We were all really looking forward to last week's training since Sky is here and can give some direction and lend a helping hand. On Monday we cast the group for the show in Dubai. There were some very happy faces, some disappointed, and some just plain unreadable! When I asked how they felt about the casting, one of the girls answered in a very expressionless voice, “We’re all just so excited.” That made us laugh but that’s just the Nepali way!
We have two new additions as of last month, Pramila and Anjali, so we've had to find a way to slot them into the new show. Pramila will be joining Sharmila in aerial hoop training and we’re hoping to get them doing some nice doubles work. Anjali will be hula-hooping along with Saraswati and Dolly. The boys are concentrating on group acrobatics, break-dance and martial arts, and the two Shitals are working on a silks routine.
On Friday we were all set to get working with the group in their new roles but we found out that there was a nation-wide strike (there is a general dissatisfaction with the government amongst the Nepali people) which meant that no vehicle traffic was allowed on the roads and all the shops were closed. The kids couldn’t make it down from Godawari so we weren’t able to train. Situations like this are extremely frustrating because we don’t have that much training time as it is but to have it reduced unnecessarily is maddening!
At the weekend Sky, Fiona (the jewelry project volunteer) and I went with some of the girls from the refuge to Swayambhu, a Buddhist temple known more commonly as Monkey Temple. Although it is a breath-taking sight atop a hill that overlooks all of Kathmandu, the girls seemed more interested in the monkeys than anything else. They really were cheeky monkeys though—they stole two bags of candy floss right out of the girls’ hands!
This week we’ve been focusing on getting a many tasks done before Sky goes back to the UK on Wednesday. I spent most of Monday making new hula hoops and measuring the entire Sapana group for costumes which will be made for them back in the UK. Sky finished outlining the silks routine which the aerialists will be able to work on in the upcoming weeks and months.
After Sky leaves I will be on my own for a while until we can get another volunteer. We hope this will happen quite soon but probably still not before mid-June.
No comments:
Post a Comment