it also feels a bit cheeky giving it my food.

 Today it was a struggle to get up, but the day has passed relatively well. However, the music, come computer, come sports teacher turned up and of course so did the new sports teacher, but no Head teacher to decide whether the original teacher is still employed here!  Not a nice situation for anyone.

Anyway, time to go home and see if the owner and family have returned, but even if they have there are also guests tonight at the Ashu so it will be full again.

All of a tremor

Scary, scary, scary, just experienced my first earthquake.

True I probably could have experienced something of the same magnitude in Portsmouth, but I have not so this moment when all the glasses in the restaurant starting clinking and the building started shaking seemed most unsettling. I had just gone over for a quick cup of tea, found the owners wife and one of her friends there, and we all looked at each other, like actors in a bad melodrama, and sort of thanked our lucky stars that it was nothing worse.


I am also feeling a little bit pissed off with myself for not getting my act together and going to Bishkek - but it is my own fault so I am at home this weekend if anyone faces catching up on Skype.

Dormouse day.

Spent yesterday dithering between going to Bishkek or having a weekend in bed. In the end, I have given into the latter.  No heating this morning is encouraging my need to be a dormouse for a bit.  However, my colleague from Bishkek is intrepidly en route as it turns out I have to complete my visa paper work to extend my permission to work here, so I had better reluctantly get up.

Yesterday another new teacher arrived, a dance teacher, so my time in that role did not last long, she has a little English because she does has tourists in her home in the summer.

Just listening to the 6 am news in the UK so know it is pretty nippy there too in the night.

Sledging after school

Borscht for dinner whilst watching the icicles drip. 

Wedgie is a star.

Some years ago, whilst at Haringey I did a great staff training event with my colleagues. We all made puppets. My puppet just had so much character. I kept him. He is called Wedgie as he wears a bag that contained potato wedges. And when I had to think what to bring to Kyrgyzstan I decided to bring him with me.  Both as company! And as a resource.  Several weeks ago, much to their delight,  I introduced the students to help them understand a dialogue, "Hello, how are you?"  " I am fine" etc.  I also showed him to my head and she immediately said that she thought it would be nice to do something with puppets with the kids.  So today that is what happened.   I have never tried this before, but  Wedgie reappeared before the kids, who to my surprise, remembered his name and then they used him as a model to make the characters they need to create the characters for the story The Turnip. I thought someone would object to having to make a Turnip but no all of them just really enjoyed today's session and as soon as their puppets started to have character they started to make conversations in English between the characters. Wonderful

At this point the girls behind were waiting to get a bottle to enable them to start their puppet. 

As you can see they were a lot happier once it arrived. 

A mouse being made.

Wedgie and friend, the puppet that started all this.


I grabbed something to eat after the last after school class.  The cook makes this yummy thing with a sort of suet dough layered and in between a vegetable layer and then all boiled in broth.  So I was eating some before heading home to a cold and empty Ashu (actually three people are staying but I did not know that.) when I was handed a Tupperware box with some more in to have for dinner tonight. This is a tiny village miles from the UK, but at times the welcome and acceptance has been lovely.  

Snowy day

I do not know if it is the snow or what but feeling very coldy today.  It is white everywhere, but the kids still struggled into school. I took about 40 minutes to walk and was nice and warm by the end. Tonight coming home I went by the school bus. It was interesting to see that lots of the kids were out maybe coming home from school, none of them wearing any more clothing than they wear the rest of the time. There are not many buses so they were pleased when we stopped and gave them a lift. 

About a week ago I suggested to the Manager's son that they put some food in the freezer so that when the hotel closed, which it has in effect from now on till I guess the New Year holiday, then I could grab something to eat. He said not to worry as his family would be here instead.  I suspected that would not be the case after all would they really want to be buried down here all winter, but given the way things are either always turning up or absolutely the reverse I decided  leave it to fate. So today I just ate extra large for lunch and cooked something light when I came back. I also had hot apple juice in the morning which was lovely.  So day three of just me and Grandad  and the cold of winter sort of okay.

I was a bit disappointed at school today. I have been saving bits of sweet paper for weeks, twice my supply has been chucked by the guest house cleaners and twice replenished all so that I could get the kids to stick them on a picture of Humpty Dumpty. This activity worked very well with younger children in Senegal and today some of the kids did a lovely job, but the rest just gave up on it so all rather dispiriting. I also spent 2 hours trying to print something. It was nice just to sit and try and figure it out ,but in the end all I had for two hours work was ink all over my hands.

 We have a new gym teacher as our missing computer guru also teaches that so the head has find a partial solution to ensure that the kids get their exercise classes. Here unlike the UK about half the classes are taught by speicalists like the gym teacher and me. It means the class teachers do get a bit of a break in the day. But they are marking and grading kids from year one on, so it just gives them time for that.   However, if one much planned activity did not really fulfill its promise a spur of the moment idea worked better. I gave the year one children a gap filling activity with the nouns for the animals in the Walking Through the Jungle book, but then thinking the problem is helping them know which animal each name refers to suddenly realised that they could try and draw the pictures next to the words, drawing a wolf is not that easy but about 5 of the kids did a fair version enough to help them remember. Anyway an early night I think. Tomorrow about 6.30 my colleague will be milking her cow before doing a full day's work and coming home and cooking, I will stay in bed till 8 and probably still feel tired. They are a tough lot here.

