Highlights from this week

This week was my 4th week in Kathmandu.  Things, for the most part, are becoming regular.  I have a pretty regular routine, things are becoming familiar at school, and I'm making friends at school and in the community.

I had a great start to this week/end to last week because I got to FaceTime with most of the Froemming family while they were at the Froemming family party.  Every summer, the family gets together with food and (usually lots of) drinks.  This year, the Lorentzens came from Maryland and two of cousins brought their babies who were both born just a few months ago.  We haven't seen them for a while, and they're the first cousins to have babies, so it was a big deal!  I was sad to miss it, but I was glad I got to see a lot of the family.  I got to show them my mountain view and tell them about Nepal.

This week, I have been tired.  I feel like I'm going backwards with my jet lag!  Luckily, I can get coffee at school all day, and the coffee maker knows my order.  Regardless of how tired I am, I have had a great week!  My 9th graders are rocking our theme unit.  We took a big step this year, where theme is no longer a "central idea" like love or friendship, but the author's message about humanity.  For all my English teacher friends reading this, it doesn't matter where you go, you'll always have to say "THEME IS NOT JUST ONE WORD" twenty times a day for the rest of your life.  But, for the most part, they've really picked up the idea and been able to apply it to what we read.  Next week, we're reading "The Scarlet Ibis", and I am SO excited.  I LOVE teaching this story.  Then, THE HOBBIT.  Maybe I should read it......oops?  Yes, I've never read The Hobbit.  

I also had an awesome dinner with Bijay's sister Stupi Didi.  We went to get my eyebrows threaded and get my legs waxed, but then the power went out, so we went to dinner.  It was so fun!  It was great to chat and eat some good Indian/Nepali food.  And I've become obsessed with Lemon Soda.  It's just soda water with lemon juice, but I'm addicted.  I'm thankful to have Stupi didi here.  It's been fun getting to know her, and she's been so helpful and wonderful.  She's so sweet and kind, and their family has been so welcoming.  I love my school friends, but it will be nice to be able to have companionship outside of work.  

Stupi and me at dinner

I've also seen a plethora of Liverpool FC trucks and gear around town.  One thing I love about India and Nepal is that they goods carriers are decorated. They're painted and personalized, and it's so fun to see.  The other day, Kumar Ji (the cab driver who I usually call to drive me around) picked me up in his new taxi and he had two Liverpool pillows in his car.  I also saw my third Liverpool FC truck on the road!

Another LFC Truck

Kumar Ji's Liverpool Pillow

I've gotten to FaceTime with a lot of people this week.  Yesterday, I got to Facetime with Khu Paw, Ku Gay and the triplets!!  I cannot believe how big they've gotten!  They're just babbling away and can hold their heads up.  It's hard to believe that they were only 2 lbs not that long ago, and that they were so fragile and small.  And they get cuter every day...is that even possible?

I also got to FaceTime with Bijay and his ADORABLE nephew yesterday!  Syon is completely cute.  He was pretty shy, but by the time we hung up he was laughing and smiling.  It was good to talk to Bijay and finally meet Syon, who I have heard so much about.

Facetime with Bijay and Syon

I also got to FaceTime with Morgan while she was getting ready yesterday and she told me about the adorable pug, Tartan, that they bought for the store.  I got to talk to my dad on the phone last night, which was good.  I miss them.  It's weird to think that I won't see them for another 10 months, but I'm so excited that Morgan is coming in December!  It will be fun to explore the city with her.  It will be our first big trip together, without our family.

Today, I went to have lunch with Stupi Didi and her/Bijay's parents.  It was fun.  First, I love their house.  I love the colors inside.  The living room is lavender and light lime green and it gives off such a happy vibe.  Aunty and uncle are so sweet and kind.  They asked lots of questions about my job here and my home in Minnesota, and I enjoyed getting to know them.   We also picked out some toys to send to Syon. I can't wait for him to get them!!  Then, we had lunch, which was DELICIOUS.  There was rice, bean soup, cauliflower and potatoes, potato salad, pickle, and chicken.  Then, yogurt for dessert.  Stupi and I went out around town for a bit, and even stopped at the mall.  The mall in Kathmandu reminded me so much of India.  I had to most intense deja vu that I've ever had.  There was some car company in the center playing loud music with some teenagers "break dancing" and the crowd clapping.  The escalators and layout were so similar.  It was a comforting feeling.  It seems silly that a familiar mall that reminds me of India could be comforting, but I've found that I find comfort in the smallest things since arriving in Kathmandu.  And because so many things are different than they are in America, it usually comes when I'm reminded of something in India: the smell of the Dettol hand soap, the mall in Kathmandu, when my didi came into the house on Sunday with a bag of milk, the "indian head nod", the dogs barking and cows mooing at night, "Horn OK" on the back of goods carriers, Hindi songs playing in restaurants, or the smell of the Garnier neem face soap that reminds me of a cologne in India. After leaving the mall, we had coffee and came home.

