7

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, 4^th-6^th 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!

6

Hi again y'all. This weekend we finally finished our month long training period. Tomorrow I’m headed to Bhaisepati, my new town, home, and school, this time for the long haul. This again is with mixed emotions; I am sad to be leaving one home, yet excited for the next and all that lies ahead.

Friday was supposed to be our last day of Nepali classes, but unfortunately class had to be cancelled. There were 2 bandhas in Kathmandu, which made it difficult for everyone to get to the USEF office. Bandhas are essentially strikes that can be localized to a certain part of town or throughout the entire Kathmandu Valley. They are generally called as a form of protest to a particular issue. For example, after a boy drowned in a flash flood that swept him off a bridge, apparently the community called a bandha and demanded a better bridge be built. Strikes are often political in nature as well. Friday was an example of both. Apparently the Maoist Party called one bandha, and another was a local call for justice for a young woman who was killed by her boyfriend the day before. As a result, across the city, stores were closed, and traffic was limited to pedestrians on foot, as buses, taxis, cars, and motorcycles were prohibited from driving in certain areas. I believe it would be fair to say that bandhas are generally non-violent and more of a nuisance for those wishing to travel. Though it’s all a matter of perspective, as in the case of school-age children, bandhas are more of a pleasant unexpected holiday from school, akin to a snow day.

So while we missed language class that morning, we did fortunately still manage to meet up and get outside of the valley in the afternoon, headed for “camp.” Camp was the last event scheduled in our orientation, a short overnight vacation to a riverside “camping” spot. I put that in quotes because this was definitely the plushest camping I’ve ever heard of. While we did sleep in tents, the tents were semi-permanent with beds, and there was also a lounge area complete with a kitchen, bar, fire-pit, and ping pong table. Dad, you may be happy to hear that all those years of destroying me in ping pong on the back porch gave me enough skills to beat every local man who challenged me that night. Just trying to be a good son ;) I think it’s fair to say we all enjoyed this retreat as a little break from our hectic schedules and a chance to allow ourselves to loosen up a little, even wear bathing suits and swim at the edge of the river.

After returning to Kathmandu, we went back to our original homestays. It’s a bit confusing, but after meeting our new families and working a few days, as I spoke about last post, we returned to our original families to finish up our training. I believe the rationale is in part because these homes are much closer to the USEF office. But today was my actual last day with Laxmi and her family. She and her friend surprised Olivia, another ETA, and I with snack food, pepsi, ice cream, and a kind of impromptu farewell party. While eating together, someone had the idea that Olivia and I would look good in saris, a theory which had to be tested. So after we ate, Olivia and I dressed up, or rather were dressed up, in saris, and then posed for photos, which I’ll try to add below. These saris were incredibly beautiful, though for the unpracticed, like myself, a bit difficult to maneuver in. Thankfully, as I am not yet married, I don’t have to wear them daily.

I think that’s all I have for y’all today! I wanted to squeeze a little update in and a photo or two, because after tomorrow I won’t have any internet from home, and have not yet figured out what I may do about that. But I will of course try to keep everyone updated when I can. As always, much love and best regards for all. Please keep in touch! (if you need, refer to my first blog post for contact info)

Xoxo from afar!

p.s. to 5

p.s. please forgive this English teacher's grammar and spelling errors, as she writes most of her blogs stream of consciousness style
p.p.s. please enjoy this photo of my first host family :)

5

Hullo everyone! Sorry for the slightly longer than usual delay in contact. I recently moved outside the city to a nearby village in the Kathmandu Valley. This shift involved the loss of daily internet access from my bedroom, which I suppose was a blessing and a curse. For now, I have access again for a few days, but the future is uncertain, so I appreciate the patience, in advance ;)

