Hey everyone again.

<> Well my little dot on the map isn't going to move much for next few weeks cos I got a job! I'm a volunteer teacher for an NGO called Akanksha (www.akansha.org or net maybe) teaching children, well basically bits of everything. On Saturday I went to their office for the volunteer meeting, watched a video and then the little group of us was told where we were volunteering and sent on our way. It was great, I didn't know you could just turn up at an office like that and just be accepted. All the placements I'd looked at before I planned this trip you had to pay thousands sometimes - just to volunteer!!

<>On Sunday me and Kim went to see another Bollywood movie called Namastey London. It was pretty good and had some English in so was easy to follow. What sucked however was that every English character bar one was super rich, racist, bigoted and a complete stereotype of some old major from colonial times. I felt so embarassed as the only English person in the cinema and every time a character said something like "and just to confirm no-one in your family is a terrorist" I just wanted to shout "we're not like that anymore!" Apart from the cringey stereotypes the film was fun. We then spent most of the day pigging out on ice-cream, waffles and other super unhealthy food. I bought a book by Osho and got hooked; he's got a really different outlook on the world.

<><> <>On Monday afternoon I met Shyla , who's working as a teacher in the afternoon centre I'll be at . I'm at Zensar where there's 60 boys in the morning and 60 girls in the afternoon (only one of the teachers' does both morning and afternoon and after today I can see why.) Shyla's from California and her Aunt's were visiting so we all bought biscuits for the kids. The kids all live in the slums and we all go on a bus that is almost falling apart to pick them up. Some of them have had a really rough upbringing so can be a bit of a handful. They all swarmed me and were fasinated that my hair was really blond and not coloured, then they all started trying to teach me 1-10 in Marathi. My job is to help the kids in the activities set by the teacher's - they made alliteration flowers and learnt a Cyndi Lauper song (Shyla's idea not mine :) ) and then practiced for the fashion show which took place today. I'm Bhaiya Tom which means older brother and the other teachers are didis (older sisters). The kids were great and so full of questions - they totally buried me on the bus trying to show me their books and English. They were very hyper and but in a good way.

<><><>This morning woke up at 6:30am and caught the bus in for the boy's classes and met some more of the teachers. The boys were naturally even more of a handful than the girls and at any one time a quarter of them were fighting. Achala didi told me it's because their parent's will hit them and their houses are literally corrugated shacks the size of garden sheds; so families have no space and tension is always present. They nevertheless seem really enthusiastic most of the time and only a few have real behaviour problems. They're trying to learn a noun, verb, adverb etc song and dance which sounds easy but they don't co-ordinate easily. After the lesson I went to Achala's house and we talked for ages and I ate way too many of her biscuits.

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<><><>The bus broke down in the afternoon so we were a bit stuck in the heat and dust, luckily the street had lots of three-wheeled tempos going past (these are like bigger autorickshaws and can fit about six people in.) We scared out the other occupants and squeezed sixteen of us into mine and Shyla's and about 20 into the other ones. It was pretty insane and very dangerous but the kids loved it like it was a rollercoaster.

They did a presentation on the Netherlands and Anne Frank this afternoon and then a chaotic fashion show so by the end of it I was exhausted. Shyla and Achala told me next week to alternate between morning and afternoon sessions otherwise I'll burn out - seriously even just volunteer teaching is exhausting - I'm working from 8- till about 12 then a break then 1.30 till technically 4 but once you've got everyone on and off the bus and got a rickshaw home it's about 5:30. Still it feels very good when they all smile and say good morning bhaiya and talk to you about their favourite leaders' or vegetables as they randomly do. So I'm feeling pretty happy now. I'm gonna do this for 3 weeks and then they all graduate and school term ends so then it's Osho time!

<><><><>Hope youse all well in Exmouth - I had a really weird dream I was at home last night and woke up surprised to still be in India - I think travelling for this length of time is going to mess my mind up.