First, teaching is going well. I didn’t start teaching until about a month after the new school year started though because of school chaos! The teacher retention rate is very low here because teaching is seen as a beginner job, not a life-long career. Many of our teachers quit which meant the first month of school we were still hiring teachers, constantly changing schedules, and things I couldn’t believe were happening while school was in session. Instead of teaching my classes, I was doing odds and ends and substitute teaching, if you can even call it that. It was more of me being notified with a moment’s notice that a class needed a teacher, so I should go teach them. “Just teach them something,” they’d say. Ahh, what??? I need more of a notice than that! So I’m glad that this chaotic period is over because for me it was nerve-racking, boring, and felt purposeless. But now I have my classes again and am enjoying it. I will be with my students for 5 more weeks to complete the first term. Then I’ll have one week in Nepal and one week in Pennsylvania (for MCC Re-entry) before coming home! I can’t believe this year is about over, which stirs so many emotions, thoughts, and reflections… but I’ll save that for another blog post.
Second, my mom and sister came to visit for a week! Oh, it was soooo wonderful! I have missed having close relationships around, so this was such a blessing! We spent time in Kathmandu, both as tourists and showing them my life here- Elim School, church, boss, co-workers, students, refugees, host family, etc. We even played a way fun game of basketball! Then we went to Pokhara, such a beautiful getaway city on a lake, in which we hiked, got a blind massage, had an early morning boat ride, and watched the sunset over the Himalaya Mountains. However, Denise and Mom probably came the worst week possible – Nepal’s government was due out for a Constitution (which was FAR from happening) so people protested with bandhs (nationwide strikes that shut down everything). But would they have known? So we made the best of it and used the legs God gave us!! It was also fun being the “tour guide”. Sometimes you don’t realize how well you’ve come to know a place until someone new comes. So, it was an absolutely wonderful week spent with dear relationships… plus I also had the bonus of hot showers, A/C, sitting toilets, comfortable beds, and non-Nepal food! What a week of being spoiled!Third, I am now a student at Kathmandu University School of Art! Because of Nepal’s visa rules, I needed to get a student visa. So 2 days a week I go to KUArt for pottery/sculpture and photography classes for ½ days and then go back to Elim for ½ days. So far I’m enjoying the art classes! They are Nepali style though (laid-back time, unorganized, no real teaching), which is an adjustment but it’s still very enjoyable.
That’s all for now! I hope you all are enjoying the summer. Take care!
whats a blind massage?
ReplyDeleteThere is an outreach organization called "Seeing Hands" for blind and hard-of-seeing people in Nepal. They are trained in massaging, anatomy, and English and then employed at Seeing Hands. So Denise, Mom, and I were in one room on the massagin beds and our 3 massusts came in and massaged us! It was a really good deep massage! We were all SO sore afterwards, but mostly in a good way! I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance, especially because it's a really awesome ministry :)
ReplyDelete