More Drama with Students (Rocky Road Effects)
Well, once we had it all written on paper, the students which pleasantly surprised me, went over the contract line-by-line, scouring it, asking questions. What if you don’t find us a job, how can re-pay this amount working in Nepal?
We changed a few things, like adding a fee, if they are kicked out or quit the program, they repay what classes they attended. It’s a lot different for them knowing they have to re-pay a loan, and then another thing seeing it written down on paper.
One of the students thought that she had to pay if she failed a test, and I said, no, if you fail the whole program. We had a good, releasing laugh about that one!
Then they took the contracts home to their parents made sure they were cool with the terms and everyone came back. Temporarily.
One student, whose Aunt is has a beauty salon and does Thai massage, told him he couldn’t attend because there was no way he could re-pay the loan if he was employed domestically. We invited this woman to the first orientation meeting we had with potential students and she told them the benefits of massage, her experience working in this industry in Kathmandu and encouraged people to join our program because they are truly interested in learning massage, not because of the opportunity to potentially work abroad or for the money.
I know it’s high loan to re-pay for Kathmandu standards, but it was such a difference from the amount that they had to re-pay if they work abroad. I argued that then they wouldn’t want to work abroad, if they had to pay such a high amount, compared to a small amount to re-pay working if we found them a job in Nepal.
So, he said, he couldn’t sign it, and that his Aunt wanted to speak to Rob. Though I was a bit confused because she is not in this training, but I understood because family makes the decision, not the young offspring. So I talked to her, and she he could not repay that if he worked in Nepal, when they only earn a certain amount a month. And she was so focused on him working in Nepal, not working abroad. She tried to argue that finding a job abroad is not guaranteed. And I said, no, but it’s highly likely, I should’ve told her that our focus is for them to work abroad, but I just listening to her focus on him working here.
BACK STORY, cause there always is!
We see quite often a good friend of his Aunt. She was mad at his Aunt, because two women that worked in his Aunt’s salon and massage center, wanted to join our training, and they are from Dalit communities. However, she didn’t want to lose more employees and didn’t let them attend the training. They both quit their jobs I think a month ago.
Well, tranquility school hired one of them, and I’m a little confused because she is now one of the trainers. I just found this out Monday, yesterday. She’s been there for maybe a week or so I don’t remember when she started. I didn’t go to work for a few days last week because Rob was sick and I was keeping him company. And somehow I was talking to Hem yesterday and he told me that the new girl that just started working there is the one that quit working for his Aunt.
She has this power over these young women because they are living with her. She wanted her nephew and her other employee, that is now our female student to take our training and continue to work in her place, this is what Hem and Bhuwan suspected in the beginning. END OF BACK STORY
Well, I told her that it was possible to repay the loan and she said that she was sorry but he will not continue with the training and I said okay.
Her nephew said he would talk to his Aunt because he really wants to learn. He was telling Hem that he couldn’t go against his Aunt because she is taking care of him, he works for her, and she gives him room and board and some pocket money. His Aunt told me over the phone that day that she takes care of him, and sends money to his parents (they live far from Kathmandu). Basically, the deal is that she has no plans for him to leave Nepal, she wants to keep him at her salon because she doesn’t have to pay him the full amount, only giving him pocket money and gives whatever amount that is left to his parents. It’s not a good situation for him or his family, she benefits she gets cheap labor.
It was unfortunate to not have him in the program, but we can only do so much.
Then, the next day his friend, our lone female student has a problem. Her family won’t allow her to come to the training because they are afraid she won’t be able to re-pay the loan if employed in Nepal. She said that his Aunt went over to her house and talked shit about us to them, and convinced them that she(our student) would not be able to re-pay the loan when working in Nepal.
So, Hem translated her story, and she wanted to tell me in person and she didn’t know what to do. I felt like, well, what can I do, how far do I need to go, sleep at her house to convince her mom to continue with the training? He said he would talk to her mom and would we be willing to do the same. I said sure. He told our female student that she is the one learning and not her family, and since she is the one taking this training, it’s her decision and to tell her family that. He told her she is a good therapist, learns very easily and since she is truly into it, she should finish it.
We told to her to call Rob later and have her mom speak to him. She doesn’t speak English so I couldn’t talk to her family in Nepali, Rob would have to do it.
I noticed that another student was missing, and she said he wasn’t returning. I thought to myself “Oh well, that is their choice, and our loss, we have learned from all of this.”
Our blind student, since his corneal transplant, a couple of weeks before, had to stop coming based on his doctor’s advice. But that was fine since he had missed so many classes, I wanted to talk to him and tell him to take the next training. So from 12 we were down to potentially 8.
So, her mom never called Rob, and the next day she was there, in her work clothes. And I asked her if everything was okay, and she said, yes. I was really happy that it worked out for her and gave her a loving pat on her arm.
Then our other student, whose Aunt refused him the education, called and asked if he was interested, could he re-join, and I said, yes, of course! I told him we missed him and that he is a good therapist and he should come. So, he came the next day, when I was absent. It was to see him, especially since he is really digging it.
Then the other student hadn’t returned to the training because of his hearing problem was another one that stuck in my mind. (I do not mention names because I want to keep their identities private).
So I didn’t enquire at first because I wanted to move on. I just accepted it and that was that. But it lingered, he is a good student, and gained so much confidence with the massage, I wanted to at least try to talk to him and see if we could inspire him to come back. I wanted to Rob to call him (again the language barrier, his English and my English are not the same language, especially over the phone). I asked his really good friend that is in the training why he stopped coming. I mean, he was there when we all went over the contract which, having discussion for almost three days. So the friend told me it was because he would get frustrated and fall behind because he couldn’t hear, and felt like there was no use in continuing because of that.
He spoke to us and Tranquility school in the beginning about his ear, he has a deformed ear and cannot hear out of it, and is self-conscious of it. I wrote about it him in one of my entries. It’s up to him to speak up, and let us know that he cannot hear. This is one of his insecurities, which overcame him, unfortunately.
I would tell him something in class or ask him a question, and he wouldn’t hear me, I thought it was because he couldn’t understand me and just didn’t want to answer me. I completely forgot he was deaf in one ear!
Well, apparently since he left the training, and I think he’s been absent for the past two weeks, he had been calling Rob. I think he had the wrong number because his hotel revamped their phone system and the number that I used, and that everyone else must’ve used as well, just rings no one picks up. So he couldn’t get through. We didn’t know this, we only found this out because I kept reminding Rob to please call him after I found out why he wasn’t coming to class anymore. When Rob spoke to him, he told him that he had called so many times and couldn’t get a hold of him. Either it’s the staff that is historically known to be rude and not take messages or the number was bunk.
And not to sound like a cheesy Bollywood or Hollywood ending, but since last Sunday, he has returned and is so much more confident and brighter, I am just amazed. I am so happy and proud of him for returning and overcoming his insecurity. He said he was getting more confident and he wanted to come back but he couldn’t get a hold of Rob. I told him the hotel staff is not professional so Rob never got his message(s). We now have ten people, a good core of students that will make great therapists and be a value to any staff!
All is well in the mystical land of Himalayan Healers. What a ride…and it’s only the beginning….
Tags: contracts, Kathmandu Work, micro-loans, Nepal, non-profit issues, rocky road, Travel
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