A Jumble of Culture and Language

First off, let me begin by apologizing for my grammar, which I suspect has been going downhill lately. Today alone I’ve either been thinking in, or learning, four different languages – English, American Sign Language, spoken Nepali, and Nepali Sign Language. For the linguists among you, it is more like 3 languages and one mode of communication (Nepali Sign Language (NSL) does not have its own grammar), but regardless, it FEELS like four languages! Secondly, a warning – this is a long post!

Today has been a crazy day, beginning at 5:00am. My dai (big brother) in my host family, got tired of me disappearing on “walks” all the time and invited me on a walk this morning with he and his friends. We left at 5:15, met up with two of his friends and proceeded to both wear me out and solve one of the mysteries of Nepal. I’ve been trying to figure out how Nepali people eat so much and stay so thin (other than the fact that the food is healthier), when you NEVER see anyone working out. Mystery solved- I simply wasn’t waking up early enough. Many of the men go on walks or jogs in the morning, while dai informs me that the women often do yoga. Our walk was GORGEOUS and took us outside of Banepa and into the fields and rice terraces surrounding the city. We did a large loop, ending up at Kathmandu University, where I was taught some authentic yoga and meditation poses and participated in the plyometrics the guys I was with did. I was worn out by the end! If I keep this up, I’ll be back in shape in no time I’m sure. I would post pictures of where we walked, but I didn’t have my camera, and besides, no pictures would ever do it justice. To see what I saw, and feel how spiritual walking and doing yoga outside in Nepal as the sun comes up is, you’re just going to have to come visit!

A remarkable 5 hours after I woke up (5 am is definitely not my normal wake up time), I walked to the Kavre Deaf School (Banepa) which is just a short walk from the house. If I thought that I got thrown in headfirst at the Delaware School for the Deaf, I plunged in headfirst today! Instead of simply having to be a student in a school with a different language, I arrived at 10 and was TEACHING by 10:30! Despite trying to explain to the principal that I was there to observe the teaching methods and coach volleyball (if she still needed a volleyball coach), she asked me to teach (well, took me to the classroom, said “you’re teaching” and left). My first experience teaching in Nepal was actually quite painless after I got over the initial shock, and I believe I learned at least as much as the students – probably more!

Since I obviously had no idea what to do, we followed the English workbooks that the principal had gestured towards, and eventually hit a stride. Today’s lesson was full of various English verbs, writing cursive, story comprehension questions, and the ever-difficult concepts of “these, this, that & those”. Sprinkled throughout the lesson were also American Sign Language signs, as the students were eager to learn those as well. We made our way through the lesson with me leading the students in a choral reading of the different sections (ironically, leading only after they informed me of the Nepali sign for a number of the words)! The most successful part of the lesson was the “this, that, these, those” concepts, as I had finally begun to get in my stride as a teacher. I think I surprised the students though, because when I teach as I’m inclined to, I’m animated, using props, and asking for volunteers! If their reactions are any indication, this is more of an American style of teaching than a Nepali style. I first drew the concepts in pictures on the board and had them label them after I’d explained everything. Once I saw a slight inkling of understanding, but not total understanding, I went for the kill with scraps of fabric used for cleaning the chalk board. I put the scraps in four piles, a close pile with one scrap, a close pile with a bunch of scraps, a far pile with one scrap, and a far pile with a bunch of scraps; this, these, that, & those, respectively. I had the students practice by telling me (fingerspelling) which pile I was standing near, and then we did it again with them writing the answer on the board. I realized how much I miss teaching as I watched the proverbial “light bulb” go off for each student. We repeated the exercise later, and they still knew them all at first try!

I just realized that the above lesson description may be completely boring to anyone but me, so if it is, please let me know so I can refrain from monotonous descriptions of instruction in the future! The rest of the day went by fairly well, but I have a long way to go before my NSL is sufficient to gather the deep qualitative research I need to begin. I hope to find an interpreter soon, and will be asking around the next few days to see if there is anyone available. Ideally they’ll know NSL, spoken Nepali, and English but I’m aware that I’m asking a bit much…

The last thing is that I would like to ask your prayers for my host mother (ama). She is dealing with a disease of the gums (I’m not sure exactly what kind) and has had three surgeries already. Her last surgery was 2 weeks ago, but I know she has more coming up in her future. Fortunately she seems to be doing much better, and she seemed more chipper tonight than she’s been the rest of the time I’ve been here. My biggest reason for learning spoken Nepali is now my desire to carry on full conversations with her, as she has such a sweet spirit and I can’t wait to get to know her better! I hate not calling her by her name, but in the Nepali culture, husbands and wives never repeat their spouse’s name and Tikaji was the one to make the introductions. Thus, I haven’t learned it yet!

* Cultural note: Using the terms sister (bahini –younger; didi – older) and brother (bai – younger; dai –older) in Nepal are a sign of friendship – an inoffensive way to say “hey you!” When I use them here, they are simply a way for me to keep everyone straight!