Greetings to the Grinnell community,
As Tihar and Deshai have come and gone life in Nepal is getting back to normal and getting colder. The second term of school (out of three) has one month left before again our kids take their weeklong exams. Personally, the biggest change since I wrote my first report has been the increase in affection for the students. Hearing "Good morning sir" yelled by forty kids actually became something that I missed during our vacation. I'm already starting to worry about how much I will miss teaching them next year.
First let me start with some teaching successes since the last term. Foremost, the biggest improvement has been that when I walk into a classroom, I see individuals and personalities in every student.
One way I have achieved more closeness with my class eight has been through assigning journal writing. Every week I ask a different question, such as "Do people like Prithivi Narayan Shah (founder of the Nepal nation-state and 18th century warrier) and Genghis Khan add to the amount of peace or to the amount of violence in the world?" or "If you won paac lakh (Nepali equivalent of "Who wants to be a millionaire"), what would you do with the money?" this week's question: "Compare and contrast village and city life."
I have really liked reading these journals for several reasons - okay yes, by the 98th journal, my enjoyment and attention fades a bit. From the journals, I am able to gauge what writing help the students need most urgently and universally. I find some mistakes on almost every student's paper. For example, the kids never use an object after the verb to tell, such as "he told that it rained hard." I see the habit forming in class five when students ask me "Sir what are you telling?" Right now I'm focusing on what I call the life cycle verbes: born, marry, and die and how/when to use them.
Another idea I am trying to dispel is the notion that the longer the essay, the better it is. By class six, some students have already mastered the art of bs writing. I'm not sure how and where they learn, but at sometime, they must have been awarded for writing long and wordy essays. Slowly, I'm indoctrinating them with my idea of the proper essay format - introduction, three points to the body, and conclusion repeating main points and what was learned.
But the most beneficial aspect of the journals has been getting to hear every student individually, matching faces and writing, hearing them read the essays. For instance, Bhibek Bhakati had a way of blending into the crowd and not being noticeable in class. Then he wrote how he would spend the five hundred thousand rupees he won from paac lakh - by taking Neruta Singh (huge Nepali film star) on a vacation to Switzerland (something about Nepalis loving Switzerland, perhaps its the mountain connection). Now Bhibek sticks out with his goofy smile and provides constant fodder for jokes. Or learning that Sumita Ale spends her vacations in Singapore, and thus has a more complete idea of what a city is and/or could be instead of only knowing the urban mess of Kathmandu.
I'm also encouraging students to use the journals as a way to make comments about class. I appreciate receiving feedback that students might not necessarily give in class in front of their peers. Comments range from criticism: "sir you speak too fast" to questions/inquiries "how do you feel about the September 11 attacks?" or the random "Who is your favorite Nepali politician?" or "How do you say hello in Spanish language?" I enjoy answering any sorts of questions, as I believe it makes them feel more comfortable in class.
One continual challenge is making "Tale of Two Cities," the standard 8 class text, relevant to the class. Last week while reading the chapter "Lucie gets Married" (yes the abridged version does not exactly have Dickens' literary beauty), I had the pleasure of explaining the Western church wedding to the class. Later I discovered that half the class had seen "Runaway Bride" the night before on Star movies, and thus were already well acquainted with American marriages. They did however need to be informed that sunny weather for Lucie's wedding was a positive omen as opposed to the Nepali belief that rain on your wedding day will bring a good future. A little ironic, don't you think? And of course, since they are Nepali, they had to ask, even though I've told them all many times before, "Sir are you married?" No. "Then when will you get married?" Many years.
For the next chapter, "The fourteenth of July, 1786", I brought the action of the French Revolution a bit closer to Nepal by asking the students to compare/contrast the revolution with Kathmandu the week following the Royal Massacre, June 2-9. The latter had perhaps the same amount of people out on the street protesting but not as bloody and ultimately subdued by much more police control. Or even closer to the current news, comparisons between Maoists and French Revolution 'Jacques' are easily apparent to the class and always provoke a strong response from students.
As I mentioned in the first report, many differences distinguish the afternoon and morning students. I still feel that I am teaching more to the 8th class and more like a supervisor to five and six. Though as I say this, I also consider the positive effect of them allowing my English everyday. Molly and I have recently padded ourselves on the back when we checked to notice how our afternoon students' comprehension of English has greatly increased. The stares of absolute confusion have completely disappeared. Today I was thinking in 5 class, wow, I'm speaking fast. I asked everyone point blank, "Am I speaking too fast?" No sir. "How much do you understand what I say?" Everything sir. "Absolutely everything?" Yes sir, we promise. Well then, that's improvement judging from the beginning of the year.
