Dipping My Toe in the Pool

I’m not sure if I have previously mentioned a woman named Deborah. She is American and I was introduced to her virtually via a contact at home. We have met several times and I enjoy her company enormously. She is working on building a business here, and in her spare time she teaches at a small college in the outskirts of the city. It specialises in hospitality services and the students are learning all aspects of the business in the hopes of finding work either in Nepal or abroad. Deborah has been really persuasive in getting me involved in the college. I had my first meeting there this week and am now working on a small project helping the students with their resumés. I have done my preliminary editing work on them and will begin one-on-one meetings with the students tomorrow, to elicit further information which can be used to help them sell themselves to potential employers.

I have asked not to be paid for this project as it is very short term and I’m not doing anything else anyway. Frankly, I wasn’t sure what I could contribute to the project and I felt guilty taking money for inferior work. I mean, what could a telecommunications consultant possibly offer students in the hospitality industry? After my initial meeting with the college administrator and having read the resumés as they exist today, my confidence is definitely building. I had heard horror stories from volunteers about how poorly run organisations in Nepal are, but it was an eye-opener to see it first hand. To their credit, they are just doing what they know and their culture is enormously different than what I’m accustomed to. I think that it will take a huge dose of patience to work within this environment, but my first contact with it has demonstrated how much I do have to offer. I am not someone who believes in forcing outside views, religion or culture on any society, but in this case, it really is a case of teaching skills and practices that will help them function more productively. In addition, these students are hoping to work abroad and if they’re going to be successful, they need to learn how to function in more productive environments. (Deborah taught a class in taking initiative the other day. I don’t think it was on the school’s curriculum but I’m sure it was one of the most valuable lessons they’ll learn all year.)

I have no idea if this project will lead to further work at the college, but Deborah would like to see me there full-time, and the college is in need of professional resources. There is also an affiliated program that uses the college’s facilities which is looking for an English teacher. The thought of teaching still scares the crap out of me, but at least these students are young adults and not children. Deborah has asked me to dress as formally as possible for my meetings with the students in an effort to introduce an intimidation factor and prepare them for interviews down the road. Little do they know that I’m far more intimidated by them than they are by me.

So tomorrow is my big day. I’ll be meeting with the students during their lunch breaks all week, and will see as many as I can fit into each day. Wish me luck!