Have just returned from a morning at the local school.Everything went so well today.School has its highs and lows. The children seemed to enjoy what I was doing with them they were responsive and laughed alot. I had no idea what a tonic a childs laughter can be. The effect it has on me is so uplifting. Or maybe its just relief in my case. There have been days when Ive come home feeling such a failure. Sometimes I just dont seem to get through to them, and they look at me with a blank expression. Its at those moments I burst into song and just pray that they find my voice so tone death and awful its amusing. Usually works!
My first day at school probably rates as one of the most nerve racking days of my life. I was seriously out of my comfort zone! After a good nights sleep with my thoughts, mosquito net firmly tucked in, brown splat on wall to ward off any unsuspecting 8 legged creatures that want shelter from the torrential rain that we frequently having in the evenings. I woke up to the sounds of the ladies in the village filling their urns and buckets with water for the day, it was 4.45am and they were laughing, singing and gossiping as if it was 10.00am.
First light along with the Philharmonics of the hills, cockerels crowing, babies waking and crying for their mothers, a dull grinding sound that later I found out is the corn or millet being milled by hand.
Kaman arrives with my tea, and a bowl of hot water to wash. We have breakfast in our newly created open air kitchen on the first floor of the welfare building in the centre of the village, which increasingly reminds me of our wonderful days in the New Forest. Vim one of my neighbours, hes 19 arrives with another friend Binot to watch and wait and chat to Kaman. His mother is away visiting family so he has already done the oxen, goats,and chickens which is normally womens work! Breakfast done we arrange to meet at 9.30 to walk to the school which is only 20 mins walk.
Back in my room talking frantically to myself, reassuring its all going to be fine and I will cope with this task that I have set up for myself. Vim appears to tell me he is going to wash and change and accompany me to the school along with his friend who also wants to come and watch. Oh my gosh am I feeling nervous! 9.30 they all appear including Kaman who has also dressed for the occasion. I put a skirt on.
We walk through the village along a narrow path, everyone is so friendly, there is a Nameste and a smile around every corner. Kaman insists on carrying my rucksack with posters, pencils, paper, etc etc. On arrival at the school all the children look reasonably clean, its the first day of the school year so this will change they eat sleep, play and go to school in the same clothes. Vim directs us to the headmasters office. Seriously bad associations for me! My heart starts to race. "Debbie Bennett come to my office immediately" I manage to calm myself before the sweating and palpitations set in.
Headmaster sat at desk writing register bearly looks up at me....."Oh lord he doesnt want me here, after all Im not qualified, and who do I think I am anyway?"
The English teacher comes in and saves the day his name is Bhuwani and he is a gentle soul, smiling and hospitable. I quickly tell him Im not qualified but if they felt it would be beneficial for the children I would love to help in some way with the English. He had a chat with the headmaster head down writing! and they agreed that I would be welcome to help. The headmaster by the way did not speak any English and I think his attitude was to cover embarrassment. He was probably feeling much like I was.
Bhuwani took me into the Nursery class, 3 to 4 year olds first day at school ever.... by this stage Vim, Binot,Kaman, and 2 other lady teachers are standing at the door craning their necks to get a look and several others all leaning through the windows to get a look at this english woman and see how shes going to perform..................... I quietly said my prayers!!!
Bhuwani had a little talk with the children and one of the teachers and then basically said OK over to you..... I took a deep breath, said Nameste children, my name is Deborah whats your name? one by one. You could hear a pin drop no one said a word. At this point one of the little girls (Barosha) completely broke down in tears, howling at the top of her voice, and sobbing her heart out,this started another 2(sisters) off and it was bedlam!!I wanted to pick them up but thought better of it.......probably make them worse. Poor little mights. Bhuwani, by this stage feeling embarassed for me steps in and suggests that maybe we should go to Class 1. A little older and more confident. I started with the Alphabet which they seemed to know like robots, and just rattled it off, but none of them knew the sounds. The nepalese in general do have pronunciation problems, even the teachers are difficult for me to understand at times, they just dont use the sounds correctly. We started at square 1 and went through the first few sounds, at first they were quite nervous about coming out and copying what I had done on the black board, but after the first few brave ones they were climbing over their desks! We sang Twinkle Twinkle little star, and did the actions...............Relief!! My first lesson ever.....the afternoon was going to be spent on admissions so a very short day today.