For classes five and six, I find myself disappointed in the textbooks, which are rather unimaginative and dull. Several weeks ago, I found that class six was flying through the textbook on pace to finish way before the end of the year. I asked the students to write an essay on why they are learning English and specifically, what aspect of the language do they want to learn most? The responses were mixed, a few as expected to read/write/speak, and others unique - to be a great poet, to understand ghost stories. Several even said, "to learn manners in English." I'm hoping to implement some of their requests in the final term. In response to one student's wish to be an English newspaper writer, I had all of the students become "journalists" for this month's project work. They had to interview someone they find "interesting" and then write an article based on that interview.
Another refreshing activity was a class debate contest, which happened to coincide with the school-wide debate contest on Tuesday. By bringing the contest to class, I had two goals: include all of the students since too often the same ten to twenty students participate in the school-wide competitions and secondly, debate less serious topics to show that the art of debate can cross over into any part of their life. Some of the topics I had them debate: Is it better to shop at a bazaar or supermarket? Should male teachers have to wear daura salwars (male equivalent of the sari, worn only by old men in villages, rarely ever seen in Kathmandu)? What is a better sport: football or cricket? 6A handled the informality of the debates quite well, while 6B could not contain their laughter and jokes during the contest.
The highlight of this term teaching class six was easily last week when we sang Simon & Garfunkel's El Condor Pasa (If I Could) followed by a lesson on using would and could. I will continue to create lessons based on the curriculum of the book, but more particularized for enjoyment. I also rationalize that I'm teaching "extra English" so extending beyond the book is certainly allowed. In addition to my class, they also have English grammar and Compulsory English (which I teach to 8 class).
To my five class, I have recently started reading Adventures of a Nepali Frog, written by Kanak Mani Dixit (editor of South Asia Himal, a great monthly magazine published here), a fantastic story/picture book about a Kathmandu toad who leaves the comfortable surroundings of his monsoon rice paddy and tours Nepal. Though a lot of the vocab is ahead of the class, the book is about places they know - Chitwan, Pokhara, Jomsom. We move at the rate of one chapter per week, a nice introduction or conclusion to class.
I have become fond of using drama in class five to teach vocab, phrases, or just about any new English concept. They are acting professionals because they have such little self-consciousness. We often learn new words by having different groups act out the words, a sort of learn vocab by charades. I'm looking forward the Juniors One-act English play competition, which will occur after winter vacation.
As I might have imagined in the first report, Molly and I are responsible for the meetings of English club, every Monday after school. One week Molly went home early so I was alone to run English Club. Anxious about having to control 50-60 children for one hour, I thought, okay gotta come up with something creative to do this week. I thought back to my own seventh grade when my home room teacher Penny Fulton would have the class perform "simulations" - student run reenactments of history, i.e. - performing the French revolution (a thought for 8 class) by designating students to be nobles, peasants, or clergy. I fortunately was a member of the clergy and so my head was saved from the guillotine. The effective technique of learning history through example remained with me. So I was brainstorming a simulation to encourage the kids to talk about worldly issues in English. Besides Afghanistan, the WTO meeting was in the news. Yes that's it. Students were split into different countries as teams: Ghana, Germany, USA, Australia, Japan, India, and Brazil. Each team was given five pieces of four different resources (e.g.- industry, tourism, wheat, and rice, of a possible ten) but had to collect two pieces of all ten resources. Each team took a classroom and designated one person to be their trade representative - move from class to class (country) trading one resource at a time. Once they collected all ten resources their trading was complete and they became an aid organization that could distribute all of their resources. Though I enjoyed imagining the connections to the reality of the WTO, the best part was watching the kids run around working from their own initiative. If I were to do it again, I would add more rules and restrictions on the game, and make resources less abundant, like the real thing.
Perhaps the most exciting school event (and time consuming) was our one act play competition. Just about one month before Deshai holidays, all the teachers started talking about these one acts. Molly and I shook our heads, asking "what?" Oh the one act plays you have to direct, they are in one month, you better get started! We frantically ran down to our local bookstore Ekta Educational Palace (really a lifesaver, great place to hangout and read/browse about fifteen minutes from school) and scouted each and every book it had of short plays. The Best American shortplays of 1984, best plays of Rabrindranath Tagore, even Sam Shepherd, but nothing that could be performed by a group of 15 year-old Nepali kids and enjoyed, let alone understood, by the audience - or so I felt. In addition to understanding the drama, I also wanted to include as many students as possible. What to do? Within a week, I was writing a play. The plot? The last day at home for a Nepali about to go to the US to study (hint: in a small town in Iowa) and an American about to go to Nepal to join the Peace Corps. "What is this? An autobiography?" Sarita (Madhab's sister) asked me. "Only half, the rest is observational. After all, you have to write about something you know, no?" The writing of it turned out to be a really nice exercise in letting out my feelings for this and that place.
As soon as I finished it, I showed it to the team captains (leaders of every class, or as I love to refer to them, the "class clowns") of the Lions (my team for the competition). First response was not so favorable.
