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 :-)

An update from Emma, Kelsy, and Aspen

Emma: I have had a great first week at MotherCare. I am placed with 4 year olds who love to read books. They enjoy listening to me read and learning new English words like squash. On Friday, I had the opportunity to learn traditional Nepali dance with the children. The students are learning dances for a festival in October. During outside time, I have lots of fun playing “police” and racing. I also have been helping the children write their letters. We have worked on writing M and B. 

 Here I am building a town with blocks that I brought from America. The children really enjoyed making tall buildings and then knocking them over with cars.

Kelsy: This past week has been an adventure in a toddler classroom at MotherCare International Preschool. I have ten children in my class between the ages of 18 months and 3 years old. The school year just began at the beginning of May, and since this is the children’s first experience away from home, our focus has been on learning the routine and keeping the children comfortable. We spend much of our day outside in the sandbox and on the swings, and on Fridays we swim in an above-ground pool that’s also temporarily set up on our playground. I have truly enjoyed building relationships with my toddlers, despite the language barrier. We love to have pretend tea time.

Here we are playing on the swings on the playground.

Aspen: During my first week at MotherCare I have been able to create relationships with the children in my class as well as my mentor teacher. I am completing my internship in a toddler classroom (18months – 3 years). Currently there are one five children in my class so I have been able to learn names quickly. My mentor teacher speaks to the children in both Nepali and English. She is very good about making sure I know what the children are saying and how to respond.  Every morning I am greeted by my wonderful mentor teacher. On the first day I sat with the children and as soon as I showed interest in engaging in their play they took me in. One little girl always comes up to me and asks if I want to make cake with her (cake-a plastic cup filled with sand). Each day my connection with the students grows. I introduced a marble run to the children, using marbles and pool noodles, the children were intrigued by the motion and stayed engaged for quit some time. I am anxious to see what I learn this week and to watch the group grow in our knowledge and experience.

As I pointed to the shape the children would tell me the color and the shape name. The children really love to ask me “What is this?”

An update from Katrina and Kirsti

Hello everyone!!

This is Katrina and Kirsti and we just wanted to share with you all how incredibly wonderful our first week has been!

Katrina – I have the amazing opportunity to be working in the “Jupiter Classroom” also known as the children aged 5 and 6 years old. Words cannot explain how shocked I am to see these children and their capabilities day in and day out. They are hardworking and know exactly what is expected of them daily. Every morning they read and write in Nepali and English. This week the teachers introduced a new sound, “Magic E” to their vocabulary. They also have been learning about insects and respecting the environment they live in. I am excited to say that next week I will get to introduce an art activity and lesson to the children related to insects. The children will get to create their own insects with certain materials! I have enjoyed some great Nepali Tea with snack every day and delicious lunches, read lots and lots of books, played tag and hide and seek as well as been taken to jail by the “police” on the playground and learned how to say the days of the week in Nepali. I cannot wait to see what week two in my classroom will bring!

Every day after snack, the children ask me to read stories in English to them. Today I read The Cat In The Hat and they loved it!

Kirsti- I have the privilege of working in a classroom with 3 year olds. They mostly speak Nepali, using English here and there, mainly when talking about animals, they love farm and sea animals. They show great ability in understanding English, as that is what their teacher uses most of the time. Our day has a set routine, and I am pleasantly surprised at how well they follow it. We spend a lot of the time playing inside, as well as outside. They have been learning a new letter of the English alphabet each week, and this week was letter F. I was able to help them color and make crafts for animals that start with the letter F. I have finally learned all of their names and I am making strong connections with each of the kids as each day goes on.

We have free play after snack every day which often consists of playing with sea and farm animals. The kids love to tell me the noises that these animals make. Here I was being eaten by a shark! 

News from Orchid Garden

“Every drop of water fills our pond” – Bina Basnet

Gabe, Sage, and Myles have been placed at Orchid Garden Nepal. Gabe is in the 3-year-old classroom, Sage is working with the 4-year-olds, and Myles is working on a graduate research pilot study as part of his anthropology program. All three students have been wonderfully embraced by the children and teachers, particularly Sunita, Kalpana, and Shrmila. After an in-depth conversation with director Bina Basnet, they came to realize that Orchid Garden is more than just a school. It is a home, family, safe haven, support system, parental outreach network, and gives underrepresented children of Kathmandu an opportunity to excel.

Gabe has been put in a position to not only teach children, but also help mentor a new teacher in building classroom strategies and management. It has been an unexpected challenge that is helping her to grow as an educator. Aside from making daily routines, Gabe has helped add a variety of fun body movements to familiar instructional techniques (i.e. wiggly toes!).

