The title means “difficult work,” which is the exactly correct descriptor for how this teaching job seems it’s going to be. Tomorrow is the first session in the first school, and I am apprehensive. I know that teaching is difficult in any language, but for me teaching in Hindi will almost be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. It’s not that I didn’t practice- I do it sometimes in my sleep- but I don’t know what to expect from the students and the schools. Will they even understand some of what I’m trying to say?
Luckily, my grandma and this other “educated boy” coming along with us may be able to help. The boy knows Hindi and English, and my grandma sometimes understands my broken attempts at Hindi. However, it seems like my grandma is too busy here for me to ask her to listen to my entire presentation, though I’ll ask to present to her later. This is slightly harder than I thought it would be, mostly because as the time to teach nears, I begin fearing the unknown in regards to how I will be received in the schools. I actually get very frustrated when people don’t understand me here, because most of the time I sound fine to myself. I’ll just have to deal with it, jump in, then asses the waters.
In other news, it’s pretty cold here right now because the rain magically arrived with me so it feels awesome. I like this village, with its open air, fresh food, and the cute kittens that follow my grandma around. So I’ll be fine, after I do this thing tomorrow.
Gold Award: Spreading the CPR 