Last Post from Nepal

ALERT!!! This will be my LAST update from Nepal! Wow, that sounds so strange… I leave Kathmandu in less than three weeks, so I won’t be updating again until I’m back in the U.S.

There has been so much going on lately that I want to share with you – and this week especially has been jam-packed, so brace yourselves for an action-packed update as well as some info on my home-coming :).

Bandh Update

The last time I wrote, I told you that Nepal was fairly unstable and there were lots of bandhs (strikes) held by various political groups as the deadline for the new constitution was approaching. Well, they failed to meet the deadline, so the Constitutional Assembly was dissolved and elections will be held this November in order to elect a new assembly which will hopefully be more effective in establishing a government here. We were expecting more bandhs, riots, and curfews right after the assembly was dissolved, but things have been surprisingly calm and peaceful here, Praise God :). 

Swimming Gala

The KISC intraschool swim meet was a blast and a huge success! It was open to the entire secondary school, not just those on the swim team, so the whole school got to enjoy the event. There were even a few adult races – the 25 free, the 25 breast, and a 100 free relay. Of course I couldn’t resist participating and I even got the KISC record in the 25 free :). 

The Green Team were the winners!

Hmmm... Looks like we need to work on diving technique in practice tomorrow morning... ;)

This is the only swim meet this term, so all the swim team members were excited to see how they would do in a competition. It was great to see them be able to show off their talents and see how they’ve progressed! The majority of the swimmers had huge time drops, some even dropped over 10 seconds in 50 or 100 meter races! Although we won’t have any more meets, swim practices will continue right until the end of the school year.

A few of my KISC swimmers having fun at the Gala along with KISC teacher, Daniel Snead. Daniel has been helping out with the swim team a lot this term.

A KISC Wedding

Last night was the wedding of two of my friends and fellow KISC teachers, Simon and Wendy. This was definitely one of the most fun weddings I’ve ever been to! They got married right at KISC and the whole day was done in spectacular Nepali fashion. It started off with a janti jani which is where the groom and all the men (and in our case, anyone else who wanted to join) parade through the streets behind a Nepali marching band to pick up the bride at her home and take her to the church. When they got to the house, Wendy hopped on a rickshaw and Simon pedaled her all the way to the ceremony. 

Simon pedaling his bride to the wedding while the rest of us danced around in the street.

The guests all wore saris, topis, and other Nepali formal wear (yes, even the Westerners), the dinner was daal bhat, the traditional Nepali meal, and we danced to Hindi music all night long. It was fun evening and will definitely be one of my favorite memories of my time in Nepal. Congrats again, Simon and Wendy!!!

My friend Sarah and I at the wedding.

Everyone had a great time dancing at the reception :).

Finishing and Goodbyes

I’ve got just under three weeks until I come home, and things are starting to wind down here. The teacher-training workshops at the rural Nepali schools were not going to be able to be organized in the time I had before I left, so after writing up my recommendations for future training based on my observations in interviews, that responsibility has ended. I will, however, be very busy will various finishing tasks at school, so the next three weeks will be very busy in that respect. 

In addition, this morning I said goodbye to one of my best friends here, Stephanie. She will be going on fieldwork to do language research for the next three weeks and won’t be back in Kathmandu until after I’ve gone. It was a really tough goodbye and the next few weeks definitely won’t be the same without her around, but I’m thankful that she lives on the West Coast and will hopefully be able to visit me in California the next time she comes back to the U.S.

My friend Stephanie and I

I’m coming home! So here’s the deal:

There are still so many things I have to think about in regards to returning to the U.S. besides all the finishing tasks to take care of here. I fly out of Kathmandu on the evening of June 29^th and land in Pittsburgh the next day on the 30^th. I’ll spend a little over a week in Corry, PA visiting family and friends as well as recuperating from my traveling. While I’m in Corry, I’ll be speaking at my church, Corry FUMC, on July 8^th at all services, so if you’re in the area come in to hear more details about what I’ve been up to :). I’d love to see as many of you as possible! Finally, on July 9^th I’ll be flying back to California where I’m hoping to establish myself. As of yet, I’m still not sure where I’ll be living in California, but God has blessed me with a job to go back to! I just found out the other day that I’ll be teaching ESL at Hope International University. I couldn’t be more thrilled and I’m so thankful – so thanks so much to those of you who were praying for that! Those prayers were answered in a big way :).

I’m sorry this past was a little longer than usual, but it’s my last one in Nepal so I wanted to include everything that’s been happening. I’ll write again after I’ve arrived in the U.S., but I hope to see most of you in-person very soon! 


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As I post this, I haven't uploaded new photos just yet, but I plan to soon, so check them out at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.572126078282.2064217.69102077&type=3&l=48b560a067
Also, check out my updated Prayer Requests and Praises --->

"Bandh ruined my life!" ~ Well, not really...