Kaman cooked a delicious lunch and we talked about his country and the numerous problems it faces. On returning to my room I sit on the covered step to write my diary. Vim is busy sawing up odd bits of wood he tells me he is making a cupboard for his mother......there is something incredibly relaxing about the sound of wood being sawed by hand. ....later I look up and see the little girl who had cried in the nursery standing at my door with her father who is a teacher at the school. He had brought her to let her see I wasnt quite such a monster. We exchanged pleasantries and she sat on my lap. So everyone was happy PHEW thats a relief.............I think I will enjoy the nursery because of the freedom I will have with them.Its raining very hard and we are above the clouds. Must make a plan for tomorrows lessons!! supper, veg curry, daal, and rice. Its thundering, a storm is brewing and Vims cupboard is well on the way..... ...A good day.....1 step at a time!
The next day starts at 5.30am and I am up and planning what Im going to do today. Walk to school to be met by Bhuwani. He very respectfully tells me he has organised a desk and chair for me in the staff room, I am quietly chuckling to myself "if only the nuns at st bernards could see me now!" He also explained that the staff would like to meet me formally and give a talk about my reasons for coming here and about myself. Panic sets in again! Im really not good at all the formality, but I ll have to get used to it because the Nepalese love it, they are an extremely proper race, with manners that you rarely see in the west. I survive the talk!! and they all get up and give theirs.
I SAT AT MY DESK!! (can you believe it the very naughtiest bad pupil that ever went through school!!!)
Bhuwani, I think is getting a little too over enthusiast about my being here. He produced a time table of 4 different classes on the trot, ranging from Nursery up to class 3.............quite a tall order for me I thought.......also gave me text books and told me that this is the curriculum. Most do not have a good understanding of english so not sure how Im going to work through the books with them if they dont understand whats in front of them.
Needless to say the lesson plans went out of the window at first. Bit of a dilemma really they will not understand the books, but if I dont try they will definately fail exams in oct. If I stick to what I was going to do with them they will learn something.
The nursery class turned into chaos again with the 2 sisters howling. There were a few who were brave enough to come and sit with me to look at pictures. Kaman saved the day being rushing to the local shop to buy sweets. Worked a treat!!!! youd be shot in england!!!!
Struggled through the next 3 classes with the help of Kaman translating, then back to the staff room for a recap. I did say to Bhuwani that I felt the books were too difficult for them, but sadly just said "we have to get through the books" whether they understand or not. I was exhausted.....
On the way home Kaman and I stopped at the village shop to buy some flour, we are going to have momo tonight............ Bhartak was very jolly and gave us a cabbage from the garden.
Kaman cooked the mo mo and I sat and wrote some of my diary. He is such an easy person to be with. Sometimes we talk and sometimes it is silent, whatever its never a problem. I must stop him from calling me Madam or Mam all the time,I keep saying the names Deborah. In fact everyone wants to call me Madam.
The stream of visitors came and went and I decided to call it a night. On the way back kaman who was carrying my washing water, and I noticed the glow of a fire coming from one of the huts, so we called Nameste and went in. It was a tin shack by the side of Licmayas house (the nursery teacher)I later found out that the kitchen is always separate from the house because they burn wood. Her Mother was sat on a very low stool cooking buffalo stew on the mud/dung cooker with a fire burning under.We sat and talked, kaman translating. Licmaya appeared having put her baby to bed. Her husband is in the Nepalese army and is away most of the time. Santos her brother arrived and he works the land as licmaya works and grandma is old, she looks after licmayas little boy Safal. Kaloti the grandma was very keen for me to show a picture of Santos to my 2 girls to see if they re interested, Kaloti feels Santos is 25 now and needs to be married! not sure how the girls would take to that............
Alot of the women are alone in Nepal, because the men have to work away, a job is a real luxury here. Or they are in the Indian, Nepalese, or British forces. Another reason is that men can take a second wife who they will live with. Im sure the first wife is not overjoyed but as long as he sends some money for the orginal family its seems to be accepted. Kaloti is 70 (she looks 90) she has 5 children, and she will be looked after by her sons. Very important for families to have sons who take on the responsibility of the parents in old age.
What a lovely finish to our day. The simple pleasure of sitting there with the fire smouldering, the stew bubbling, the weathered faces of Kaloti and Lutchens who appeared later not to miss a trick, the laughter lines Her ears stretched beyond belief from numerous pairs of earrings worn for decades. The companionship,and warmth shown to me tonight and on a daily basis from people whose lives are so simple and yet so full of richness is a real joy to me, and the memory will be with me forever.
I go to bed tonight with a warm glow within me.
AFTER IVE BATTLED WITH 2 COCKROACHES!!!
a
No comments:
Post a Comment