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REBECCA - UK
Our first
bus journey to Chitwan - thinking that because it was
raining we wouldn't be traveling the next day, everybody
went and drank instead of sleeping, leading to an
interesting bus journey the next morning. Travelling along
the non-existent road to Mugling and the equally poor road
to Narayanghat.
Having to shower between two cows because it was raining. Bugs: be they mosquitos, stinging ants, lizards running around in your underwear or spiders urinating in Jeroen's eye whilst he was asleep (yes, really). Bringing a fellow volunteer to my house having told him that my house was very calm and quite, only to find a saddhu sitting by the door, wearing a Father Christmas hat and a loudspeaker, smoking merrily away on his pipe of hashish (holy men can smoke it in Nepal) Jeroen having to drain an abscess on Lindsie's foot on the day of a strike as he couldn't get any anesthetic for her. And having my hand crushed by Lindsie as he stuck the needle in. Jeroen being chosen by his family to sacrifice the goat for Dashain. The volunteers' trip to Sauraha in the Chitwan National Park - getting a free taxi due to greedy hotel touts, walking in the jungle, beginning the walk by counting how many leeches people had and ending the walk having pulled a couple of hundred off ourselves in total, going on an elephant safari and seeing rhinos, cocktails on the beach at sunset. Tihar - overdosing on sel roti, dogs running around with tika and flowers around their necks. Being woken up late at night by 70 people from another village who wanted me to dance for them, having students come to my house to sing & dance for me Lumbini - being told it was a 3 hour journey but actually taking 6 hours to get there, staying in the Nepali monastery, meeting the Venerable Vindalarma who's mentioned in the Lonely Planet guidebook. Seeing the most peaceful place in Nepal. Buses to Kathmandu - sitting on the floor for 8 hours, squeezing along with 9 other people onto a seat designed for 5, spending hours queuing to get through the checkpoint into Kathmandu Valley. Nepali buses in general - 120 people, 1 goat, several chickens, 20 sacks of rice/potatoes, all fitting onto a bus designed for 50. Riding on the roof and ducking to avoid cables. Getting onto the wrong bus as kindly Nepali people mishear your destination. Jumping off said bus at high speed when you realize that you're on the wrong bus. Activities - going bungee jumping. Going rafting and falling in (Jens, where's your fork these days?). Going trekking and getting stuck in the snow at Annapurna Base Camp. Going paragliding (got your next paraglide planned yet Vish?). Going to the Tibetan/Chinese Border and having a huge group of Chinese police run over to take photos of themselves with the foreigner. Getting a shave and back massage Nepali style. Animals - seeing rhinos (being chased by rhinos), elephants, snakes, chameleons, frogs, crocodiles, monkeys galore, trekking with donkeys, being chased by water buffalo. Volunteer discounts - discovering there are 3 prices for everything in Nepal - Nepali people prices, tourist prices and cheaper volunteer prices. Getting to Kathmandu and thinking the email was slow, then going to Narayanghat and discovering what slow internet really meant. Returning to Kathmandu and thinking its internet access was incredibly fast. Parties - in Sitamai, as well as Ganganagar and Pokhara. Always finding an excuse to hold one. Leaving the village and being coated in tika and flower garlands. Realising 5 hours later that the flowers are full of ants and my neck is consequently covered in ant bites. Making so many new friends, both Nepali and other volunteers. Bungee Jumping in Nepal: Rebecca Greenhalgh Whilst in Kathmandu renewing my visa, several other volunteers were also around - Jet, Loki, Jens (a new volunteer), Jet's friend Joel and Loki's friend Jenny. Jet and Loki wanted to take their friends around Kathmandu, leading to the suggestion that they hire a couple of motorbikes to get around the Valley quicker. That soon expanded into all 6 of us, plus Asim and Rabyn from INFO, on 4 motorbikes. The original plan was (from memory) to visit the temples in the valley, but since somebody had read about a bungee jump just outside the Kathmandu Valley, we decided to go and look at the jump first. Heading out of Kathmandu we went over Dhulikel mountain, beyond which the bungee jump could supposedly be found. There then followed a series of villages in which each village told us the bungee jump was a little further down the road. Eventually, 3 hours further down the road, we found the bungee jump. Instead of being just outside Kathmandu, it was actually 14km from the Tibetan border (moral of the story: never trust guidebooks). The bungee jump is situated on a narrow metal suspension bridge across a deep river gorge, 160 m high. Going across the bridge to enquire about prices, we were told that it was $65 per person. Given that I've always been afraid of bungee jumping and that this is one of the highest jumps around, I was surprised to find myself actually getting upset that I couldn't afford to jump. The man in charge of the jump seemed to share my pain because, being asked about discounts for volunteers, he said that he wanted to help volunteers have