Hello again from a slightly unpredictable Nepal! This is an interesting time of year for the country as the politicians are working to write the constitution and the deadline for its passing is fast approaching. There have been quite a few strikes and protests lately, but life does go on and lots of other things have been happening.

“Bandh ruined my life!”

Well, that might be a little over-dramatic. As I mentioned earlier, the deadline for the passing of the constitution is at the end of this month. As a result, various people groups and political parties have been calling strikes and protests in an effort to get their demands met in the new constitution. These strikes are called “bandhs” and they generally involve a ban on any sort of motorized vehicles (and sometimes even bicycles), and all the schools and stores shut down. Depending on the severity of the bandh, any sort of breach may have violent consequences (that might sound extreme, so just to clarify - for my particular situation these pose virtually no threat whatsoever). 

You said it, sista! Actually, for me the bandhs are more of an annoyance than anything, but they represent serious issues and can have a very negative effect on the Nepali people.

Bandhs are a common occurrence and I’ve seen quite a few. Normally they aren’t strictly enforced, so a few stores will still open and you may see a few brave motorists on the road. Lately, however, they have been a little more serious. The average Nepali, however, is less than thrilled with the constant disruptions to every day life. I was chatting with a shopkeeper the other day who expressed her frustrations with the bandhs. Because it’s hard to tell how serious the bandh will be, it’s hard for her to tell how much bread to bake that day, and missing days of business takes a severe financial toll. Even the graffiti shows the frustration with the constant strikes. 

Swimming Despite Difficulties

The bandhs have resulted in a few cancelled swim practices, but we’ve recently discovered that the pool keeps a low profile and stays open regardless. This morning we couldn’t take the bus to the pool due to a bandh, so we all brought our sneakers, ran to the pool, and carried on with regular practice. 

We’ve had some exciting developments as a team lately. We’re currently swimming in a 20 meter pool with no lane lines or backstroke flags. This past week, however, we took the initiative in installing our own backstroke flags and making our own lane lines out of rope. They don’t stop the waves like American lane-lines, but they at least help the swimmers stay in a straight line! It’s amazing the difference a few flags and some string makes for morale :). This weekend the swimmers are looking forward to their only meet of the term: an inter-school meet called the Swimming Gala. Everyone is looking forward to it!

Dancing and Dresses

Last week was the annual kid’s talent show for the primary school at KISC called KidZone. It was amazing to see some of my students perform with amazing talent that I had no idea they even possessed! We saw musical performances, dances, dramas, and even amazing math problem-solving abilities! The primary teachers even did a performance of our own to the song “Don’t Stop Believing” with the help of some simple dance moves and kazoos :). 

The primary teachers dancing at KidZone.

Also, in about three weeks two KISC teachers, my friends Simon and Wendy, will be getting married! They’re having the ceremony at KISC and plan on celebrating in traditional Nepali style. Last week I went shopping for the sari that I’ll be wearing as a bridesmaid in the wedding. It was so fun looking at all the beautiful and brightly colored fabrics and trying on different saris. 

At one of the fabric shops. All the choices and colors are so fun (and only slightly overwhelming)!

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Please check out my updated prayer requests and praises in the box to the right --->

Swimming Through the Next Term

Hello everyone!

Tomorrow it will be exactly two months untill I leave Nepal! Sometimes when I think about that it seems like time has really flown by, but other times it seems like I’ve been here for a lot longer than nine months. Even though my time is ticking, I still have quite a bit that I have to think about a quite a bit to accomplish before June 29^th rolls around.

Nepali School Observation

Last weekend, I went back to the Nepali school where I had the opportunity to observe some classes. It was amazing to see the school while classes were in session and would take me too long to describe all the ways that this school is different from schools that I am used to in America. Some of the more obvious differences, however, are the class sizes and the apparent lack of an organized schedule. Teachers seemed to pop into classes and start teaching at random. I’m sure, however, that there was some method to the madness – only it was simply one that I couldn’t decipher as an outsider. In addition, the classes were huge! As many students as possible were packed into small classrooms. When we entered a class for observation and the teacher invited us to sit down, my initial reaction was panic as I scanned the class for any empty space or even considered sitting on the floor. The students adapted, however, and somehow made some room for me on the bench. 

One of the secondary English classes... there were over 80 students in this one classroom!

 I think this observation was really valuable, however, and will give us a lot of direction as we plan a training workshop to be held next month.  

The front side of the school.

Swimming, Swimming, and more Swimming!

The past week has been filled with planning workouts and making trips to the pool… Swim season has started again! Hooray!!! We now have four practices a week, two before school and two after school. My own responsibilities with the team have changed a lot for this term. Now, instead of having merely a support-role, I am planning and running all of the team practices. This is more responsibility and is keeping me busy, but I’m really enjoying it and plan on really whipping these kids into shape :). 

