Yesterday I taught the beginners class at the non-government school, Bridges Between. Yongde, the 40-something year old aunt, real aunt of Tsering was in attendance. I have lived in her home, sharing a room, for three days and only said "thank you" and "good morning" to her. She didn't respond and seemed not to understand English so I stopped trying. But this morning I returned from doing a supply inventory at the school to find Yongdi, sitting in the courtyard shelling white beans. "Can I help?" I asked hopefully. "Yes." She whispered and motioned for me to sit on the step beside the heaping pile of legume pods. I was so happy to have a friend and also to have some chores to do! Coming to Nepal has done more for my goal to "be still", than 100 yoga class could do back home!
We shelled beans together in silence for a long time before Yongdi asked in a soft, shaky, voice, "Do you have a mother?" Yeah! Conversation! "Yes. She lives in America." I replied. "Do you have a father?" She added. "Yes, also in America" I responded. desperate that our friendly banter would not end I added quickly, without thinking, "Do you have a mother and father?" "No." She said sadly. One of Yongdi's brothers had told me that both their parents had not long ago, passed away. I was afraid that I might have squelched our blooming friendship before it even began but she continued, "Are you married?"
We chatted for a few more minutes before her English was exhausted and charades was out of the question as white beans were on the menu for dinner that night.
The next day at English class Yongdi was even more shy and soft spoken. But I MADE her, and all the women in class speak, speak, speak! "The men do all the talking around here, so when you speak, you need to speak loudly!" I told them. Master Nima interpreted this for me and it got a roaring response!
When I first arrived in Nepal and really began to think about teaching English in the Khumbu Region, I panicked to think that my motives might be ethnocentric. I asked my Sherpa host, Furba if the ladies in the village even wanted to learn English or was it just my colonizing DNA rearing its ugly head?
"They need to learn English" he assured me, "and they really want to learn but it is very difficult. They can not spend so much time in the classroom or studying like people in Kathmandu. They have children, fields and animals to attend to." Furba explained to me that many good schools in the cities teach all subjects, save Nepali Grammar, in English. And, if one is to find work in the tourist industry (Nepal's number one source of revenue) then speaking English is compulsory.
So I teach English to a half dozen Sherpa women, most of whom are illiterate in Nepali as well as Sherpa, their native tongue. Therefore, I have nixed grammar right off the curriculum! And if you read my blog you will likely sigh in relief that I am NOT attempting to teach grammar in Nepal!
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