Welcome to Team Nepal's Website

  

July 15, 2008 (Focus)

"Cultural competence is the development of skills by individuals and systems to live and work with, educate and serve diverse individuals and communities. It is the willingness and ability of a system to value the importance of culture in the delivery of services to all segments of the population."

As we finalize and complete our projects, business, chores, and packing~ I keep thinking about the goals of the grant and what it means "to value the importance of culture in the delivery of services". I feel curiously humbled by what we are about to experience and a spirit gratefulness is in me.

We have the letters from our students at Corey School packed and ready to go. The children enjoyed learning about Nepal and writing letters to share their own cultures with children around the world. It is exciting to think of the students in Nepal writing back to our students here in California. I know there will be eager faces when we return to school in September!

Now, how do I keep my suitcase within the allowed weight limit! Definitely an American woman value, packing lots of 'stuff'!

July 14, 2008 (The School of Hard Knocks)

Imagine this. Thai Airlines cancels our flight without informing us. We are on the phone for over 20 hours around the clock trying to rebook our flight with Thai Airlines. Two phones at a time with Skype calling Thai Airlines corporate office in Bangkok. (Any international traveler must have a Skype account! With a few dollars, you can call a landline for pennies!) A day visit to Thai Airlines Los Angeles office and countless emails to Thai Airlines. What did we learn? Seriously!

1) Rule 240 ensures that travelers will get to their destination if a flight is cancelled. If you are traveling, especially internationally, have a copy of the rule with you handy. We learned the hard way some 20 hours later.

2) Use Skype to call long distance. It was shorter to call Thai Airlines in Thailand and have them telegraph the Los Angeles to call us back then to finally get through to an agent. Hold time due to ALL cancellation of Monday and Wednesdays to Asia is upwards of two hours each time. Over 20 hours, we got through ONCE!

3) Be flexible, but be firm. Don't get pushed around. Be flexible with your travel dates, but be firm on your rights as a traveler. Don't let them push you around! The airlines will try to send you through 5 layovers to save a few bucks. As a traveler, know that it is NOT okay for them to do that. They must pay for any available flight on any carrier if they cancel the flight.

4) Be happy! Don't let travel obstacles ruin your experience! Laugh a little; laugh a lot! In India, there is actually a laugh club! Can you believe that? It's quite theraputic! The choice is yours!

The journey is just as important as the destination. If we had to, we would do it all over again! Namaste friends!!!

July 13, 2008 (Packing Frenzy)

Packing, packing, packing...and more packing! We have been gathering gifts and little items to make our three weeks more comfortable for us and our friends that we will meet in Nepal. All of the Robert Munsch books came in at Borders and we burned cd's for the schools we will visit. We filled two of our suitcases with gifts, books, and items for friends in Nepal!  When we come back we are anxious to fill the suitcases with gifts for our friends and family back here in America!

Finishing up papers and work and settling bills and chores are all a part of preparing to leave for three weeks. We are excited to meet the teachers and students in Nepal and through our engagement to learn about life in Nepal. By focusing on our fellowship goals we can observe life through a lense of exploration and openness. By documenting and reflecting on this process we will be able to learn and share what is learned with others. 

Each day we feel very thankful for the opportunity provided to us through Fund For Teachers!

  Two more days till take off!

July 12, 2008 (Patience is a virtue...)

Jeff at Thai Airlines in Los Angeles

Last week Jeff called Thai Airlines to confirm our reservations because we had heard about Thai Airlines canceling certain flights to Bangkok. We were surprised to find that indeed our flight was on the list that had been canceled in an effort for the airlines to save money! (Gas prices!) We have spent the last week literally working for hours to obtain travel to Nepal during our scheduled days.

 Over the past week I have learned many different things about Airlines and communication with Airlines! Granted some of which I wish I did not know, but as they say, "Experience is the best teacher" so live and learn. Here are a few things we've learned over the past week.

• We now know the entire Thai Airline song with all the words as it has been permanently burned into our minds~ hours upon hours on hold. Did you know that you can actually be on hold for several hours! I seriously did not know that....
• Arranging flight changes with Thai is comparable to negotiating a peace treaty between opposing groups!
• Jeff is personal friends with the entire Thai staff in Bangkok, long phone conversations will develop close relations.
• Although there are many "Steve"s in the world, some people are helpful and care about relationships...we "think" we have finally settled all our arrangements for going and coming....time will tell.... and we will tell.
• Abha, from customer relations with Thai is a very kind and gracious lady...thank you Abha!
  

Namaste! 

July 8, 2008 (Books & CDs)

There are many things to think about when packing to travel to Nepal for three weeks. Maintaining health is at the top of the list. Clean water and food are concerns as much of the water can cause serious health problems.  We bought the steripen to help sterilize any water that is questionable and we bought numerous other items.  Protein bars will be good if we are in areas where food may be questionable... our American stomachs are not used to some of the things found in the food and water.... A first aid kit, antibiotics, and any medication we may need are important to pack. Travel toilet paper is nice as this is not provided in many areas throughout Nepal and most Americans find it to be a necessity!