an enjoyable time in Nepal and he could see that I couldn't afford the price. As a result he said, if all of us (initially 6 volunteers, but then Asim decided he had to jump as well) were to jump he would let us jump for $50 each. At which point it's very hard to back out even if I had never intended to do a jump, as without me everyone else pays more. Soon enough I was signing my life away on the bungee waiver form, joking with Jenny that it would be ok - we girls could jump first and then the nerves wouldn't set in. The only problem with that plan, I soon found, was that we had little choice about jump order. Heaviest first, lightest last. Jenny and I were the lightest. So we'd have to watch all 5 men jump and keep our nerve enough to still jump ourselves. Great. Finally there was only Jenny and I on the bridge, then Jenny was gone and I had to keep my brain unaware of what I was going to do for long enough to get to the edge of the bridge and jump. I just made it - as the jump master was counting from 5 to 1, I started to question exactly why I was about to launch myself off a very high bridge with only a piece of elastic around my ankles. Jumping was the only way to stop myself completing that thought, so I jumped. And it was absolutely fantastic. Not quite so fantastic was the hike back up the gorge at the end. Especially with asthma. Once at the top, we saw a video of our jumps, but then had to rush off as a checkpoint on our route back would close at 8pm and we needed to get back to Kathmandu that evening. Racing along the twisting narrow mountain roads, we dared to think we might make it back, until Joel's hire bike blew a tire. The only solution was to put an extra person onto Jet's hire bike and let Joel drive the bike to the next village for repairs. However, that plan was soon plunged into chaos, as Jet's bike decided to join the action and promptly lost a brake. Somehow we made it to a village and got the bikes repaired, but then we really were racing against time to get through the checkpoint. We carried on speeding through the darkness, got to the checkpoint, only to find that it was closed. The soldiers were on no account prepared to let us through, so we had to go back and spend the night in a Nepali hotel. We ended up having a fantastic evening - great DAL BHAT, countless bottles of Virgin whisky, singing and dancing to Nepali songs. Bungee jumping will stick in my mind for years to come - it just goes to show that doing things without a plan in Nepal often ends up giving you the most unforgettable experiences.
MIKE AND ANNA - UK Well here we are back in Kathmandu nearing the end of our two months with Info Nepal. It has been a fantastic experience. Arrival We arrived at the end of July and soon started on our training program which lasted for ten days. It started off with language lessons with Krishna (a great teacher) and various outings in and around Kathmandu. We are both teachers in the UK so it was a nice change being pupils again. As well as seeing the famous sites (Pashupatinath, Swayambhu etc) we also did some more unusual things – swimming in the river above Budhanilkhanta and eating samosas in the pouring monsoon rain will always stand out. Sanga Our first placement was in the village of Sanga on the edge of the Kathmandu valley. This was a three day training placement and we were to each stay with a Nepali family. Facilities were much more basic than in Kathmandu but we found it easy enough to adjust. Washing at the “dhunge dhara “(stone tap) was an experience and we had never had such a scenic walk to the bathroom! As well as continuing with language lessons we did a lot of walking in the local area, visiting Panauti and Dhulikel. Each evening we would return for dal bhat (a lot of it!) and attempted to communicate with our families. It was difficult to understand and speak Nepali, but after only three days it started to get easier. Thulo Bharkhu Our main placement was in a small village called Thulo Bharkhu, located in the Langtang National Park. Although not far from Kathmandu as the crow flies, it was a ten hour bus journey. We spent most of it on the roof - great views, more room and less smelly! At one point the road had been damaged by a landslide, and we had to hike between buses. Thulo Bharkhu is situated on the side of a steep valley, with the river far below. The views are breathtaking with many waterfalls plummeting down the valley sides. Whilst staying in the village we helped to set up a children’s library and also taught at the local primary school. The library was just an empty room when we arrived but is now a popular place for learning and meeting. The children really appreciate it and find so much pleasure in learning English, reading the books and playing simple games. Teaching at the school was fun too. Back in England we have so many teaching resources, however, in Thulo Bahrkhu it was back to basics. Despite this, the children were well behaved and eager to learn. Our host family was very friendly and we soon got used to eating dal bhat twice a day. At first we showered at a local tap, but later constructed a dam below a nearby waterfall, out of sight of prying eyes! The villagers in Thulo Bharkhu were very friendly and welcoming. By the time we left we had been accepted as locals. We had also been introduced to the local wine, raksi, and beer, chiang. In fact, both were brewed by our host family. As our placement was in the Langtang National Park, we had plenty of opportunities to trek. Our first week coincided with the Janaipurnima festival in Gosainkund, a holy lake situated 2500m above Thulo Bharkhu. Many of the villagers, in fact most of them, trekked up to Gosainkund. We joined the party. They sang and danced up to the top, and we did our best to keep up with them. It was a difficult trek, but worth it for the cultural experience. During our last week we trekked up the Langtang valley. The monsoon rains had now started to clear, and we therefore experienced some magnificent views. During this trek we had the opportunity to speak Nepali with the locals and this worked to our advantage when negotiating a price for rooms and food. By the time our placement had finished, our spoken Nepali had improved to the point where we could communicate most things we needed to. We left Thulo Bharkhu feeling sad to be leaving, and happy with what we had achieved.
TRACEY GODD – UK Well, I have finally come to the end of an exciting 2.5 months of volunteering and still have much more to do in Nepal! After an exciting New Years in Kathmandu, I happily returned to Thulo Barku and got stuck back into life in the library. We organized many competitions for the children to keep them occupied during the school holidays, these included: drawing, writing, running, colouring and alphabet tests. The children were very enthusiastic and really enjoyed themselves, it was great to see. Unfortunately my time in Thulo Barku soon came to an end, and I handed over control of the library to Pepe, who from day one was a great replacement for me. I will however, be returning to Thulo Barku for 1 month after my placement for trekking and to stay with my wonderful host family as I have now been accepted as one of the villagers. It has been one of the best and most rewarding experiences of my life. After leaving Thulo Barku, I spent several days in Kathmandu visiting the children at Happy Home an sorting myself out before my next placement. This placement was for 2 weeks at an orphanage home in Sauraha, Chitwan. I managed to get a direct bus to Sauraha where some children came to meet me with a banner that they had made; it made me feel very welcome! We then took a rickshaw to meet my host family, who made me feel welcome and special from the moment I walked through the door. After resting and getting to know my family, I went to meet the children at the orphanage home, which was only 10-15 minute walk or 5 min bicycle ride away. The home had 16 children ranging from 6-17 years of age. They were so happy to get another volunteer that I ended up staying with them until well after dhal bhat time. My typical day would be with the children from 7.30am to 9.30 am, and then from 4.30 -6.30pm. During that time I would help the kids with their homework and played some simple games, and also helped in the home in the kitchen, cleaning, and getting the younger kids dressed for school in the morning. We also spent some lovely evenings watching the sunset over the Rapati River. We spent our Saturdays and holidays swimming in the river and sightseeing around the area. The children were great guides and I was very happy to go along with them! At the end of my 2 weeks, I organized a picnic for the children at the elephant breeding center in Corsa. The picnic was wonderful. We spent a lovely day visiting the baby elephants, eating and playing by the river! Everyone was sad to go home at the end of the day. My time in Chitwan came to an end too quickly, and I was very sad to leave the children, however, I will be returning to Sauraha for 4 days for a safari before I go. I am sure that I will be seeing all my children and my host family soon. Now that my time of volunteering has come to an end, I will be returning to Thulo Barku for trekking and visiting my new friends. I am sure that everyone will give me a memorable birthday there! After going to Thulo Barku, I will spend some time going for a safari in Chitwan, and then to Pokhara to relax for one week before heading home in April.
ANNA – UK This year my birthday coincided with my placement in Thulo Bharkhu. The local people in the village were keen to celebrate this with me and we organised a party in the evening. After our library lesson we headed to the hotel Sherpa, owned by the parents of Sita and Sudip, two of our lovely students. After an initial setback (the village was experiencing one of their frequent power cuts), we finally arranged some music. Whilst our host family and some other villagers cooked food, the children in the village flooded to the hotel with flowers, and two also brought cucumbers for me. We ordered some raksi (local wine) and awaited our food. The food was delicious- we first started with a home made chocolate and raisin cake and apple pie, both exceptional, and then following this with some chicken curry. Some of the local people also gave me gifts including a beautiful belt made by one of the young ladies in the village. The rest of the night was spent dancing to both Nepali and English music. Many of the Nepali children now know how to dance to Madness! I was overwhelmed by the effort everyone had put in to make my birthday so special.
