Malaii Khusi Laagyo - I am feeling happy

Our latest arrivals, the adventure group, pose with Chet after a lesson.

Guru Chet's enthusiasm makes speaking Nepali fun.

“Cha chha Ja Jha Ta Tha Da Dha” the nuances of the Nepali alphabet feel more than just a little foreign on my tongue. In fact, it feels like my mouth just doesn’t have the right muscles to sound like a local.

It’s too bad because our teacher, Guru Chet is the kind of educator that you want to excel for. He is a slim man who wears the traditional Nepali hat and, despite teaching for a long time, he goes over simple phrases with an enthusiasm that makes you feel like you’re his first or perhaps his favorite pupil.

As part of their orientation into Nepal, volunteers get two, one-hour sessions with Chet where he focuses on speaking skills. By the end of most volunteer’s first class they can tell and ask a Nepali stranger their name and where they are from with confidence. By the end of the second Nepali lesson, volunteers have a good foundation to start learning more from their host families and also from the children at our project sites.

Malaii Khusi Laagyo - I am feeling happy