I hope that Miss Ward would be proud of me.

I am about to sit down and stick some of the drawings that the year one students did on the theme of Walking Through the Jungle onto some background pictures that I did. The kids already did some themselves in class, but they did not manage to finish it all. It was all quite complicated to organise but my head has been popping into all my classes so that helped as I have 6 background pictures and so needed 6 groups each with a girl in them and then for them to copy what I had written on them and colour in an animal on each. Yesterday I sat and cut up the sweet papers I have been picking up on the way to school each day which I am going to get the kids to stick on a picture of Humpty Dumpty tomorrow.  All the joys of being a primary teacher.

It was what I always wanted to be, the other thing that I originally wanted to be was a gym teacher (when I was 11) so today all these things came together. I am going to teach the children a Scottish type dance to perform to the parents.  I am allowed to do this because dance is one of the topics taught at school and think of all the language, stretches, biceps, hips etc.  So today I took them through a top to toe body stretch and even some ballet positions and then we started the dance. They enjoyed it, I definitely enjoyed it. . I have been haunted all my life by the fact that my dance teacher never put me in for an exam, and never knew why, was I crap or just she thought I would not cope with the exam, but she then always put me up into the next grade class.    She was a dumpy woman, did not dance at all, did not look like a dancer even, was I guess about the age I am now or a bit older, but I loved going to dance school so I hope I did her proud.

Expect the unexpected.

Most of the time I complain about the unexpected here, but today in my vodka fueled state, I will not complain. Apparently two teachers had their birthdays in summer so they never got celebrated, so a sheep was bought and today we celebrated their birthdays.  And actually for once I was happy to give my speech and down my third tot of  vodka as they are such nice people Two more people have a birthday next week so who knows perhaps another party. I have come home with lots of goodies so will not have to worry about the fact that there are no guests so no meals provided at the Ashu.  I have to say on keeping us together as a merry band our head is pretty good.

Alsoo my students did some lovely work today and in year zero class, the boy who often fights the most was the first to come into the circle today with his chair and then all the others came and I did not even have to ask.  So pretty good despite the cold keeping me awake and the lack of printing facillities still.

One wedding, one photo, one donkey, one funeral and one video.

A very nice couple have been here, they have not had their honeymoon but my boss is their boss and he gave them a night at the Ashu. They showed me their wedding pictures,which were lovely, very European,  and I took them to see Bilimkana School today before they headed back to Bishkek.  Then I decided to go for a long walk up into the hills as I think that the snow is coming so it might not be possible much longer. On route I saw lots of people walking solemnly, as if away from the Mosque. Two blokes asked and took a photo with me but my attempts to ask them what was happening failed.  I tried to work out what was going on by trying to take a closer look at the house where they were congregating.  I could see lots of men, women stirring things out in the open that almost looked like potato vodka, but could not figure it. So went on my way. I was very amused as three donkeys hurtled past and then I spotted three boys trying to stop one of the donkeys, so they were very grateful when I headed it off. They thought that I had a bottle of booze with me so I showed them that it was my apple juice by letting them have it.  I am often asked for drink, it is always very dry here, but normally say no but as part of my apple campaign and the need to use up the now defrosted juice thought it a good move to give it to them.  So they were surprised and even more grateful. (It turned out that the plug that the  freezer was plugged into had broken yesterday so everything was defrosting anyway, but I found an extension lead and re-connected it, till the electrician could arrive hopefully helping to save the rest of the contents)  I then headed up to the hills, but  I deliberately returned via the  mystery house and even more men were heading there including the grandfather from the Ashu. He cannot speak English, but when I gestured what is going on he gestured death and then of course it made sense. It was a funeral.   No wonder everyone looked so solemn.

No one is at the Ashu now there may be no one here for a long time except me and granddad, but since about four thirty I have been in the dinning area, I have made a fire and I have edited some of the pictures from yesterday's horse festival It has taken about 4 hours to do two minutes and of course only gives a flavour of this local past time. I thought that there was more footage, but all the shots of horses hurtling into me, just had my fingers over the lens and yelps of help coming from me, so I did not use those bits. I know that some people will not like it, but it was very thrilling to watch as the horses thunder past.  Whilst the main event was on, younger rides were practising with something like a pillow case and they hurtled all over the place even into the river. I could not capture it all and my camera is very basic, but apart from the riders I was the only tourist or audience so it felt pretty important to try and capture it.

Takes me back to my childhood and Saturday morning cinema.

My lovingly prepared frozen apple juice:all 6 bottles have been taken out of the freezer and been defrosted unbeknownst to me whilst I have been staying in another part of the guest house. I had thought something like that might happen so I am more sanguine than I might have been. And I am sitting in the laundry room to write this as I cannot get the internet in my room. But then I am living in Kyrgyzstan where on a Saturday afternoon there are more important things at stake.