So much has happened since the last post that I hardly know where to start, but I’ll give it a shot. Last Friday, after a normal day of language in the morning and teacher training with our co-teachers in the afternoon, we left the city and to meet and stay with our new home-stay families. This departure was with mixed emotions, as after three short weeks with my first family I love them. I could not ask for a kinder family, and I was, and am still, quite attached to everyone.  We spent the last night eating pizza and momos (Nepali dumplings) exchanging gifts ,and taking pictures. But as I’m not going far, I hope to visit often. After arriving in my new town, I quickly realized that I will be living in another astonishingly loving home. The family who is taking me in is close friends with the Headmaster of my new school. Our home is on a hill, and from my bedroom window I have a breathtaking view of the valley and the mountains, behind which I caught a glimpse of the Himalayas the other morning at sunrise. I’ll try to get y’all a picture after another month or so, once the monsoon season is over and the clouds clear, revealing the hidden himaals (Nepali name for the Himalayas). From the balcony outside my room, I can see my school, a three minute walk down our hill and across the field where soccer is constantly being played.  It is a truly lovely place.

Schools are closed Saturdays, but Sunday I went for my first day of work. I was introduced to the students at the morning assembly, where everyone lines up outside by grade, sings the national anthem, and is counted. After this I accompanied my co-teacher to all of her classes. She, and now I, teach 2^nd,4th, 7^th,8^th,  3^rd, and 5^th grade, in that order. The first day I received handful upon handful of the most beautiful flowers from my new students, who brought them from home in honor of my arrival. Needless to say, it was very touching, and the love and e,xcitement on all sides has not lessened. My first day I introduced myself to my classes and had them all write their names and interests on half flashcards, then mostly sat back and watched. The next day I helped more, finding ways here and there to contribute to every lesson. I’m again thankful for the Nepali training I’ve had, as well as my endlessly kind and patient co-teacher, as all the English classes are generally taught with 50-75% Nepali. But I think we’re all finding our groove together. Today, after encountering a “chant” called the “Houkie Coukie” in the book for our lesson, I realized I had an undercover skill set acquired automatically  from a childhood spent in America. I seized the opportunity to but this skill to use and taught my third graders the Hokie Pokie. They may not have understood all the words, but they found this activity hilarious. As I left the room for my next class, they were still singing and dancing and laughing, and it made my day. 

The kids are hilarious. I walked in a nursery level class yesterday to help sub with my co-teacher, and a 4 year old pointed to me and said “umumumum kati thulo Miss,” which basically means “oh my goodness Miss (as all female teachers are called) is HUGE.” He proceeded to say that they should call me “Thulo (big/tall) Miss” and my 5’2” co-teacher Rajani “Saano (small /short) Miss.” My height is something I tend to forget, but no-one else ever does, and we joke about it all the time. That and the fact that I’m going to get so fat eating Nepali food. As being “moti,” roughly translated as “pleasantly plump,” is historically a good thing in Nepal, I often find myself sitting at the dinner table, happily agreeing that, yes, no doubt eating all this rice, I will get fat, thank you. And I don’t bother to disagree with the statement that, yes, my mother in America will be so happy at how fat I’ve gotten.  I just laugh, and then when I’m feeling particularly American try to do crunches in my room to fight the inevitable physiological effects of the shift to this carbohydrate heavy diet.

La aru ke bhanne? What else to say? I’m sure the anecdotes will keep coming in the weeks and months to come. I’ll give you a few things from the list of things I love which I keep in my journal, half pictures, half words.

Fresh, ripe, Mangos

“Good morning /afternoon/evening Miss,” now heard everywhere I go in my new town

The different character of every bus- for example, one always playing Hindi music, one proudly adorned with a winnie the pooh sticker, another with a sign above the mirror which says “maya namara,” literally “don’t kill the love”..

Sharing shoes, resulting in me wearing pink flip flops half the size of my feet, and my little brother flopping around the kitchen in my blue ones, twice the size of his

Etc. etc.

