Lhasa, Tibet

Wonder what mobile carrier he uses
Originally uploaded by raindrop52.

After an overheated van, yak noodle soup & butter salt tea, and a few bottles of water, I finally made it into Lhasa. Though everyone told me to relax and rest, I obviously, did not and could not do that. Instead, I wandered off to the courtyard of my hostel to check out the board that has a bunch of trekking trips posted, where I ended up meeting two Sichuan guys. I was about to head off to the Barkhor Market to shop for little trinkets, but they asked me if they join. So, on we went.

The night continued on, going monastery hopping from the Johkang to the Potola and back. Despite my travel book's precautions, I ended up joining the others in a hot pot feast paired with some local Lhasa beer. So, many of you know that I can probably handle around four or five beers. After about two shots worth of this (these guys or maybe Asians in general, drink their beers in shot glasses), I started feeling a bit light-headed. But the hot pot kept me going.

Anyway, I got zero sleep last night. The altitude affects probably kicked in around then. But this morning, I was ready to go with my New Zealand roomie and volunteer, to the school to go teach Engrish.

There was no training or time for adjustment to the students, school, or teaching style. Instead, I got a packet of flashcards and my schedule, and was quick to stand up front with chalk in hand, speaking to the children in Mandarin and English. It's amazing how these eight year olds to 15 year-olds are learning three languages all at the same time: Tibetan, Mandarin, and English. It definitely helps my case to know Mandarin.

These second graders were absolutely adorable, not to mention, loud and hyper. I taught them "opposites," such as full and empty, happy and sad, float and sink, etc. It was definitely an exhausting day as I was trying to get everyone involved and attempting to control these little kids.

In the afternoon, three other German volunteer females joined Kay and me. We worked with about five children, with jump ropes, hula hoops, puzzles, play-do, you name it. One of my favorites is this eight-year old kid named Tenzin Nobu, who was dressed like he was ready to go to a hip hop lounge. In between cleaning his nose full of snot and helping him get dressed (his jeans were really loose so he had to tie some scarf around it), we chatted in half Mandarin and half English, and also made some play-do bracelets. Very cute.

I'm exhausted now, and ready to pass out for a little bit. I'm proud to say that I no longer walk around without toilet paper, hand sanitizer, or sunglasses around here. And I'm just getting used to these toilets. Mmm. Fun times.