Two magic moments.

One of the students apparently had major surgery last year. My head tells me that when he first came to school a year ago all his pictures were bleak in their colour now they are deep intense blue, but he has yet to progress in English so today I planned to show him some Jolly Phonics material on You Tube to see if over time this makes a difference. . When I went to get him his mum was in class. The students in his class were doing a reprise of their Autumn Festival song for visitors from China and Russia.  She luckily speaks a little English and came with him to look at the material.  With her encouragement he watched the videos and was able to say some of the words beautifully in English.  This is the first time that I have heard his voice.  We hope that she can come again and we can see whether this helps him progress.

And as I have said that we had visitors so the year zero kids reprised their song.  They melt you heart sometimes.

Realise I am just a waspish woman.

I cannot remember if I wrote that I have had to move from my usual place to somewhere much more in the heart of the guest house. I guess the room I am in is for the drivers or guides as it does not have a bathroom. So I have been able to observe the comings and goings of the guests from a German supported aid agency and now a Kyrgys aid agency. And I must say how much confidence can I have in their common sense when they think that it is okay to leave wide open doors that politely ask in two languages that in view of the cold weather they close them and when they clonk around in the middle of the night visiting each others rooms.

Anyway thinking that made me realise I am feeling very waspish again.   It is partly that I am very tired, partly that I have a cold and partly anxiety about how I am coping especially when it looks like the contract that I have had languishing around my room will need to be signed. Just at a point when I do not know if I want to sign it anymore. 

Also I have had some bad news on the flat front. Two things really. One the flat downstairs may have been sold, to people I know, so that is possibly good news.  But I am supposed to do something. The sellers solicitors wrote to me ages ago but I did not understand the contents so asked for clarification - nothing received. And last night at 3.40 am I got an urgent text from the buyers asking me to act.   Meanwhile although I can rarely get hold of my son  he tells me each time that Mr Urso keeps ringing him to try and get things moving. There is a great irony in this as this is the Mr Urso who when I was desperately trying to resolve things in the flat I had bought from him (none of the meters were correctly assigned to my flat and it took me about a year and a half and lots of cost to resolve things) refused to help me at all and this is the Mr Urso who refused to fulfill his contract obligations and empty the flat before I moved in This of course may explain why he does not want to ring me to get things resolved. But of course that is not moving things on. And if it is the same solicitors that he is using well they were simply dreadful. I felt mine were incompetent; his were bullying. They almost brought down the sale, now I wish that it had,because despite me knowing I have a good and genuine case against WH Brown the Property Ombudsman system has upheld the right of Estate Agents to lie to make a sale.    And having all this business come up has just brought everything I was trying to get away from back to my door.

One of the problems with being a waspish woman is that I usually find that as soon as I slag someone off they do something nice or I do something more stupid (W H Brown though seem to have bucked that trend) so when I went into breakfast I started feeling very guilty for doubting these luminaries of the state. I am glad to say that the two I recognised and with whom I have spoken before both shut the door to the dinning room, but out of 10 people they were the only 2 to do so, so having tried to be more generous, whilst munching away, the temporary residents disappointed.

However, there is a lot locally to praise. This is a very young country (in its current form) and the fact that week in week out people come and meet here to try and improve their country is a testament to how much people want to make this a great country. There are also lots of people here who work incredibly hard. I attach pictures of three of them. The woman, (I am ashamed to say I do not know her name) has a variety of jobs, bell ringer to say when class has finished and cleaner and plant waterer (plants are a major passion here how many countries can you say have a lemon tree in their schools and churches). She is always busy and always looking for bits of pieces to do, so today I asked her to help me with making the year o book.  The two blokes are amazing, they are presently building the school round us.  They never stop and today as we will be having more important visitors they were putting new blackboards up.  The development of the building has been most efficient and their hard work and cheerfulness blows me away.

A much happier bunny

I hoicked lots of sticks and toilet roll middles up to school today so that they are safe and for future use in our puppet project. So more of that in the coming days hopefully.  I was taking them up to show the Head as she and I finally got to sit and have a discussion. We covered both the positives, what we hope to do this term Year 2 Puppet show, Year One Walking in the Jungle and Year 0 The Snowman. We also discussed the negatives including discipline.  , and I am going to try and implement as much of the disciplinary system as possible with the year 0 children. It is often very hard to remember that they have only been in school a couple of months.  They all seem to have picked up writing say very easily but we were doing how old are you today and as a result I realised that they are mostly 6 years old rather than 5 which is what I had assumed.  Which makes sense really of how they are so quick sometimes and how good they are at things like their cutting skills.   I got the year 0 teacher to explain to the children that they must behave properly when she goes out of the room.  They seemed to be listening, I had the boy who had been the worse offender sitting on my lap to reassure him that although they were being told off I was still very fond of him. Apparently his parents are going through a divorce at present, which may explain some of his challenging behaviour.  Many of our children have complicated circumstances partly because many parents have to work away, so although if is a fee paying school, it is not for the wealthy or even comfortable, the families are having to go to great lengths sometimes to find the money Anyway today hopefully they will have felt it was well spent as despite both the year one and the year zero teacher being out for some of the class, the kids mostly behaved and most seem to have learned a lot.

