A Christmas to Remember

My Christmas in Nepal turned out better than I could have imagined after the news about the impending strike and so many friends heading in different directions. If the best way to make God laugh is to make plans, I'm sure I succeeded when I'd pretty much decided to stay home and try to survive Christmas with my guitar, only to end up having a fabulous Christmas with friends. Since I have so many pictures to share, I'll try to tell the story through the pictures. It all begins on the night of the 23rd...


A few days before Christmas, I met another Fulbrighter for a "Bethanys" night out. Oddly enough, in a fairly small group of Fulbrighters, we have two Bethanys and we both have ties to Delaware - It's a small world! Anyway, we went to a Thai restaurant for dinner and decided to get dessert after catching up and enjoying our dinner. The menu said that they had "fried bananas". Being our spoiled selves, we figured that meant we'd be eating sauteed fried bananas, friend bananas with chocolate sauce, or something fancy like that. Nope. We got deep friend bananas. Ha :)


Fortunately the threat of a valley wide bandh (strike) on Christmas Eve failed to materialize and I was able to attend Christmas Mass with friends (Marissa, Alex, Alex, Magda & Luke) at the Catholic Church of the Assumption. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, but I was in for a surprise when we came to a HUGE Catholic Church, decorated to the nines and filled to the rafters with people. The service was very nice and done in both English and Nepali. I'm SO glad that I was able to go.


Here's one of the outside shots of the church. I'm sure it's extremely impressive at any given time, but it was amazing with all the lights and decorations for Christmas.


After church I wandered out to the manger scene outside the church and was thrilled to see that apparently Jesus, Mary and Joseph are of the Newari caste! :) The outfit on the baby Jesus is a traditional Newari baby outfit (my youngest host nephew often wears similar outfits), and the shirt Mary is wearing is traditionally a Newari top as well. I always love to see how people fit the story into their own culture, and was not disappointed on Christmas Eve!


After the service, we found a really nice restaurant near the church to have some dinner. Given that many of us had just met each other before the church service or in the last few days, we all got along fabulously and had a great time. Dinner was made even better when a group of children came in and serenaded us with Christmas carols! It was a wonderful night.


The next afternoon, some of us went to a lodge on the edge of the Kathmandu Valley for some R&R. Unfortunately the R&R couldn't start til we got to the place - adventure ruled the journey! Our first leg to the lodge was an hour-long cab ride. Sounds relaxing, but the streets of Kathmandu are anything but, plus we were trying to squeeze 5 adults into a car that comfortably fits 3 (plus driver). The second leg was when the excitement really came though - we caught the last bus to the village, but there was no room except for the roof! Here, Alex, Alex & Magda are trying to stay warm and secure on top of the bus. Definitely the first time I've had a Christmas day quite like that one!


Marissa and I trying to stay warm on the bus. Sorry about the blurriness, it's hard to take pictures when you're trying to stay on top of a moving bus! :)


View from the top of the bus and of the powerlines we would soon be dodging! 45 minutes on top of a packed local bus going up a mountain on dirt roads is a pretty long ride. All in all, it took an hour cab ride, 45 minutes on top of the bus, and an hour walk up the hill in the dark(that felt like a mountain!) to get to the lodge. Fortunately we had a fabulous time and it was all worth it :)


I know it's difficult to see, but this is me dodging one of the many powerlines that kept hitting the top of the bus! My mom was less than thrilled when I told her I'd ridden on top of a local bus and had to duck under powerlines - particularly when she misheard me and thought we were JUMPING over powerlines! My friends all got to know mom's voice that night - they were across the room but could hear her enthusiastic response quite clearly. Fortunately though, she opened her pashmina shortly after, so I earned back some brownie points.


Here's the lodge where we stayed. It consisted of a number of buildings including a kitchen, bathroom, main lodge with beds in a loft, etc. Very cozy place, and the food was as homemade as it comes and absolutely delicious! Most of us bought jams and homemade pickles to bring home since they were so incredible. We had a blast hanging out, talking, getting to know each other and just joking around. Our group was great - 3 of us from America, living in Nepal; one American who teaches Spanish in Singapore; and a Greek lawyer :) Turns out we all get along famously!