PAMELA - UK I have had an incredible time here in Nepal. The only thing I regret is having come for such a short time. Congratulations for the work you've done so far, INFO has a lot of possibilities in my opinion and hopefully it will continue to grow. I really cannot express how I felt about it all. I met wonderful people in my time here, and I hope we will keep in touch. Nepal is a great country and I hope I will be able to keep on contributing to your cause - education and cultural exchanges, because I believe this to be important, not only for Nepal, but also for Foreign Countries. As a volunteer here, I learnt so much. Nepali culture has some invaluable lessons to teach the "West" and the hearts of the Nepali people are examples of kindness and openness. During my time here a lot of events in the public Nepali environment took place giving me the opportunity to see the way Nepali people act as a society and within their society. The space is too short for me to write it all, and I also know that in the short time I was here, it was impossible for me to know much about the culture, because it is so rich. However, I can say that I will try to apply all that I have learnt about Nepali culture, which I find so valuable to my everyday life. The warmth, helpfulness and curiosity about other cultures that I found in Nepal is never going to leave me, it is really a great inspiration. So basically, I can only say I feel incredibly lucky to have had the experiences I've had here, these have really enriched my life and I hope that the friendships I have made here continue for many years, since working together, I believe we can continue to teach and learn from each other - for a better future for us all
DAN AND CHERYL We arrived at Kathmandu 1st Nov and stayed at the Happy Home orphanage with Asim (INFO boss) and his wife Namarata, their 2 boys and Rani and Dolma, from a Tibetan village, who have learnt Nepali in only 1 year with Namarata's teaching. The next day Nepali Language Classes started with an amazing teacher Krishna. She has known Asim for 10 years and has worked with INFO since it was established (2000). Our arrival in Kathmandu coincided with the 4 day celebration of Tihar Festival. At night all of the windows and balconies around Kathmandu were lit up with fairy lights, this is so the gods visiting during Tihar would be able to find their way. On the last day of Tihar (where the sisters pray for their brothers) Asim's family came to the happy home and we felt very lucky to be part of the celebrations, receiving tikas and garlands. Our mornings were taken up with Nepali language classes and some afternoons we were taken sight seeing by the cheeky chappy, Bicky (info coordinator). You could see why Kathmandu is called the city of temples-you could stumble across a temple every 20 mins of walking! Kathmandu is a very higgledy-piggledy place, with narrow roads and in some places car, motorbikes, bikes, and people going in all directions! Some shops are little cubby holes, just big enough to sit in and there are tiny doors and alleyways that lead to courtyards and the Labyrinth of Kathmandu. There are amazing carvings on buildings everywhere. We love that the history and atmosphere of this place is tangible, and so, unfortunately, is the smog. The people are so friendly and once you speak a little Nepali they open up even more. On the 9th Nov after Nepali language classes we moved to Sanga village for further training. Upon arrival we had to walk up the hillside to our home for the next 10 days. We met our host family at their house, and they proceeded in talking Nepali to us, some of which we understood, most of it went over our heads and the Hajur aamaa (grandmother) thought this was hilarious! we must have looked like lost lambs! The house had 2 floors made from wood and red mud, the doors were a perfect fit for Hajur aamaa.Our room was on the ground floor next to the main living room, and Dan banged his head more times than I could count. We ate Dhal baat (rice and spiced veg) twice a day, in the main room, ducking through the doorway, taking our shoes off as we entered. When in we were told 'basnus basnus' 'please sit please sit' where they would lay a straw rug for us as the clay floor would be cold. It always took a few moments for our eyes to adjust to the lack of light in here. Hajur aamaa would sit in the opposite corner crouched over the stove, made from the same red clay, about