Ups and downs of a day but I am through another day.

I spent all last night trying to calm myself down. I then briefly got internet the glib response to my pleas for help sent me sky high again, but to my delight when I got up today I wanted to teach the kids the material that I have been lovingly prepared for them on Walking through the Jungle. So I actually got to work early. My colleague rang me on route and finally understood the seriousness of the issue and my plan was to book an appointment immediately with my head and get some laminating done ready for the lesson. However as the head was not in and the computer room locked I had to take the materials in for the children just as they were but the good news and it is good news is that year one were brilliant. True their teacher was with them, and that does help, but actually they wanted to do the work too.  We started in a circle pretending to climb, run, etc then were animals, howling growling etc. Then we sat down and I began to read the story.  I had read it to a few in September and used it extensively in Senegal so know it is a good book for children, but if you could have told me all these weeks later two children could say the lines before I got there well I think it shows how powerful good books can be.  Once we had read and sung the story all the kids were asked to draw pictures from the book. I had prepared pages for them to copy from but they chose the image and these kids love to draw love to copy so they were off.Complete silence for at least 20 minutes. Only two children stopped slightly earlier than the rest who were happy to continue and as they both need a bit of help we did writing on the board.     It is so nice when an idea works. Now the plan is to develop  it into their English show for the winter, or if they get through it quickly use it as a model for what they will do for winter.

A reminder of my childhood: frozen knickers. 

Year 2 usually work well and do not really need controlling, and the teachers if they sit in tend to tell them to be quiet at the wrong moment and the kids understand the discipline system, but yesterday one girl who is lively, very intelligent but ultimately well behaved just would not join in even when I read the others The Turnip (A Russian story that they know and which we are planning to turn into a puppet show but read in English) she would not join in, so I thought I was going to have to discipline her. But at the reading I went up and saw that she had been doing a drawing based on the book.  Definitely not the usual miscreant and asked her what was up.  So she mimed that her mum has just had a baby.  As the trainer said the other day in training when it comes to children's behaviour we need to know our children. I could not agree more. So I was very relieved that when the head came in we were able to have a little chat, I was talking so fast that I know she could not understand it all, but at least I know that we have some time to try and worked on both the negatives and the positives and hopefully begin to turn things around.

Not sure what to do anymore.

So having planned to show the students something on the net and to play some audio the electricity went down but as the children's teacher was not there, they rioted instead..   5 year olds can snatch anything and everything when they want so every attempt to get some of them to work is destroyed.  I took the main problem away and he knew he had done wrong by tearing things up but at present does not have the self discipline to stop himself so I just thought get him out of the class.  Every moment I have most of them working, the others try and break things or kill each other, so the internet was the least of my worries. And the loo is locked so no toilet. And the computer room is locked so I cannot prepare anything for today or tomorrow.   The teacher of class 2A is still following my old timetable so turned me away from class at first. But the kids greeted me with glee, then a couple tried to just do their usual thing and bugger off.

We recently had staff training, I had even sent my colleague who promised to do something about discipline in the school some of the very helpful suggestions that some of you have been kind enough to send me.  But he did not follow up on any of it.  The discipline system was though explained to me. The thing on the wall is not the register, which is what I thought it was, it is supposed to show behaviour and if a child misbehaves, as the child in class zero did they are supposed to spend 15 minutes with me.  But I do not have 15 minutes and if I did, he would then be missing someone else's class so it makes no sense.  However, the Russian teacher in Bishkek did a very inspirational and interactive session on discipline, including lots of appropriate ideas about why children are ill disciplined. And we discussed how to challenge poor behaviour, some of which I understood but the children scatter before I can even use any of the techniques and it needs to be a whole school approach and I need to discuss how I manage these things with the head, but she missed out most of the Monday training, and because she was in training the rest of the week and I was away, we did not have a chance to follow up on any of the training. This is not uncommon in the UK either, you are trained to bits, but cannot get to then follow it and up and develop practical steps as to how to implement any schemes. So I really do not know what to do anymore. It cannot continue like this, as soon as the kids in year zero are settled they do lovely work and they sang beautifully but I am no use to the school is I cannot get the kids to listen and the school is no good to me if I cannot get them to support me.  Anyway one of my classes seem not to have turned up which is why I am writing this now we have the internet again, so I think it is time to take my headache home or at least back to the Ashu, I do not think that there are any guests so I will be able to cook what I want if I can find something.And it is snowing.

Pissed off before I even start.

I could not sleep last night. Part of the problem: I am much more homesick than I realised and last term was not as good as I had hoped.

