First Impressions of the College

I’ve just finished my fourth day at the college. The routine at the moment is for me to see my first student at 12:45, have lunch and then see another one or two after lunch. Given that this is a college that teaches the hospitality industry, lunch is no small affair. It is generally a three-course meal prepared by the students under the guidance of the school’s chef. We sit at tables draped in linen and are served by the students. It has the air of a school cafeteria combined with a 4-star restaurant, if you can imagine that. I typically eat with the CEO, Khem, who is a lovely man and very entertaining. He studied the hospitality industry in Switzerland and lived in Montreal for a few years before returning to Nepal to open the college. He frequently has other lunch guests who add to the experience. My biggest challenge is dragging myself away from the table to get back to work with the students before their classes start again at 2:20.

I have had my successes and failures with the students. I am doing my best to elicit as much information about them as I can, but this isn’t always easy. Some are very shy, a situation which I’m sure is exacerbated by the fact that I’m a Westerner and a stranger to them. When I ask them what skills or characteristics make them a good candidate for a job, I am greeted by a blank stare. I’m not sure how the logistics came about, but I came to realize that I saw the most “difficult” students right at the beginning. By difficult, I mean that they are somewhat more introverted and more prone to shyness. To their credit, these students recognize that they are better suited to work behind the scenes and most aspire to be chefs.

The first student who ran counter to this trend kind of surprised me, but I have since discovered that the shyer students are in the minority. In fact some of them are confident to the point that they’ll grab my computer as I’m typing and spin it around so they can see what I’m writing. They’ll then rattle off a list of their selling points so quickly and efficiently that I’m hard-pressed to keep up. It has become a real treat for me to meet each student and learn about their background and aspirations. Interestingly, most of them hope to do their internships abroad, and then bring their knowledge back to Nepal. They recognize how much this country is lacking in so many ways and they all seem genuinely driven to try to change that. It’s really quite moving.

I met with one young man today who was particularly impressive. Not only did his resume indicate that he is self-motivated and willing to work his tail off, but he spoke with an earnestness that I hadn’t yet encountered. After we were fairly certain that I had captured all the salient details of his experience, skill set and goals, he asked me to stop typing and listen to him without taking notes. (I took this opportunity to teach him the term “off the record”.) He looked straight into my eyes as he told me about the hunger he has in his belly to succeed in this industry. He told me how much he wants to raise the standards in Nepal and how and he’ll do anything to make his dreams come true. He left me with no doubt that he will succeed. (This same guy also told me a story about how he trained himself to be fit to serve in the British army. He passed all the necessary tests and was accepted by the British. This is no small feat and something that is enormously respected here. Unfortunately, the Nepali in charge of organising his departure for the UK demanded a bribe that he was unable to pay, so he couldn’t go. There is just no end to the corruption here.)

As I left the college a couple of days ago, I stopped to look at the view before heading to the bus stop. The college is situated in a large old house on the northern edge of town. I’m guessing that 20 years ago it was sitting in farm land, but the city is spreading like wildfire and it is now very much in suburbia and surrounded by apartment blocks. On the next hill to the north, a Buddhist monastery sits in relative isolation, immune to the urban sprawl. As I looked at the prayer flags flapping in the afternoon breeze, I was reminded of why I love this place. I think that visiting a place and living in it are two different things, and I had lost site of the Nepal that I lovde as a tourist. So when I got home, I changed into more comfortable clothes, and became a tourist in Kathmandu. I had a lovely time exploring spots that I pass by regularly but had stopped seeing. In keeping with my tourist status, I stayed out a bit later than I would normally on a “school night” but I had a great time and rekindled my love affair with Nepal.

More and more students are recognising me and as I walk through the campus I’m greet by choruses of “Good Afternoon Ma’am”. I am started to get used to the very frequent “ma’am”s (which are used at the end of every sentence uttered to me) but the students’ politeness and formality is a bit disarming. It should be noted that some of my greatest perceived assets to the students are my table manners. Given that they all likely grew up without utensils in their homes, this is a difficult lesson for them to learn. Apparently I’m setting a good example - thanks Mom and Dad.

As I left the school today, I stopped once again to look over at the monastery bathed in afternoon sunshine on the next hilltop. I realised how good I felt to be there, not just in Nepal, but at the college. I felt like I was doing something worthwhile for the first time in I don’t know how many years. I know it’s a small project, but I actually felt like I was making a positive contribution to someone’s life. These amazing young people all have so much hope that it’s impossible not to be swept up in their enthusiasm.

If anyone's interested, the college's website is www.gate.edu.np