As always, love and miss everyone at home. Seriously, shoot me an email or facebook comment. It’s a real pleasure to have a taste of home and hear from everyone. All the very best!! xoxo

4

Namaste y’all :)

I just got home from a day of training, and at my mama’s request, am gonna try to give y’all another update! And thankfully after today I have the energy and material to do so! This week has been a long one. I woke up Wednesday morning with a low fever, but went to the USEF office anyways hoping it would break. Unfortunately it only worsened, and after seeing me sleeping on the couch at lunch, our training leader and everyone insisted upon sending me home. They even called me a ride, which I was thankful for, as I was too out of it and tired to fare well on a bus. My fever was low, never passing 101, but annoyingly persisted until that night. Apparently this time of the year is bad for everyone. Many people at the office have been out sick this week, including my language teacher. I have been told the rainy and variable weather, eating cold foods at night (as I had), pollution, and other things are all potentially sources of an illness such as mine. I found it strange to at first to only be running a fever, as only on the second day did I have other cold-like symptoms. But worry not, as always my host family and friends have been taking extraordinarily good care of me. They have been feeding me only foods considered suitable in Nepal for illness, including hot water to break the fever, special rice, ginger, etc. And cold foods and fruit are largely prohibited. They also haven’t let me back out in the rain before today, out of fear that my fever would return. And perhaps with good reason, as after the long day and the bus ride home, I believe ‘malaai pheri jwaaro aayo,’ a little fever has again come. But I’m resting, and honestly feeling pretty great considering everything! Poor Grace at home is apparently faring far worse. Maybe if someone reads this, they can take her some ice cream for her sore throat for me. I think in America that’s not taboo ;)

Despite being a bit ill, all is well! I was thrilled today to meet the English teacher I will be working with for the next 7 and a half months and the vice principal from the school! I’ll tell you what I have learned so far. I will be moving in with a family in the town of Bhaisepati, outside the main city of Kathmandu, but not too far by foot, bus, or tuk tuk (a three wheeled battery-run vehicle that frequents smaller streets in the valley). I haven’t yet visited this town, but I hear this is beautiful little spot, and that apparently a couple of diplomats and a lot of army families live there. Their children likely attend private schools, as I was told few, if any, of them attend our government school. The school is home to 17 teachers and approximately 400 students, if I understood correctly. Not sure as of yet the class sizes, though I’ve heard in general they can be as large as 60/70 and will likely be no less than 30/40. The children who attend this school are from nursery age-8 grade. My counterpart teacher is a lot like me, 22, just out of undergraduate school, and she teaches English to 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders, approximately age 7-14. I may be assisting in as many as all of her classes! Most Nepali teachers teach 6-8 40 minute periods a day. The children are generally of low-socioeconomic statuses, and about 30% are living outside their own homes. To better explain this, this 30% are children who live away from their parents and siblings with another Nepali family and work in their homes. They are often from outside the Kathmandu Valley, and have come seeking a decent education or to make some money for their families. They wash dishes, clean cook, and do various work around the homes of the more fortunate families they stay with. Which fits into the picture of Bhaisepati as being the home to a fair number of affluent Nepalis. As you can imagine, this often means they have little time left outside school for homework, and I have already heard that teachers know classwork is more essential for their  students’ educational success. Nevertheless, their academic success rate was described as “low,” so this will certainly be a challenge. But with such enthusiastic co-workers and the love they show for the children, I’m excited for our months ahead. Every coming obstacle will just have to be crossed as it comes, and I will do my best to keep y’all informed about this journey.

As one last side note, I was hoping to do some sort of extracurricular activities at the school, perhaps involving basketball for girls and boys as a form of exercise, fun, and stress release. I hear that there is no goal at our school, but there is one at the higher secondary school, so perhaps that will also come into play in the future. Another ETA is also working there, so we may be joining forces.

For now I think I’ll leave my update at that and get a little rest. Language class tomorrow bright and early. All the best to y’all, and hope everyone is well. Feel free to drop me an email, k80may@gmail.com, telling me what’s new with you, or again if you have any questions.

Kati dherai maya (so much love) <3

My photo for today, the dog that likes to guard his home from the roof. My view from my bedroom window...