Then this morning I suddenly realised something else. My room has not been cleaned whilst I have been away I did as instructed before going and put my rubbish out so that there could be no mistake and all my carefully saved rubbish that I collected off the streets and here about to make puppets with etc would be safe.  Except that it isn't. Having chucked everything that I had left on the bed in neat piles last time, I kept all my rubbish in one bag and yes the only thing that has gone from the room is the one bag.  For heaven sake why do they think I have building waste in a room and sweet papers unless I have specifically collected them. So now I have gone from feeling really sad to really pissed off.

Yes I make it home

I felt very anxious when I woke this morning. Ever since I got here I have found sleeping difficult I keep thinking about the kids, but this week off I have switched off, but I guess last night the fact that I was coming back to work got to me again. But the good news is that despite that I have come back to the Ashu had a very easy journey in fact and got stuck into preparing for tomorrow so hopefully it will be okay.

Although the credit should go to the Kyrgyzstan transport system I feel very proud of myself for getting back from Karakol. I got up early enough to dip into the animal bazaar this morning. At first I could not get a taxi there as everyone else was trying to get there and even when I finally got a taxi it stopped for a couple with a sheep, I had visions of it sitting in the back with them. The unfortunate creature however was booted and every time we went over a bump there was a thud reminiscent of mafia movies.    I had assumed that the sales would be like in the north of England,with an auctioneer and ring,  but it seemed much less formal than that just lots of people standing around with their animals and making deals on them. It reminded me once more of Senegal but there were a greater variety of animals today and it was scarily slippery. I really like the variety of sheep, but I was told that in soviet days the Kyrgs were forced to bred only white sheep, which is pretty stupid if you think how much snow there is in the country - you would never find them.   Anyway with the end of the Soviet error a greater variety of sheep are bred again. Apparently black sheep are considered tastier here so they were pleased to go back to their old ways. Given the number of notes changing hands some animals are quite expensive.  I saw a cow with blood streaming from its broken horn, but the animals only seemed distressed when forced into their home going vehicles.

I did not stay long though as I was keen to get my bus home.  I am pleased to say there was no snow on the road, it was impossible to get a good picture of the lake, but it is very beautiful and very long, the colours, rustic autumn colours, the sky blue and the lake, capturing all these colours,. We even had a video on board, a spy type thriller set in Russia and Kazakhstan.And although I had had a huge breakfast and just sat on a bus for almost 4 hours, but by the time we stopped for coffee the mashed potato fritter I sunk my teeth into immediately was delicious.   With luck I will get back to Issyk Kul next year so perhaps that is an incentive to try and shake my negativity and look forward.  Then the minute we arrived at Kemin where I was getting off, there was my bus to the Ashu.  Some of the people on the bus even recognised me and there was one of my students and it was so hot and sunny it felt nice to be back.  Our mountains look tiny compared to those at Karakol and I was tempted to go for a walk then realised I have to be sensible so  I have been working every since (whilst skyping or listening to radio 2)  I got here but now it is time for bed.  Term two tomorrow!.

One of those special traveller days.

I am sat in my hotel room warm and snug looking like a local with my socks on and indoor slippers. I am all packed ready to go back to Chon Kemin tomorrow, and renew the challenge of work but today could not have been better. It was one of those days one has when travelling. I talked briefly with two guys staying in the hotel - one of whom (An Austrian specialist)  was in the area inspecting solar panel developments in the area,the other (Kyrgyz and I found out later from the agency that had developed and funded the scheme)   I then asked the owner to check taxis to get me to Jeti Olguz or the beach and she said that the two guys were heading off to the first place right now and could give me a lift.

Shortly after we left Karakol the snow came down thick and heavy and by the time their car arrived at the development they had come to look at I did not feel I could safely go onto the village so I was happy to see the solar power in work at this remote First Aid post and school.  (Apparently the agency funding it is also looking into bio mass and they have been helping to develop an apple drying project elsewhere, so lots of areas of interest addressed in one car journey). The first aid post was bare, not boiling hot, but not cold either, just functional, and for the last few months they have paid nothing for their electricity, however, the main point of the solar power and water pump is to ensure that when there is a power cut that the fridge which houses the drugs will keep going)  As the snow was now inches deep it was clear that I could not go on, and so the kind agency worker ask his driver to go on a little. We did not get to the interesting sounding sanatorium but we were able to see a famous geological feature called the 7 bulls. The area looks stunning so I was glad to have a chance to just at least peek at it.

On our way back we dropped the guide that had come with us, and I do not really know whether it was his family (as he disappeared) or just someone whose drive we had parked in, but we were invited in for chi. This is the first time I have visited someone's house, I was beginning to think I would not experience the legendary Kyrgyz hospitality, but this lovely family provided us with fresh butter and jam and bread and for the first time tea with milk.(A morning treat)  It was explained that the family provided milk to a collective of some sort and they get butter in return, and something similar happens with some of their apples, which are sent to a local press and then returned to them as juice to last the winter.. They also said that less people had been travelling through the district and as a result they had more apples left than usual so were feeding the animals them, but they were almost desperate to find a way to capitalise on their product - so followed a quick discussion on many of the possibilities. It seems that modern Bishkek Kyrgys are cooking their apples and they pay quite a lot for apples that are just being thrown away in the country so if the infrastructure of the country could be improved it would be easier for small farmers to make more of their crop.

