Last week we spent 5 days in a village teaching at a school. A 3 hour bus ride up the Himalayas is a once in a lifetime experience. We often refer to the seats as “Nepali size” as we pile in with our knees to our chests. The scenery was almost as breathtaking as the smell of vomit from the queazy passengers. Every time the lady in front of me opened her window to hawk a loogey, I took full advantage of the fresh air pounding my cheeks.
Once we got to the Dhading district, we went to the home of our contact's sister, where we would be eating our meals for the next 5 days. It was a cozy little mud home tucked between the more modern brick houses. We all ravished in the view of the snow topped mountains and played with the local children while waiting for the weeks events.
Each morning consisted of a 30 minute walk down a steep hill and across a river to the school we served at. On the first morning in the principle’s office our contact looks to us and asks “What are you going to teach the children?” We all looked to each other with shock and terror in our eyes, having expected to school to provide us with curriculum for the classes. That first day was painful. We all made it through, but eagerly counted the seconds until the “bell” (a piece of scrap metal and rebar that were smacked together) rang so we could process and prepare for the next 4 days.
On Valentine’s day my first class was 3rd grade. Before we began working on their mathematics lesson, one student wearing a tattered uniform shyly stood and asked me to explain Valentine’s day traditions in America. I started to describe movie dates, roses, and candy hearts. Then I realized how insane a hundred dollars spent on chocolates and teddy bears must sound to a room full of 10 year olds that barely have enough rice to get through the day. So instead I talked about the Love of Jesus, and we made Valentine’s day cards for them to take home to their “Aama” (mom).
Its crazy to me that a school in a tiny village in Nepal sees 6 Americans and without question invite us into their classrooms to share knowledge with the students. It was a truly humbling experience. At times it was frustrating, and I know that teaching is not my calling in life, but it was certainly something I will never forget.
