When Everything Becomes Normal...

I've had a difficult time figuring out what to blog recently as since I've been stuck in Kathmandu working on writing projects. Why? The beginning of March is exam time, and mid March-mid April marks the end of the school year break, with schools resuming around April 20th. I had grand plans to go on a number of lengthy field visits, but when the schools are closed...

This leads to a quandary regarding blogging because everything's become so normal to me in the valley, that I'm not sure what to blog! Usually I look for things that are uniquely Nepal, or that catch my fancy, but when you've been here so long - it begins to feel like home, which means that things are no longer making me run to my computer to write about how there are cows on the streets, or how I'm pretty awesome at bargaining down taxis to a fare price. Or even how I saw a two men on a motorcycle, and the one on the back was holding a full length mirror in which I could see his face all the way down the road (while that was hilarious, I see funny motorbike scenes on a regular basis now, so it doesn't jump out at me like it would have before). But I felt like a blog post was needed, so I began to really think about the last several weeks and decided some things are worth sharing! Below is an amalgamation of things that stick out in my mind.

Swetha and I found a nice rock climbing wall in Kathmandu! We've been having a blast trying to tackle the routes and made friends with the guy who works there. He may even be happy to see us when we show up now! The wall's outdoor, which is difficult when it rains, but it's a great wall, standing at 51 feet, and has several walls made to trip up beginners - one is pretty easy until 15 feet in the middle where there are maybe 3 good holds (don't know who designed it, but they're hard to like when you get stuck there)!

Speaking of making friends, the wide-open friendliness of Nepal never ceases to amaze me. Some examples: There's a wonderful place where my friends and I sometimes go to get massages - they understand though we're foreign we're not making all that much money so we get Nepali prices - and last time we were there, the manager invited Swetha and I to a local restaurant. He wanted to share with us, and introduce (me), to thongba, a warm millet drink that is common amongst Tibetans (see more about it below). Not only that, but it turned out that Rosan (the manager) was from a small village Swetha needs to go for research, so he was a great resource. Another day, we went into a local fabric shop near our apartment and walked out with a discount at the local Pizza Hut (the store owner's daughter works there) and Swetha's promise to bring the owner's son his graduation gift (he's finishing school in Baltimore) when she returns there this summer.

About thongba. It's basically a small barrel filled with fermented millet and a straw. The server then pours hot water in the barrel which mixes with the millet and somehow makes a hot, alcoholic beverage. It's no wonder it's such a popular drink with people from Tibet - from what I hear, it's really cold up there! The small local restaurant where we went was packed to the rafters with people - forget about getting your own table, you grab a chair where you can find it! In the craziness, a guy from Slovenia joined our table, and we all ended up having a great conversation! Some pictures of thongba below:

Work this month (other than presenting in Goa) has pretty much consisted of working on organizing data, editing a proposal for the Syangja school funding, working on developing professional development materials, and verifying schools we won't get the chance to see in person.

April should be a breath of fresh air (literally!) as Swetha and I head to Dolpa - a very rural district bordering Tibet - for a combined research trip on migration patterns (Swetha), and a village with a huge deaf population (me). We still haven't managed to pinpoint the deaf village, but we're working on it! Hopefully when we're in Dolpa someone will have heard of it. Lots of trekking and no technology ahead in the next few weeks! And...almost as soon as I get back, my folks are coming! I am SO excited for my first visitors - especially mom and dad.

More posts coming after the trip to Dolpa - I can promise lots of pictures, it's supposed to be gorgeous!

Holi Cow!

Happy Holi! Want to know how we ended up looking like that? Read on...

Snapshots of yesterday: water balloons flying from all directions, buckets of water being dumped on friends and random passersby, colored powder everywhere, sprinting down cobblestone alleys, eating copious amounts of delicious food, an entire extended family dancing to Hindi & Western music, raksi flowing generously...

Do you have a picture in your mind? Okay. That's Holi!

Prior to the Holi festivities, but after being Tika-ed by Aama

Holi is a spring festival celebrated in Nepal, a few other places, and is often called the Festival of Colors. While there are several stories that explain Holi, it is predominantly Hindu, and generally celebrates the coming of spring during the last full moon of the Hindu month Phalguna (late February/early March). While the holiday is based in legends about Krishna, the common perception of the festival is that it's an opportunity to welcome spring, indulge in merrymaking and color-throwing, and just let loose a bit.

