With mom on the continent, I took my school up on their offer to let me have some vacay time to travel. Off we went to Katmandu to visit esteemed scholar and dear friend of mine, Shrochis Karki, home from his rigorous studies to carry out his dissertation research.
So, I’m going to narrate this post in the fashion of the lecture I’ve been giving to my more advanced students in a pathetic attempt to reconcile myself with the guilt of an absentee educator. Welcome to my classroom.
“I was so happy to see my friend and his family. Friend and family. Very happy.” Big smile to illustrate happiness.
“I had a lot of fun in Nepal. Fun. It was beautiful. Beautiful.” Accompanied by the large and ambiguous sweeping gestures of my arms that my body insists on making every every time I use a descriptive word.
“Nepalese food…Nepalese food is very delicious. Delicious. We ate with our hands. No chopsticks, no forks, only hands.” I mimic picking up food with my hand several times. My students look skeptical. "You know, my friend's dad is a very good cook. Their kitchen smells like the most amazing spices and we ate curries and mangoes and fresh ox. And homemade yogurt everyday." I'm losing them. I know better than this; digressions are verboten. I mentally reprimand myself and correct course.
“The mountains were so big. I saw the biggest mountain in the world. Biggest mountain in the whole world.” I do my mountain impression, and then my whole world impression, and then my mountain impression again. Everything is crystal clear.
“There are many Hindus in Nepal. Hindus. Cows are very important to Hindus. You cannot eat a cow in Nepal.” I pass on doing my cow impression.
“Hindus and Buddhists go to temples together.”
“However, in Nepal there are many people who have no food or money. Life can be difficult. My friend, my friend is doing research.” Two minute pause while we look up research in the dictionary. “Research on education. He will walk for six hours to a small village. Small village. No electricity, no cars. He will research education there for two months. Two months.” They seem impressed, Shrochis.
“It was a good trip. I learned a lot.”
And then all of my students clap and smile and say, “Oh, we’re so glad we’re learning English so that we can communicate with people all over the world. Thank you for showing us what a useful tool the English language can be!”
“There are many Hindus in Nepal. Hindus. Cows are very important to Hindus. You cannot eat a cow in Nepal.” I pass on doing my cow impression.
“Hindus and Buddhists go to temples together.”
“However, in Nepal there are many people who have no food or money. Life can be difficult. My friend, my friend is doing research.” Two minute pause while we look up research in the dictionary. “Research on education. He will walk for six hours to a small village. Small village. No electricity, no cars. He will research education there for two months. Two months.” They seem impressed, Shrochis.“It was a good trip. I learned a lot.”
And then all of my students clap and smile and say, “Oh, we’re so glad we’re learning English so that we can communicate with people all over the world. Thank you for showing us what a useful tool the English language can be!”
And, now that you've lived three minutes in the life of one of my students, but before you resume playing the facebook and twitter, I'd like to publicly thank the most kind hosts I've met on planet earth: Shrochis' family. I'd be a better person if I was one eighteenth as nice or patient as you all.
Next up: live blogging Fulbright's 60th Anniversary Symposium in Bangkok, July 16-17th. Make sure your modem is working because you are not going to want to miss this.
Truly,
R
2 comments:
hahahahahaha.
p.s. i did not do well on my practice test today. typical.
I can so see you doing this!!! I've been missing you like crazy, I groaned out loud when I saw that I missed a call from you the other day!
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