The third week in Makaibari has passed so quickly!! The water tank installation was completed yesterday and it should be up and running and being used today - we were lucky enough to have a good rainfall last night. I haven't been able to go down and check it yet today but am hoping to go tomorrow.
The whole village is so excited about the water tank and people keep coming up to me to tell me so - I am now known as 'the water tank lady' instead of 'the red faced one' so that's good! haha! I've used some of the leftover money (which was originally raised for the water tank which ended up being cheaper than i expected) for prizes and materials for a kids art competition taking place this Sunday and the rest is being spent on book-covers for the community recipe book which I hope to get completed before I leave. The book-covers are being purchased from Prayatna (Nepali for 'striving to reach a goal') also known as Makaibari's ladies self help group. This group was set up in business by Rajah Banerjee (the owner of Makaibari tea estate) to get unemployed women in the Makaibari villages working. He gave them land to build a hut on and bought them equipment and they make packets and gift bags for the tea factory which Rajah buys from them. Rajah is their only customer but they are happy to have me as another one! The paper that they will use for the recipe book covers is handmade paper produced by Manokama Paper Factory which is located in a remote village called Argeli in Darjeeling. By using this paper it supports Argeli farmers and the villagers of Argeli who work in the factory.
On Friday myself, Daniel, Lucy and the australian ladies Jill and Gwen were invited for dinner at Nayan (the volunteer co-ordinator)'s house - it was a lovely meal but unfortunately something didnt agree with me and I was pueking my guts up from 4am-11am yesterday. Bharati and Pema looked after me very well and were very kind to me - I spent most of yesterday in bed which meant that I missed the Sports Day that I had been invited to at one of the schools :( I peeled myself out of bed when Angelina got back from school and wanted to play - we did colouring in and I tought her how to make paper snowflakes and rows of paper men and then gave her some bubblewrap and she spent about an hour jumping up and down on it on the floor and giggling her head off, she is so cute! Can you believe she has read 3 chapters of the BFG with me and she is only FIVE!! I dont think I could read the BFG until I was about 8 or 9 and English is my first language!!
This morning I have come to Kurseong in a taxivan - the driver thought he was the coolest dude ever - unfortunately he was wearing a tshirt which said "i am popeye the sailor-boy" which kind of spoilt the macho image! haha! Anyway I thought popeye was the sailor MAN? Hmm. We had The Eagles-Hotel California and Byran Adams-I want to know you inside out (which I am ashamed to admit I LOVE!) blaring out the windows all the way here and christ knows what he was smoking, I was quite glad when we pulled up in Kurseong even though he parked in a gutter which meant i had to perform a huge leap out of the van so that i didnt get shit all over my feet! Im now in an underground internet cafe full of men and full of incense smoke - its not doing much to help the fact that I am feeling a bit weak and sickly still so I think I'll make a prompt escape now! Bye! xx
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