August 20
After an early
morning start (you can only sleep in until about 6am with a buffalo moo-ing
outside your bedroom window…), I took tea with my family and entertained Stuath
and Spandan while Anita did her prayers in the small worship room.
Here in Gorkha, mornings are slow-paced and savored –instead
of rushing out to work with a travel mug of coffee, families take their first
two meals of the day together, one of which is, you guessed it –dhal bhaat! I
watched as the bazaar rumbled to life, shops rolling open their gates,
revealing bangles, boots, bananas and everything in between. My dai headed off
to school with a “Namaste! Tapaaiko din raamro hos! Have a nice day!” and I
soon set off for the short walk to Mahendra Jyoti.
I met with my co-teacher Shova-Miss a few minutes before the
first period bell rang and we walked together into class 7, where I opened with
my rehearsed introduction:
“Namaste! Mero naam Annie ho. Mero desh America ho. Ma yahah
sot mahinah baschu ra malaai Nepal ekdam raamro laagchha.”
Before I could take a seat in the back of the class where I
had intended to observe for my first day, Shova-Miss flipped open the textbook
to “Unit 9: Expressing Obligations and Giving Instructions,” handed me the
textbook and said, “You teach? Thik chha?”
Oh boy. So much for taking a few days to observe.
It was in that split second of
“what-the-heck-am-I-going-to-do?” moment when I realized how grateful I am for
my Solomon Islands teaching experience, as well as the past four weeks of
Christine’s training. Both helped me at least feel a bit confident in taking a
class if not completely prepared.
I soon found Christine’s advice to be true: students,
especially the older ones, have been trained to copy directly from the
blackboard and repeat whatever the teacher says. It is going to be a challenge
to get them to do more interactive and improvisational activities, which will
eventually help them with communication skills. And managing a class of 56
seventh graders may prove to be a bigger challenge, including trying to match
unfamiliar names with 56 faces squeezed in close together in the small
classrooms.
After feeling out the classroom dynamics, I decided to try
out Christine’s tried and true “run to the board” game. Students, two at a
time, ran to the board to be the first to select the correct time from a choice
of analog clocks. It was a tie of girls versus boys –there will be a
tie-breaker to determine the winner on Thursday!
Although I returned home exhausted and a bit overwhelmed
after similar periods teaching in grades 5, 7, and 8 (I’ll spare you the
details of my attempt to sing a chant in class 5, at the request of the
teacher), I am optimistic and excited to begin teaching and working with
teachers at Mahendra Jyoti for the next few months!
I’ve been told that Pokhara is the “Swiss Alps of Nepal” and
after an impromptu retreat there with the other ETAs, I caught a glimpse why.
Although mostly covered by monsoon clouds, the Annapurna mountain range peaked
out in some places where the fog had lifted. “Is that it? Or is it a cloud?” we
constantly questioned, pointing above the green hills to a promising white
patch on the horizon. The rains deterred us from a full-on trek, but slowed
just enough for us to enjoy a half-day hike to the famous World Peace Pagoda
–and bring out the leeches!
I’ve begun to realize that the hidden mountains are a lot
like my time so far here in Gorkha. Some of the clouds –the language barrier,
for one, as well as cultural differences and teaching styles –have made it
difficult to completely understand my role both in the classroom and at home. But
like the Annapurna mountains, given a little time (and a few sunny days!), it
will soon become more clear as I continue to adjust to my new life in Gorkha! 
