Saturday 23 April 2016

I thought it was canola, but apparently - turnips

We went to visit the Gangtey monastery after school today. I was excited, because I thought I'd finally found some canola to take a picture of for my uncle Rob, it had seedpods and everything, but I'm told it's turnips.

We walked back to the school past a village through the forest. It was lovely beyond the telling. If the internet and the electricity ever co-incide, I'll post photos. But for now you'll have to imagine walking through a green cathedral of pine trees with little streams and plank bridges, the hill sides freckled with purple primulas and a freezing cold wind whipping in from the east.

When we got down into the valley we stopped and huddled in the lee of the car and drank hot milky tea and ate crackers and crispy rice.

This morning at school there was a long assembly. The sun was out for the first time in a week. Just before the end one of the year nine girls fainted. She was super embarrassed, but I wanted to tell her I knew where she was at and the only reason I hadn't fainted myself was because I'd felt it coming and had started (as surreptitiously as possible) shifting from foot to foot to keep the blood moving.

I joined the shoe mending club after that. Several of the teachers were showing the students how to use an awl and thread to mend their shoes.

Then the teachers filled out a survey from the new education minister about work loads (they do a bunch of extra stuff on top of teaching).

The students were set to planting hazelnut trees along the school boundary and I helped the Beautification Club teachers make pots out of empty cooking oil containers and fill them with dirt. They didn't want to let me help because I'd get my hands dirty, but after I explained I do the same thing at home, they said okay.

It has been a full interesting day.

3 comments:

Birgit said...

It seems so very different from any school day here!

Jayne said...

They don't look like turnips to me. They have weird turnips if they are. Does that mean you can now stitch my horse gear as well?

Ceels said...

I know, right? They even have seed pods like canola. (but also a large tap root - I don't know enough about canola to know if it has that.

Theoretically, yes! Hand me an awl.