Final thoughts from Myles and Nikki

Myles: Nepal truly is a country of extremes; never have I been so exposed to opposites. These past three weeks we have seen destruction, corruption, famine, poverty, death, disease, filth and misery. Yet at the same time we have been surrounded by resilience, compassion, love, beauty, exuberant life, ingenious design and pure joy. The schools themselves have been rays of sunshine peeking from dark grey clouds. I have been so fortunate to go on this trip with all of these wonderful teachers. Thank you Nepal for everything. 

Nikki: Farewells in Nepal are much more than simply saying good-bye.  The amazing Nepali hospitality is so well represented in how you are treated when it is time to go home.  We have had multiple farewell events at each school, with out tour and travel companies, at the hotel, and with our favorite driver Bikas.  Our Nepali family has grown even larger this trip and we are truly blessed!

Our friends at our home away from home - the International Guest House after farewell treats.

Amazing cake from our friends at Sacred Summits.  We had a perfect farewell evening with Rabi and Sapna and their staff including amazing Nepali food, fresh mangos, and great music.

Bikas made a  special trip to bring gifts and say good-bye.  He's also wearing his new UW T-shirt!

Emma and Kelsy say good-bye

Emma: My time in Nepal has been amazing. I have really enjoyed learning about early childhood practices here and their culture. I loved being able to be part of the Saturn Classroom. On Friday, my class made me a book of their artwork and showered with me with hugs. During a small farewell party with MotherCare, my teacher gifted me a scarf and talked about how they appreciated our time at the school. They were so kind and generous. My favorite part of being at the school was seeing how they brought the culture of their country into my class. I was able to partake in meditating, Nepali writing, and song/dance. It has been such a great experience and I am so glad to have had the opportunity.

Here I am helping children work on their writing. 

Kelsy: I can’t believe that my time here in Nepal is done! It was very hard to say goodbye to my wonderful teachers and children at MotherCare International Preschool. This past week I have enjoyed playing on the playground, singing songs, and playing with a cornstarch and water mixture. I have learned so much about Nepali culture, teaching, and friendship during my time here, and for that I am so grateful. After school on Friday, our teachers hosted a goodbye party for all of us interns. Everyone had such kind words to say about us, and we also received gifts! I am overwhelmed by the amount of kindness I have received here in Nepal. Our friends at Sacred Summits Tour Company also gave us a fantastic send off by hosting us for dinner, magic, and music. Thank you to everyone who helped me get here to Nepal. It has truly been an unforgettable experience.

We spent most of our recesses filling toy teapots with sand and pretending to drink it!

Here we are at circle time singing “Twinkle Twinkle” and “Jelly in the Bowl.”

Here is one of my most rambunctious toddlers refusing to smile for the camera.

He was feeling sleepy this morning.

Farewell from Abbey

Hello everyone, it has been a very busy last week in Nepal!! I cant believe this adventure is almost over!! I'm some ways it seems like we have been here a very long time but then it feels like we have really only arrived. The people of Nepal are so inspiring I am in constant amazement watching them. They can make anything out of ordinary things. I have seen a scaffolding built out of bamboo, chairs made out of old bike tires and sticks, and building being built in a matter of weeks! I thought I would share a little music this is one of our favorite songs on this trip and a lot of fun! We listen to it almost daily on the way to school and on the way home.
Mast Magan https://g.co/kgs/SgWals 

Farewell thoughts from Ashley

Hello all! I am finishing my final week at SERC school tomorrow, and so much has happened in the past two weeks since our last post! The group went sight seeing to different temples and to Baktapur and Dubhar Square last weekend. It was was emotional and beautiful adventure! I have gotten to explore Thamel even more and great things have been happening in the classrooms!

Abby and I started doing circle time with some of the classes to incorporate some of the children's goals in a way that we hope will be more efficient for teachers. They have been so helpful teaching the children our silly songs, teaching us a simple Nepali dance for children, and new Nepali words to incorporate! It has been great watching the children's excitement as we enter the room, and those thirty minutes with each class is something I am so honored to be a part of with them! The time has gone so fast, but with the few groups we have done, the children and teachers really seem to be responding to the routine that has been introduced within the classroom! I am confident the teachers can lead these groups in the way that will work best for them and allow them one more positive time within the children's day to meet their needs!

Aside from the great time in the classrooms each day, I have had more opportunity to talk with the director of the school. These chats have provided me an eye opening understanding of the work she has done for these children. I am so inspired by Kalpana Basnet in what she has already accomplished and her hopes for the children's futures at the school and within the community. Last week we were able to visit the hostel where some of the children at the school live. Seeing how much she offers these children out of the school environment was so touching and a moment that has touched my heart and inspired me to continue working for others in need. She is an amazing woman, and the image of who I hope to be some day.

