Joy in Nepal...: 01/19/12

Yesterday, on our last day in Pokhara before returning to Kathmandu, we visited a small International School that was doing very good work. Here is a lesson I have learned from Honduras and Nepal...a school is called an International School if it teaches students in English...the implication is that if you learn in English you can go anywhere in the world - the hidden curriculum is that means US or England... There are many British and Korean missionary organizations that have come here and started schools. This school was run my someone I would call an older British school marm...not that I know what that means, but maybe it gives you a picture. She had on warm English style clothes with Indian garb over. It was obvious that she loved the kids and they loved her. She had worked hard over the years collecting many resources and had a very warm well-equipped small school (around 25 students...with three classes - pre-school, 4-7 yr olds and 8-11 yr olds)- with all sorts of hands-on, active learning happening. We were there at the beginning of the day, and the children were outside exercising their lungs so they were better positioned to learn. It was a cool experience.

Then we went to the Mountain Museum that had pictures of the Himalayan mountain ranges, tribes and their explorers as well as other interesting things about foliage and animals in the mountains. The museum was huge... Then we flew back to Kathmandu.

Today, we had the privilege of being part of a group of people working to start a teacher training college for Napalis - to teach in Napali rural schools (imagining campuses throughout the country). They had organized a conference in an up-scale hotel conference center (even heated) with a very nice lunch that followed. They had prayed for someone like me to come they said...and felt I was heaven-sent. It was quite a privilege to hear their passions and share mine...in many ways they overlapped, and I guess I also gave them new things to consider. They were very gracious.