Roland makes a late night call to the flat and the girls call me to throw him out

Late last night Roland made an unsolicited call to the flat I'm in and decided to help himself to Shanta's Fererro Rocher chocolates and he also scoffed her Cheez-its without so much as a please may I help myself. I guess he can't help himself, since Roland is as you've probably guessed is a rat! He's a handsome rat but a rat none the less and is in Shanta's suitcase helping himself to her chocolates and cheese savouries! He must think he's just checked into the Waldorf Astoria, and been given the freedom of the food hall.

By the time I get dressed and shoes on my feet, the girls and I decide to get him into a jug, put a lid on it and let him go out the veranda door. This rat isn't going to leave this haven of food excellence without a struggle though and scarpers under Erins bed. You have to admire his persistence, but I'm not going to kill him as Granny would never forgive me! When we lift the bed he makes a dart for the lounge but the floor is marble and he's skidding around like a cartoon character and turns into the kitchen. I still can't get near him but at least we know where he is. He's parked himself in the cupboard with the gas canister and we can't shut the door as there's a hose leading to the cooker(?). The only solutiopn is to lock him in there and get the staff to get him tomorrow as it their role. He's obviously had his fill and is struggling under the weight of chocolate and cheesy bits he's scoffed. Shanta has to check out the rest of her suitcase but there is nothing else we can do, so everyone has their room door closed tightly and unless he can slither under a 2mm gap, we're okay for the night.

Back to school this morning and Babs and I have another good day with our pupils, I'm really learning a lot from her and can put it to use when she goes in two weeks. Yesterday we set them homework by writing down three questions and which they had to write the answers to and speak in front of the class this a.m. with their answers. One of the questions was who is the most interesting person you've met and why?

Dear readers I cannot tell a lie, four of them said I was and it would bring tears to a glass eye! It was genuinely unsolicited and moved me. Now all you guys who know me, will be saying the plonker's lying! Not so and I'm genuinely moved as the reasons were more to do with their being stimulated by our lessons!

No compulsory lessons today so I decide to go for the tattoo that I've promised myself. Some of the girls wanted to come along, but in the end only Lindsay can, so we get a rickshaw to the market area where this tattooist is supposed to be based. Linds notices a sign and we think I've got it cracked. Wrong!! There's a telephone number which I have to call and he tells me he'll be round in half an hour! When he gets round he suggests we go to our address to do the tattoo. Not a chance so he does it in the back of his van (which has no engine and is merely an advertising tool). The upshot is that after haggling, I tell him that if I like it I'll pay X and if I don't I'll pay Y. It's agreed and he sets to work, I can't believe I'm having this tattoo done in the back of a wrecked van which can no more move than fly. Lindsay takes some photos and when I get some technical advice I'll stick them up somewhere (No not there! on the site.) In any event the dye is cast and the deed is done, so I'm now sporting a Sanskrit tattoo which says Mother India!

This city is chaotic with cars, scooters, rickshaws, buses and lorries all honking their horn at every opportunity and in most cases just to make a noise! The fact is though I'm loving it! The experience that is! The paradoxes of Indian culture are extreme, but the people genuinely kind, and hospitable. The kids in the class all want to take me home to their families, but shit I'm only here for 8 weeks and the first one is almost gone already.

This weekend there's 4 of us going to Agra, but we have to take a car at 6a.m. on Saturday morning to get on the road before the traffic gets too much, and we'll check into a hotel for a night and then drive back on the Sunday. At least this way we can get a drink in the hotel! I'm looking forward to it (not the 3 hour drive) but the visit to the Taj Mahal and the other sites in Agra.