the world map project

My world map project has been birthed and is now slowly crawling along. Throughout its infancy I have also realized I will probably be bald at the end of this project due to tearing all my hair out, which ya know might not be terrible considering I also haven’t cut my hair in 9 months. I’ve had a lot of setbacks at the beginning, namely due to the staff deciding to let me know the day that I’m supposed to come to the school that theres no school, when I’ve been preparing for a week or more. Really REALLY frustrating at first, but after the first couple times I just kind of dealt with it. I’m not in a hurry to get this done immediately; theres no timeline on this project, so I’m just slowly chugging along. Like most of my work proposals in Nepali, I’m usually greeted with blank stares until I repeat it all over again and then finally someone understands what I’m trying to say. The school staff seemed a little confused on why I wanted to do the map (even though 3 months earlier the principal explicitly told me he wanted me to paint a map on the wall…) and I told them I would get them more details about prices involved to see if the school was able to chip in a bit of money for the project.

Quick note basically WHAT the world map project is....its a pretty popular PC project that has been done all over the world. Communities or schools get together with the help of the PCV and physically paint a map on a building or wall, etc. Its a really great way for kids to learn about geography and for them to work together as a team on a project where they can produce something to be proud of. Its also a long lasting project..for years to come the map will be there as a resource for the kids.

Hopefully it turns out like this....

I went to town last week and inquired about paint prices and brush prices and prices for anything associated with paint. I think the shopkeeper wanted to hit me after I sat there for a half hour interrogating him  about prices and then telling him I wasn’t actually going to buy anything. I then randomly saw a white couple walking along the street in Galyang and almost got hit by a bus trying to run across the street to talk to them. They were from New Mexico and were just stopping by. I returned to the school a day later and gave the invoice to the principal who said they would discuss how much money they ccould give me for the project at the next board meeting. The total came out to be around 3700 rupees, which is around 40 dollars or so. I have no idea when their next meeting is, but I am guessing I wont have an answer for a while.. Which is ok because I’m first doing a month of education with the kids on geography! I decided to do this project with the 7^th and 8^th graders, and yesterday I went to the school at 2:30, the time I was told to come when the 7^th grade would have social studies. I walked into the class room and said hello and asked if it was social studies. “no, this is science class now” one of the students said. Me: wellllllll, today we are going to be learning about geography! Put away all your books.”  I then proceeded to ask the kids to do their best to draw a rough map of the world and see if they could label any of the continents. I told them they would be drawing another of these after we did the big map project so we could gauge their progress. Fifteen minutes later I received 12 maps and only one student could name any 1 continent, which ironically happened to be Africa. Not Asia, the continent they all live on. So we have a ways to go.  Oh I had also drawn a rough map of my own in my notebook to show them after we were done and one of the other teachers came in and took my notebook and was trying to show the class all the continents, except that they were holding the notebook upside down….

The rest of the maps were just blobby squiggly shapes scattered across the paper. I was then pumped to teach the 8^th grade class the next day, only to find out it was a random holiday (swear to god Nepal has a holiday at least once a week). So that was a bit annoying, as I’m going to Pokhara and Kathmandu for a week for Volunteer Advisory Council training, and wont be back for a while.

Last week I sprained my ankle walking home. I fell in the mud down a hill with my backpack on that happened to be full of oil, sugar, rice, and soap. I got stuck and had to have my sister’s husband rescue me and then I attempted not to cry but kind of failed in that department. Later that same day I also dropped my cell phone into our toilet hole into a pile of someone elses shit. Really unfortunate, but after furiously scrubbing with soap and letting it dry for 10 hours, my phone works again. These little plastic phones are hardy. Oh and the next day I dropped my room key into someone elses toilet, which this time was only full of water thank god. Apparently I’m super challenged and make sure to empty my pockets everytime I go to my toilet now.

My uncle is getting married sometime in the next 2 weeks, except he doesn’t have a girlfriend and they haven’t found him a girl yet. They are “searching” right now.

I’m writing this blog from Kathmandu right now. I’m here for 2 days for Volunteer Advisory Council training. Right now, Im sitting here in the air conditioned luxury of the Peace Corps office kitchen, eating a slice of pizza and drinking a cold fizzy citrus drink surrounded by marble floors and a 6 foot high razor-wired fence that surrounds the manicured lawns of the PC office. I had to get buzzed in to the office through a peephole in a metal door, give the guards my ID card and then get a nice lanyard with another ID card that must be worn at all times inside the building. It makes you feel really special. After utilizing PC resources (aka printing an 86 page document..woops) I walked 5 minutes down the road to buy my lunch at Bhat Bhattenni (aka walmart from one of my earlier blogs) and walked around in some more air conditioning while calling another PCV on the phone asking what I should purchase for food, since I apparently cant function inside a well stocked grocery store anymore. Last night I gorged on an amazing hummus plate at an Israeli restaurant in the tourist district of Thamel and spent the rest of the night hanging out with Shaffer (he left today to go back to Seattle) on the rooftop of our hostel drinking beers. Couldn’t be further removed from my village surroundings. As much as I almost get hit by a car every 35 seconds and my eyeballs are constantly itching from all the pollution and grime in them, Kathmandu is kind of fun, although I still think I’ll stick to my twice yearly visit to this city.

Oh, I also passed the US Embassy on my way to the office this morning. I actually would have missed it as I was looking down at my phone except that my taxi hit an unusually large pothole and I smacked my head into the side of the window and discovered the stone/brick fortresss that is mini America staring back at me. I have this weird desire to go in and just walk around (is that even allowed?), so I might attempt that today.

Other news…we lost another volunteer last week L My good friend Alida decided to return back to the homeland and discontinue service. We all miss her dearly and wish her the best back home!!! Down to 17 now.

Love from Kathmandu,

Alex