Monday, 9 February. Chitwan - Debauli village. Tissue Day!!
Monday, 9 February 2009 Chitwan-Debauli village. Tissue day!!
08:00 wake up call.
08:30 breakfast.
10:00 To Debauli, Suk’s village.
Some of you might know that I am a sensitive person.
So, not hard to imagine maybe that the title of today is tissue-day, better to say: get the role of kitchen paper out! (it is also full moon tonight, so enough said?)
Suk got half a day off to take us to his village, to visit the school and deliver our books and wall charts.
A bit of practise to see if my tears are coming easily: the owner of the hotel called Suk into the reception, where he checked all the drawers and desks to come up with pens, coloring pens for the school. Tissue!
In the car to Debauli, driving a sand-stone track through the fields for about 15
minutes. We stopped at a kind of little square in the small village.
Suk’s wife was in her little shop next to the village school and gave us a warm
welcome. Normally I am used to a Namaste and sometimes holding my hands,
but not such a wide open arms big hug as Suk’s wife gave us the first time we met.
Tissue!!!
The headmaster came around the corner to escort us to his school.
At the entrance all teachers were standing there, giving us a blessing thika
(yes, from the top of my head to the top of my nose again) and overloading
us with flower garlands around our neck. Then we had to follow the headmaster, walking through a two-line ceremonial line-up of the older school children, greeting us with Namaste and giving us flowers. After giving away the flowers they applauded, so by the end of the line we had our arms full with flowers with a loud applaud accompanying us!! TISSUES !!!!!!!
An official meeting in the classroom, a long table sitting down with all the teachers, the headmaster welcoming us with a speech: “The headmaster, the teachers, the children are very happy to meet you today, to show you our school. He explained shy and embarrassed that the school was very poor in a small village and they badly needed any kind of support to teach their children as good as possible.
Their eyes became wide when we gave them the wall charts, one teacher more eager than the other one to see what was on them. One of the older female teachers picked up the school atlas with a big smile saying “Very necessary” and looking into it. You could almost ‘feel’ the other teachers wanting that book. Me, me, me, I want to see it. Tissue time.
Suk explained in Nepali that we met last year, that I’ve been in Nepal in 2005 as a volunteer and that we stayed in contact. He told them about the fundraising in my village to support this school and this village.
Comments Rita Chamelli: The following morning Suk met us at our hotel and he’d arranged a taxi to take us to visit this village and the school in question. During the short ride, Suk proudly showed us his own home and the small kiosk type shop next to the school, which his wife worked in during the day.
The taxi parked at the shop and Suk's wife eagerly sprang from behind the counter and greeted us with open arms, which was a shock as we had only expected to receive a traditional Nepali greeting of 2 hands poised as in a praying position.
Also from our peripheral view we could see movement of pupils from the school in the open front grounds; naively I thought that the children were just excited to have 2 guests visiting their school, but how wrong could I have been.
After 10 minutes or so of talking to Suk's wife, which was also a time delay tactic, the principal came to greet us and lead us to the school gates where before us were 2 rows of older children ceremonically waiting to greet us, with many on-lookers also cheering us on. A lady teacher came to greet us in the traditional Nepali way by placing a tika on our foreheads, before placing 2 beautifully coloured and perfumed garlands of flowers around each of our necks. We were then asked to make our way down the line of eagerly waiting children who placed flower petals in our hands and welcomed us with NAMASTE. I walked down the right hand line and thanked every single child and likewise Rita did the same down the left hand side. By the time we eventually reached the end, we both had enough flower petals to tie us over in pot pourri for the next 2 years. Next we were escorted to the staff room, which also doubled as the principal's office, and deposited our precariously carried petals onto a large table.
We were then invited to sit and various members of staff joined us around the large oblong tables, along with Suk and the principal, and it became clear that this may well now be a more formal meeting then I had imagined. (pictures)
Someone entered the room with various bottles of coke and sprite and invited us to partake in a cold refreshment, which we readily accepted as the intense heat and stuffy room could easily have withered us along with our garlands.
