Teaching, My History Students and a Deeper look into Nepali Life

I've been teaching the older monks Canadian History now for the past two-three days and it's been a challenge, indeed. Distilling 8000 years of information in a few days (ice age, right up to the era of First European Contact in the 1500s). What's also challenging is knowing whether or NOT I'm pushing the monks too hard, I still get blank stares 1/2 the time, yet I'm certain that this is the only way they'll get better in English, by using it and listening to it in a 'normal' topic, such as history. We'll see though, eh.

These are some of my students:

Sonam; he's been in the Monastery for 10 years, if I understood his English correctly.

This is my 5-6 Class. Dennis taught them the first week; so this is a really good picture of them all. I'm not sure if they like ME THAT much. I'm really testing the limits of their English by throwing Canadian History at them (Dennis specialized on games)!

As promised though, I wanted to blog a little more about the status of Nepal in general. I still haven't found the appropriate words to articulate the striking paradoxes that I witness everyday, such as the happiness within such poverty; the calmness within the chaos of no infrastructure and such stark contrasts between modern life (ie. cell phones, internet cafes) and traditional life (ie. farming and traditional religion); living side by side; on the same street. It's something quite hard to articulate (I guess I just tried to eh?); perhaps some pictures will better illustrate how the locals are and how life is here. These pictures (above and below) are courtesy of Djamilia, she's a little shy about her pictures; but I think she's done a great job!

These next pictures are more of the monks at the monastery (Siddhartha Foundation).

They're sitting outside just waiting.

Lunch time, eating together. They only get Eggs - twice a week. It's a treat. But don't let that fool you. They're quite healthy. Daal and Rice twice a day, it's pretty damn nutritious. It just definitely isn't the same when you're talking about variety and choice.

Below are some more pics of us wandering around the monastery-area.

A bunch of school kids that we bumped into while walking around the monastery. They're all smiling and in uniform and walking beside a rice field (yeah; so were we).

A local farmer.

The two pictures below are of parts of Kathmandu City. Notice the architecture and also the sharp contrasts of hanging clothes and the buildings.

Yeah, it's been an interesting experience indeed and there's hundreds of more pictures; but they still don't capture how life is here and I think I'm still processing and learning myself. Such sharp contrasts; happiness, calmness amidst poverty and chaos. It's definitely NOT what is normally advertised in those "infomercials" playing on our televisions all the time. The people here CAN use financial assistance; governmental assistance, assistance with infrastructure, food, water, education, etc. But they're definitely NOT as helpless or hopeless as they're usually portrayed on TV.

It's an interesting phenomenon. Hard yet simple lives; and in some ways; happier and less lonely than the average Western life (at least on an emotional level).

- Julius