Here's a picture the inside of the the building where a couple of us stayed - there were two beds in a loft above the main room as well. You can tell we'd been there for a bit, but you can still get an idea of what everything looked like. I'd be perfectly happy in a house like that someday!


The view from the lodge. Unfortunately, the day we were there was overcast so we couldn't see the snow caps, but it was still a beautiful place. I was finally able to go for a run without worrying about smog-induced asthma or getting hit by cars and motorbikes. It was wonderful!


And finally, a picture of all of us before we left. Great time.

I hope you all had a joyful Christmas full of friends and family! For those of you in the blizzard-y areas, have some fun in the snow for me!

Tonight I Saw the Man in the Moon

Though the academic in me knows it’s fantastical, seeing the same man in the moon (in Nepal!) that I was taught to see by my parents when I was little was incredibly gratifying. When you’re in a foreign country without your family for Christmas (and admittedly slightly homesick), any little reminder that you’re still connected with home is a blessing. The moment was improved even further when my young host nephew, Saigaon, burst into a cheery rendition of “Jingle Bells” that the previous Fulbrighters had taught him. Merry Christmas from Nepal & Happy Winter Solstice!

So many different things have happened since I last wrote, that I think it may be best to just include bits and pieces of the last few weeks. In no particular order -


Last week I received two packages that made my week! My wonderful family sent a package with long johns (that I’ve been wearing non-stop; it’s COLD in Nepal and there’s no indoor heat!), almond rocha (made by a fabulous family friend! Thanks Barb!), instant hot cocoa with marshmallows, and a few other goodies. The almond rocha is nearly gone, as is the hot chocolate, but the thrill of the package remains! Karen, my awesome friend from Great Falls sent the second package which came with gloves, a spinning daisy pen, candy and other items. The daisy pen’s a little crazy – apparently you’re supposed to wind it for it to spin, but it seems to have a life of its own! Thank you guys SO much for sending Christmas cheer to Nepal!

Saturday, Christmas cheer was evident once again in a Fulbright Christmas party hosted by Kerry, which included the Nepali food staple, daal bhat, loads of chocolate, great decorations, Christmas sweaters and Dirty Santa. It was wonderful spending time with friends, celebrating Christmas and taking a little time to relax. The day didn’t end there though – later that night found many of us pub-crawling our way around Thamel (the touristy area of Kathmandu) with other foreigners, decked out in santa hats, tinsel, and other Christmasy things, decorating each pub that we entered for Christmas. Hats off to the organizers – it was a really fun time!

Another night, Anu (my research assistant and I), attended talks by departing Fulbrighters – one on local sign language in Nepal, and another on NGOs in the Shangri La (Humla) region of Nepal. The talks were both incredibly fascinating. The first presentation gave me significant background for my own research and taught me lots about what’s going on the villages where education hasn’t yet reached. Fortunately I was able to pick Mara’s brain at dinner later, and she has been a valuable resource. I look forward to working with her in the future once I have a firm grip on my own research! The Humla talk was an eye-opening one. Humla is the poorest district in Nepal, despite (or possibly as a result of) many medical and food camps. The presentation laid out some of the problems that can come with the food and medical camps, particularly in regions as poor as Humla (e.g., people being given medicine on empty (starving) stomachs or becoming dependent on food donations), and gave several ideas that could improve the effectiveness of NGOs in the area.

I finally got my Indian visa! I had scheduled a bit of time to spend getting my visa because I’d heard that it can be a bit difficult here, but finally obtained it with relatively few issues. The Indian consult has a separate place where they issue visas due to the number of people needing them, and seem to have a system in place. It takes at least 2 days, but because I had done the first step back in December, I was able to get the visa in one day. I can’t wait to go to Goa, India for the Fulbright conference in March– I’ll be presenting a paper on my work up to that point.

Anu and I have been fruitlessly working our tails off on the schedule. Even though we have to do it, it’s hard to get motivated since our schedule has changed at least 20 times in the last 2 weeks! We had planned to go to a town north of Kathmandu, Barhabise, today, but received a call from a teacher there yesterday telling us that the school had exams and then a short winter holiday. With the exams, winter holidays, national holidays, and programs, we can’t seem to catch a break! Fortunately, another large deaf school in Kathmandu is open tomorrow until Friday, so we’ll be there. We did have a breakthrough with scheduling today though – we met with our mutual Rotary friend in Banepa who was instrumental in helping us plan out our first “elephant trip” beginning the first week of January (“elephant trip” is Anu’s term and extremely appropriate since we hope to take a day off and ride elephants at the Chitwan National Park!). The trip is planned to the Terai (southern Nepal) and will span 18 days and 6 schools. Thanks to connections, we have families to stay with in every town! Whew…. Here’s to hoping that we can keep that itinerary stable at least!