She has done an enormous amount of research, and our group had the opportunity to help her in her vision. As a team we created math and literacy materials she asked for to be used in the classrooms at SERC, the hostel, and at the satellite school she started in the village of Battar.  It showed me what an amazing group of students I came to Nepal with!! They took time out of their afternoon, in the hot weather, after a busy day with children and helped Abby and I to make simple activities with us. This group has heart and a strong work ethic, and will make fine educators and friends in the future!! Thanks for all your help in adding to these children's education.

It is hard to believe tomorrow is my last day!! It will be an emotional goodbye; the SERC community has been so welcoming and gracious, but I am anxious to see my loved ones back in Wyoming!  I will never forget all that has happened in the past three weeks, and I can't wait to keep on touch with the school to see all the upcoming changes that await and to watch these children continue to grow!! I am blessed that I had the opportunity to visit and work with the SERC community, what an important and positive impact it has developed in my work with young children with disabilities!!

Jasmine shares some final thoughts on her experience in Nepal

Hello all! I’m sure all of us here are feeling the same way- I cannot believe we have approached the final days of this incredible trip! We have grown not only as educators and professionals of this field, but also as individuals. I am grateful to have been able to share this opportunity and make memories with the amazing people on this trip.

As much as I have enjoyed all the sightseeing and exploring of Kathmandu, I have equally loved my time in my Grade 1 classroom at Sanskriti International School. Lately, we have been learning about long and short vowels, map making and finding our way back if we get lost, languages that we speak, and following directions. Currently, the children are working on addition using Legos (thanks again to Julian Cabales J).

           

Together, my teaching partner, Haley, and I have created journals for each of our students (50 in total!). With these journals, the children have the opportunity to practice their writing and drawing skills. On the first day of introducing these journals, my class was able to decorate their covers with their name and what they like. Their journal content focused around the idea of “pets”. They have written about:

1. If they could choose any animal in the world, which one they would choose to have as a pet?
2. How they would take care of their pet?
3. What kind of dream house they would create for their pet?
4. Where they would take their pet if they could go anywhere in the world?

They definitely enjoy writing about their imaginary pets and drawing/coloring them as well. It is great to see how engrossed they can get, and even more interesting to see what they come up with! I even have some students who will ask when we will be the next time we get to write in our journals, which fills me with delight! I have included some photos of us journal writing down below.

It’s the beginning of our end here in Nepal, and it is feeling bittersweet. I want to take the time to extend my gratitude and thanks to my awesome, fun mentors, Prerna and Bandana, and my wonderful 6 and 7 year olds for allowing me into their classrooms to teach and learn with them these past few weeks. 

What a memorable experience it has been!

Class photo

Journal making! Big thanks to Haley for staying up for 2 hours as we made them!

 Swimming class

News from Kirsti

Hello everyone! Here is an update from my past week, and my thoughts about the end of this amazing journey. Last week I was able to visit the other schools that some of our other students are working in and it was an incredible experience. I am very thankful that I got the chance to do this because I was able to really see the similarities and differences in the schools, and it helped me to understand a little bit more about everyone’s experiences. The children at all of the sights are all very incredible, yet all in very different circumstances.

My relationships with the kids in my class at Mother Care have flourished and I could not be happier about that. I am going to miss the kids and the people here in Nepal so much. Every day after lunch all of the kids gather around in a circle and ask me to read them a story that they choose. Many of them ask me during lunch if it is book time yet and then get excited when say yes. This makes me feel very respected and loved. My mentor teacher and I have also been collaborating about activities which has shown me that she is interested in my ideas and opinions.

As my time is closing with only three days left with these amazing kids and mentors, I have been reflecting a lot about my experience. I had no idea what I was getting myself into coming on this trip, but it has turned out to be one of the greatest experiences in my life. This trip has really confirmed to me that I am meant to work with children and I will be leaving with a happy heart.

Here are a few pictures with the amazing kids that I met at Orchid Garden. They thought that my sunglasses were a big hit!

This is a picture of me in my classroom working on coloring a Jellyfish because they are learning the letter J this week.

A Post from Katrina

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to take a moment to share with you all how much fun I have had working in my classroom these past two weeks. It has been such an incredible experience and I am constantly amazed at how much these kids know and the abilities they share! At the beginning of last week, I took all the materials and books I brought in my suitcase to my class. The teachers were so thankful and the children especially loved the books, (Cat in the Hat was a big hit)! The children have been spending a lot of time learning about different insects, their jobs in the world and more.  I was able to incorporate a craft in the middle of the week that involved the children creating their own insects with the materials I had brought! We used feathers, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, cotton balls and some other fun materials that most of them had never seen before, let alone used. It was a huge success! They created butterflies, bees, spiders, centipedes, ants and lots more.