The two men were meeting another colleague when they dropped me on the outskirts of Karakol, so I took a minibus back inot town, which to my surprise suddenly turned off and I found myself in the busiest part of the town, a huge market.  I wondered through the tiny lanes, very reminiscent of Senegal, except there I was trying to keep out of the sun and here I was trying to find it.  It was a great place to shop. I probably should have bargained, but I could not care, I was just happy to be able to feel confident enough to buy some local dried fruit (guy spoke English! so not a problem), try and buy a jumper, (no English but as in Africa phones used to note down potential price) and a pair of boots.  (Again sign language) by the time I had stumbled out of the maze and found my way back into town I was in need of a cup of tea so headed for the cafe I had used the day before.  For the first time one of the restaurants I ate in was almost full. It all looked so cosy I decided to try the food as well.   The Russian for soup is soup, so I decided to ask for this but then could not say what type of soup so they brought me the menu in English!  There is a winter and summer tourist trade here, but the presence of English in so many places here seems amazing and yet another disincentive to learn the language, however, I am sat here watching the Last Samurai in Russian as I write this pretending I am making an effort.  I go back to the Ashu with much more stuff than when I arrived and I have learned a lot more about the country and wondering the market felt a real buzz to be here so all in all a very successful mini break.  I just hope that the snow will not make the journey too challenging tomorrow. Today despite the snow it was not that cold (or was that the five layers I was wearing) but it was very slippery in places until the sun came out, so I think that ice is the greatest problem at present, and it does show I will need a lot more clothing when the weather worsens, so I am glad I was able to get a new jumper and coat on this visit.

The unbearable side of Karakol.

It has been a much better day. The weather has been fine so I have been to see all the sights from the unusual mosque to the old church.  Unusually the church had washing facilities rather than the Mosque.

 The houses look as if they have been here years, and many are the traditional style If they were in somewhere like Vancouver they would be highly desirable. Here some have been loved and are being updated with new windows and insulation, others have been replaced and others are occupied but look like they are falling down.  Many Kyrgyz were forced out of the Ashu area and moved to Ukraine in Stalin's time, but whether that happened here I do not know and since the collapse of the Soviet Union the reverse trend has happened with many Russians leaving the area.  But the town's old properties do indicate a vibrant and long standing community of both Russian and Kyrgyz origin and the local museum also reflects these dual strands.

It is the countries fourth biggest town but has very few shops, a market and a few cafes.  It also has a zoo. When I was in Budapest I foolishly went to their zoo.   The buildings were interesting but I do not know why but the dead animals and the lack of staff totally put me off.  So I left. I know a lot of people will wonder why on earth I went in the first place, well the answer is the visit was free and I was stupid. Today I went because I thought it would be my only chance to see some of the unusual indigenous animals.  And I knew it would be problematic.  It is a small zoo and some of the animals were housed in families (the wolves) or loving couples (the lynx). The presence of other animals visible in the next cage means that these animals are keeping some of their instincts but cannot use them  for example the lynx poised and were ready to pounce as a stray dog passed by  was interesting to watch but of course were not free to pounce. The wolves looked more like dogs, one was happily playing with a pine cone,  whereas some of the wild dogs definitely look like wolves.   But I do not understand why birds like peacocks are caged or animals such as sheep and squirrels as present as they are available to see everywhere. However, the bear, who should have been the star of the whole zoo and deserved a nice big paddock if he/she had to be kept in a zoo was pacing like the animals used to do at London Zoo because they were contained in a tiny space.  The zoo has plenty of room, they have staff, no money I suspect, but these are creative people, I am sure that they can find a better way to house this beautiful animal.   And whilst you are at it, give the big birds more space so that they can fly.

Holiday time.

Just before 8 I snuck out of  the apartment in Bishkek, took my first taxi in Kyrgyzstan to the Western bus station in time to get the 8 o clock bus to Karakol  Now I am here I wish I had done a bit more research on this much put off trip because there are both more things of interest here and less. More because if you go in one direction  you are in the mountains, and there is a very old fashioned sanatorium too and there is also the beach on Issykul. And less because the actual town does not seem as attractive as I thought it would be and I did not realise a swimming costume might be useful for saunas and spas.  Despite this it is probably still nice that I am away. The actual journey might have taken 6 hours but it was very easy.  Once past Kemin, instead of taking the turn off to where I live, we headed up the mountains.  We stopped briefly at a motorway service station type place but nicer than that. Luckily I had been warned that we might stop, but I only had a coffee for fear of not realising when our bus was off again. One of the passengers sat with me, I think she too thought it better to stay together. After that we stayed on the bus till we got here. Some of the rocks on the mountains passes were beautifully weathered and there were some yurts on the route belonging I guess to people running little road side stores.   Then we dropped down into the valley and travelled the length of Issy Kul lake.  Unfortunately that is when the weather turned and rain and snow fell, but I could still see it was very beautiful and the whole route it tree lined.