Some members of the KISC swim team.

In addition to the high-school swim team, this coming week I’ll be starting teaching swim lessons for primary students during their PE time. I’m so happy to be able to help out, but I’m a little worried about controlling a class full of hyper children at the pool.

Busy Week/Busy Term

Between my teacher-training project, high school and primary swim lessons, and after-school tutoring, this is looking to be my busiest term yet. There are also several other little bits that I’ll be covering for, lots of meetings, and the expected end-of-year busyness. This past week, especially, was incredibly busy and may have been one of my busiest here in Nepal.

Last week one of my extra bits involved going to a wedding! One of the TA’s at KISC got married last week and everyone from KISC was invited to the reception. Here’s a picture of the bride and groom: 

The bride, my coworker Nandana, and her new husband. This was an arranged marriage... an interesting concept to think about coming from a Western culture.

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Thanks for reading! Please check out my updated prayer requests and praises to the right --->
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Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter!!!

I hope you all had a great holiday!

It’s easy to overlook Easter in Nepal. Most Nepalis don’t celebrate this holiday, so we don’t  get the bombardment of Easter eggs, Easter grass, pastel-colored everything, and all the typical Easter sights. That, however, does not take away from the importance of the day. We had a nice Good Friday service at the international church, an Easter Sunday service, and an amazing family dinner afterwards… and even an Easter egg hunt! Yes, the Fairchild family tradition lives on in Kathmandu!!

Nepali Teacher Training Project

Last time I posted I was about to head out to interview the teachers at the Nepali school that I’ll be doing some teacher-training with. This visit/interview went really well and now we’re working on figuring out what the next steps will be and how to best proceed. 

The school is in an area called Dhading which is about an hour and a half outside the Kathmandu valley. It’s in a much smaller village, but still very close to the main highway that runs across the country. 

Here I am in front of the school in Dhading.

The school is both an elementary school and a high school, and the teachers there face some difficult challenges. The secondary teachers have about 60 students in each class and the primary teachers have about 90! That’s 90 students for one teacher! I don’t know how they do it! Plus, their classrooms are quite different from what you might see in the US. In order to fit so many students, the classrooms are simply rows of benches and tables crammed into a small room with a blackboard in front. Although this situation is very different from any teaching experience I’ve ever had, I hope that we can give them some quality training to really help them out and encourage them. 

Soon I’ll be making another visit to the school to do another observation so we can plan our first training workshop next month.

School Break

There’s not much to report as far as KISC goes. We’re on our term-break right now and have another week before the last term begins. Most of the other teachers have gone trekking, but I decided to stay in Kathmandu to relax and begin the job-search process for when I come back to the US. 

My first few days I spent house-sitting for a family that I know. They have a beautiful home with a huge garden, a trampoline, and two dogs and a cat to keep me company. Although my living space is pretty nice, I really felt like I was living the high-life :). 

Two of my constant companions last week when I was house-sitting :).

Now I’m back in my own room for a few days. I've been doing a little shopping and relaxing with friends and I also hope to get quite a bit of work done before Thursday when I’ll be leaving for Pokhara for the final few days of my break. If you remember from my previous posts, I’ve been to Pokhara two times before and it’s the closest thing to paradise here in Nepal, so I’m really looking forward to going there again. 

While out shopping I found a Wal-Mart!!! Unless Wal-Mart chaged to a pashmina specialty store, however, I doubt it's really the same.

While out shopping with friends, we stopped to pose with this cow sleeping in the middle of the street. I don't understand why it would choose the busiest street in the area for a nap, but whatever floats your boat, I guess...

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Check out my updated prayer requests and praises in the box to the right! --->

Thanks again for your support!

 

Some Endings and Some Beginnings

One week left in the third term at KISC! This term has seemed very long in many ways, but now that it’s almost over I can’t believe how quickly it’s flown by! Sometimes time is funny like that… :). I’m looking forward to having a nice break and then heading into Term 4, which promises to be action-packed!

Tearful Goodbyes

Okay, so technically no one has cried, but I AM very sad about saying goodbye to two of my first grade students. Last week we had a farewell party in ESL to say goodbye to 5 ESL students, two of which are students that I teach. They will be going back to Korea for furlough and will come back to Kathmandu, but I won’t see them again. 

One student, Aehee, left for Korea yesterday. She added a lot of humor to ESL and was always a very hard worker. She has quite an attitude, too, especially for a first grader! Also, Seong-Hyeon will be leaving after next week. I know I shouldn’t play favorites, but IF I did, Seong-Hyeon would be it. I’ll be so sad to see him go! I still have two really wonderful first graders who are staying, though, which is definitely a silver lining.

My first graders and I after our farewell party. Seong-Hyeon (on the far left) and Aehee (on the far right) will be leaving, but I'll continue to teach Pratyush (the little boy in the middle) and Sebin next term. Here, Pratyush is making his dinosaur face :).