I was thinking about the numerous ways I've traveled since I've been in Nepal today. Lots of walking, tempos (electric rickshaws), local buses, tourist buses, scooters, motorcycle, cars, etc. Pretty impressive list...but the funniest time was with 3 people and a toaster oven crammed on a scooter. Very Nepali! Though we didn't even come close to the most crowded motorbike I've seen - a mom, dad, 2 kids and a dog! Who needs a car when you can cram that many people on a bike?

My Christmas plans are not as exciting as some, but I’m looking forward to attending Christmas Eve Mass at the Assumption Church in Kathmandu with friends, going to a Christmas Lunch at Laurie’s house and hopefully making a short trip to Daman (on the way to Mt. Everest) for a day or two afterwards. I wrote this last night before finding out that there's a valley wide bandh (strike) on Christmas Eve and all of the transportation will likely be shut down in Kathmandu. So, Christmas Eve will be spent at home playing Christmas carols on my guitar most likely! But hopefully the rest of the plans should stay relatively intact... It should be a very Nepali Christmas, but I will miss my family and friends from home.

I hope everyone’s Christmas is full of family, friends, food and happiness!

Lots of Time, So Little to Do!

Wait. Strike that. Reverse that...LOTS to do, SO little time to do it!:)

It's been a busy week or so since my last blog post! Anu and I have been working extremely hard on our research and have learned many things, had a breakthrough in information, and continue to revamp our ever-changing schedule. Last week, we went to several places to gather information, all relatively close to Banepa. This week, I've been in Kathmandu running errands and getting a few things done while Anu attends her cousin's wedding.

First, we went to a nearby town called Dhulikhel, where you have an amazing veiw of the Himalayan mountains (sadly, that was the day I forgot my camera), and where there are several organizations we'd been told that we should speak with. Despite putting in an 8-hour day and having all intentions of being productive, our day ended with very little information. During the day, we went to three government offices that deal with education in the Kavre district, and fortunately found many cooperative people, who unforunately, had very little information for us. Ultimately the day was spent walking from office to office, drinking tea, meeting with a number of people, and riding the bus. One place, the Education Training Center, was most helpful, as they provide professional development courses for teachers, including a brief (12 day) sign language class for teachers of the deaf. I was most impressed by the effort put into making the professional development courses useful for the teachers - schools are scouted to see what the teacher needs are, and then there is follow-up with the teachers after the training to ensure that they have learned from the training and are implenting what they've learned in their classrooms. Help is also provided to those who need it.

The majority of the time last week was spent in Bhaktapur, a beautiful old town that is a world heritage site due to its ancient temples, palaces and sights. We met with the president of the Bhaktapur Deaf Association the first day, and then spent the following three days at the CBR Deaf School and finally went to the CBR (Community Based Rehabiliation) office on Friday. I met the principal (and teacher) from the deaf school in September during the deaf parade in Kathmandu and she had invited me to see her school when I got the chance. It was wonderful to see her again, and she warmly welcomed us into the school. The school is situated inside the campus of a hearing school, but is run separately, and operates as a separate entity with different schedules, rules, and protocols. There are 3 classrooms, and the students range from beginners (early preschool) to class five. Each of the classrooms house 2grades - Beginners & Class 1, Class 2 & 4, and Lower Primary (Kindergarten) & Class 5. The splits are a little different, but the principal explained to me that the largest split (K & 5th) allows her to her instruction time on the 5th graders who have more a more difficult curriculum, while the younger students are able to work by themselves. I have mixed feelings, but it seems to be working well in Bhaktapur. Having some experience teaching multiple grades, I think that there are extrordinary challenges regardless of how the grade splits are done.

