Nepal, she called; Me, I answered- and my life has been all the stranger since.
I came into this semester expecting to be nothing more than a farmer with too much time on his hands and a lingering taste of adventure in his mouth. I am now the Indiana Jones of Diamond H.S.S. English Boarding school. I take short leaves from the school to go off on adventures, I trek around the lake in my days off, and I wear myself around proudly.
Govinda worries for me on occasion making sure that I get home before dark, he feeds me meals in the morning before I go off to School on the bus. A dad who can operate a household alone while his spouse is at school is an idol in my book. Siddhartha, or Babu, is almost 2 years old now. I love that child like my own, probably because there is nothing standing between my ability to consider myself a part of the family.
At the school I am prompted to be as comfortable as I need to keep teaching. I get to change my schedule often to see new kids, and the snacks are free. All the teachers ask of me is that I speak English and interact with the students. I walk into those classrooms and share my mind with them. I get them to sing for me, and they get me to sing for them. I get them to rap, beatbox, and dance for me, and then do it in return. I get to gaze up at the mountains too much; I really don’t know how I could leave this place without tapping into that fabled majesty. Every classroom door faces the mountains and they are usually always visible.
One of the teachers is in a band and has organized other famous Nepalese bands to put on a music festival in our area. I am a VIP at this event, which takes place today- February 29. Wish me luck, wishing you well. Happy New Year.
-Jamal