blog

By Annalisa Mohammed 2024/05/27

My volunteering period formally begins in October 2024, but I've gotten a taste of Ashram and school life during my two-week "trial period" in May. It seems there's never a dull moment, and my experiences have been certainly enriching. Simultaneously fun and challenging, I've learned how to interact with the students and taken note of what adjustments I can make the next time.

View from the door of the school

I'm awoken by the sound of someone practicing the flute in the neighbouring dormitory, a sound much more pleasant than my boring alarm. As I walk from my room to the school, I can see students getting ready for their day of learning. I see students in their golden-yellow, maroon, and bluish-grey uniforms making their way towards the school, talking and laughing with each other. I hear the cheerful laughter of the smaller children running around and playing with each other. It's a very pleasant environment which brings a bright smile to my face.

Classes begin around 10:20 after the morning assembly and there is a total of 7 periods in a school day, each lasting 40 or 45 minutes. I didn't teach full-time. In fact, the most classes I've had in a day is four. I was given the opportunity to experiment with different age groups. Being with the younger ones requires lots of energy and a firm hand. It's quite necessary to set clear boundaries (what is and isn't acceptable in the classroom) from the beginning and adhere to them. This was a challenge for me, especially the first time, but the children are simply being children and are very sweet. It's an interesting experience to see them explore and find interest in the smallest things. It was also nice to see their individual personalities and talents shine through. Interacting with the older students was a bit easier for me, as we are closer in age and have more common topics of interest. The classes weren't always very formal and we often ended up chatting and having cultural or language exchanges.

As for my classes, I used some games to practice English with the students, and I also taught them a bit of history, geography, and cultures of different countries. At times, I took the little ones out to play or did some crafts with them. Something I was quite surprised at was the interest students took in learning to play Sudoku! I enjoy logic games and riddles, and Sudoku is one I find myself engaging in rather frequently in recent times. I think the students enjoy the challenge, and I've realized some are quite competitive. I'm sure they must've enjoyed the riddle competition we held on 'Democratic Friday' that week! 

Learning also takes place outside of school hours. As I grew more familiar with the people there, I would stop to talk to them, or at least give a little greeting, whenever I saw them around. I was even fortunate enough to become friends with a girl from the Terai Ashram, where I'm hoping to visit next time. I think I learn a lot simply from my interactions with various people. I was pleased to know more about Nepali culture, and I also taught some Mandarin to those who were interested. 

Another thing I loved to do in my own time was go to the school library. There are so many books there, of all genres and topics. I discovered a few which piqued my interest and I would spend many hours sitting in a corner of the library, focused on reading my chosen book. If I wasn't doing that, then I was working on school projects, or preparing for the International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC), set to be held in Taiwan at the end of July 2024. I always had something to do, but not in a very busy or rushed way. Time here is quite flexible; I could rest whenever I needed and be in the school whenever I wanted. It's refreshing, especially arriving from Taiwan's fast-paced capital city, Taipei. 

I really enjoyed my time here, as I was able to do many things that I love. There wasn't any pressure from anyone, but definitely some from myself. I wasn't nervous about coming to Nepal or the Ashram alone, but I found myself in a sort of inner turmoil, especially in the beginning. Despite visiting the Ashram before, I didn't know many people there, and the lifestyle was quite unfamiliar to me. It usually takes me a longer period of time to really "open up" or feel more comfortable in a new place or with new people. I also had to maneuver my way through teaching. I had to experiment with content, teaching methods, how to interact with the students, etc. It was definitely a challenge. It was something I wasn't very familiar with at all. I only started to "find my way" toward the end of my two weeks here... It's a bit of a pity my time was so short! I felt like I was finally starting to "find myself" and "find my place" here. 

Despite that, I'm very grateful for this experience. It gave me an unexpected opportunity to experience what my future three months may be like. I actually didn't plan on teaching in the school this time and was totally unprepared, but now I know what preparation I can do for next time! A few suggestions I have for myself and others interested:

1. Play more: 
2. Spend time with individual students:
3. Class prep: