So yes there was a goat in my classroom. His name I believe is Tenzin, a popular Tibetan name. Here at Kopan Nunnery studies are taken very seriously. Everyday they wake up at 4:45 AM for their 5 o’clock Puja where they chant for two hours. Then at 7 am they have breakfast together, which usually is palep (Tibetan bread looks similar to a Greek Pita bread) with jam, peanut butter, and Nutella.. yes people here in Nepal are also obsessed with Nutella. Soon after breakfast they have Tibetan where they are memorizing Tibetan script. Then finally at 8:30 AM their day of school begins.
They currently take classes in Math, Science, Nepali, Tibetan, Tibetan philosophy, and English. I am teaching class 10 and class 8 which would be like our grade 10 and grade 8 in America. However, the age ranges for these classes are not the same as they are in America. In my morning class, (class 10) I have students who are 32 and students who just turned 18. Most of them are at different levels in English which makes it difficult for me but luckily for me the nuns are so willing to help each other out.
I was very nervous for my first English class. I didn’t know what level my students were at, and really didn’t know where to start. My instructions from the Principal were, just do conversations, so they can have a chance to practice speaking since they normally only speak Tibetan at the nunnery. Then I got to the class and they were begging me to read to them from their English book, so by the end of the week I was able to find a balance between book work and conversation time for the students. One of my goals for this week of teaching was to just improve my students confidence in speaking, which I attempted to do through games, and having them laugh at my Tibetan speaking, which made it a more fun environment and I noticed that more and more of my students are already speaking up in class and are sharing their stories with me.
I’m excited to see what my next three weeks at Kopan Nunnery bring… hopefully more than just goat pictures.