Once at Karakol I grabbed a taxi to Green Yard Hotel where I am staying.   They presented me with melt in the mouth biscuits and coffee which was a nice surprise, but I am not quite sure what other services they offer.  Just re-reading their specs it does say that there is a sauna here so maybe I need to check. Saunas seem to be popular here, but unfortunately the one at Ashu does not work.  I headed out into Karakol but with my usual unerring instinct headed in completely the wrong direction until a kind driver stopped and pointed me in the right direction.  The walk back into town was long and complicated by snow, (the weather forecast has been for good weather so I did not bother bringing my umbrella) but just as it started getting really heavy I  found a shoe shop where I was able to buy a belt  (my jeans have been held up by a shoe lace up till now) and downstairs there was a second hand shop where I found a good jacket for about £12, thus equipped I headed for the information bureau, but it was shut as I had forgotten it is a public holiday here. So I pottered about a bit more trying to find somewhere recommended to eat, but the map was disintegrating so fast that in the end I just popped into the first suitable place which was a very nice Turkish restaurant.  I then walked back to the hotel in time to write this and have a couple of calls.

Typical Kyrgyzstan  flats in a less scenic part of town.

The start of Lenin street.

I was given a bag for my jacket which reminded me to say something strange about the plastic bags that litter the streets of Kyrgyzstan.  For they contain the keep Britain Tidy logo and come from Morrison's supermarket.  Apparently they have changed their bag design recently and the whole of their old stock seems to have ended up here littering our streets, so at least they are keeping Britain tidy.

Karakol unfortunately seems to have the tatty potholed streets and rubbish of Senegal, despite its potentially elegant old Russian buildings. It is surrounded by snow capped mountains which give it a slight feel of Ambleside.  It also has a grid system that reminds me of some American towns and I bet in better weather with the many parks and trees, if it was tidied up,  bits of it could look lovely, but today it just seemed wet.  For some strange reason, leaves which I would not have thought were a health hazard, in fact I would have thought were beneficial, are burned in the streets like the rubbish, so along with the snow there are burnt patches around the trees adding to the soggy feel.    However, right now I am holed up in a rather elegant room watching CCTV and hoping that things will seem brighter tomorrow.

A long soak: the secret to happiness.

Heaven: a long soak in a bath, pasta for supper in a pub reminiscent of 70's Britain, right down to the smoke and just relaxing for a bit, after a hard day's training. We also all know that we are healthy enough to be allowed to stay in the country too so that is a relief. And all our work permit paperwork has been sorted.  I am shattered but happy.

Going to the training was a bit awkward, There seem to be two camps in the school both with their merits and their demerits? Such a good English teacher. I knew that the training in Bishkek was taking place weeks ago, which is why I booked my holidays to fit in with it. I then had to change all my plans when the English coordinator arranged training for us too earlier in the week.  I genuinely felt it was important to meet with all my colleagues and go the main school in the group, and that was the training I had first heard about, but I felt that I almost had to tip toe their today for fear of causing offence elsewhere. Anyway I left the flat about 8 as the big school is some way out of town, however, one of the hairiest bus rides flying along straight at the coming traffic meant that I got there about 9.15.  To my surprise ( I am always surprised here) no one was at the school.  I wondered around the area, but it was only at 9.45 and still no sign of anyone that I thought to look through the windows.  Nothing, not a desk, not a chair, nothing.  I  phoned the Head, apparently I was standing outside the old school. (It is emblazoned with the name Bilimkana, which is why I thought that was were to attend) but fortunately over the road was an even bigger school which is where everyone was gathered and about to start.

Sadly I did not take my camera so cannot show you that it is a much bigger school. We gathered upstairs, mostly teachers from my school and the school in Bishkek, but also a couple of the teachers who had attended the English training earlier in the week. We started in the hall having an interactive meet and greet where, they were pleased when I introduced myself as the Angliski teacher - excuse the spelling.  We then went back in and to my delight the topic was discipline, what causes ill discipline and possible strategies. Obviously someone had to translate it for me and I only got some of it, but it felt very positive.  Three biggest tips that I recall - don't cry (thank goodness it is not just me that struggles at times) and know your students, which is I think very good advice and try and find something that each student can do to encourage their positivity.

I only attended for half a day, the others were there two days and I have no idea what they covered, but it meant that for some of the staff their five days off was really only two days. And almost all the staff, in fact only the trainer was male, are women and most of them have three of four children. They manage their juggling act mainly because of their family support networks, and because the children are quite spread out in age but I still think that they are very inspirational for all having a career and such heavy family commitments. So it was nice that they also laughed a lot during the training and seemed to value it.  The trainer said that when he started these interactive sessions the response had been very negative, so that everything had gone so well this time seemed a real step forward in bringing the Foundation staff together.

Bishkek

Internet very intermittent again, even with my colleagues dongle so will keep this short.

