The idea had been to start a new regime of early morning rehearsals, as apparently various teachers have been complaining about the amount of time the students are missing. Anu, the English teacher who is my liaison during the day, had suggested 7 till 10. Naturally, that meant I turned up at 7, though I was not surprised that it took quite a while for the others to assemble, in dribs and drabs (and two not at all!) – the Nepalese relationship with time is pretty flexible.
With only six out of eight there, we were very limited in what we could do (though I have started to introduce other games and warm-ups to break up the routine.) We sang the song again, and eventually it was clear that I was wasting everyone’s time, including my own, and we called it off, to reassemble at 4.
This did mean I had some additional time to get on with my move – I had packed the night before. I made contact with the guy responsible for everyday running at the BHM building, and he helped me bring my bags over (just as well, for there has been a lot of rain, and there were muddy puddles to negotiate.) I was given the code, and able to make myself comfortable, in what is a very comfortable apartment. A little dusty, maybe, and the bathroom a little grubby, but scarcely surprising – it has not been a working hotel room, just a demonstration one, and they had had virtually no notice of my arrival.
After lunch, I was accosted by Yogi – I had to go to a recording studio just across the road, to record the introduction to a video piece about me; Tara, who I think is the director of the place, had spoken to me about it before, so it was hardly a surprise. They had a great set-up – a small studio with a set with a comfortable pair of armchairs to record interviews – but this part of the process, apparently, was to happen in a couple of days. Today, I was recording an introduction. Not an easy process – a new restaurant is being fitted out in the rooms beneath them, and unfortunately there was a lot of loud drilling. But, after various interruptions. Can’t say I was ecstatic about my contribution, but still.
We rehearsed again in the afternoon, with a full complement of performers. We used the Seminar Room to start with, but were soon interrupted by an after-school traditional dance club, so gave way. (A somewhat tight-lipped Aparna received this information with some annoyance, and has now dealt with the matter. She is lovely, but very firm.)
The rehearsal was great, and we were able to give a rather scruffy run-through to Aparna, Eva and a friend. And we were also introduced to Dhir, a musician that Aparna knows, who is going to help with the song, and provide a backing track. An enormous relief ln my part, as I really do feel they could do with some more expert advice.
And with my work for the day complete, I was finally able to retreat to my new home. And, after a short while, to climb into the enormous, and enormously comfortable, bed – it was blissful. I did awake several times during the night, but on each occasion I was able to register where I was, and to give thanks for being there.