After a few minutes of embarrassing silence, where both Rita and myself were able to dry our tearful eyes and the staff could actually get their head around what was happening (Suk had said that visitors to the village were rare, let alone the school), I suggested to Suk that maybe he should show the staff the wall charts that had been purchased, and these were placed on the tables to the sparkling eyed amazement of the staff. (pictures). At this point the principal, who by now had also composed himself, welcomed us to the school and thanked us for the surprise gifts. Suk then distributed some books which had been donated along with a purchased world atlas, which went down a storm as no one had seen one like it and when we read the notes on the back cover, it stated that it was the first book of its kind in Nepal - the appreciation was immense and warmed our hearts to the core.
Some 10 minutes later after the staff debating who was going to have which wall charts and books, Suk addressed the group with his suggestion of implimenting 2 creative teachers and asked the staff for their response, which needless to say, was of amazement.
The principal spoke directly to us and thanked us for our kind offer to support and said 5 simple words which I know will stay with me forever and actually made me bite my lip so that I did not cry again.
Those words were "We are a poor school".
Suk then explained, in his own language, that we had purchased a fantastic selection of creative books to help in all areas of the curriculum and that these would be stored for the creative teacher(s).
He also explained that we would do our best to help with funding, because usually money is never directly given but in this exceptional circumstance, we would donate "your" money for such a cause, even if it was only 1 teacher for 6 months to start with- this would be finalised at a later date.
After a rapturous round of applause we were escorted to visit the school buildings. (picture)
A new building was slowly being constructed so that the age range could be extended at the school thus causing less travelling for the older children and offering stability within their education and educational environment - a project that was going to take some time.
In one of the junior classrooms which we visited, it was 'stark' with nothing on the walls to inspire learning, but pupils were working hard and were well behaved. I asked 1 boy what he was learning, but I am not sure to this day whether we had a language barrier because his reply was "I don't know" and I could clearly see that area of rectangles was the task of the day. His reply reiterated Suk's theory that the children were only copying material from books and not actually using information that was learnt; pupils weren't learning to think and needed more stimulus. The next dramatic moment came when I was told that most classes encompassed 61-62 pupils!!
Logically one has to ask how on earth a teacher can adequately plan and teach such a large number of children with such a broad range of ability at one time?
In the nursery class once again the children were well behaved but un-inspired as I looked at their work. (picture).
Again it was limited to handwriting practise and copying.
After our tour, we were once again taken back to the staff room where I asked if there was anything else that we could do to aid teaching withing the school. (picture wall charts put up).
The answer was simple. Although the staff had a curriculum supplied by an education department, they had very little teaching resources to support their lesson planning etc.
So, if the funds allowed 2 teaching books for the following subjects would be invaluable assets to the school: English, Mathematics, Science, World History and Geography. (in Nepali language).
We promised to try to get these, as they had to be in the Nepali language and we were not sure of either availability or even existence, but only said that we would try.
Time was up and it was time to go as Suk had to be at work. We said our good byes and was thanked over and over again for our visit and support.
But as with all good factual stories, sadness is balanced with humour and this is no exception.
We climbed in our taxi and yep, it would not start, not a splutter, not a jolt.
After 5 minutes of going nowhere, the staff from the school pushed us on our merry way, and as the engine finally fired up, we hung out of the rear windows to wave goodbye and could only see the silhouettes of those who had helped us (headmaster and the teachers!!) as a cloud of dust encapsulated them all.
What a day!
Since our visit, we have located the requested teaching books in Pokhara, and along with a globe purchased from myself - as I was not at the Elounda fundraising - and some of the funding for a creative teacher, these have now all be sent to Chitwan. A very, very big THANK YOU.
(end comment Rita Chamelli).
All 3 of us were very quiet on the way back, dealing with the emotions and impressions of this visit.
Suk had to get back to work while Rita and I found ourselves some sunlounchers to read a little or just to have a lay down and relax (what I did, just reviewing, reliving in my mind the visit), not able yet to write it down, nor to read. Just enjoying the warmth of the sun reliving our visit over and over again.
Before diner we joined a slideshow given by Suk for the groups about the Terai area and its natural treasures.
After diner we sat down with Suk and 2 other guides for a night cap to have a sweet sleep with the villagevisit in our minds.
I fell asleep with a warm overflowing heart, with my last thought of this eventfull day:
THANK YOU dear Friends of Nepal for helping me with so much support to help this village!!
