Call me Sunny

Namaste!

Everyone told me my time in Nepal would fly by but so far it’s been the opposite. I’ve already learned a lot, seen a ton, been stared at so much, been to a Nepali wedding and made memories that will last a lifetime…how can it be that I was 8000 miles away in Virginia less than two weeks ago? I have so many things to share and questions to answer, I really don’t even know where to start but I’ll give it a shot.

So I wake up around 7:30 every morning to the sound of a bell chiming and children screaming on their way to breakfast.  The volunteers eat about 30 minutes after the kids and breakfast is usually dry oatmeal, really buttery hamburger buns, or fruit and peanut butter if you’re lucky. During this time, the kids are busy cleaning and sweeping until they make the 90-second hike over to school around 9am. I usually have some down time after breakfast to lesson plan or read on the roof before going to teach English to one 2^nd and two 3^rd grade classes. I love my 3^rd graders but the 2^nd graders are, well, a nightmare. First of all, there are 30 of them in the class and there should never be 30 8-year olds in the same room at the same time. Ever. The class is only 20 minutes long – seriously do not ask me why – and getting through role call takes up the majority of the class time as it is! They’ve also had about 3 different teachers this year, which has truly hindered their learning and made behavioral standards non-existent. And what especially makes my job as their new English teacher especially hard is the fact that half of them hardly speak English. I discovered this problem when I told them to write 5 sentences using the words teacher, girl, soccer, clock, and goat and numerous students turned in papers that had “I am girl” written 5 times L The only good thing that has come from the students’ inability to speak English is a new nickname for me. The sh- sound doesn’t exist in Nepali (the name Shanti is pronounced Santi) and the suffix –annon is just weird, so I have become Sunny. It’s funny because I used to tell people that was my middle name when I was younger, now I just have to get used to responding to it!

The difference between the 2^nd and 3^rd grade classes is unbelievable! My 3^rd graders are excited about learning, have their ADHD slightly more under control, and their English is 100x better. It’s still difficult to get through the 50 minute class without losing my sanity or dropkicking a sassy child out the door, but I’ve really enjoyed teaching them so far and I’m learning a lot every single day.

In addition to teaching, I am helping rebuild the English curriculum for the entire school. We currently have almost 350 students in nursery through 9^th grade, but are in the process of building a completely new and awesome and sustainable and beautiful and modernized school just up the road. If we want to continue to expand and give these students a comprehensive education we really need to get rid of the kinks and disconnects between grades (ahemmm 2^nd to 3^rd grade), and I’m hoping to help with that. So if anyone knows anything about creating curriculums, I could use a lot of help!

When I’m not at school six (yes 6) days a week, you can find me at home with our 44 kids. They range from age 4 to 16 and I’m very proud to say I knew all their names within a week of arriving here. That may not sound all that noteworthy but I was not learning the names Sam and Matt and Erin, try Birendra, Sanju, Hansharaj, Bishal, Swastika, and 39 more Nepali names, plus all the kids at school and our aunties and uncles around the house! At home with the kids, I play lots of games, walk our two humongous German shepherd pups, lead yoga on the roof at sunset, braid hair, get my hair braided, clean cuts and infections, make sure the kids’ clothes are somewhat clean, run around the neighborhood, and play soccer. There is always so much going on and something to get done, never a dull moment here! The best part of the day comes after dinner when all the kids and volunteers gather for satsung. We sit in a circle and sing so many songs and dance (these kids are unbelievably talented) and congratulate others for doing something good and talk about house announcements or celebrate birthdays. It’s the only time of day where everyone is guaranteed to be all-together, as a family, and it is truly special. 

I hope this give you a little idea of what I’m doing over here! There are so many things to share and funny stories to tell, but as my dad says, “French food”… a little at a time.

Ma timilai maaya garchu,

Sunny 

 all the fellows dressed up for a wedding

 roof view

 kalpana & goma

 sunset never gets old

hello!