Namaste all! Things were crazy hectic the last few weeks. We have officially completed the book writing workshop with the 41 sixth graders! Whew. One weekend we had a workshop on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday back-to-back while library trainings were occurring. The library trainings were multipurpose and taught teachers and a handful of students how to catalogue the books in the library as well as discussed uses of the library and fun activities they can do. The trainings were Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of that same week. In the middle of all of this I got sick again, but this time with the worst sore throat I can remember having in a long time. One night I woke up and thought I couldn’t breath. Because we were so busy I knew it was important to get well quickly so I went to a local clinic, got lots of medicines and within two days I was back to normal! Oh in the midst of all of this we were running around the city taking pictures of different professions for the children’s book about profession in Nepal. Thankfully when I was sick Sneha’s friend, Nistha, accompanied Sneha to take the pictures. I am very grateful that she did that!
Now we are working on getting the three books published. We are mainly concentrating on the kid’s workshop book because we need copies of it for the inauguration of the library. We are also trying to finish taking pictures of all the professions for the professions book because it will be easy to put together. Then Sneha can concentrate on the illustrations for the cow book. I’m working on budget and preface and acknowledgements for the books as well as getting excited about job interviews and filling out lots of job applications. Hopefully I’ll get a bite somewhere! I’m also very very excited to see my mom and aunt who are arriving August 2nd. It’ll be nice to have some downtime after lots of work!
24.7.09
13.7.09
Reading and Reflection Nepal: Libraries, Reading, Writing
Much has happened since our last post! The library is now fully carpeted and painted a beautifully sky blue. The library furniture has also been made and delivered by a local carpenter and a few boxes of books have also arrived. The library is finally starting to take shape and just in time for the book writing workshop!
We selected the sixth grade class (all forty students) to participate in a book writing workshop. Altogether there are six workshops held Fridays and Saturdays for the children to explore different art mediums and writing as means of self expression. The first workshop was just an hour of games to break the ice. The next week we started intensive workshops where the kids got to create five different pieces of artwork using crayons, pastels, colored pencils, paint, and cutting paper. The next day was a mixture of reflection, writing, and drawing. This day, the kids discussed which mediums they enjoyed using the most, the winners were: colored pencils and paint! Then we shared what makes us sad and afterwards the children got the opportunity to write more in depth about this topic. Next, the kids drew what makes them happy. The drawings had a lot of detail and were very diverse in topics. After a lunch break, the kids finished their drawings and wrote about what they drew and what makes them happy. We will use these writing samples next week to help them decide what their final topic and picture will be for the book.
Another aspect of our project is writing, illustrating, and publishing two of our own children’s books so that a percentage of the royalties can go back to the library over a period of five years to help it grow. We have decided on the themes and topics of both books and now are in the process of illustrations. One will be an environmentally based book with animals looking for a new home because of dirt, pollution, deforestation, etc. The other one will be a picture book with different professions. Sneha, the photographer, will be taking real-life pictures to illustrate this book! We have lots of work to do and not that much time, but if Gettysburg has taught us anything it would be how to work under pressure.
We selected the sixth grade class (all forty students) to participate in a book writing workshop. Altogether there are six workshops held Fridays and Saturdays for the children to explore different art mediums and writing as means of self expression. The first workshop was just an hour of games to break the ice. The next week we started intensive workshops where the kids got to create five different pieces of artwork using crayons, pastels, colored pencils, paint, and cutting paper. The next day was a mixture of reflection, writing, and drawing. This day, the kids discussed which mediums they enjoyed using the most, the winners were: colored pencils and paint! Then we shared what makes us sad and afterwards the children got the opportunity to write more in depth about this topic. Next, the kids drew what makes them happy. The drawings had a lot of detail and were very diverse in topics. After a lunch break, the kids finished their drawings and wrote about what they drew and what makes them happy. We will use these writing samples next week to help them decide what their final topic and picture will be for the book.
Another aspect of our project is writing, illustrating, and publishing two of our own children’s books so that a percentage of the royalties can go back to the library over a period of five years to help it grow. We have decided on the themes and topics of both books and now are in the process of illustrations. One will be an environmentally based book with animals looking for a new home because of dirt, pollution, deforestation, etc. The other one will be a picture book with different professions. Sneha, the photographer, will be taking real-life pictures to illustrate this book! We have lots of work to do and not that much time, but if Gettysburg has taught us anything it would be how to work under pressure.
1.7.09
Wedding Season Has Begun!