From afar:

 zoom:

oh and my new roomate ;) :

p.s. kommentaire or whatever it is is comment in german if you're interested ;)

3

Hi y’all! The sun just went down here, and for most of y’all the day is starting. Our power also just went out, as it does these days every now and then. Though I hear  it will be out daily for up to 16 hours come winter. For now, luckily for me, some unknown neighbor has functioning wi-fi which I can steal. So I’ll take this opportunity to tell y’all about my weekend :)

Saturday Laxmi and her two friends who are hosting other ETA’s decided to take us all to Boudhanath. We walked up to the hill from our homes to the stupa, which is probably one of my favorite monuments in Kathmandu. It’s a gorgeous place, and though the shops are a bit touristy around the area, the people you find there are  from all walks of life. As we wandered around and took pictures, I saw Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist people all worshiping at the monument and taking the beauty in. To me this peaceful mix of religions in people is both endearing and inspiring.

Laxmi and I at Boudha

We next headed back into the city to catch a movie. As Saturday is most people’s only day off, many Nepali families had also come to this modern city mall to catch a showing. We had reserved tickets in the morning, as most shows sell out quickly. Then we had to come claim them an hour before the film. The movie theater operated more like an actual theater. We had assigned seats and surprisingly an intermission. The film we saw was a Hindi film, and as it was starting, I had my fingers crossed for English subtitles, but I quickly found that I really didn’t need them. With English phrases intertwined with the Hindi narrative , vivid facial expressions, and universal themes of love, heartbreak, friendship, etc., for the most part I could follow along, laugh, and enjoy with everyone else. I rather liked that the “hero” (lead actor), who was filling his role with an intentionally muscular effusion of manliness and attractiveness, shed a tear after experiencing something beautiful, and was openly emotional throughout the movie. In Nepal, it is often common to see men holding hands on the street or in close capacity in a purely plutonic manner. This is just one societal concept that differs from the U.S., but to me was refreshing.

After the film we headed home, and on the way I picked out fabric and got measured for a couple of  kurtas, or Nepali outfits with long tunic like tops, flowing pants, and a shawl. We joked about my height as I was measured, and everyone laughed at how the measuring tape barely made it to the floor from my shoulder. Then we ended the day around the kitchen table with mango tang and an adhi adhi (half half) Nepali English heart to heart.

Sunday, the USEF (US Educational Foundation) office, where Fulbright business is conducted, is closed, paralleling the U.S. schedule. Nepali businesses, however, are open, so most Nepalis work Sundays and are only off Saturdays and sometimes half of Fridays. Consequently, I spent late Sunday morning and early afternoon at home alone, as my didi had class and my aamaa and bhaai went to work at their restaurant. I took this time to wash my clothes, read a novel, study Nepali, and generally just relax. I had forgotten how much work hand-washing my clothes was, as well as how inefficient at it I am. Thankfully, unlike last time when I washed my clothes in the nearby river, this time I had the privacy of an indoor bathroom with sufficient water. This arrangement allowed me to struggle through my first laundry endeavor privately and spared me some embarrassment. No doubt I would have been an entertaining sight, squatting, sweating, and kneading my clothes in the large bowl trying not to fall over. While wringing out my heavy denim jeans I found myself contemplating only wearing my cotton skirts and Nepali kurtas in the future. And bless the mothers that wash their sons’ jeans every week along with the rest of the family laundry! But all said and done I successfully cleaned my clothes and dried them in the sun on the roof. Upon arrival in Nepal, I actually had little intention of wearing my jeans more than every once in a while. But my host family currently lives in the main part of the city, and my host sister is quite stylish. She wears Western clothing most of the time and rarely wears Nepali clothing, but in the conservative and practical clothing I brought from home I feel a bit plain. So the jeans have definitely been put to good use after all!

me being artsy: dirty curly hair and nice light in the afternoon... don't worry, not unhappy, was just thinking ;) also you can kind of see part of one of my kurtas

Aside from that my day was also spent reading a good book, which I’m happy to recommend if anyone needs a new read: Elif Shafak’s The Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi. I read a great novel by this author in college and was interested in trying another, so I downloaded one (thanks mama) on my kindle (thanks Aunt Val and Uncle Billy). It’s a nice mix of philosophy and intriguing story-telling so far. A taste of the philosophical side…

“ ‘Intellect and love are made of different materials,’ he said. ‘Intellect ties people in knots and risks nothing. But love dissolves all tangles and risks everything. Intellect is always cautious and advises, “Beware too much ecstasy,” whereas love says, “Oh, never mind! Take the plunge!” Intellect does not easily break down, whereas love can effortlessly reduce itself to rubble. But treasures are hidden among ruins. A broken heart hides treasures.’ “

The lights just came back, so I’ll return to the Hindi movie we were watching on TV. Next week training continues, and I am still looking forward to meeting our co-teachers and starting work at a school, though that will still won’t be for another couple weeks. Hope all is well with y’all and that this wasn’t too boring of an account of my days here ;) much love!