While at the CBR school, I was able to observe all three classes, taught by 2 hearing teachers (who are fluent in Nepali Sign Language) and one deaf teacher. All three teachers have been teaching and signing for a long time, and this is evident in their instruction. One observation I did make, however, was how a lack of subject specific (in this case, deaf and/or special education) training can cause problems in the classroom. While one teacher who had the least training was a talented teacher and understood how to teach so his students would understand, he lacked the proverbial "toolbox" learned in training to deal with a student who had some cognitive delays. As a result, the student received very little behavioral modification, and little to no academic instruction. Had the teacher had formal education training, despite the challenges of having a multi-grade classroom with students who are deaf (and the student who is deaf plus), he may have been able to come up with ways to better handle the situation. This observation, as well as discussions with the principal (Yojani-ji), led to the idea of taking my research - when it is more complete - to several universities in Nepal and broaching the idea of beginning university programs for teachers of the deaf and interpreters. As of now, there is only a 6 month training in sign language for new teachers, and no higher education degrees in deaf education or interpretation. Even if the discussions don't bring about immediate changes, informing the universities of the need may start the ball rolling for future implementation.

Also at the Bhaktapur Schools for the Deaf, Anu and I observed a weekly sign language class for students' family members that is held after school on Friday. I was extremely impressed by the number of family members (mainly mothers, but including siblings, a grandmother, and a lone father) and their enthusiasm for learning Nepali Sign. The class was held in a classroom at the school and taught by one of the teachers.

On Friday, we went to the CBR center (an NGO who founded and runs the school), to speak to the director and founder. The Bhaktapur CBR is a very impressive organization that was begun as a program that would help all individuals who are differently-abled in the Bhaktapur district with whatever they need to be successful. This includes education, medical care, technological assistance, job searches, and anything else the individuals may need. The program is run by locals for locals, and while they now work cooperatively with the governement and generally receive funding from other international NGOs, the work is carried out by local employees who are determined to improve conditions for people who are deaf, blind, have physical challenges, or any type of cognitive challenge. They are currently struggling with funding, but continue to work hard to provide for the needs of the people they serve. Also, while there, I found out that a list of deaf classrooms and schools in Nepal does exist! - and apparently there are around 140 of them! While I was a bit shocked by seeing something that I had asked for for the last 3 months and assumed didn't exist, and the sheer number of schools, I am so grateful for the information.

Now Anu and I are faced with the task of reprioritizing and scheduling our next few months. I believe our first priority will be the independently functioning deaf "schools", the second, the local deaf organizations and NGOs around those schools, and then finally we will attempt to visit as many classrooms in as many parts of Nepal as possible. Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it, but I truly believe the research we come up with will be worth the hard work. Right now, our biggest challenge is remembering to schedule some free-time for ourselves on the long trips. Yesterday, going day by day over one of our trips, I realized we had just given ourselves 17 straight days of full time work and travel... I think we'll be doing some adjusting!

More stories about day-to-day life in Nepal coming shortly! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

Research and Namobuddha Pictures

On the way to a village near Banepa (40 minute bus ride, 40 minute walk) where I got to observe a signing class taught by Dinesh Bade Shrestha (who is deaf himself) and one of the programs run by the Kavre Development Association of the Deaf.

Dineshji, as he was teaching the students calendar signs (months, days, years, etc). The signs for the months were particularly interesting now that I'm learning about Nepali culture. The sign for each month represents the festivals or other main event that takes place that month. For example, the Nepali month for January (the Nepali calendar varies slightly from the US calendar) is a sign representing "cold" because it's so cold, October represents the Dashain festival, etc.

The building where the class takes place. A local post-secondary school (Grades 1-12), opened up an empty building for the class. We were visited several times during the class by curious students from the main school and it appears that a few of them have even been learning a little bit of Nepali Sign!

Dineshji teaching to his class. Originally there had been close to 30 students, but that number has dwindled as the class continues as the students are typically adults who work full time in the potato fields and can't take time off for study without losing valuable income. I believe the class was now down to about 11, though there were only 4 students in the class the day I observed (which was in the middle of prime harvesting season).

The higher secondary school in Sunthan, near the town of Panauti (in the same region as Banepa) that Anu and I visited over the last few days. While the school itself is hearing, there is one deaf classroom that serves up to 10 children in Grades 1- 5. The school is residential and commuter, and as of now, all the deaf students attending currently live at the school. After the students finish in 5th grade, they are usually sent to the Kavre Deaf School in Banepa to finish their schooling.


