Nesting..

I am sitting in a coffee shop in Sekonchan, drinking a latte and thinking about my schools, my teachers, my new home.. and how it has been a while since I blogged. 

I can blame my schools, my teachers and my new home for that.  Not that I have been too busy, just too preoccupied.. and dealing with .. stuff: the good stuff, the interesting stuff. 

My schools are all very similar both in their brilliant orange color as well as their myriad of gardens, open canteen areas and two story buildings.  As I go to each one for the second and third times, I still get lost.  There is always a smiling guard as I drive in, that doesn’t speak English and so can’t explain where I go to find the Guru Basad (Head Mistress).  But I manage. 

On the streets of Sekonchan

My teachers have been lovely, although many are much more interested in me than I am comfortable with: “How old are you?  How much do you pay in rent?” Personal questions that they see no need to keep personal.

I know I make them a bit nervous: coming into their classrooms, taking notes.  It would certainly be unsettling.  But hopefully we will all be seeing the benefits soon. 

They love the book I made up - “My Family.”  I am very glad I had a copy of that printed up before I left Canada.  It has been a great ice-breaker. 

I think I told you I finally got a place to live.  It is one of those row-housing Tamans that are so popular here.  There are fancy dancy Tamans, Taman ghettos and everything in between. 

I was so happy to find a place in a decent neighborhood.. close to a bit of town.  It didn’t have a bath, but at least there was a sit down toilet: the squat one was downstairs.  That would be ok.. it is not bad squatting when you are awake, but in the middle of the night? Not so much.

Of course it was hot, no air conditioning, but that was ok.  There are ceiling fans and besides, I could take a cool shower:

Or not.. Three bathrooms and no shower?  One of the rooms had a broken pipe in the wall.. when I turned it on full it squirted out hard enough I could scrub down:  couldn’t wash my hair, but at least I could cool down. 

I talked to the landlord.. the rent here is cheap but apparently with good reason.  The place is totally stripped down.. you get a shell.  So yesterday was busy with plumbers… and emptying bank accounts.

I spent my time scraping tape off the windows.. and marveling at how two fellows carrying a heavy fridge could slide out of their shoes at the door without missing a step. The plumber was in and out and each time floated in and out of his shoes, stored neatly just outside the door.

I went out for lunch, like always.  I never know what I am ordering.. usually rice and chicken, but this time it was bread and dahl: and some odd tasting drink with something brown and scarry in the bottom.  I swallowed it down and went to pay.. “Free”.  Someone had picked up the tab.  Made it go down a little easier knowing there were people in the community welcoming the new teacher. 

Very sweet actually.  The people here have been very welcoming.

Things are starting to come together.  There is a gheco in the house.. which I love, and I watched the mother of cockroaches scurry away when I came downstairs in the middle of the night.. but he seemed to be alone.  Not like that place in Mexico where the whole family invited their friends into my apartment at night…

It is not so easy to write from home these days as I don’t like to use the company computer for personal blogs.. and I don’t have a connection for min…so I may be a bit sporadic for a bit.  It doesn’t mean anything.. I am just busy..

With.. living.