Charlotte and Sudeep rocking the X-box. Sudeep even did it with one arm! (The other was healing from a recent shoulder operation)

Swetha and I had the opportunity to spend Holi with my Banepa host family. We took the bus to Banepa in the morning and fortunately managed to dodge early-merrymakers by walking under umbrellas every time we were in the open. I was thrilled to see them again because it's been way too long, and they welcomed us with open arms and buckets of water! When we arrived, we were decked out in the Holi tika by Aama (mother), which consists of red dye placed on the forehead, cheeks and nose. Tikaji, Aama, Swetha and I then walked to the new house - going the roundabout way so to avoid getting wet before lunch. Charlotte (a past Fulbright English Teaching Assistant who lived with the family last year), Sudip (one of my older host brothers), and his wife Sony were at the new house when we arrived. We watched some TV, ate delicious daal bhat and then played X-box (using a webcam that showed our movements on screen) before it was time to head to one of the Ma ma's (maternal uncles) house for the celebration.

The Color War is ON!

Stage 1 - Attack! (Don't worry, it wasn't nearly as violent as it looks!)

Stage 2 - Laugh over the ridiculousness of it after the dye's gone

Stage 3 - Pose for pictures

Our walk across town was adventurous to say the least, but we came prepared with the few things we brought covered in plastic bags! I was plastered by water about 20 feet outside the door from 3 directions, and then continued to get hit by buckets, balloons and water guns filled with both clear and colored water. I was nearly soaked when we reached the house, but was in for quite a bit more from the cousins! I'm not entirely sure how Sudeep, Sony, Aama and Tikaji managed to stay dry... Once at the Ma ma's house Charlotte and I headed up to the battleground on the roof while Swetha took one look and decided to be more intelligent and head downstairs where it was dry! Less than an hour later we were ALL soaked to the skin. Once downstairs, Holi became "eat, drink, and be merry!" with lots of food, drink, posing, chatting and dancing. Well, with the exception of a color war with Swetha... Later, with music blasting, everyone got in on the dancing - uncles, aunts, cousins, and even hajur aama (grandmother)!

Food, Family, Friends, and Raksi! What more do you need?

Oh right. Dancing!

More dancing...

And posing....well, kind of... :)

And...MORE dancing!

We hated to leave, but when the time came, even that was an adventure! Amardeep, Swetha and I walked back to retrieve our things from the other house, and being glaringly white, even under all the color, I was set upon by numerous kids who decided to pelt me with water balloons. As I'd FINALLY gotten dry, that didn't please me, so I took off sprinting through various cobblestone alleys at a speed that would've impressed my college track coaches! Fortunately, after a few hundred meters, chasing me lost its appeal and I was able to stay warm and dry for at least a little bit of Holi!

Aama and Hajur Aama...They were smart and stayed out of the color wars

Beware folks, I'm bringing Holi home to where ever I end up next year!:)

Parting Shot

A few members of my FABULOUS Banepa Family!

A Beginning Overview of Deaf Education in Nepal

Children and young people with disabilities continue to be one of the most disadvantaged groups in all our societies. In addition to their manifest limitations they are subject to social discrimination, reduced work opportunities and – most damaging of all – impoverished educational experiences
(Hegarty & Alur, 2002)

Deafness in Nepal: Background
80% of deaf and hard of hearing people in the world live in a developing country (Haualand & Allen, 2009).
+16% of people in Nepal have a hearing loss (WHO, 2007)
Deaf education and deaf culture are relatively new in Nepal, gaining momentum only in the past 20 years.



Project Aims
Throw out original goals and then…..
Compile an accurate list of deaf schools and classrooms in Nepal
Develop an overview of deaf education in Nepal
Disseminate list and research to schools, INGOs, and NGOs

As you may remember, my original goal in Nepal was to study literacy instruction in deaf schools as well as the transfer of language (Nepali Sign) and literacy back to the home. When I arrived, however, I realized that what was needed more than anything was basic research that informs what educational opportunities there are for the deaf and connects deaf schools, organizations, and NGOs. Thus, the project began to change...



