Joining Hands Nepal
A Family Orphan HomeArchive for school
James the German
Quite a funny story came our way today from the children about some humorous happenings at school. Apparently, James, one of our youngest, enjoys very much to speak what little English he knows all the time around school to everyone, including teachers and older children. Now you should know, James is 6 years old and is in class LKG (the classes here go Nursery, LKG, UKG, then 1st grade), so no other child in his class speaks much English except to repeat the teacher, but here is James going around speaking English everywhere. Well, it so happens that the teacher of younger classes usually are the weakest in English, because it is not required of them to speak much English. That is how it came to be that James’ own teacher approached one of our older children and asked if James grew up in a foreign country somewhere because he speaks English so much. Can I stress again that James is 6 years old and in the second lowest class in the Nepali education system? And that he spoke basically no English before coming to stay with us? Well, needless to say, James has become class leader and is scheduled to sing an English song at the upcoming school performance for the big festival Dashain. And one last bit of humor from this whole story: after James heard that his teacher asked his brother if he grew up in a foreign country, if you ask James where he is from, he will happily reply “I am from Germany”.
School Entrance Exams
Today the children will visit their new school, Arundaya Secondary English School, for the first time. The younger children will check out their classrooms and the schoolyard, while the older children will take entrance exams to test their knowledge and determine their class placement within the school. Some of the children are coming from government schools, where only one class a day is taught in English, to this new boarding school, where all classes except one are taught in English. This means those children may have to drop back a year or two to catch up in their English reading and writing, but it will be to their great benefit and the long run, and it is not an uncommon phenomenon in English boarding schools here in Nepal. The children who must take entrance exams are feeling nervous, because they are used to taking exams where they have been given a clear indication of what material will be covered in advance. We are confident that they will do well, however, and each will find their proper level in the school so they can advance comfortably moving forward. It is an exciting day, and despite the nervousness, all the children seem eager to start the new school year and mark a new beginning.
Welcome Home Children of Joining Hands Nepal!
It is with great joy in our hearts that we proudly announce the arrival of our first 3 children to the orphan home in Panauti today! It has been a long journey, and we are so grateful to everyone who has supported us, sent us your love, and kept us in your thoughts during this start-up process. Lhasang, Padma, and Balaram have safely arrived in their new home. It is sure to be a big adjustment for them, coming from small villages with few facilities or people, but with the proper love and care, we are confident they will feel right at home in no time. School will not start again for several weeks, so they have plenty of time to adjust to their new surroundings and their new family before undertaking the equally daunting task of entering a new, English-medium boarding school. But that is for another day, for today we celebrate their arrival and look forward to getting them settled and filling their little lives with health and happiness. Perhaps tomorrow they will be joined by their two other new siblings from Mustang. Photos coming soon!
Joining Hands Nepal 