-Too much Nepali
-Too short
-not serious enough
-cast is too large
I was actually shocked, how could you not like it? "Well, you see sir, we don't think it can receive enough votes to win," win schwin I thought, I just hope people understand it. I went home and thought more and more. I decided to change some of it, but not discard it, after all I had nothing else! So I changed some language amma to mommy and cut yar, and added more lines for the girls' parts. I could not agree to cut parts (in fact, I added a couple because of my inability to tell students they couldn't be in it. final number: 18) and jokes, the audience needs to laugh. The captains, upon receiving the main parts, grew to like it. In fact the girl playing the Nepali mother, once my biggest critic, turned into the practical director of the play, calling the shots during rehearsals. The event turned into a larger deal than I had ever imagined. Students were calling me to practice during one sometimes two free periods in the day. Completely from their own imagination, they turned the set into an elaborate comparison of middle class American vs. Nepali households (we split the stage into two).
The performance day came quickly, the Saturday before Deshai. Our drama won first place! More importantly, I talked the cast into performing it again three days later when my mother visited the school. As I told her later, you seeing this is much better than any letter I could send you from here.
Since August, I have been able to establish some sort of social life outside of the school. In early October, Kathmandu was blessed with the South Asian Documentary Film Festival, sponsored by Himal, the magazine mentioned earlier in this report. In four days, the festival showed 52 films from the sub-continent. Working around our school schedule, I was able to attend six films. This was enough motivation to think up ways to make my own film to submit in two years when the festival occurs again. For now though, I'll have to keep dreaming.
Another activity that I have found is the Hash hound harriers - a group of expatriates (mostly Canadian actually) who meet every Saturday afternoon for wild, unplanned runs through narrow Nepali (goraito) foot trails usually near the rim of Kathmandu Valley. Upon finishing the run each week, the group congregates and drinks a lot of beer. For the first time harriers, the "virgins", you must throw down a mug of beer, and with what's left dump over your head. Unfortunately I am always late and consequently get lost on the trail. I simply ask the organizers "Have you ever lived with a Nepali family?" No, "then you don't know how hard it is to get somewhere on time." Further using public transportation makes arriving at these obscure locations a challenge. Granted, one hour late is a bit inexcusable and makes finishing the route before dark a weekly challenge.
Once again, Nepali Maoists have attracted the complete attention of the domestic media, and maybe even made some of your headlines. Since events are happening so fast, anything I write in this report will be outdated by the time you read it. The main point is that the peace negotiations failed miserably despite signs everyone interpreted as success, and now the Maoists have returned to arms. After four months of cease-fire and three rounds of talks with the ruling party Nepali Congress, the Maoist supremo Prachanda announced that "we will continue to fight against the imperialist fascists in power." I really want to send him a good book on 20th century history to point how obsolete this language is. During the cease-fire, the government released Maoist prisoners, lifted security regulations, and announced land reforms. The Maoists also hinted at coming to an agreement when they took back their demand for a republic. Nope, since the government wouldn't drop the current constitution and establish an interim constituent assembly, its back to violence. Since attacks commenced on November 23, early tolls weigh heavily on the side of Maoist casualties. For the first time in Nepal's modern history, the Nepali army is flexing its muscle. In response to the recent attacks, the government has announced an "emergency" - to people in this region, thoughts go back to Indira Gandhi's late 70's India and the disaster they went through - and are anxious what the same government program will do in Nepal. Essentially, it means a suspension of civil liberties and allows the police/army to arrest anyone for any reason. Needless to be said, I'm staying away from any large groups of people.
What does this mean for us Americans working in Kathmandu? Foremost, it means we should stay in Kathmandu Valley. Until now, the attacks have been far away from the capital. Certainly the Maoists have plans for attacks here, but I doubt this conflict will get that far. Thus far it feels nothing like the week after the royal massacre when several curfews were called in the city and people could not leave their houses. Life in the capital goes on as normal though watching the news has become a chilling affair. I feel like I'm witnessing the equivalent of how my mother describes her memories of the Vietnam War - seeing lots of dead bodies on the evening news. The outcome I see most likely is that after some initial covert attacks, the Maoists will return to their role as incognito revolutionaries, and Nepal will have guerrilla attacks similar to events in places like Sri Lanka and Kashmir.
Since the last report, we have seen the seasons change. It seems that the temperature has been decreasing everyday since Deshai in mid-October. This week the temperature gets down to 7/8 Celsius, which yes I know all of you Iowans are laughing, but the difference is that you escape the cold every time you go inside. I have yet to find a building in Nepal that has internal heating. I become warm on my walk to school, but then its sitting around during free periods in frigid rooms waiting anxiously for class and/or the sun to shine, which happens about ten every morning. They say December only gets colder!
