It was an emotional farewell at Aamaghar Pathshala. The past two months at Aamaghar as a subject specialist in art education, has been such a great experience. I feel so fortunate for having this opportunity to exchange experiences and knowledge about creativity in teaching. The letter of appreciation shows the value of this exchange and the work I was able to do.

On the last day of the school year, I was supposed to say goodbye to the children and the staff. But that farewell almost fell apart. I had already seen children sitting on the school bus, so I quickly went to find the principal to stop it. She had apparently been so busy preparing my farewell with the staff that she had completely forgotten. So all the children got off the bus again and gathered in the schoolyard.

I had prepared a short farewell speech in Nepali, but I could already see some children looking at each other in confusion. My pronunciation was, of course, terrible, so the teachers kindly repeated it more clearly. Well, let’s just say I did my best. Besides the lollipops, pencils or pens for all 230 children, and the two murals, I hope I also left behind some inspiration and a new way of seeing and learning. Time will tell.

The farewell with the teachers and the management team had been secretly prepared in the kindergarten playground, out of my sight. I think the photos show how warm and emotional it was. Notice my red nose… I couldn’t hold back my tears, and several others were crying along with me.

I had also prepared something for the teachers and the management team: a card with a portrait and a personal message. After the farewell at school, I was also treated to dinner in Pokhara.

The warm relationship I built with the teachers is clear from their invitations to visit their homes and the kind messages I received on WhatsApp. After the farewell, I had planned to go trekking (see my previous blog), so I didn’t have much time to visit the teachers. But I had already promised Menika I would come by, and she had invited some other teachers as well.

Menika’s (in-law) family runs a homestay in Gharedi (Kalabang), in the hills beyond the school. From Saturday to Sunday, I stayed there with three other teachers: Devika, Urmila, and Punam. They were all a bit younger than me, but that didn’t matter at all. The youngest was 22 and the oldest 32. A nephew in Menika’s care, her son and Urmila’s daughter completed the group.

There was a BBQ (with chicken—lots of chicken), a “workshop” on how to make momos, we danced, and we played a card game where each round cost 5 rupees to join. It was annoying to keep losing, but when you win, you feel like Scrooge McDuck… so it’s quite addictive!

Tonight I’m celebrating the Nepali New Year (2083), and I’ll be heading to Kathmandu on Wednesday, April 15.