The five other ETA’s (English Teaching Assistants) and I have spent the last two weeks at the United States Educational Foundation-Nepal (USEF-Nepal). USEF offers free counseling and information (‘accurate, reliable, and unbiased’ information) about gaining admission to schools in the United States. Our mornings have been full of lessons on Nepali classroom etiquette, what it’s like to teach in the Nepali government system, and how to properly drink tea at all hours of the day. Afternoons have been packed with intensive Nepali language sessions. Some other highlights include visits to classrooms crowded with 60 students and a safety briefing at the US Embassy where we found condoms in the bathroom that were ‘From the American People.’ We have been working hard in our classes but we have focusing most of our energy on getting into sync with Nepali ways and getting usedto living in Nepali homes with Nepali families.
USEF-Nepal, Gyaneshwor, Kathmandu
Nepali culture dictates, like many in other South East Asian countries, that one eats food with only their right hand. The forfeit of my fork and concentration on my right hand is something I am only slowly getting used to. Although my fingernails (and sometimes forearms) are coated with small food particles and grease after my attempts to politely shovel dahl bhaht (rice and lentils) into my mouth it seems that because of the use of the hand, Nepalis are very conscience of the cleanliness of their hands both before and after eating a meal. I am constantly being told to wash my hands. My homestay mom’s belief, instilled by her grandfather, is that food cooked from the heart is the only food that tastes good. As an extension, food eaten with hands is the only food that is truly enjoyed. And the food has been superb!
I am staying with a family of Thakali descent who hail from the mountainous Mustang district, which is about 100km Northwest of Kathmandu near the border with Tibet. The Thakali are known for their cuisine, specifically their many varieties of dahl and the extensive use of beans. My particular family’s relatives operate an apple orchard in the hills and produce apple brandy (I have yet to try it but if the brandy is anywhere near the deliciousness of the apples themselves I am in for a treat). In Kathmandu, my family owns and operates an exceptional Thakali inspired restaurant.
Some of the many varieties of lentil.
My parents (Mana and Nirjhar) met through an arranged marriage 23 years ago and have two sons. The younger of the two children attends the English language boarding school, St. Xavier’s, on the other side of Kathmandu (where both Nirjhar and the eldest son, Arohan, attended) so I have yet to meet him. Arohan, my younger brother, who is 20 years old, is starting his undergraduate studies in hotel management this week. He made the interesting decision of staying in Nepal to study (versus going to India, Europe, or the US) because outside of Nepal he would have had to work alongside his studies. The next few years of his life would be better in Nepal. As a result of his education at St. Xavier’s, Arohan’s English language skills significantly outweigh his Nepali language abilities. So, you have a 20 year old who can only count to 27 in Nepali but speaks nearly flawless English. This trend among the more well off Nepalese (those that can afford private English language-based education) explains why Nepal sent more than 10,000 students to American universities last year (the 9th largest sending country).
Juxtaposed with an English speaking Nepali family is Jay. Jay is the boy who works for the family preparing food and cleaning the home. He was orphaned at a young age and through family connections my homestay mom now feeds, clothes, puts a roof over his head, and sends him to school in exchange for his work. He works very hard around the house but also puts an impressive amount of energy into struggling through his difficult grade 7 English textbook. We worked together last night on his exercises. The two of us sat on the floor of my room under the fluorescent light provided by a back up battery. Every evening between about 6 and 10 there are two or so hours where the government rations the electricity. The length of power cuts varies throughout the year being the most extreme (about 16 hours per day without power) in early spring when reservoirs are low. Days when the power cuts are short, my homestay mom jokes that the technician in charge of the area must have forgotten to shut off the power earlier and is now just trying to get back onto schedule. While sitting on the floor with Joy it didn’t take much imagination to think how amazingly challenging it must be for low income families to cope with life without electricity.
Jay working on science homework during a power cut.
Nepal is heavily reliant on hydropower and as a result of under investment over the past two decades due to the civil war there are severe shortages of electricity supply. Nepalis joke (only half heartedly) under candlelight during electricity cuts that the Indians have taken their electricity. They are only half wrong. Due to tariff discrepancies and demand economics, Nepali hydropower producers can sometimes make more money by exporting power to Northern Indian rather than putting it into the domestic grid.
Despite the less than adequate job the Nepali government has done to reduce poverty and bring reliable services to its people, the Nepalese are a superbly cheerful and fun group of people. My homestay mom had a good rice-spewing laugh today when I complimented her great ability to cook dog (an easy mix up with chicken being kukhurah and dog being kukhur). After two weeks of Nepali class I am bumbling my way through the language (bhahsah) but find motivation in the excited surprise that exudes from people when I try to speak. I’ll keep trying…