It was a good, but long week.  I still don't have consistent internet at home. Supposedly someone is coming to fix it....but I'm extremely skeptical.  I've been here for 4 weeks and I still don't have consistent internet at home.  I'm thankful for the IT department at school who have been calling on my behalf.

For the rest of the weekend, I want to relax and catch up on some school work.  So, for now, I'm going to watch a Bollywood movie and take a nap.

-Chelsea

A Happy Day in Kathmandu!

Friends-

I know many of you may or may not have had details on why this is a big deal.

I'm happy to report that I came home to this today:

For those of you that don't know the story about why this matters, here's the long story short:

I didn't have internet until last Monday, and it almost never worked.  If it did, I was having speeds ranging from .5-8 mbps, while paying for the speed of 25.  I had multiple unsuccessful conversations with the company, and nothing was getting done.  I honestly just wanted to be able to work at home!

BUT AS OF TODAY, I HAVE INTERNET WITH SPEED!  Please say a prayer to what/whichever god(s) and or goddess(es) you worship that this lasts! I'm off to go say a prayer to Lord Ganesha!.....and then stream something just because I can!

Cheers,
Chelsea

The Reasons I Love my School

Some of you have seen my gushy posts on Facebook about how much I am loving my new school.  But I felt it was time for me to elaborate and really explain all of it.  Or at least try to.  I think especially my teacher friends will understand and appreciate (and possibly hate me for) some of the things that I'm grateful for here.

First, there's the mission statement.  Our mission statement.  There many aspects that I love about the mission statement and its connection to our school.

The Lincoln School Mission Statement

First, I love the statement.  I feel like it really aligns with what I truly believe.  I believe in making kids passionate about learning.  I believe that curiosity and the desire to gain knowledge takes you many new places in life.  Teachers are supporters and mentors; I love that I get to help kids gain skills to follow their dreams in life.  I have students that want to me documentary-makers and engineers and artists. I get to help them find their pathway to success.  And I get to build their confidence in their abilities.  Through positive reinforcement, maintaining high expectations, helping kids see abilities they didn't know they had before, and strong connections, I get to raise them up.  I hold the mirror for them to see themselves more as they truly are and what potential they have.  I have the opportunity to raise awareness of other cultures and issues; we have discussions about others' ideas and how we can make changes in the world around us.  And we get to find ways to make the world and earth around us a better place.  I feel so at ease to be in a place that has all of these in its mission statement.  But these ideas aren't just words on a poster than hangs around the school, or goes on our letterhead.  These ideas are really values.  And they have weight.  And they truly shape things at our school.  And that's another thing I love.  I love being surrounded my a large group of people who value all of these things, and embrace them; Being with people who act on their beliefs and care for others is something that is hugely important to me.  Not only do the staff hold the mission statement as truth, but our students do.  They dream confidently; they dream realistically and also as teenagers do.  They have a passion for learning, empathy for those around them, and are truly leaders who want to change the world.

Second, I absolutely adore my students.  They're genuinely passionate learners.  They love to learn.  Seriously.  They like coming to school every day.  At the beginning of every school year, I have students write a letter to me, telling me more about themselves, what they enjoy in school, and asking what their expectations are.  This year, I got responses like "I love when we discuss deeper meanings of the book", "Symbolism fascinates me", "I expect homework", and "I love English because it helps me to see other perspectives and learn more about the world".  I'm sorry, did you just ASK me to give you homework?  Did a 9th grader just completely NAIL the reasons stories are important?  In my English12/AP Literature course last week, I handed out our anthology- a giant textbook filled with plays, poetry, prose, and excerpts from Medieval to Modern literature.  And these kids...their eyes widened with sheer joy.  The opened up the books and smelled them.  They felt the pages and exclaimed with delight, "this is like BIBLE PAPER!"  They spent the remainder of the hour sprawled out on pillows, completely invested in and enthralled with Beowulf.

My students reading on their pillows

I didn't have to redirect once, wake anyone up, or try to figure out if a student was fake reading or texting.  In fact, I haven't seen a student playing on a phone once (I just realized this!)  I am truly elated by how much my students love to learn.  I am so inspired by them and their passion.  Not only do they love to learn, but they want to change the world, and that desire is what forms their dreams.  I have a student who wants to be the UN ambassador for children, one who is currently making a documentary about organ trafficking in Nepal, and students who honestly want to help in any way they can.  So, when our mission statement talks about confidently and competently pursuing dreams, our students embody that.  They're curious and concerned about the world around them.  They're aware of their ability to make change and their capacity for empathy is honorable.  Yes, they have their teenage moments, but they seem so secondary in many cases.  I can't express or even believe how wonderful my students are.  I am so excited to see how we grow together this year, and what they'll continue to teach me.