Love you all.
Suba Rathri, Sanghita
08:00 wake up call.
08:30 breakfast.
10:00 To Debauli, Suk’s village.
Some of you might know that I am a sensitive person.
So, not hard to imagine maybe that the title of today is tissue-day, better to say: get the role of kitchen paper out! (it is also full moon tonight, so enough said?)
Suk got half a day off to take us to his village, to visit the school and deliver our books and wall charts.
A bit of practise to see if my tears are coming easily: the owner of the hotel called Suk into the reception, where he checked all the drawers and desks to come up with pens, coloring pens for the school. Tissue!
In the car to Debauli, driving a sand-stone track through the fields for about 15
minutes. We stopped at a kind of little square in the small village.
Suk’s wife was in her little shop next to the village school and gave us a warm
welcome. Normally I am used to a Namaste and sometimes holding my hands,
but not such a wide open arms big hug as Suk’s wife gave us the first time we met.
Tissue!!!
The headmaster came around the corner to escort us to his school.
At the entrance all teachers were standing there, giving us a blessing thika
(yes, from the top of my head to the top of my nose again) and overloading
us with flower garlands around our neck. Then we had to follow the headmaster, walking through a two-line ceremonial line-up of the older school children, greeting us with Namaste and giving us flowers. After giving away the flowers they applauded, so by the end of the line we had our arms full with flowers with a loud applaud accompanying us!! TISSUES !!!!!!!
An official meeting in the classroom, a long table sitting down with all the teachers, the headmaster welcoming us with a speech: “The headmaster, the teachers, the children are very happy to meet you today, to show you our school. He explained shy and embarrassed that the school was very poor in a small village and they badly needed any kind of support to teach their children as good as possible.
Their eyes became wide when we gave them the wall charts, one teacher more eager than the other one to see what was on them. One of the older female teachers picked up the school atlas with a big smile saying “Very necessary” and looking into it. You could almost ‘feel’ the other teachers wanting that book. Me, me, me, I want to see it. Tissue time.
Suk explained in Nepali that we met last year, that I’ve been in Nepal in 2005 as a volunteer and that we stayed in contact. He told them about the fundraising in my village to support this school and this village.
Comments Rita Chamelli: The following morning Suk met us at our hotel and he’d arranged a taxi to take us to visit this village and the school in question. During the short ride, Suk proudly showed us his own home and the small kiosk type shop next to the school, which his wife worked in during the day.
The taxi parked at the shop and Suk's wife eagerly sprang from behind the counter and greeted us with open arms, which was a shock as we had only expected to receive a traditional Nepali greeting of 2 hands poised as in a praying position.
Also from our peripheral view we could see movement of pupils from the school in the open front grounds; naively I thought that the children were just excited to have 2 guests visiting their school, but how wrong could I have been.
After 10 minutes or so of talking to Suk's wife, which was also a time delay tactic, the principal came to greet us and lead us to the school gates where before us were 2 rows of older children ceremonically waiting to greet us, with many on-lookers also cheering us on. A lady teacher came to greet us in the traditional Nepali way by placing a tika on our foreheads, before placing 2 beautifully coloured and perfumed garlands of flowers around each of our necks. We were then asked to make our way down the line of eagerly waiting children who placed flower petals in our hands and welcomed us with NAMASTE. I walked down the right hand line and thanked every single child and likewise Rita did the same down the left hand side. By the time we eventually reached the end, we both had enough flower petals to tie us over in pot pourri for the next 2 years. Next we were escorted to the staff room, which also doubled as the principal's office, and deposited our precariously carried petals onto a large table.
We were then invited to sit and various members of staff joined us around the large oblong tables, along with Suk and the principal, and it became clear that this may well now be a more formal meeting then I had imagined. (pictures)
Someone entered the room with various bottles of coke and sprite and invited us to partake in a cold refreshment, which we readily accepted as the intense heat and stuffy room could easily have withered us along with our garlands.