a foot high with a hole at the front to put the fire wood in and 2 holes at the top for the pans to sit on. There was also a set of wooden steps leading to the next floor. Every morning after she blessed the house Hajur aamaa would milk the buffalo, then we would see the animals trot past our door to graze by the side of the house. Then we would brush our teeth, sometimes going to the stone carved tap on the hillside. Sometimes it seemed like half the village would be there, mostly women, with large baskets carried across their head with a strap, on their journey to the paddy fields. Krishna came to Sanga everyday, to a house a few minutes away, to continue our language training. The walk to this house afforded amazing views in all directions- the hills ran down to terraced valleys and further on, the astonishing sight of snow capped mountains. Rajesh (Eng teacher and INFO coordinator) said to us that we must look at the mountains at every opportunity as they welcome us to Nepal. We liked this! A few afternoons we went to nearby Dhulikel where we had class observation with Rajesh, and then taught a couple of classes. Quite scary at first but after a while immensely rewarding. On the 20th November we headed back to Kathmandu, sad to leave the innocence of Sanga, as the people made us so welcome. Back at Kathmandu, it was good to catch up with everyone at the Happy Home again, and to have the privacy of a bathroom. The 21st November was Asim's son, Nawarash's sixth birthday although birthdays are not really celebrated here (Asim told us he didn't know when his birthday was until he was about 24 and had to ask his Mum). The next day, with Bicky and Spella (volunteer), we headed by bus to Chitwan, and our placement. It took about five hours, and as we traveled we followed what started as a stream to a wide river. The large, rocky, pointed hills gradually lowered and rounded off, and the vegetation grew lush and more verdant. Before we knew it, the hills had disappeared, and we arrived at our placement in Parbatipur. Parbatipur is quite modern from what we were used to, with one straight road going through it and paddy fields either side. Our family here are great, the dad Rishi, the mum Rama, look after us well, and they have two daughters and a son called Sagar, whose English is very good, but that hasn't helped us to practice our Nepali. Their house is modern with running water and a kitchen table. On our first day off we cycled to Ganganagar to see Spella, with Sagar, and his friend Parmesh. We met Parmesh's sister who invited us in and fed us. At the INFO library we caught up with Spella, Gita (volunteer) and Krishna, and then went our separate ways. Some local kids here took us to the Jungle and Rapti river. It was amazing here and on the other side of the river were monkeys playing in the sunshine. After awhile we set back, looking forward to visiting again. At Parbatipur we have the Info library just a couple of steps away. We have lessons Sunday to Friday, 7-8am then 8-9am for the younger kids, and from 5-6pm, half a dozen older kids whose English is very good. We have loads of ideas for the library, and we are glad we are here for a long time to set things up, and hopefully see an improvement in the kids English. We have the option to help in the local schools as well, and Dan has started some adult classes in a clubhouse down the road. I would like to push women's classes as it's mainly men and boys that learn. I have become quite the feminist! We have settled in here- when we first arrived we missed the mountains very much, but the other day the horizon cleared and we could see them again. Which is crazy as we are only 20km away from India but we can still see the mountains on the other side of Nepal! Nepal is so varied, We have seen many aspects of it and there is still plenty to see and learn. Everything changes from the castes to the varied geology, history, vegetation and wildlife. The only thing that stays the same is eating Dhal bhat twice a day! The people are great and so are the other volunteers, and INFO look after us really well. At the end of Dec we are going to Pokhara to renew our visas and meet up with three other volunteers- Sally, Michelle and Petra, to see the new year through together. We are spending xmas at Parbatipur after telling Rama about xmas, showing her our advents and seeing our enthusiasm about it, she said she will make a xmas day for us. Yeah!
