2/10/2010 very interesting day. went to town early in the morning and did some lone wolf shopping. loads of us went to a roof top restaraunt for lunch. it took 3 hours, the food was rubbish and we spent an hour arguing with the staff over the price. we took about a third of a ten person bill so it was worth the heated debating. we went on the lake on boats for an hour which was brilliant, although we kept crashing which was as dangerous as it was funny.we slept in a hotel in the fort, the view was unbelievable and i slept like a baby.
3/10/2010 woke up at about 8. spent a couple of hours enjoying the morning sun. I went off wandering alone again. I saw a group of volunteers after a while so i chilled with them for most of the day. we did loads of group bartering and got loads of good prices for stuff. we are not tourists so we do not act like it or accept tourist prices. nothing near them actually. we spent a few hours swimming in the early evening. We had a few beers at the pool and then paid a hotel owner a small sum to sleep on his roof. it was immense. beers, friends, sleeping under the stars on top of a fort in the great thar desert of india. I could not ask for much more. we woke up with the sun and it felt good.
4/10/2010 got up about 6 am. we had a laugh over a horrible breakfast and set off back to work. it had been ghandi's birthday over the weekend so traffic was a bit mental. The taj mahal goers spent 44 hours in the jeep rather than the mere 36 hours it took my group last week. partly due to the commonwealth games. School was excellent today. It was our health day and we taught the kids about cleanliness in general. we gave out a load of tooth brushes and toothpastes which many of them had never seen nor used. we played a load of games too. musical statues was my favourite. We painted the school in the afterrnoon. I went to bed at 4am and slept all the way until 7 the next morning. I had a really bad rash. I was to spend the next several days thinking i had malaria. but i can tell you now, i don't and i didn't. i was paranoid because about 15 people on camp have got malaria. pretty rubbish.
5/10/2010 woke up after that ridiculously long sleep. I felt dazed and strange. We set off on a 3 hour trip to see a government gm crops lab. It was rubbish. It was a load of boring government propoganda and i wish we did not waste a day there, rather than be with the kids. I tried millet and basil plant, which were unfortunately the highlights. Spent the night when we got back lying under the stars outside. We played music and chatted and relaxed. we saw tons of shooting stars as we always do.
6/10/2010 we were allowed a lie in today but i woke up at 6ish with the sun. We had scrambled eggs for breakfast. Today was our fun/sports day at school. it was brilliant. Football, limbo, balloons, drawing, painting, general chaos. The kids just ran round and acted like kids. They are very surpressed for most of their young lives. Had a good deep chat with my project exec vinod, i shall miss him a lot. He is only 24 but acts much older. In the afternoon I returned to learn that even more people had contracted malaria. I did a lot of cheering up sad people, which cheered me up too. Things i am looking forward to upon my return home besides people are : a pint of carling, fruit juice, milk, takeaways, red meat, mayonnaise, pastry, football, a double bed, warm running water, electricity. In the evening I had a rubbish night. I just got upset as i ever have in my life. Purely because i have been away for so long and i want to come home to everything that makes me happy. I have been so lucky to do this but i am ready to go back to england.
7/10/2010 I woke up with snot and dried tears all over my face which tells you what a state i was in. The quicker these last days go the better! We got a tuc tuc to our last day of school. It was chaos again, we just had fun with them and played a load of games.The goodbye was not emotional because the kids were too busy playing with the presents we had got them to think much about our departure. This was maybe a good thing. I left Jodha village for good, I felt proud rather than sad to have made it through. I am not cut out for teaching young children as a career, but it has been damn fine giving it a go. Spent the afternoon in the pool with one of the other volunteers just to escape camp. it was really nice, played a bit of frizbee and relaxed. I went to bed a lot happier tonight than the last night.
8/10/2010 woke up in a good mood with the sun again. I am pretty much camp early bird these days. I am almost always one of the first 2/3 awake. We spent a couple of hours evaluating the second half of the trip. I spent the two hours after this packing. It took absolutely ages and I will be fortunate if i am allowed on as i have far too much weight and hand luggage. I do not want to throw stuff away but i have no money so i am not sure what i can do. It is about 32 degrees hotter here than in england, and i dont even feel warm. because of this i think it is likely i will freeze and get ill in england because im acclimatised to 40 degrees plus weather. We had our leaving party, and it was pretty good. we had amazing food, dancing, drinks, a talent show. we all tried to dress and look our best and we had a late curfew. it was nice.
9/10/2010 today i have spent wandering round town saying goobye to everyone ive met in jaisalmer. im staying on a roof in the fort if all goes to plan. probably have a few drinks and enjoy my last night. tomorrow i have to be back at camp for 8. i will pretty much waste time until half 2, then i set off for my train. train leaves at about 5, and that will be it. i will just get closer and closer to home :)
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