I have had some very interesting cultural experiences while working in the ESL classroom. They range from daily encounters that leave me baffled to larger situations that have me intrigued.
One daily cultural difference I constantly struggle with is the Nepali action of agreeing. In Nepal, yes is pronounced ‘uh’ and, instead of nodding their heads affirmatively like we do in Canada, they tilt their heads to the side. This action, combined with the ‘uh’ sound, is STRIKINGLY similar to the response you would get from an entirely apathetic and even defiant Canadian student. I have been in this program almost two months and it still throws me off when I will ask a student to do something and they will respond by throwing their heads to the side and saying ‘uh’. Every time I start getting frustrated in a what-did-you-just-say-to-me response, then I clue in just in time that they are in fact agreeing to do what I have said, not responding with disgust and apathy.
One specific, unique experience I encountered was when we went hiking in Waterton National Park. We warned the students many times that it would be cold that and we would be hiking, so dress and pack appropriately. When the students arrived at the school the day of the field trip, most were wearing some combination of tight shorts or sandals. One student was carrying a two foot wide bowl on her head and proceeded to carry it (or make one of the boys carry it) the entirety of the hike. As we walked, the student in front of me pulled out two 4L bottles of Pepsi—the entire contents of her hiking backpack—and drank as she walked. The most impressive feat was when we sat down for our mid-day lunch. We had arrived at a bit of a clearing so we sat down and pulled out the sandwiches and fruit that we had packed the night before. At least, the teachers did. The students began pulling different ingredients out of their backpacks. Each had a different raw ingredient that I’m still unsure whether they had previously communicated to bring or not. Regardless, they threw a garbage bag down on the path and started dumping the different ingredients on top of the bag. There was no particular system—each ingredient (like a coke bottle filled with vegetable oil) as added completely subjectively to the contributor’s discretion and everyone worked at the same time. Considering how ill-prepared they had appeared to be for this hike, the effortlessness in which they threw together this built-from-scratch meal was really quite impressive. Within ten minutes they had chocputi, a popular Nepali dish made up of a puffed wheat and different spices. Everyone partook and there was more than enough to go around, even after sharing with all of the teachers. At the end of the meal they cleaned everything up, put the leftover ingredients back in their backpack, and carried on. If you looked back at the small spot on the path, you would never be able to guess that it had been a fully-functioning kitchen only minutes before.
There was also many small cultural things I discovered throughout the program, such as:
· Nepali girls only paint the fingernails on one hand because the other hand is used for scooping food.
· Every Nepali child, boy or girl, has their ears pierced at birth.
· Physical boundaries, specifically between same genders, is much less of a fauxpaux than it is in Canada.
· The effects of the caste system are still present, though thankfully lessened due to their young age.
· Paper is not just for writing. It is mostly used as a plate or as a towel to dry off a utensil that was washed in the drinking fountain.
These unique moments made working in this classroom such a cool cultural experience.
One daily cultural difference I constantly struggle with is the Nepali action of agreeing. In Nepal, yes is pronounced ‘uh’ and, instead of nodding their heads affirmatively like we do in Canada, they tilt their heads to the side. This action, combined with the ‘uh’ sound, is STRIKINGLY similar to the response you would get from an entirely apathetic and even defiant Canadian student. I have been in this program almost two months and it still throws me off when I will ask a student to do something and they will respond by throwing their heads to the side and saying ‘uh’. Every time I start getting frustrated in a what-did-you-just-say-to-me response, then I clue in just in time that they are in fact agreeing to do what I have said, not responding with disgust and apathy.
One specific, unique experience I encountered was when we went hiking in Waterton National Park. We warned the students many times that it would be cold that and we would be hiking, so dress and pack appropriately. When the students arrived at the school the day of the field trip, most were wearing some combination of tight shorts or sandals. One student was carrying a two foot wide bowl on her head and proceeded to carry it (or make one of the boys carry it) the entirety of the hike. As we walked, the student in front of me pulled out two 4L bottles of Pepsi—the entire contents of her hiking backpack—and drank as she walked. The most impressive feat was when we sat down for our mid-day lunch. We had arrived at a bit of a clearing so we sat down and pulled out the sandwiches and fruit that we had packed the night before. At least, the teachers did. The students began pulling different ingredients out of their backpacks. Each had a different raw ingredient that I’m still unsure whether they had previously communicated to bring or not. Regardless, they threw a garbage bag down on the path and started dumping the different ingredients on top of the bag. There was no particular system—each ingredient (like a coke bottle filled with vegetable oil) as added completely subjectively to the contributor’s discretion and everyone worked at the same time. Considering how ill-prepared they had appeared to be for this hike, the effortlessness in which they threw together this built-from-scratch meal was really quite impressive. Within ten minutes they had chocputi, a popular Nepali dish made up of a puffed wheat and different spices. Everyone partook and there was more than enough to go around, even after sharing with all of the teachers. At the end of the meal they cleaned everything up, put the leftover ingredients back in their backpack, and carried on. If you looked back at the small spot on the path, you would never be able to guess that it had been a fully-functioning kitchen only minutes before.
There was also many small cultural things I discovered throughout the program, such as:
· Nepali girls only paint the fingernails on one hand because the other hand is used for scooping food.
· Every Nepali child, boy or girl, has their ears pierced at birth.
· Physical boundaries, specifically between same genders, is much less of a fauxpaux than it is in Canada.
· The effects of the caste system are still present, though thankfully lessened due to their young age.
· Paper is not just for writing. It is mostly used as a plate or as a towel to dry off a utensil that was washed in the drinking fountain.
These unique moments made working in this classroom such a cool cultural experience.