It is finally hitting me that this is my last week working with these incredible children at this wonderful school and I can’t help but think of how much I am going to miss them. It’s amazing how many relationships can be built and learning experiences can happen in such a short couple of weeks. One kid’s mom was dropping her son off in my class today and my mentor teacher introduced me to her. The mother was excited to meet me and told me how much Aarambha (the student) has talked about “the new teacher Katrina” at home. Little things like that warm my heart and make this experience even better! Just today my teacher and I had a conversation about how much I will miss it and that returning in the future is a must. 

Here are a few pictures from the insect craft!

Aspen's thoughts about our day of touring

This weekend we had the opportunity to go off on our own and explore the Kathmandu area. Some of us went to the spa and others traveled to Jhamel for a relaxing dinner. Sunday we had the opportunity to go on a local tour to a variety of temples and stupa’s. The first stop we made was at the Boudananth Stupa. We were given the opportunity to visit a school of art. Many of us were able to purchase some of the amazing art that the students and teachers have completed over the years. We then were given the opportunity to go to the top of the Monastery and view the stupa. After learning about the Buddhist religion we then proceed to Pashupatinath. We were able to walk around the outside of the Hindu temple and witnessed a variety of different Hindu traditions. Our last stop was at Bhaktapur, Nepal. We visited four different squares. From our amazing tour guide we learned that each square includes water, a temple, a rest house, bell, statue of the king, and a palace. As we walked around the Bhaktapur area we witnessed some of the devastating destruction that was caused by the earthquake. Although the earthquake destroyed many temples the people of Bhaktapur and the volunteers have done a great job preserving the ancient architecture. Also, we were able to see a variety of different cultural practices that still exist today that include pottery and farming. Nepal has very rich cultural influences and our tour really helped a lot of us put context to what we have been seeing the last couple of weeks.

The top the of Monastery with the Boudanath Stupa in the background.

 Local wildlife at Pashupatinath

Overlooking the Pashupatinath

Entrance of Bhaktapur

Standing in front of the five tiered temple (India influence)

This is a 500 year old window carving of a peacock on the side of a palace.

Insights from Sage and Gabe at Orchid Garden

Orchid Garden Nepal had a wonderful celebration on Friday as a heartfelt send off to a volunteer who has spent the last five months working with the children and teachers. The children put together a fantastic talent show that highlighted the incredible dedication shown by both students and teachers. The children displayed their talents through many different dances, poems, and singing. The whole show was MC'ed by two puppets run by two very funny boys. It was a brilliant way to end a week full of learning experiences.

Sage and Gabe teaching "The Little Green Frog"

Prayers at morning assembly

Sage:

One of the most incredible things that Orchid Garden has given me is confidence in myself as a teacher. For a long time it has been difficult for me to really see myself in that role, because my academic path has been so different than most of the women on this trip. Initially this feeling was debilitating at Orchid Garden, because the cultural differences and language barrier meant that most of the skills I tend to fall back on were dashed. However, the beautiful unpredictability of Orchid Garden allowed me to summon my courage and take a few risks. Some of them were successful, and some were certainly not. But by embracing what I have to offer and choosing to trust my instincts, I was able to solidify relationships and introduce some new ideas. The overpowering love that is always present at Orchid Garden has shown me the beauty that arises from serious challenges. I could not be more grateful for my time there!

Reading books with Sage-ma'am

Team teaching counting in Nepali and English

Gabe:

One of the most powerful lessons I have learned is sometimes not having a plan, allowing things to happen, and taking the back seat in events is the best thing I can do. I have the wonderful ability to be very flexible and simply go with the flow. The chaos that is unavoidable when working with toddlers does not cause me stress, but rather energizes me. Early on in my visit with Orchid Garden I felt burdened with the task of trying to pass on all of my teacher skills to the very new teacher I was working with in my classroom. Without the benefit of language and the huge disadvantage of lack of knowledge about culture norms and classroom expectations, this task seemed completely unattainable. I tried making plan after plan only to feel as though I was failing in some way. I quickly became very discouraged. As I entered the second week, I was finally able to just let go of this task I had placed on myself and just call upon my skills in flexibility and patience. The moment this happened, beautiful things started to happen in my classroom. Bina, the director, came into the room one day and helped to create a wonderful, fun filled learning environment. She helped to demonstrate to my teacher how to embrace the liveliness of toddlers to create a classroom that meets their needs, but also includes the educational pieces they value so much at Orchid Garden. I learned that sometimes the best thing I can do is to simply step back and see what happens. While I am confident in my skills as a new teacher, it is okay to not try and fix all the things I perceive to be problems. By opening myself up and changing my perspective on what I deemed issues, I was able to witness a profound transformation in a fellow teacher and an amazing shift in classroom environment.

