Its Not Christmas

Well hello.
I realise that I did say the next time I would blog would be christmas eve...but I came into town today to make up a timetable for one of the kids and laminate it at the office. And what a mission that was!
I don't think I've fully explained the micro buses yet. To get to my placement from town I go to Ratna Park (can't spell, thats how it sounds) and catch my first micro bus. These are those white 15-seater toyota vans...but they cram as many people as humanly possible into them, rather than the expected 15 people. So usually you are not only the only white person in the bus, someone is leaning on you, or shoved up next to you etc...and everyone stares at you very openly.
So today was my first time on the micro by myself, I have to get two to get into town and I did the swap over perfectly, which I was very proud of. But I think I got off either too late or two early, because I got hopelessly lost getting into town. I asked a shop keeper at every corner I came to which way to go next and I ended up in Kathmandu Dubar Square before I got to Thamel (that means I went the very long way round). THEN when I got to the offices, I made up the timetable on the computer and turns out I can't print it till Sunday. So the whole trip was for...nothing really. Lets just say experience.
Its amazing what you end up doing in this kind of country that you'd never dream of doing in NZ. The whole traffic concept here, for example, is completely different, and incredibly unsafe by NZ standards...but you can't exactly avoid it. So you just have to do it, cross roads even though a motor bike is coming, get in a van with 30 other people and keep your fingers crossed.
I'm coming into town on Sunday to do a half-day hike with some other volunteers, so you'll probably hear from me then...keep in contact folks, I miss you! Thanks for all your support via emails and facebook and bebo.
Love.