2

Hi yall :) so first off I think the german titles are here to stay, if they’re german for you that is. they still are for me. I made the blog in germany, and can’t for the life of me figure out how to change it. But google might let you translate the page ;)


Now for an update. Ill try to write often for now, but will probably slack off in the near future as I get lazier and perhaps have less internet.. im sitting on my bed listening to the rain. It’s monsoon season now, and will be into august, which means rain at least once a day. And today the rain came at around 5 pm, which, like the u.s., meant everyone was headed home from work and business in Kathmandu. Which meant that the already crowded buses were jam packed with people who did not want to walk in the rain. And by packed I don’t mean a few people standing in the aisles. I mean two to three people in every small seat and two rows of people in the aisle and at least 6 people on the steps of the bus holding onto the door and whatever they could. the boy who calls out the stops and takes the money had is toes on the last steps and his whole body outside the bus, somehow keeping everyone from spilling out when we turn corners. Scary as that may sound, it was more of an adventure piling in and out at the stops and getting very close and personal with everyone, who just laugh about it and hold each other up. for me the hardest part is being able to see from the crowd the buildings and landmarks passing by. As there are no U.S. style street signs  I’ve just been trying to memorize the route by unique landmarks, a gumba (Buddhist monastery), a red wall that says kingfisher beer, a long bridge, and a tree that means I need to start making my way up front. It’s a little nerve-racking at first, as I have always been terrified of being lost, ever since I was little. But now it’s actually kind of a game, and I know even if I mess up it will end up fine, because this time around I can ask for directions! People as always are very friendly, and often curious, especially after they discover you speak Nepali. I made a friend on the bus and we may be meeting up soon to teach each other more about our native languages.


These days we’re still in training. After the first day of nepali classes, we split into two classes, which basically means I have a private tutor, as I am the only one on the program that has had language training previously. I am very thankful for this opportunity to improve my nepali and move a little ahead rather than review for the next month. Late this week we should meet our new co-teachers and start teacher training. I’m excited to begin this work as well!


Basically everything here is great right now, for those of you who may have been worried. Chinta nagarnus! Don't worry! I am very well taken care of. I’m enjoying my time, settling in, and already have some truly great new friends. I just hope I can continue to learn and better myself, as no doubt teaching English will be challenging, yet is so important. For those I haven’t previously told, every student in Nepal must pass a test called the SLC exam for their “School Leaving Certificate” I believe. English is one required subject, and is a challenge for many students, particularly those in government schools, like those we will work in. Students must pass every subject for the SLC, and more than half fail to do so each year. This means that even though I have not had much teaching experience, my presence in a classroom may be a help to students and teachers and their eager endeavors to learn English and pass the test. I mention all this just to put my work in a little context.


For now I’m going to try to attach a couple photos from this time so far and end my post. And I may add friends photos and my old one’s in the future, as I am not the best photographer. If anyone has any questions whatsoever about what I’m up to just let me know! As I have lived here before and am less new to things, I'm not sure what you might like to hear, and the blog is for y'all at home. you may contact me Here or perhaps email, as the page is in German… my email is k80may@gmail.com. Love y’all! And keep in touch!

This picture was taken a couple nights ago on the balcony of another ETA's family's house during a beautiful sunset behind the rain clouds. We celebrated my friend's aamaa (host mother)'s birthday, and the lovely Rozina drew the henna design on my hand which I was letting dry. 

Tired eyes, but i wanted y'all to meet my darling didi (host sister) Laxmi. We were having dinner with our friends at a restaurant in Kathmandu. <3 <3 <3 her :) 


for now i think this is it! send me your questions :) and ill try to post more soon!
much love