Gabe teaching the concept of 1,2, and 3 in English

Having fun on the playground

Reflections from Hayley

Hello everyone!

I’m Hayley Pedersen! I am teaching in a first grade classroom at Sanskriti International School. Recently the students have been learning about maps and identifying where they live in their social studies curriculum. Today in social studies the students split up into three large groups to draw their own versions of maps about space, the country of Nepal, and the city they live in, Kathmandu. They are learning about their neighborhoods and important landmarks they see as well to and from school!

We also had a session of Nepali dancing which was lively and colorful! The kids clearly enjoy this special part of their curriculum!

At the end of the day, one of my mentor teachers approached me and wanted to talk about a student who hasn’t been as involved with the classwork due to a head injury she received not long ago.  My mentor teacher told me that she talked with the girl’s mother about how she’s noticed the girl wanting to read and write a lot more at home. Before this, the girl hadn’t shown much interest in opening a book or sitting down to write. I have shown particular interest in wanting to work with this student on some of the activities the other students are working on daily. At the end of the conversation with my mentor teacher I was presented with a huge compliment that truly brightened my day! My teacher told me how thankful the child’s mother was for the time I have spent with her daughter. The mother has seen an increase in her child’s want to read and write again at home and she said it has improved greatly! I am amazed by the gratitude that I was left with today from something I thought was so simple!

  A group of students filling the paper full of stars, planets, moons, and the sun to show what they know about outer space!

 A young girl thoroughly enjoying drawing a picture of castles, princesses, and Santa Claus in a journal I made for each of the students previously!

Two girls reading a Nepali book about honey bees.

 Practicing the hand movements of a popular Nepali dance with a dance instructor! It was amazing to see the intricate dances the kid knew!

Students coloring a map they made of Nepal during social studies!

Thoughts from Justine

I am teaching in a preschool room at Sanskriti, with 4 and 5 year olds! After an adventure in Pokhara seeing Davis Falls, the beautiful mountains, a bat cave, and Fewa Lake; I was lucky to come back to an exciting week at school. I have learned a lot about teaching, culture, and life in general while spending time in Nepal. Being immersed in a new place and new classrooms can be a challenge, but every day I learn something new. This week my challenge was learning to let go of expectations and worry, in order to celebrate the small successes. This quote has been my daily reminder, “Allow that the right solution is already chosen and you will be guided to it effortlessly at the right time. Then let go. Follow the steps as they appear. You’ll be shown the way.” By following this, I am able to leave school each day with so much knowledge and appreciation. 

Today I celebrated an exciting day building with Legos and performing music. While playing with Legos we built slides, rockets, birds, houses, towers and machines! Their creative skills were evident during this activity! Later that morning they had music class. The teacher came into the classroom, and they sat in a circle singing songs while the teacher played the guitar. We have been working on singing “Oh Susana!” and “I’ve been Working on the Railroad” so the children were able to perform these songs with the music teacher! Their practice over the last week paid off, and the students performed the songs beautifully.

A child worked very hard building his machine with Legos. 

The students loved working with Legos this morning! They were very focused on their creations.

Two children laughed about the bird they created and the big eyes they made for him. 

The students performed the songs “Oh Susana!” and “I’ve been Working on the Railroad” with the music teacher.

"Mis"adventures in Pokhara

There were a lot of "almosts" on our weekend trip to Pokhara. We "almost" went to the World Peace Pagoda.  We "almost" saw the Himalayas at sunrise.  We "almost" hiked down the mountain to the lake. Part of our group "almost" went zip lining.  We "almost" missed our flight back to Kathmandu.  All of these "almost's" were due to the rain in Pokhara.  The rainy season started early this year, cramping our plans a bit.  The group loved Pokhara despite all of this, and we did manage to successfully do a few things on our tour agenda.  We did visit the International Mountain Museum.  We saw a waterfall and cave in the city.  We boated at the lake and did a lot of shopping.  And, of course, we ate good food.  We even took in a cultural performance during dinner.  Here are a few pics from the weekend.

The zip line crew

The view from the mountain where the zip line almost happened

On our way to the cave

Below: Boating to the temple

Boating selfie with our friendly guide :-)