I'm still at Marigold school.

This morning, I woke up really early, around 4 am, probably because I went to bed around 8.30 pm last night. I had considered going to Besisahar with a few volunteer colleagues, but decided instead to spend a quiet Saturday here (we don't work on Saturdays).

Since my last post, a few things have changed. School started about a week later than planned, and during the first 2 days, some of us had the possibility to cover for absent teachers. In each class, 2 volunteers worked together - I ended up teaching 6th-grade math (11-12 years-old kids) with Joe, a 19 year-old volunteer from England.

It turned out to be more challenging than expected. Apart from one particular engaged student, most kids weren't paying much attention. I suppose math isn't the most beloved subject anywhere in the world. The language barrier didn't help either. Firstly, I never taught math in English before and struggled with the right terms. Secondly, although the school officially teaches in English (except for the Nepali classes), teachers often teach in their native language, and kids aren't truly fluent - which makes things tougher for us volunteers, and also for them.

Since then, we haven't been doing more teaching. Our time has mostly been spent with construction and painting work.

There are also 3 children with special needs who require more one-on-one support. I've assisted one of my colleagues, who has experience with art therapy, with a 6 or 7 year-old autistic kid. He is a very sweet kid who loves giving hugs.

After nearly a month here, I feel it's time to move on to the next chapter of this journey. The number of volunteers has increased significantly - for many days now we have been around 20 volunteers, with people coming and going. Those early quiet days feel far away now, and private moments are rare.

That said, I've really enjoyed my time here. I've made deep connections with some of the volunteers, shared plenty of laughs, played lots of football and volleyball, joined morning yoga sessions led by one of the volunteers, and managed to enjoy the daily routine. We've also done a few excursions, including a lovely trip to a river - a perfect spot to relax and cool off.

Most volunteers are probably under 25, and many have made it a habit to head to the village in the evenings for a few beers. Some nights they came back rather loud, as you'd expect after a few drinks.

All in all, I'm very grateful for the experience. At the same time, I'm happy and excited to begin something new. I'll leave the school this Tuesday, as originally planned, and take a break from volunteering.

Next stop: Pokhara, where I'll spend a couple of days exploring the town and then go on a 5-6 day trek in the surrounding mountains. After that, I plan to visit Chitwan and its national park, and then, continue south to Lumbini - the birthplace of the Buddha - where I'll attend a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation course starting on May 15.

I haven't made any plans for what comes after that. I might look for another volunteering opportunity before I head to India on June 14 - I've just booked my flight.