LOIC MENZIES - UK As I reached the end of my short but wonderful month in Patalahara / Ganganagar in 2003, I was in no doubt about my intention to come back. Every time I said to my friends and students "holaa arko bharsa ma Nepalmaa parkhane" (Maybe next year I will return to Nepal), they shouted "NOT MAYBE!" and they were proved right. All year I saved what money I could and then got £500 off Shell (yes the oil company!) and soon enough was marching back along the familiar road into the village. My first surprise was to see my father walking towards me when I had expected him to be in Malaysia, my surprise made the re-encounter even stranger and happier. It made me glad to see him looking healthy, having put on weight and with a welcoming smile on his face. As I got nearer the house my mum came into view and I had to keep reminding myself that Nepali culture demanded I not give her the big hug I wanted to. Instead I was able to restrict myself to a very enthusiastic "Namaste" and soon I was putting my heavy bag back down on a familiar bed. While last year I had thought of myself as "roughing it" in an isolated village, this time the comfort contrasted with the budget rooms in which I had stopped over on my way from India, this room felt cosy and welcoming. However, I soon left it to re-discover my friends in the village and the reactions were wonderful. They began with utter disbelief but soon turned to pride and satisfaction that I had travelled all the way back to see them. I also met the two volunteers in the village at the time, Kim and Leah and began to find out about what they had been doing which encouraged me to begin setting up work to keep me busy. My plan was to continue in my project to train young people to teach other less educated children. Asim and Anil had already begun to get a group of enthusiastic young people together. There were three people from the Tharu village and two from Ganganagar. Anil and Pariksha, the two from Ganganagar were already teaching a class each every day and we agreed that I'd come along and help them to run them, finally, I also got together a group of higher ability students to teach in the morning. All in all that gave me four classes which was enough to keep me very busy and continually raise my stress levels. Problems never fail to arise, we had inter-caste tensions, problems with physical punishment and difficulties with some of the teachers not turning up to their lessons. However, I hadn't expected an easy ride and with the bags of enthusiasm everyone brought with them and the support of all the community, the projects were a real success, as the amazing recognition my friends in the village gave me proved. Coming back to the village gave me a chance to strengthen my relationships with everyone there, improve my Nepali and watch the children and young people progress. I felt that my experience and understanding of the tensions, difficulties and attitudes that prevail in the village enabled me to pursue the projects with greater success than had been possible in my first brief visit. On top of all of that, this year, my mum (my real mum from home) came to visit and was welcomed as everyone's aama. Everyone loved her and couldn't wait to speak to her, she was even given the traditional tikka covering goodbye when we left. Leaving the village this year was sadder than last year, when I had planned to return soon. This year I feel that with so much more of the world to see, next year I should go to a different place and make new discoveries. However, I will never forget the amazing friendships I built, the dedication, warmth and love that the villagers exude and the memories of the last two summers. After a few more years, who knows, I may come back for the marriage of my brother, sister, pupils or friends. In the meantime, I only hope that the villagers can continue their dedication to improving their lives, helped by info and its volunteers' dedication
DIANA – UK It has been an ambition of mine for many years to visit Nepal so for my 50th birthday I decided that I would make my dream come true. I did not want to celebrate my 50th (or commiserate!!) by having a party, I wanted an adventure and an experience that I would never forget. I have to say it has been an incredible journey in my life. I have met the most beautiful people, learnt so much about the different cultures and experienced first hand living with many different Nepal families. I was very apprehensive before leaving London, as were my family because of the Maoists problems here and the possible risks involved but I have to say that I have not encountered any dangerous situations at all. I am so pleased I listened to my heart and took the decision to come. When I arrived at Kathmandu Airport I was still feeling a little anxious because I was a couple of hours late due to a later flight, obtaining a visa etc. and I wondered if anybody would still be waiting for me at the airport. Needless to say, there was Raj from Kathmandu Peace Guest House waiting for me with a big smile. I felt a nice warm feeling and felt that everything was going to be ok. The next morning I met Asim at Info Nepal and we discussed my placement. It was agreed that I would go to Amarapuri Library, Nawalarparasi to teach English. The first few days was spent at Happy Home sight seeing and learning Nepali. My Nepali teacher and tourist guide was Bicky and I have to say that he was brilliant and looked after me very well. In fact he now calls me Mum! Within in the first few days, I managed to lose my glasses which was an absolute disaster for me but needless to say Bicky came to the rescue and we ran around on his motorbike to several Opticians and the Police Station which I have to say was an experience in itself on the back of a motorbike in Kathmandu. It was a great adrenalin rush!!! There are no rules on the road only to get to your destination. Anyway, I managed to get an eye test and my vari-focal glasses made in 3 days for the price of sixty pounds which was absolutely incredibly cheap. Now feeling a lot happier that I could see, I went to Sanga with Phillipa for 4 