yes its been pissing down and I can hear you laughing from here.
I've moved to the "homestay" which is a room in a block - there's this block with rooms opening off corridors, its a bit of a warren, in a labyrynth accessible by squeezing between buildings. The "family" is a woman and her 9 year old daughter who live in a nearby room (and I mean live - sleep, eat, watch TV, the lot), mine is their older son's room, he's away at school, so its just like me renting out my son's room now he's flown the nest. Its cosier than any hotel room with books and things around, and stuff on the walls and amazingly I have my own (clean) bathroom, but the window opens onto a crack between buildings, right below a walkway so there is no way it will ever get opened, or even the curtains drawn! Its certainly different! And not as cold as the hotel. The woman's husband is working in Paris, cleaning kitchens, preparing veg, that sort of thing, for very little money, living in a room he shares with 2 other men and hasnt been home in 18 months. They are hoping to join him there but how they will live I have no idea - they are caught in a poverty trap. Altho' having said that, they have a bigger TV than me, and the very same netbook...............
been into Lha (the tibetan social work organisation I'm volunteering with) - it looks like I'll be editing their newsletter (its good! and I like that sort of thing) and doing some english tuition and conversation - they want me to teach the advanced class but I'm a bit nervous about that so we'll see. There's a world of a difference between supporting in class (which I've done very successfully) and being the one standing in front, having to know what you are actually teaching!!! but the students are keen and really want to learn and they have lots of resources .
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