After a few minutes of embarrassing silence, where both Rita and myself were able to dry our tearful eyes and the staff could actually get their head around what was happening (Suk had said that visitors to the village were rare, let alone the school), I suggested to Suk that maybe he should show the staff the wall charts that had been purchased, and these were placed on the tables to the sparkling eyed amazement of the staff. (pictures). At this point the principal, who by now had also composed himself, welcomed us to the school and thanked us for the surprise gifts. Suk then distributed some books which had been donated along with a purchased world atlas, which went down a storm as no one had seen one like it and when we read the notes on the back cover, it stated that it was the first book of its kind in Nepal - the appreciation was immense and warmed our hearts to the core.
Some 10 minutes later after the staff debating who was going to have which wall charts and books, Suk addressed the group with his suggestion of implimenting 2 creative teachers and asked the staff for their response, which needless to say, was of amazement.
The principal spoke directly to us and thanked us for our kind offer to support and said 5 simple words which I know will stay with me forever and actually made me bite my lip so that I did not cry again.
Those words were "We are a poor school".
Suk then explained, in his own language, that we had purchased a fantastic selection of creative books to help in all areas of the curriculum and that these would be stored for the creative teacher(s).
He also explained that we would do our best to help with funding, because usually money is never directly given but in this exceptional circumstance, we would donate "your" money for such a cause, even if it was only 1 teacher for 6 months to start with- this would be finalised at a later date.
After a rapturous round of applause we were escorted to visit the school buildings. (picture)
A new building was slowly being constructed so that the age range could be extended at the school thus causing less travelling for the older children and offering stability within their education and educational environment - a project that was going to take some time.
In one of the junior classrooms which we visited, it was 'stark' with nothing on the walls to inspire learning, but pupils were working hard and were well behaved. I asked 1 boy what he was learning, but I am not sure to this day whether we had a language barrier because his reply was "I don't know" and I could clearly see that area of rectangles was the task of the day. His reply reiterated Suk's theory that the children were only copying material from books and not actually using information that was learnt; pupils weren't learning to think and needed more stimulus. The next dramatic moment came when I was told that most classes encompassed 61-62 pupils!!
Logically one has to ask how on earth a teacher can adequately plan and teach such a large number of children with such a broad range of ability at one time?
In the nursery class once again the children were well behaved but un-inspired as I looked at their work. (picture).
Again it was limited to handwriting practise and copying.
After our tour, we were once again taken back to the staff room where I asked if there was anything else that we could do to aid teaching withing the school. (picture wall charts put up).
The answer was simple. Although the staff had a curriculum supplied by an education department, they had very little teaching resources to support their lesson planning etc.
So, if the funds allowed 2 teaching books for the following subjects would be invaluable assets to the school: English, Mathematics, Science, World History and Geography. (in Nepali language).
We promised to try to get these, as they had to be in the Nepali language and we were not sure of either availability or even existence, but only said that we would try.
Time was up and it was time to go as Suk had to be at work. We said our good byes and was thanked over and over again for our visit and support.
But as with all good factual stories, sadness is balanced with humour and this is no exception.
We climbed in our taxi and yep, it would not start, not a splutter, not a jolt.
After 5 minutes of going nowhere, the staff from the school pushed us on our merry way, and as the engine finally fired up, we hung out of the rear windows to wave goodbye and could only see the silhouettes of those who had helped us (headmaster and the teachers!!) as a cloud of dust encapsulated them all.
What a day!
Since our visit, we have located the requested teaching books in Pokhara, and along with a globe purchased from myself - as I was not at the Elounda fundraising - and some of the funding for a creative teacher, these have now all be sent to Chitwan. A very, very big THANK YOU.
(end comment Rita Chamelli).
All 3 of us were very quiet on the way back, dealing with the emotions and impressions of this visit.
Suk had to get back to work while Rita and I found ourselves some sunlounchers to read a little or just to have a lay down and relax (what I did, just reviewing, reliving in my mind the visit), not able yet to write it down, nor to read. Just enjoying the warmth of the sun reliving our visit over and over again.
Before diner we joined a slideshow given by Suk for the groups about the Terai area and its natural treasures.
After diner we sat down with Suk and 2 other guides for a night cap to have a sweet sleep with the villagevisit in our minds.
I fell asleep with a warm overflowing heart, with my last thought of this eventfull day:
THANK YOU dear Friends of Nepal for helping me with so much support to help this village!!
Love you all.
Suba Rathri, Sanghita
posted by Rita Sanghita at
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