Cuppa Tea!

You'll be pleased to know that this week my blog comes from the land of the less poorly! Things have started to get better now, the tired and ill participants have gone home (and hopefully enjoyed their lamb roast that a lot of them had planned, and are now having just as much fun at school :P ), the staff are steadily getting back to full health (although we're still looking after Philippa who managed to get a sinus infection, and basically slept for 4 solid days - she's back to work but we're making her take it easy), the server is basically up and running again and we haven't had to deal with Hanif's sense of timing since!! 

We had three days between events this time, which would have been fine, if we had managed to get all the participant names earlier in those three days, but we got them in the afternoon of the second day, leaving us just half a day to get everything ready before the participants actually arrived! It was a little chaotic. 

The two groups arrived on Monday afternoon, one from Birmingham, and one from Bucks, with an age range of 23-75! During our staff briefing, we were told (by the Americans) not to stereotype English people, and maybe they wouldn't just want to drink tea all the time. Well. I know my country better than that. Sangam has had to bring out the spare mugs because there weren't enough out, and we've also had to buy extra milk! We're having to plan in time for them to make tea between sessions, and we're also having to teach all the non-English speaking people exactly what a "cuppa" is...

So far it's been a lot of fun. I thought when I first arrived that I would enjoy having younger groups here more, and whilst the younger groups are fun, I actually enjoy the older ones a lot more. I enjoy hearing their stories, and listening to their life experiences. They also tend to be a lot more willing to "get stuck in". It's interesting how my opinions and expectations change the longer I stay here. 

Today is the second day of the event, and I have a day off! It's a little strange, because I haven't yet got to the point of needing that day off, so for the first time on a day off during an event I'm ready to do something! So my plans are: updating this blog, obviously! Tidying my room, as always, maybe having a nap, generally relaxing this morning, and then this afternoon I'm off out with Hayley (the guest services co-ordinator) for a drink and maybe a wander around whatever exhibition is on in the college grounds :) I might be ready to do stuff, but I'm not going to exhaust myself at the very start of a 10 day event!! 

And finally, as promised, only a couple of months late, a picture of me in my sari! 

Claire and me in our slightly matching saris by the pool :)