Nepal, pt. 3

Nepal, pt. 2

Nepal, pt 1

5 days of trekking in Nepal. Amazing vacation, one of the best I've had. We hiked for most of the day, and then stayed in guest houses. That meant no tents, carrying food or water. I could get used to that. Anyway, lots to say but I'll just let the pics speak for themselves.

more around Delhi

Maki stopped in for long weekend after WOW. We got a chance to soak up some character in Delhi. The majority of the pics are on his camera, but here we have a very typical street scene

Open air barbers are all the rage here. The corner where I stand to meet my carpool always has a customer lathered up as the lanes of traffic swiftly drive by.
This weekend led up to Diwali, the biggest holiday for most Indians. Similar vibe to Christmas. Lots of lights and fireworks. Here's a house on my block, all geared up to celebrate.

Wow!

Wow! I've been out of town a lot in October. First up was our Week Without Walls (I'm just now noticing that this does not spell Wow, as everyone calls it.) We took the students up to a beautiful valley outside the Indian town of Rishikesh. Lots of playing in the river,

getting creeped out by giant insects,

and an all-day hike upstream

I was fortunate enough to be with very awesome chaperones. Here are Liz and Kim, two of my co-workers. When we arrived back in Delhi, I already missed them.

This beautiful waterfall served as a rappelling course.

which was no match for me. Just kidding, I totally lost my footing and swung like a pendulum out into the waterfall. But it was fun and safe.
I also led an art activity, wherein students each had to create a work of art using natural resources from a stream. Knowing very little about art, I just mimicked the positive comments I hear on Project Runway. The students were actually very creative and inventive. Here was my favorite, a little temple fashioned from sticks, rocks and a mushroom.

The last day we did a huge hike (by middle school standards) and stopped at a farm (I refrained from posting about 20+ adorable baby animal photos), a school and another awesome waterfall. Overall a great week getting to know co-workers and students better, and having fun!

work

Here's a couple shots of where I work. My room is right behind this arbor. My door opens up onto this outdoor space. Definitely the nicest physical environment I've worked in.

Entertainingly, there is a family of kitties living somewhere nearby. Here are the two kittens.

And big mama.