Research Methods
Field Visits to Schools
Field Visits to Organizations
Surveys
Observations
Environment
Instruction Practices
Phone Verification of Basic Information

Findings – General
Nepal Has:
At least 133 Deaf Classrooms
>At least 17 Deaf Schools
3 Types of Education for the Deaf:
Deaf School
Self-Contained Deaf Classroom
Inclusive Education (Deaf Classroom)

These numbers are based both on the compilation of several lists of deaf schools and classrooms in Nepal as well as word-of-mouth. The numbers have not been verified yet, so should be taken with a grain of salt. There may be more or less! Also, some deaf children attend hearing schools with no deaf education support, though focusing on this would make the project impossible to get a handle on, and is not included above.



Findings - Specific
The most common instruction techniques for teaching the deaf are:
Lecture (some student feedback)
One-on-one explanations
Book work
Approximately 28% of the teachers of the deaf in Nepal are deaf or hard of hearing
While teacher education varies from Class 8 to Master’s degrees, deaf education training generally consists of an NSL class ranging from 10 days to 6 months.

The instructional styles mentioned above are seen in many Nepali classrooms, whether deaf or hearing, as the educational style remains fairly traditional here. One-on-one explanations are especially prevalent in classes in which the teacher has not yet gained fluency in Nepali Sign, and tends to go hand-in-hand with book work.

Strengths & Weaknesses Found in Deaf Education in Nepal
Strengths
The availability of deaf education in Nepal
Dedicated teachers
NGO/INGO support
Development of job training programs
Use of Nepali Sign Language
Weaknesses
Little to no structure or cooperation between schools & organizations
Lack of secondary & higher sec. deaf schools
Under-educated teachers/ no training in deaf education
Lack of self-sustainability
Inability of education to lead to employment

These strengths and weaknesses are both widely observed and mentioned in interviews by teachers, principals and members of deaf school committees. They may change as I visit more schools, but for now, they give a good overall picture based on the schools in which I have spent time.



Upcoming Research Plans
Complete school visits (at least 30 total) and school verification
Work with NGOs and local deaf organizations to propose the development of deaf education and interpreting B.Ed. Programs
Develop basic professional development materials for deaf educators
Disseminate research and lists to as many schools possible through email, hand delivery or postal mail
Create a workable, online database of schools that can be continually updated

As time continues to fly, my goal is to have several individuals and organizations in place who are willing to continue to update and verify the school information. Regardless, I hope to complete as much of the above as physically possible!

Future Needs
At least one quality Deaf Education B.Ed. Program & one Nepali Sign Language Interpreting program (I.A. or B.A) offered in Nepal
National infrastructure for the oversight of Deaf Education in Nepal (i.e. the creation of new schools, curriculum, etc.)
Community/Family-based programs that encourage the self-sustainability of schools and aid in the incorporation of deaf individuals into the community and workplace
The development of classrooms, schools or curriculum that will allow students with multiple disabilities (i.e. deaf “plus”) educational opportunities as well.

References
Haualand, H. & Allen, C. (2009). Deaf people and human rights. World Federation of the Deaf and Swedish National Association of the Deaf. Retrieved from www.wfdeaf.org
Hegarty, S. & Alur, M. (Eds.). (2002). Education and children with special needs: From segregation to inclusion. New Delhi: Sage Publications.
World Health Organization: Regional Office for South East Asia. (2007). Situation review and update on deafness, hearing loss and intervention programmes. Retrieved from http://www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/ Publications_SEA-Deaf-10.pdf

The information not cited was collected through surveys, interviews and observations. It in no way should be taken as the final data, as it is based on a small sample and there is much work to be done. If you want any more information, please let me know!

Apologies and Goa

It’s been FAR too long since my last post, and for that I apologize. I’ll do my best to update more regularly. The end of February saw a perfect storm of illness for me, but fortunately March blew in some better health! Recently the biggest happening in Nepal was a trip to Panaji, Goa, India. The Fulbright scholars and researchers from South and Central Asia met in Goa for a weeklong conference filled with presentations about everyone’s work. It was incredible getting to hear peoples’ experiences living in India, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan. Many of these places I had to look up on maps after talking to people who were coming from them, or who had given talks relating to the countries. Definitely time to brush up on my geography! Nonetheless, it was a wonderful time, full of fascinating presentations, new friends, and relaxation.