On Sunday the new member of staff came, she will be working in the foundations fourth school. Then on Sunday evening the rest of the English staff came, some very nice Kyrgyz women and my colleague from Talas, so that was good. Then we spent the whole of Monday doing training,some of which was useful, some of which needed developing a bit more to be truly useful, but I guess it was just nice to get the team together and now we are all up in a flat in Bishkek getting our HIV tests for our work permits so that is also very nice. It is good to be part of a team again, it was one of the nicest things about working in Hertford, but it is also nice to be back in Bishkek and have some time to wonder around and just nice to be away from work for a bit.  Though I bumped into one of the teachers from Talas here, which was very nice, then bumped into one of the Swedes with whom I went horse riding so that was also very nice, makes me feel like a local.

The school is being used by artists whilst we are away which is quite nice they are rather knocking out pictures, but it must be a nice way to spend the week.

Great weather here it is nice and sunny and warm so that is a bonus. I will try and put a new video together at some point to capture a bit of the capital and Karasol which is where I hope to visit on Thursday.

I love seeing animals here, but then I eat them!

The tradition is that when you have special guests you prepare the finest food for them, so a sheep is slaughtered and the most famous Kyrgyz meal is made: Beshbarmak.   My new colleague, who will work at the Foundation's fourth school today so it was partly in her honour,  that this animal became dinner but we also have the Japanese Ambassador here and he was not put off by having a sheep's head for dinner, which is just as well as my new colleague is a vegetarian.

Spent most of the day chilling and chatting with her and my other colleagues which is a bit worrying as I should have been lots of preparations because the rest of the week is going to be very busy Never mind hopefully it will get done somehow. Much to my amusement one of the women who work here said that she thought if I dyed my hair and had it cut short I would look a lot younger.  I begged to differ suffice it to say,   but do think it is funny.

Dinner have a last sleep in the sun, before the real last sleep. 

Colleagues, Beskbarmak, vodka and toasts of welcome. 

Internet down yesterday night so could not work, so I finished the video for the school, at 10 minutes long a bit too much to put on the blog so I have done a slighter shorter version for public consumption.

I spent so long finishing it I could not sleep after then started thinking about what shows I will do with the kids in Winter which is why I was to be found at 2 am watching The Snowman. Then this morning listening to a programme about Lou Reed reminded me yet again that my former friend Brie Back had danced to Walk on the Wide Side when we visited the Top of the Pops studios as kids. So I started trawling the internet yet again for the footage that had gone out but without any luck.   I then pottered off to breakfast and was surprised to find the Ashu laid out to breakfast a full guesthouse - there had only been six people in residence including me last night but mid meal a conference load of people arrived for the day. By the time I was back in my room the internet had gone down and it has been so intermittent since it has clobbered me most of today as I have tried following things in the UK for various things, so I have done my washing instead and only just avoided flooding the guest house, had my usual early morning walk and communed with the animals and this afternoon I have been trying to do some water colour painting. So a very nice day.   Ah the lights have all just gone out and the generator has not kicked in. Maybe it is time for bed.

I have made it through to the end of term

I had an aberrant moment when I slumped home today, I went onto U tube and tried to watch a UK film or something from Strictly, but I did not recognise any of the "celebrities" featured.

However, I think I needed just to slump after our rather crazy last day of term which was a celebration of Autumn.

We were due to start at 10 but it took a while longer, there was a great buzz in the school as last minute decorations were done. I actually got time to talk with the Head and she came and checked what the year two students were going to do and luckily and amazingly one group presented fairly well even the two who had been chatting so much that I told them to stand down who today were word perfect.  The second group were appalling but with her help we cobbled something together on the basis that now they understood what I was trying to get them to do all this time.  However, for me they were doing a tiny little bit, in Russian,which is their second language they did absolutely tons.  Each class took at least half an hour including the little ones, their performance started with a little song in English which they delivered beautifully. Then before year one could start their performance we had a power cut.  So everyone had to wait around for an hour because it featured music on the computer.  For a while I just thought can't we just get on with it, but when I saw the results they were beautiful so worth waiting for.  I felt so emotional today and a lot of the kids who have annoyed me this last week really impressed me with their ability to memorise words and performances.   Year one who had just a little poem to do managed the first two lines pretty well, but the last line got a bit lost, but again considering I have had a few minutes here and there trying to control 20 kids who have not got a clue half the time what I am saying to them I am just relieved that they managed that. In the hour we waited I got to talk with a couple of parents which was useful so they took away work for their children to do over the holiday. One of the parents, her real second language is German, but she teaches English it was funny to share the fact that we both teach Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. How English teachers across the globe love that song.

The video I am attaching is the dance from year one as it was my favourite bit. The style of delivery for presentations is not like in English schools as to me it sounds rather shouty, I will try an attach a short example another time, but of course there is no video of year 2A's memorable performance of The Hungry Caterpillar as I was making sure that they delivered their lines which they did very well. I have masses of material on video though that I have to sort out to give to the school though most of it is not really usable (I must try and capture longer clips) , but at least this example gives a flavour of how the last day of term went - a day which compensated for all the stress thus far.