 

We are starting to collect gifts and donations for the schools we will visit! Jeff had a great idea to bring a collection of Robert Munsch books to each school we visit and provide a cd of the books ready aloud by Robert Munsch (see Storytime with Robert Munsch)!  Our students in America love these stories and we think our Nepali friends will love them too. We are collecting donations to buy cd players for the schools we visit. While shopping at Borders last night we found several classic books with a cd also and we gathered those as well.  Perhaps this will be the beginning of a book/cd library for our new school friends in Nepal.

We want to bring gifts to our friends in Nepal...hmmmm.... I bought five bags of red licorice to hand out...I think they will like that! 

July 6, 2008 (Niraj)

We met Niraj in Whittier this evening. Niraj just graduated from Whittier College with a degree in Physics. We had a wonderful conversation about Nepal and his project (Books For Nepal). Niraj showed interest in supporting Project Nepal in future events, such as online chats and discussions. The excitement intensifies!

Niraj's family is from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and he told us about how life was growing up in Nepal.  Niraj went to a private school and received a wonderful education as he excelled in mathematics and science...he was able to come to America for college. It was fascinating to listen to his story of education and travel, and how he learned about the world and people through his experiences.

Niraj shared many stories, but one was especially meaningful to him and to us. When Niraj was in school a Canadian teacher established a pen pal actitvity between the students from Niraj's school in Nepal and Canadian students at the volunteer teacher's school. Niraj shared that this experience was a highlight for him and helped him grow in many ways that "regular" education did not! It was exciting to hear this since communication between students and teachers in Nepal and here at our school in California is one of the goals of our grant~ it seems this is has potential meaning beyond our knowledge, which is true of so many aspects in life! Thank you Niraj for sharing your story with us...we are inspired!

July 6, 2008 (Preparing & Planning)

   

Ten more days until we leave! Yikes...so much to do! I am getting nervous about our trip. Today Jeff and I visited a Nepali restaurant in Pasadena, The Tibet Nepal House, we have become friends with the people who work there.  We are excited to visit some of our Nepali friends' family members in Kathmandu and will carry pictures and small gifts to them. It has been an amazing experience working on this project through Fund For Teachers because a variety of connections and opportunities have opened to us as a result. Through different friends and colleagues we have been introduced to different people working in Nepal and will have the opportunity to visit more schools as a result.  This has been a wonderful opportunity for growth both personally and professionally, and what fun!

It is the rainy season now in Nepal, monsoons to be exact! I think we will need our umbrellas...I am so excited to get started on our adventure!  More to come...

June 30, 2008 (REI)

The search is on! What supplies will we need? We spent the last few weeks talking with others that have traveled to Nepal. Although both we have both been to Nepal on previous occastions, there is always talk about the latest and greatest when it comes to supplies needed for traveling, especially to a developing country. Jeff's friend Mithch and Tiffany just returned from Nepal. Mitch shared that in addition to purchasing bottled water, they used a device called a steripen (see picture above) to sanitize their water. This week's goal for Team Nepal is to purchase as much of the needed supplies as possible!

June 13, 2008 (Nepali Feast!)

Today is the last day of the school year.  Jeff treated the staff to a traditional Nepali feast! He decorated the teachers' lounge with prayer flags, pictures, prayer wheels, singing bowls, lanterns, and Nepali bracelets. Tibetan Incantations, Buddhists chanting, filled the lounge as pictures of Nepali culture appeared on a big screen in one corner of the room. Teachers dined on dahl, rice, naan, chicken masala, curry cauliflower, and chicken with veggies. It was amazing! The staff enjoyed being immersed in the Nepali culture. Many teachers were intrigued by the different smells, tastes, and sounds as well as the variety of sights presented through this experience. This was a fabulous way to end the year and a great way to continue to share our grant experience with our school.

Each day in America, students recite the "Pledge of Alliegance". Although this pledge says, "... and one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all", it is the American expectation that there is a distinct seperation between church and state. This means that religion can not be practiced in a school setting and teachers cannot teach religion in schools. We wonder if children in Nepal have such restrictions when they attend school. Are children allowed to practice religion in school? If so, what does it look like? Is it culturally accepted for teachers in Nepal to openly discuss religion in school? Because Hinduism and Buddhism are  distinct influences in daily Nepali life, we hope to investigate the influence of religion in Neplai schools.

June 2, 2008 (Sharing the Project!)

Today we gave a presentation to 200 students at Corey School. We shared pictures illustrating a variety of Nepal and Nepali culture. Students were amazed at the differnce between their lives and the lives of children their age in Nepal. As Corey students began asking questions during the presentation, it was clear that there was an overwelming sense of interest. Everyone wanted to see more pictures!

Students were asked to write letters to students in Nepal. Heather and Jeff will take these letters to Nepal to share with the children there. Each child was given an information sheet that included a map of Nepal, background information on Nepal and suggestions for sharing aspects of their lives. Some students even brought books from their home libraries to share with students in Nepal!

As letters began to come in with pictures attached, we felt excited and inspired by our students generous spirits. Everyone is excited!