days training. It was the first step into acclimatising and living the Nepali way! No showers, no hot water only a cold water tap in the village to wash and an outside loo next to the goats, chickens and buffalo. The family were lovely and made us so very welcome and we enjoyed practising our little Nepali. Mitho Chha seemed to be my most used phrase! I was now ready and prepared to go to my placement. Phillipa and I went on the local bus which took about 4 hours. I was sad to say goodbye to Phillipa because we had spent many hours together and shared many stories. I was met at the Bus Park by my family and soon were in Amarapuri in my families house. I was greeted by what seemed the whole village who were all brothers and sisters! It took me days to realise who belonged to what family. I was accepted immediately and made to feel as if it were my own home. I was dressed in Saris and invited to the local evening of dance and song. I was very sad the day I had to say goodbye and I could not help shed a few tears. Teaching at the Library was a challenge and the age group ranged from 3 - 16 years. Given more time I would certainly have split the children into different groups. The children were brilliant and so keen to learn. Every morning at 7.10 am about 10 children would meet me outside my house and we would sing and march to the Library and then we were greeted by all the other children patiently waiting outside the Library with big smiley faces. The games were always enjoyed but I had to put a stop to singing the Cokey Cokey because the boys became over enthusiastic and I thought I might be rushing to the nearest Accident and Emergency unit in the local hospital!! My biggest sense of achievement was painting and decorating the Library. It was very dirty, and the walls were grey, it certainly needed brightening up and a new look so I took on the challenge helped by Pratik and Ashok, two young men from the local village. We worked together as a great team. I felt a little under pressure to complete this task because unfortunately my time was very short in the placement. At the end of the week we had finished the challenge and we felt so very happy and satisfied with all our hard work. All the local villagers kept popping in to see what was going on and everyone was pleased with the end result. I was invited to dinner by one of the local families who presented me with some lovely gifts. In the middle weekend Phillipa and I went to Chitwan National Park riding elephants and taking a lazy trip down the river in a canoe. Unfortunately we were not lucky enough to see any Rhinos but we did see crocodiles, deer, monkeys and wild buffalos. After my placement I took the Green Line bus to Pokhara. I spent a great week relaxing around the Lake and did a small trek around Astam and Sarangkot watching the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. My biggest disappointment was that I did not have time to complete the Annurpurna Base Camp trek but there is always another year. A great excuse to return to this beautiful country. I can only say that my time in Nepal has moved me in so many ways and I really hope that one day I will be able to return to visit the many friends I have made here. Thank you Info Nepal for giving me this fantastic experience.
ANJU RANI - UK I decided that I was coming to Nepal in 2005, hoping to participate in some volunteering work, but things did not go to plan in my first two weeks. I arrived in Kathmandu on the 11th July, all alone in a country which I knew nothing about. It was quite daunting as I had never traveled alone before. Within my first 2 weeks I was homesick, I was suffering from sickness and diarrhea and things were not going to plan with my volunteer placement. Things were going from bad to worse, so I decided that I was going to book my flight back home on the 6th August. After I had arranged my flight back home I went on a desperate search on the internet - not wanting to give up, that’s when I found out about INFO Nepal. I sent an email letting them know about my situation and I received a phone call that same evening from Asim. The following day I went to the office to speak to Asim and the rest was history. I spent a few days at Happy Home, where I had Nepali language lessons to prepare me for my placement, which I really enjoyed. My placement started on the 1st August in a place called Sanga. The views were amazing it was so nice to get away from the busy streets of Kathmandu. During my two weeks stay I was placed with two host families and even though it was for a short period I had a wonderful and unforgettable experience. Living with a Nepali family was a real eye opener - they work so hard especially the women working from early morning until bed time. It was astounding how self sufficient they were from cooking, cleaning, washing, etc they don’t let anything go to waste. The simplicity of the whole Nepali village lifestyle is something that I am glad I experienced. I have never experienced teaching before so I was a little anxious at the beginning especially when I was put in front of 70 Class 6 students at Mahendra School, but as each day went by it got easier and more enjoyable. Teaching English was very rewarding and I would definitely like to come back and stay for a longer period as I thought the time I had was very short. The main problems I had were with bed bugs and mosquito's but I suppose it all added to my Nepali adventure. When I was coming to Nepal I was told by many people that it is not safe to travel because of the political situation, since I have been here I have had no trouble. The Nepali people have been so hospitable and welcoming which has made my stay a memorable one and it will always be cherished. I am glad I did not go back home on the 6th August, it was an easy option for me to give up, but then I thought about why I was here and that these children don’t have the same options and freedom as us foreigners, it was nice to give something to them and expect nothing in return. It was nice to be selfless for a change. Good luck to all the present and future volunteers of INFO Nepal. |