My colleagues.  They're truly great.  Everyone at school has been so helpful and supportive.  This started before I even arrived.  People emailed me to introduce themselves and let me know I could ask any questions about the school or life in Kathmandu.  This made me feel so comforted and reassured.  When and since I have arrived, they have been so helpful and generous.  They have taken us around to places, answered our unending questions, and taken time from their busy back to school days to assist with curriculum.  I have been having one hell of a time getting internet (aka didn't have it for 2 weeks, and then when I finally got it, it hasn't been working....maybe a post on that later?), and multiple colleagues have invited me over to use theirs and stay in their guest room to go to school the next day.  They really are going to be my family away from my family.  I like the way we support and take care of each other.  It's a different dynamic than teaching at home, and it will take time to get used to.  Last night, I was frustrated about my internet not working because I couldn't do my work, so one of the couples invited me over to use their internet (and eat sausage).  I got a cab over there, and instead we played cards and drank wine (and ate sausage of course!)  It was just the night I needed-a few hours of marshmallow Texas Hold 'Em with George Bush cards and lots of laughter.

Texas Hold 'Em with marshmallow chips and some fun, serious chats

Not only are my colleagues kind and helpful, but they're smart and they're passionate about what they do.  I have learned so much from them.

Finally (for now), I love the freedom that I'm given.  I have the freedom to teach and grade how and what I want to.  What I love most about this freedom is that it has really pushed me to question and develop my own true personal beliefs.  When I was teaching in the US, I was able to develop what I believed to a certain extent, but the requirements of the school/district were also there, and got muddled into my personal beliefs.  The absence of this has really allowed me to reflect on my experiences and form my true beliefs.  It has been overwhelming, difficult, and intellectually demanding, but I love it.  I love the intellectual challenge and the self-reflection.  I feel that here I can try to new things that are beneficial for students, and truly grow and learn from them.  We have a truly supportive administration that wants the best for students and staff and wants BOTH of us to learn.

I feel exceptionally lucky and happy to be in this place.  I know that right now it's all new and exciting and I'm in the "honeymoon" stage here, but I truly believe that I'm in a place that values what I value.  It seems so simple, but right now, at this stage in life, it's exactly what I need.  I am so excited to see what my time here has in store for me.

-Chelsea

Namaste from Kathmandu!

Hello, world!  Welcome to my blog.  I'm new at this, but it's my goal to post regularly to keep you posted on my thoughts and experiences while teaching abroad.

I've been in Kathmandu for 2 weeks now.  The past two weeks have been a whirlwind!  I finally got internet at my house today and I'm beginning to establish a routine.

I wake up and I can hear dogs barking and horns honking.  I look out the window and it looks like this:

Not too shabby.  Actually, my first few days, I used to just sit and stare out the window while the sun rose (I guess there are some perks to jet lag...).  Then, I'd walk up to my rooftop and look at it some more :)

Once I'm relatively awake, I go to my bathroom and run the water in the shower.  It's solar powered, so it has to run for about 5 minutes before it gets lukewarm.  While the water is running, I brush my teeth with bottled water.  Then, I try to shower relatively fast before the water gets too warm, because I'll be insanely hot (is anyone surprised?)

After I get dressed, the school "bus" (a.k.a. van) picks me up and takes me on a bumpy, but air conditioned ride to school.  This was the case, until they started widening the main road up the hill to my house.  Now I enjoy a lovely trek up and down the hill to my house.  Trust me, it's steep.  And I'm at 5000 feet, people!  Lots of sweat is involved.

Then, I come to my beautiful classroom.  My classroom.  It looks like this:

My classroom is so open and light.  It's a place that I like to come to and my kids love to come to.  And I can sit in my desk and see Swayambhunath Temple and the Himalayan Mountains. My students feel comfortable and they smile all the time.  My classroom is also nice and cool :)

After school, I stay and do some work and take the 4 or 6 o'clock bus home. I trek up the hill and then sit in front of my fan.  I go out to eat with friends or hang out.

This past weekend I really spent some time organizing my room and it's starting to feel homey.  I'll post pictures soon.  It's amazing to me how quickly things are becoming normal and I'm beginning to feel like Kathmandu is home.  The dog barking, the cows wandering, the slow pace and which things happen; it all seems normal.  Perhaps this is because it reminds me of India, and actually is comforting to me in a way.  I feel like I've been here for much longer that 2 weeks already.

Well, I better get off to bed.  We have back to school night this week with the parents.  I know this post was kind of random and surface level, but I'll post again soon.

Cheers, friends.

-Chelsea