Last week we welcomed 3 young Australians to Riviera International Academy, our
model school in Kathmandu. Indigo, Francesca and Patrick are all from Sydney and are travelling together after recently completing the HSC (final school exams before university). They will be working as volunteers with the teachers and students at Riviera for 2 weeks. We have had previous volunteer programs at the school and the kids absolutely love the novelty of interacting with foreigners in their classes.
Monday saw the volunteers start their work in the kindergarten section of the school. This can be the most fun but also the scariest place to start. With kids as young as 3 years old running around screaming, singing, shouting and delirious with excitement it takes a lot of courage to enter the fray. Nonetheless our volunteers were fearless and soon had their respective classes singing together, reading stories and doing some art and craft work. Some amazing classroom decorations and posters were the result!
Later in the week Indi, Fran and Pat moved on to classes 1 to 4 and after surviving their baptism of fire they found this much easier. Much of the challenge of course is that the very young kids do not yet understand much English - one of the reasons that contact with native speakers is so valuable for them. But in moving to the older classes the volunteers were able to do much more conversation work and help the students with all aspects of their studies. When we returned to the school on Friday afternoon it was extra-curricular activity time and all 3 volunteers were involved in intense games of badminton and skipping. They had settled in very well and the kids clearly loved having them there!
Saturday was a particularly exciting day at the school for 2 reasons: firstly it was the day in which offerings were made to Saraswati - goddess of education, and secondly it was report card day - the kids find out how they went in their 2nd term exams. This was a wonderful event for the volunteers to witness as it was a real insight into the culture and religion of Nepal as it is played out in daily life.
Bec and I left Nepal on Sunday but we have left Indi, Fran and Pat in the very capable hands of our family at Riviera and I am sure they will continue to have an amazing time in their second week there. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for volunteering to work with Mitrataa - their time and energy will benefit the school enormously. If anyone else is interested in volunteering we would love to hear from you. Email me at
adam@mitrataa.org.
Last week we welcomed 3 young Australians to Riviera International Academy, our model school in Kathmandu. Indigo, Francesca and Patrick are all from Sydney and are travelling together after recently completing the HSC (final school exams before university). They will be working as volunteers with the teachers and students at Riviera for 2 weeks. We have had previous volunteer programs at the school and the kids absolutely love the novelty of interacting with foreigners in their classes.
Monday saw the volunteers start their work in the kindergarten section of the school. This can be the most fun but also the scariest place to start. With kids as young as 3 years old running around screaming, singing, shouting and delirious with excitement it takes a lot of courage to enter the fray. Nonetheless our volunteers were fearless and soon had their respective classes singing together, reading stories and doing some art and craft work. Some amazing classroom decorations and posters were the result!
Later in the week Indi, Fran and Pat moved on to classes 1 to 4 and after surviving their baptism of fire they found this much easier. Much of the challenge of course is that the very young kids do not yet understand much English - one of the reasons that contact with native speakers is so valuable for them. But in moving to the older classes the volunteers were able to do much more conversation work and help the students with all aspects of their studies. When we returned to the school on Friday afternoon it was extra-curricular activity time and all 3 volunteers were involved in intense games of badminton and skipping. They had settled in very well and the kids clearly loved having them there!
Saturday was a particularly exciting day at the school for 2 reasons: firstly it was the day in which offerings were made to Saraswati - goddess of education, and secondly it was report card day - the kids find out how they went in their 2nd term exams. This was a wonderful event for the volunteers to witness as it was a real insight into the culture and religion of Nepal as it is played out in daily life.
Bec and I left Nepal on Sunday but we have left Indi, Fran and Pat in the very capable hands of our family at Riviera and I am sure they will continue to have an amazing time in their second week there. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for volunteering to work with Mitrataa - their time and energy will benefit the school enormously. If anyone else is interested in volunteering we would love to hear from you. Email me at adam@mitrataa.org.
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