Sage has been placed with an experienced teacher who was open to new ways of teaching with limited resources. One of these new methods was a beading activity where the kids were not only able to make and keep bracelets, but also develop fine motor skills, pattern concepts, and new vocabulary. It was a meaningful experience for the kids because they had the chance to create and keep something of their own, and the overwhelming response from the children was incredibly moving to Sage.

Myles is looking at cultural transmission of practices between children and teachers. He is a source of joy on the playground, and the kids love using him as impromptu monkey bars.

Orchid Garden has stolen the hearts of Gabe, Sage, and Myles. They cannot wait to go to the school every single day! 

Sage helping the children in her class string and sort their beads. 

Making Legos!

Popular board game "Ludo"

News from SERC - The Special Education and Rehabilitation Center

A wonderful new addition to our internship group this year is the inclusion of students completing their Early Childhood Special Education endorsement through UW.  Abby and Ashley have both already earned a B.A., and are currently working as Early Childhood Special Educators under a provisional certificate while they have worked toward their endorsement.  This internship will complete their certification. They are a great example of the College of Education's outreach connecting professional's in the field to continuing education and graduate degrees! They are joined at SERC by Colleen Weber, an occupational therapist who is volunteering her time during this trip to consult with and train the staff at SERC. Collectively they bring vast experience and knowledge to their work here.  Here are some of their thoughts from their time thus far.

-Nikki

Colleen, Abby, and Ashley are at SERC which provides therapeutic, educational, and vocational training for students with specials needs

We have been greeted every day with warm, friendly smiles from students and staff.  The school has asked us to teach them how to use sensory integration techniques combined with behavior strategies to develop a positive learning environment for the children and staff.

This week we have observed children in the classroom, therapies, and the overall school environment. We enjoyed being served delicious tea and biscuits by students in the vocational program. Today, we initiated exploring our strategies directly with students with engagement of the teachers. It was so fun working closely with the students and using our tools within their play and learning opportunities!

We are looking forward to our first teacher training on Friday to dialogue with teachers, therapists, and other supports to collaborate toward an overall school plan.

Our challenges so far have been communication and cultural barriers. We have been fortunate to have members of the SERC team to assist us with translation of our ideas. The staff finds our attempts in speaking the Nepali language humorous, but continue to encourage us in our efforts.

After a bumpy bus ride home, hearing about the other students’ daily experiences, we enjoy a variety of Nepali cuisine with one another and exploring the city and shops of Thamel. It is such a beautiful city and we love being able to being immersed within it!

 Colleen, Ashley, and Abby enjoy Nepali lunch of green beans, potatoes, rice, and dal bhat. 

Colleen engaging Kritika with theraputty and explaining to staff how and why it is used with students. 

Colleen has special moment with Angel using beads in theraputty after slowly introducing deep pressure to his hands, shoulders, and head.

Abby assists “Jack” in threading a needle after enjoying “The most amazing tea ever!”

News from Sanskriti International School

Jasmine, Hayley, and Justine have just completed our second day at Sanskriti International School! Jasmine and Hayley are teaching in first grade classes while Justine is teaching in a preschool class at Sanskriti. Today, Jasmine was able to bring Legos to her 1^st grade class which were a big hit! It was awesome to see how engaged the students were with them! We have also been learning about health, how to take care of pets, and today, we practiced drying off dishes. In the afternoon, Justine and her class practiced making three-letter words in English. The children also enjoyed naming things that started with various letters, which led us into reading the A,B,C book by Dr. Seuss! They really enjoyed reading the book and laughed at the silly rhymes. An average Tuesday incudes swimming time at the local Recreation Center. Hayley and her class spent quite some time splashing around and learning to kick while floating in the water! It was very fun swimming and a unique feature of some Nepali schools!

Constructing and building with our Legos. Shoutout to Julian Cabeles and family for donating them. The students loved them and can’t wait to play with them again! J

Jasmine, Hayley, and Justine had the amazing opportunity to visit the Monkey Temple while on our way back from Sanskriti! This was truly remarkable seeing the architecture and the intricacy of the painting on the Temple’s Buddhas! 

Leaving LA!

This morning at 1:30am we finally got our whole group together.  The Laramie crew had complications right from the start, but our travel agent Deb Olson took good care of us and found a way to get us to L.A. in time for our flight today.  Just getting us all to the airport in a single shuttle this morning took some doing.  With everyone's additional bags of donations we are quite the parade!  But we are here at our gate and leaving in an hour.

Love to our friends and families!