The children in the deaf class (there is one girl, but she was not in attendance this week. Shanti mam, the teacher, is standing in the back. She has only had 10 days of sign language training, but works hard to be the best teacher she can for the students. My research assistant Anu, is kneeling in the front row. She has been indispensible for the field research!


The fields where the children play during break time. This school is fortunate to have such a large area for the children to use for the break - many schools have only a small court yard.


The students' favorite pastime while in between schoolwork - teaching Anu and I signs from the many sign language posters on the wall! Though there are very few instructional tools, thanks to the Ministry of Education and the Nepal Federation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, there are many sign posters on the wall in the classroom. Interestingly, though not surprisingly, the students have a much larger vocabulary of nouns and concrete verbs than even simple abstract words. It was clear that much of their sign education has come from the posters. They certainly know those words well though!


Shanti mam teaching students. Due to her lack of sign experience, the diverse grades and needs of the children, and the lack of assistance in the classroom, much of the instruction was given individually and primarily consisted of the students doing book work. This type of instruction is not uncommon in Nepal, and I found Shanti mam a very passionate teacher who was doing her best in the circumstances at hand.


When it was time to leave the Sunthan school, Shanti mam wanted to give us a few fresh oranges off of the many beautiful orange trees that surrounded the village. She also gave us sugarcane, which both she and Anu patiently taught me how to eat (you peel the skin off with your teeth and then chomp down on the meat of the cane. After extracting the sugar cane juice, you spit out the remaining fibers.)


Anu and I visited a Hindu temple at the top of a large hill in Panauti on our way back from the school on the last day. The temple wasn't much to see (especially after walking up HUNDREDS of stairs...) but the Hindu priest in the next shot probably made it worth the hike.


A South Indian Hindu priest who is living in a room at the top of the hill near the temple and blesses the people who come to see the temple. His hair was CRAZY. In another picture, he was holding it up, and I couldn't tell what I was taking a picture of until I put the camera down - it looked like a number of snakes at first! Those who know my fear of snakes can imagine my trepidation as I looked through the camera! I was very happy it turned out being his hair...


The view from Namobuddha, a large Tibetian Buddhist settlement outside of Banepa. It took about an hour's bus ride and another hour or 2 hike up a Nepali "hill" (the size of a large Applachian Mountain!) to get there. It was a wonderful Saturday spent with my KTM roommate Swetha, Anu (my research assistant), and Anu's boyfriend.


Swetha and I peeking out from inside a small cave situated in the Monastery/Nunnery compound, near a HUGE statue of lord Buddha.


A few of the thousands of Tibetian Buddhist prayer flags that were found all over Namobuddha, attached to trees, buildings, temples, stupas, etc.


The view of Namobuddha and the large Nunnery/Monastery that rests on the hill. Everything about it was spectacular - the view of the snowcapped mountains in the distance, the opulently decorated temples and shrine rooms,the rice terraces all around...


Me in front of the beautiful Himalaya mountains. It was difficult to pinpoint where the sky and clouds ended and the peaks began.

What Can You Do With a Deaf Ed Degree? Well...

The last few days have been great learning experiences for me as I have had the opportunity to both visit my (host) cousin’s school (he’s hard of hearing but goes to a hearing school) and begin research in a deaf classroom housed in a hearing post-secondary (grades 1-12) school.

My host father asked me a few weeks ago for any advice I had regarding his nephew’s hearing loss and the best way to help him succeed in speech and school. I was so excited to help, because not only do I have some expertise in the area (as a deaf educator), my main source of expertise comes from living as a hard of hearing/deaf person and knowing what works for me! We had previously discussed R’s speech with his parents, and I told them some ways that they could help him understand what was going on and potentially improve the quality of his speech. Like many households in Nepal, my host family’s house is always busy, loud and filled with people. Often times the TV is turned on as well. Those of you who know something about deaf people know that this is a recipe for a very lost, frustrated deaf individual. Background noise, multiple conversation, and excess speech not directed to the deaf individual all make it very difficult for the deaf person to know what’s going on, and get anything valuable out of the situation at all. I’ve noticed R. staring into space many times and apparently ignoring everything around him – basically, despite knowing the language spoken, he’s acting like I do in a room full of Nepali speakers (sometimes English speakers as well!). For maximum understanding, I encouraged my host father and my cousin’s parents to speak directly to him, make sure he can see their mouths, speak clearly and audibly, and minimize background noise as much as possible. Regarding R’s speech clarity, I let them know that encouragement is the best thing they can do – ask him to repeat the word until he says it well (for him, not in comparison to others), and as soon as he does, compliment him or otherwise let him know that he’s doing well. Also, speaking clearly to him when they talk will also help his speech as well as his understanding because he will know what words are supposed to sound like. FYI, if you have a deaf or hard of hearing friend/coworker/family member – these tips are pretty generic and may help your communication with that person!