Tutoring and Training

Last week I started doing after-school tutoring for a Year 10 student. This student has English as a second language, but is planning on taking the native-speaker IGCSE English exams next year. To give her a little extra boost with her language skills, I’ll be tutoring her twice a week. I’ve had two sessions with her so far. We’re going through some practice exams, focusing on vocabulary, grammar, and writing style. The teaching is a lot more academic than what I’m used to, so it’s right up my alley :). 

In addition, tomorrow (Sunday, 3/25) I’ll be traveling out of the Kathmandu valley to observe English classes in a Nepali school. As I mentioned in my last post, my friend Megan and I will be observing English classes and interviewing both teachers and students, and using these observations to plan a few English teaching workshops for Nepali teachers. We’re both really looking forward to this opportunity :). 
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Thanks again for all your continued support! Please check out some updated prayer requests and praises to the right --->
 

Holi Excitement

Hello again, friends! The past couple weeks have been business as usually. Well, other than having to dodge water balloons being hurled at me from rooftops every time I left the house…

Holi

Last Wednesday was a Hindu festival called Holi. I’m not really sure what the deeper significance of the holiday is, and it seemed like most people I asked weren’t even sure, but the celebrations include throwing water balloons from rooftops and covering each other with colored powder. People all over the city were walking around, soaking wet and covered with bright colors. I had heard some stories of water balloons being filled with not-so-nice things, so I decided to take refuge in my house and have a relaxing day reading my book on the roof, but even there I wasn’t safe! Some of the neighbors saw us on the roof and managed to target us with slingshots! Overall, I escaped unscathed, but some of my friends who ventured out came back looking like this:

My friends who dared to go outside during Holi.

 New Opportunities

Although my time here is quickly coming to a close, I’ve been blessed with a few exciting new opportunities! First, next week I will start doing some private English tutoring after school for a secondary student getting ready for upcoming exams. Between that and swim practices starting up next term I’ll soon be very busy after school. 

In addition, a friend and I were given the opportunity to do some teacher training! We will be holding a couple of English teaching workshops for Nepali teachers outside of the Kathmandu valley. We’ll be visiting the school and doing some observations at the end of this month and start planning a couple workshops in the months to come. 

This photo is from my recent trip to Pokhara. We crossed the lake by boat and hiked to the top of a hill to see the World Peace Pagoda, build by Japanese Buddhist monks. 

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Business as Usual in Kathmandu

Hello again! The past few weeks have been business as usual here in Kathmandu, but I wanted to give you an update regarding my teaching, my new friendships, and life in general… but before I do, I just want to give a shout out to Eric: 

GREAT JOB AT PACS, ERIC! I loved watching you swim! I’m so proud of you!

Okay, now back to the update…

Getting Used to a New Routine

As I mentioned previously, I started teaching ESL to a student in Year 7. This is going really well so far and I’m really enjoying having a student who is a little older. It’s like a breath of fresh air for me. Things are continuing to go well with my primary students, though! We recently released one of my Year 2 students from ESL. I was a little worried at first because this caused me to rearrange my schedule and I now have three rowdy boys together in the same class. But, God is good and this new arrangement is working out better than I could have hoped. 

I probably shouldn't play favorites with my students, but if I had to choose a favorite, Seong-Hyeon might be it. He's the cutest and funniest little boy you will ever meet. Here he's telling me all about how he fell on the playground.

Thinking hard to tell me the story of the boy in the picture... Seong-Hyeon got to choose the boy's name. He chose to name him Hamster.

Social Life… AAAAHHHH!

In all the places I’ve ever lived and all the different friend-groups I’ve had, my social life has never been more than I could handle… until now :). There are always new friends to meet, different people to spend time with, and someone doing something that everyone’s invited to. This is GREAT… for awhile at least. I’m starting to embrace my alone time as a mental health necessity.  

I am, however, enjoying getting to know all the new teachers and other newcomers to Kathmandu. It’s so nice not to be “the new girl” anymore. I’ve also had a few special visits in the past couple of days. My good friend Stephanie’s dad is in town for a visit and it’s been very nice to meet him. This afternoon I also got to have lunch with my friend Grace’s parents. I met Grace in the TESOL program and became good friends. Grace’s parents live in Kathmandu and Grace actually went to KISC when she was younger. We had such a great visit!

Going out for pizza, Stephanie's dad's first meal in Nepal.

Looking Towards July

Even though I still have several months left in my time here, it’s already time for me to start planning my return home this July. I’m starting to look for teaching jobs back home and getting ready to book flights. It blows my mind how quickly time flies! It is, however, difficult to focus on my task here when I’m making arrangements to come back to the U.S. Sometimes I feel like I’m trying to be in two places at once.