Shuttle to the airport - Katrina brought a selfie-stick!

UW on parade!

A Post from Jasmine

Finally off to Nepal and look at all the supplies I'll be able to bring with me- not even including the Legos! I wanted to give a huge shout out and THANK YOU to everyone- Abbie, Allyson, Eric, Sara, Kara, Auntie Nancy and Uncle 

Bong, Auntie Ross and Uncle Rene, and Doug- who donated either money or supplies. I can't tell you enough how much it means to me Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers! Thank you again!

A post from Gabe

I would like to say thank you to everyone who donated supplies to me to help me with my internship at Orchid Garden Nepal.  Thank you to Brenda, Heidi Noorlun, and the troopers at CSP: Steve Hodge, Shaun Dominguez, Dan, and any I may have missed. I was overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. I would like to say a huge thank you to my dad (James Maas), my step-mom (Mom #2, Lorre Maas), my mom (Geena Maas), and my sister (Jamie Reid). Without your support and help this trip would not have been possible. Thank you!!

A Post from Ashley and Colleen

We are overwhelmed by the love and support our coworkers at the Laramie Developmental Preschool Intervention Office has provided us! These people keep us going and provided the children in Nepal with some incredible materials! They worked together to cover all areas of development and will ensure their fun for at least the three weeks we will work with them! This team has been there for us since the moment we announced going on this adventure! They are a big part of our support system that we cannot thank enough for what they have given us in preparation of this trip! You guys are AMAZING!!

A Post from Justine

I am seriously overwhelmed and filled with gratitude with how much help I have received for my trip to Nepal! I just wanted to thank Brianna Wright, Kelly Storey, Kendra Storey, Deborah Phillips, Jayden Clark, Judy Fred Williams,Jan Cordsen, Christina Williamson, and the staff at Freedom elementary for donating supplies! I would also like to thank my parents for helping make this trip possible Janelle Leonard, Bryan Leonard, Aaron Johnson, and Jessica Raap Johnson! As well as everyone else who helped me out with my trip; Dee Dee Raap, Jim Lynch, Tiffany Johnson, Michelle Johnson Foy, Brent Groesbeck, Micaela Gissendanner, Ilse de Koeyer-Laros, Barb Arnold, Bill Arnold, Kelsey and Dave Halpern, and Christina! I'm sorry if I forgot someone, there's so many wonderful people helping me! This truly wouldn't be possible without all of your support and I can't thank you enough! See you in a few weeks!

-Justine

Our Partner Schools

Our students will be completing their internships in four different schools in Kathmandu. Each school is unique, serves a different population of students, and fills a different niche in the city.

Gabe and Sage will be working at Orchid Garden Nepal. You can find more information by liking them on Facebook or checking out their web page at this address.
https://orchidgardennepal.wordpress.com/

Kelsy, Aspen, Kirsti, Emma, and Katrina will all be working at Mothercare International Preschool.
http://www.mothercare.edu.np/index.php

Hayley, Justine, and Jasmine will be placed at Sanskriti International School.
http://www.sanskritiinternationalschool.edu.np/

Abbey, Ashley, and Colleen will be working at the Special Education and Rehabilitation Center (SERC) The school does not have a webpage, but you can find them on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/SERCschool/?fref=ts

We will share photos and experiences from each of these amazing schools beginning next week!

We leave in 4 days! Our last group meeting before the trip will take place tomorrow! So many generous people are helping us prepare for Nepal! Thanks to the staff at Prairie Wind Elementary School for the donations!

Only 17 days until we leave for Nepal! Everyone is in the midst of serious preparation and excitement for this trip! Students are busy collecting teaching supplies for use in classrooms and thanks to some amazing kids at Star Valley Middle School we will be bringing donations of food and supplies for two of our partner schools - Orchid Garden Nepal, and the Special Education and Rehabilitation Center (SERC). Thank you Taylor Horsley, an amazing 8th grader in Afton, WY for organizing the fundraising event. Our students are also collecting donations from friends and family members from around the country as we prepare to leave. Many thanks to all of you who are making this possible! We have two group meetings left with lots to accomplish. We meet tonight at 6:15, and again Tuesday May 17th. In our final meeting before we depart we will be privileged to hear from Nepali students here at UW, who will share travel tips and offer insights into Nepali culture. We will also get to know each other better as we look at different personality/temperament styles and how this may influence our experiences together as we travel. Thanks to Marce Nesslinger for taking us through this fun experience. Once we are on our way, check back here daily for pics and posts from our students! -Nikki

Thanks again to Star Valley Middle School!