Hey y’all sorry for the longer than usual delay. I have been busy moving and settling in with my new host family. Life is truly great. Those of y’all that know me well know I love to be busy, and I have already succeeded in finding plenty to do in my new home. In the morning, I wake up around 5:30. Yes mama, 5:30 AM. And if it’s not raining and I’m not a complete zombie, I go on a morning walk with my sister and dad. After returning, I usually read and plan my lessons until the morning meal, which is more like brunch. Around 9 I head to school, about a 3 minute walk down the hill. I teach with my co-teacher until about 4, then after school tutor the vice principal and his two fellow teachers and friends in English. Two of these men are trying to get into a Masters program in Philosophy, which is a pre-requisite for PhD programs they want to complete. The test is coming up in January, so my aim is to help them with written and spoken English, as these facets are essential for entrance in the program. This is kind of a daunting task, and I just hope that I will be able to help them achieve their goals. Rajan Sir has already completed a Masters in Education, but all of his tests and writing assignments were in Nepali. So while he is highly qualified and capable, his past lack of opportunity to obtain a quality English language education is now a huge obstacle to his career aspirations.
After this tutoring session, I return home and help my sister tutor 6 more students, 4th-6th grade. They are great, not to mention endlessly entertaining. Fridays they get to have writing, speaking, drawing, or speaking competitions, and I have been named the permanent judge. Last Saturday, we all went for a picnic to a Hindu temple which overlooks a river in the valley below and has a beautiful view of the mountains. We shared snacks, beaten rice, samosas, ramen, biscuits (packaged cookies), and tang. Then, after arranging the order of who would carry the backpack on the 40 minute walk home, the kids cleverly waited til it was my sister’s turn then raced ahead so they wouldn’t have to carry it up the hill.
These weeks in school have been dominated by first exam tests, which all students have to complete in every subject. And though school is technically 6 days a week here, we’ve also had a lot of breaks. Some were due to bandh’s (strikes), such as the one last Sunday, when a new Prime Minister was being named. Others, such as today, were due to holidays. This week was a Nepali Hindu festival for women called Tij. Tuesday night we ate rich foods in preparation for fasting on Wednesday. Then Wednesday morning we dressed up in Saris and bangles, many given as gifts in the preceding weeks, and headed to the temple for puja (or worship) and lots of dancing. Much like Christmas music which starts up in the U.S. after Thanksgiving, there are many traditional songs just for Tij, as well as new ones that come out each year. Tij music had been on TV and the radio in the weeks before the holiday, and was blasting from a pavilion outside the temple all day the day of. And even though we had all not eaten or drunk anything all morning, all the women were dancing. After a long, fun, tiring day, we broke the fast with fruit and milk and water. And amusingly, I hear that now that I have fasted, a good husband should be coming my way!
For now I think I’ll end my update here. I’ll try to add a few pictures later! All the best to all y’all at home. And keep in touch! My email is k80may@gmail.com, and I just got internet access at home, so let’s skype! Love y’all!