Not only are there billions of weddings happening state side, but it’s also wedding season in Nepal! Weddings are very very different here and take place over a week’s time with a different party, gathering, or task almost everyday. This week there have been two weddings in Sneha’s family. One wedding we were on the groom’s (a distant cousin) side and attended the two main parties, both held in beautiful five star hotels. Events vary depending on family and caste traditions. An interesting part of this cousin’s wedding is that the groom is from the Nawar caste and the bride is Tibetan so there were some differences in traditions which made for a slightly different wedding in terms of traditions. The first party was the engagement and when the groom came to get the bride. The timing of this event is very important and a priest is consulted so that the right date and time of engagement is used. The next party we went to for this wedding was three days later and is a huge celebration for both the bride and groom. The highlight of this party was GREAT food. We turned it into a four course meal that included falafel and hummus…need I say more?
Now onto the more exciting wedding: Shailee Di! Shailee is Sneha’s first cousin on her mom’s side. Her mom’s side is super close so it makes for some exciting (and sometimes dramatic) events. The really great thing about these events is that I’ve really been accepted as part of the family, given little tasks to do to help out, and just be a part of everything. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how well I can explain all the events, but I’ll tell you more or less what I saw and who was there. Where to begin? Before the wedding there are lots of parties and preparation on both the groom’s and bride’s side. So on Shailee’s side we started off with receiving gifts from the groom’s side. These gifts are received but returned to the groom’s house later in the week (except for the perishables) with even more gifts. Next, was a very informal mehndi or henna party with all the ladies on the bride’s side. We all got beautiful designs all over our hands that will last about a week or more. That night we went to one of Shailee’s uncle’s house and had a very small dinner party with some of the closest cousin’s and friends. The food was absolutely delicious especially with fresh sushi! A few days later the engagement took place between 2 and 5AM, which I definitely slept through. The next morning the groom came to get the bride at the Army Club. There were lots of traditions and pujas for the bride, groom, and family to complete so it lasted all morning and afternoon. One of the traditions is for the bride’s family (especially the girls) to hide the groom’s shoes and then bargain a price with the groom to get them back. That happened on this day too while Shailee was accepting gifts from family and friends. The day ended with the bride and groom getting into a horse drawn carriage. The guests are supposed to start crying for the bride as she leaves and follow the carriage out onto the road. It was such a long, warm day, however, that there weren’t too many tears. Then that night we (some of the closest girl cousins and friends) went to visit Shailee at her new home, which is at her in-laws. It was a long and exhausting day. Other events of the wedding week is a party hosted by the groom’s family when all the gifts are returned and the final party where everyone attends, eats great food, drinks great drinks, and dances all night long. That’s this upcoming Saturday and I’m really excited to wear my second saree!
Now onto the more exciting wedding: Shailee Di! Shailee is Sneha’s first cousin on her mom’s side. Her mom’s side is super close so it makes for some exciting (and sometimes dramatic) events. The really great thing about these events is that I’ve really been accepted as part of the family, given little tasks to do to help out, and just be a part of everything. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how well I can explain all the events, but I’ll tell you more or less what I saw and who was there. Where to begin? Before the wedding there are lots of parties and preparation on both the groom’s and bride’s side. So on Shailee’s side we started off with receiving gifts from the groom’s side. These gifts are received but returned to the groom’s house later in the week (except for the perishables) with even more gifts. Next, was a very informal mehndi or henna party with all the ladies on the bride’s side. We all got beautiful designs all over our hands that will last about a week or more. That night we went to one of Shailee’s uncle’s house and had a very small dinner party with some of the closest cousin’s and friends. The food was absolutely delicious especially with fresh sushi! A few days later the engagement took place between 2 and 5AM, which I definitely slept through. The next morning the groom came to get the bride at the Army Club. There were lots of traditions and pujas for the bride, groom, and family to complete so it lasted all morning and afternoon. One of the traditions is for the bride’s family (especially the girls) to hide the groom’s shoes and then bargain a price with the groom to get them back. That happened on this day too while Shailee was accepting gifts from family and friends. The day ended with the bride and groom getting into a horse drawn carriage. The guests are supposed to start crying for the bride as she leaves and follow the carriage out onto the road. It was such a long, warm day, however, that there weren’t too many tears. Then that night we (some of the closest girl cousins and friends) went to visit Shailee at her new home, which is at her in-laws. It was a long and exhausting day. Other events of the wedding week is a party hosted by the groom’s family when all the gifts are returned and the final party where everyone attends, eats great food, drinks great drinks, and dances all night long. That’s this upcoming Saturday and I’m really excited to wear my second saree!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)