My Movements Around the Globe
A reproduction of a page from my old homepage. Revamping the homepage, I eliminated this and many other pages but decided to kind of "archive" them by reproducing them here.
Background: The Original “About Me” Page
A reproduction of a page from my original homepage that is no longer to be found there as, in revamping it, I eliminated many pages. It's what would have been referred to the "About Me" page. It was last revised and updated around 2006 it seem!
NASS: If I Did…Why Not You?
On December 30, 2019, I made a presentation at a school to about 60 people. I shared my journey from Nepal starting as someone our society had written off as a nobody and wouldn't amount to much to becoming the person I am today -- a human being first -- and some of the most important life lessons I have learned. The reason for doing so? To inspire children to dream big and to reach for that which they have been told they can't or shouldn't, or to become that which they have been told they can't.
Grinnell Alumni Award: Citation
Last June, at my class' 25th reunion, Grinnell College, my Alma Mater, gave me an Alumni Award. I wasn't able to go to receive in person as the US Embassy in Kathmandu turned down my application for a travel visa. Reproduced here are two photos and the citation.
A Ghost of Qatar
Following a traffic accident, when the other party, unable to get their way, though they were at fault, lodged a "case" against me with the police. When I was told that, I was scared. I didn't know that the trauma of incarceration in Qatar had also engendered another feeling: fear of police cases and the the police.
Qatar…From Afar: “I’m sorry about what I did to you”
A few heart-warming messages from Qatar Academy and a very surprising communication from the student whose father got me fired from my job and incarcerated.
The Elephant in The Room
Nepali society struggles to make social progress for a number of different reasons. One of the reasons is that we have a number of social stigmas and many subjects and issues are taboo. In other words, most Nepalis live in denial of many issues plaguing the society. Here are a number of those stigmas and taboo subjects.
The first step to addressing them is to admit to the fact that they are issues. Then we can have honest conversations and discourses about them and find solutions for them.
Nepal Education: Our Textbooks Hinder Learning!
Pretty much every Nepali school textbook I have seen and read about, I have decided, actually hinders children's learning, forget promote -- and contribute to -- them! In this blog post, I show how a fifth grade textbook completely misses the mark.
The solution? Do away with the local and national level examinations in grades 8 and 10 and eliminate textbooks.
A Former Student: “I would not have been here if not for you.”
Children want to impress and please adults they look up to, whether the adults are family members, teachers, or members of their local community. As a teacher, if you have high expectations of your students, by and large, they will do everything they can to meet those expectations, partly to impress and please you.
This is a very feel-good story of a former student of mine who, as a HL IB Chemistry student, rose up to meet my expectations, succeeded AND went on to do a PhD in Chemistry at Oxford in the UK.
Post-secondary Education: Here’s One of The Major Ways We Fail Our Students
A glimpse into post-secondary school education in the country through a student's notebook and an examination paper. The two make very little sense. But that's post-secondary education in Nepal for you. No wonder we fail a vast majority of our students.