Goa is an Indian state on the coast, and the wealthiest state in India. Not surprising given all the tourist appeal found there! Goa is known for two things – its churches and beaches. The vast array of beautiful worship places is unique to Goa, and one finds Hindu temples, Catholic churches and Muslim mosques. While I was only able to go to one Goan beach, I have it on good authority that they’re all gorgeous!

Here are a few things about the trip, in no particular order:

We were so fortunate to get to stay in an amazing (5-Star!) hotel where the conference was held. It was comical to see our group arrive, because though the longer you live in Nepal, the less you realize the poverty of the country, or even the need for things like constant electricity and good mattresses. Upon our arrival, a number of hotel staff people came out with hot towels for our face (it was hot and humid in Goa!), and tiny glasses filled with fresh juice. We all thought we’d died and gone to heaven before we saw the rooms! Needless to say, the rooms shocked us as well…we had actual mattresses, fulltime electricity, a door on our shower, and a bathtub. WOW. There was a definite experience of culture shock during our arrival and reverse culture shock upon our arrival back home. The best part about it though? I still love and appreciate Nepal exactly how it is. There are flaws, but it felt great to be “home”.

The purpose of the conference was to provide us with a forum where we could present our research to other scholars, listen to others’ and get feedback. I learned about all kinds of things including modern art in Kazakhstan, business practices in India, the use of Indian music and dance in therapy for autistic children, the consequences of a stroke on a multilingual person and effective language re-learning techniques, and how disaster aid in Bangladesh can be changed to provide people with “homes” rather than “structures”. It was a wonderful learning experience, and the feedback and support I received regarding my own project was invaluable as well. Fortunately, after panicking about my PowerPoint and presentation for quite a while, when it was time to get up and present, all was calm… :) Also, I figured out how to deal with the questions at the end that I normally am unable to understand - I asked people to write down any questions they had for me in addition to asking them vocally so I would be able to answer accurately. This worked well, and I will definitely use it for times in the future when an interpreter is not an option!


Preparing for my presentation


Presenting!

Though the purpose of the trip was the conference, we did have some time for recreation fortunately. I hadn’t realized just how much I needed a vacation until I came back to Nepal refreshed! The hotel had a beautiful rooftop pool that was a favorite hangout place for many of us, and provided both a social time for Fulbrighters to get to know each other, and time where we could relax and forget about life for a while. Also, two “tours” were arranged by the conference – one into “old Goa” where all the churches were, and the other to the beach. After days of constant lipreading, I decided the church tour had the potential for too much talking and opted for the beach tour. There were only a few of us on the beach tour, but we were able to soak up sun and waves (though the water was FAR saltier than other beaches I’ve been to) for a few hours and fortunately were able to see a few of the churches on the way.


The beautiful rooftop pool

I met many wonderful people on my trip, but one in particular stood out. It turns out in the South and Central Asia group, we have TWO deaf Fulbrighters! Emily is based in Kazakhstan and studying the recent rise of modern art as well as doing some painting of her own that is influenced by the culture and art she’s seen in the country. We had the chance to chat for a while, and discovered that many of our experiences have been similar, particularly in regards to communication difficulty. Though we use different degrees of hearing and speechreading (I depend mostly on speechreading, Emily on hearing aids), we have both had to deal with the frustrations of accents, people not realizing the consequence of our hearing losses, and the difficulty of learning (especially understanding!) another spoken language. I’m in awe of Emily’s work, and can’t imagine doing research without the wonderful support of the deaf community that I’ve been so blessed to have in Nepal.

That’s all for Goa, though I’m going to do my best to put my PowerPoint (at least the information) into blog-acceptable notes format in order for everyone to have a more clear view of what exactly it is I’ve been working so hard on! Once again, my apologies for the delay and I’ll do my best to post more regularly.

*Big thanks to Mikaela for the pictures :)