Yesterday, I also went to the private school that R. and his cousins attend and spoke to the principal and teachers about ways that they could help him to gain more understanding in class and better thrive in the academic environment. I was in for a bit of a nasty surprise when I was told that they were doing what they could, but R. must be cognitively challenged. Having met R., and seen no sign of a cognitive deficit, I had to control my horror and ask for examples about how he was struggling. I learned that his struggles in school were right in line with the struggles of MANY deaf children around the world – his low vocabulary was making reading extremely difficult, he couldn’t express himself well through spoken or written language, and he had trouble paying attention. I explained to the principal (and teachers later also) that these were not signs of cognitive delay, but rather problems seen in a child with a hearing loss who has had limited access to language. I REALLY hope I got through. After meeting with the principal, I observed R. in class for an hour, and saw many things that the principal had mentioned, as well as a few other things that may have been obvious to me only because I’d done the same things in school. When the class was finished, I met with R.’s teachers and principal for about 20 minutes to give them some ideas of things I’d seen and things that can sometimes work with children who are hard of hearing (not talking while writing on the black board, keeping expectations high, allowing R. to express himself in whatever way is easiest, etc.). It was an impromptu in-service, but I hope that it helped at least a bit! From what I’ve seen, the teachers were very eager to help R. in any way they can (provided they have the time and resources), and the principal was eager to help as well. I may not be R.’s favorite person anymore though – after noticing him ‘pretending’ to read during silent reading, he got to read again with me last night and answer the comprehension questions again that he’d copied from his peer during class. Once a teacher, always a teacher!

Today, and for the next few days, Anu and I are visiting a ‘deaf school’ in Sunthan, a village near Banepa. Rather than being a full deaf school, it is actually a deaf classroom within a hearing school, but like independent deaf schools, it’s still providing quality education to children who are deaf! One thing to note about research in Nepal – the transportation lasts nearly as long as the research. Today, we took a bus to a nearby town and then walked up a long hill for about 30 minutes to get to the school. I can’t say I mind though, the walk was beautiful! Our time at the school was very fruitful, and we were able to get our survey questions answered by the principal and the teacher of the deaf, and observe for a little while. Well, kind of observe. The reason I typically have at least 3 days built in for each school is because the first day, you try to observe but your presence is such a novelty that both the students and teacher often get distracted and forget to do their lessons. What lessons you do see are often not an accurate portrayal of a normal lesson. After the first day or 2 though, the novelty wears off and the lessons become much more like they are on a regular basis, so the observation is more accurate. Today the students were thrilled to see us, and kept trying to teach us more sign language – as there is only one teacher for the deaf who has them all day, she was perfectly happy to accept a bit of a break! I promised to teach the English portion of the class the next 2 days. I’ll post pictures of the students, school, and village soon.

Rather Random Culture Experience:

I was honored to attend a birthday dinner for my sister-in-law’s brother’s second birthday a few nights ago and was treated to a Newari (one of the many castes in Nepal and the first to settle the valley) feast! Apparently the even birthdays during childhood (2, 4, 6, 8…20) are huge celebrations where special dishes served only for select occasions are served. I’ve never seen so many dishes at one meal in my life! I think over the course of the evening, I saw at least 20 different dishes, maybe more. Despite the number of dishes, you were expected to try everything and even take some seconds. Needless to say, I was pretty stuffed by the end of the night. It was great getting to experience the birthday celebration though, and also to meet my sister-in-law’s family. Between aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws and more, I have to be ‘related’ to at least half of the Banepa community! It’s been a joy experiencing the “it takes a village to raise a child (or at least 30 extended family members…)” culture of Nepal.