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SANDRA HOPKINS - Ireland My unforgettable 3 months volunteering in Nepal has taught me so many things that I am coming away hoping that if the people I taught learned as much as I did I will consider my job well done.
The library where I taught was never in short supply of children and their enthusiasm to learn was overwhelming. I nicknamed the younger classes “the crazies” as before coming into the library the throngs of hyperactive four to ten year olds outside would always worry me. But this seemingly unruly crowd of kids would turn into the most attentive and sweet bunch of children once inside. During my time there myself and Nancy (my fellow volunteer) decided to brighten up the little library building with a morel of the mountains. We also tried our best to brighten up the inside with plenty of projects and paintings by the children, who were only too delighted to see their work decorate the walls. Shyabrubensi is quite the bustling town and to be honest not what I expected to come across after the ten hour bus journey. Having trekked to some of the surrounding villages of Gouljan, Gatlang and Bridim, Shyabrubensi is definitely a lot warmer and sheltered, something I learned to appreciate. Also I learned how lucky I was with the numerous hotels and shops in the town where the basic necessities ie batteries, fruit, peanutbutter and Snickers were easily found! I also had the luxury of a tato pani (hot spring) nearby where I could wash in the open air and bathe in the hot baths while listening to the gushing glacial river that flowed by only feet away. A real experience especially if you were accompanied by a few locals! My host family, Yangen and Guromi Tamang and their two children, Asish and Achhen, were great. Their house was situated right on the main street of the village where every evening the daily buses from Kathmandu would trundle to a halt for the night. The same buses that insured that I was awake every morning at 6:30 and earlier due to the revving of engines and beeping of horns, which it seems is necessary even in the mountains! I was spoilt for choice when it came to food with noodle and other various types of soup, chowmein dishes, pancakes and of course tasty dal bhat. However, on St. Patricks day my green blood could not help taking over the kitchen and mash potatoes were dished out. Now Achhen’s favourite food! The people of the town could not have been nicer as I was made feel so at home and completely accepted as a member of the community. The constant drinking of yak butter tea (a taste I quickly and surprisingly acquired much to the dismay of my arteries) and the cooking of nettles with local flour dough were a regular occurrence. This involved numerous neighbours sitting by an open cooking (smoking) hearth, indulging themselves in the goodness that is the Nepali stewed nettle. A taste I did not so quickly acquire but hey, when in Rome! The Losar festival in late February celebrates the Tibetan New Year and myself and Nancy were lucky enough to experience it and all the preparations involved. It included the making of traditional sweet and salted Tibetan bread which we helped out with, watching Yangen make 40L of the local brew “raikse” and the constant playing of traditional music (not chart topping stuff, yet I find myself humming it, non-the-less). A two day picnic ensued following the New Year which involved all of the villagers. Also (and unfortunately) the fresh butchering of a buffalo which was cooked and eaten with the tastiest dal bhat and washed down with oceans of Tibetan and milk tea. All this was enjoyed by the locals in their best and most colourful dress, in bright sunny weather amongst by beautiful clear views of the surrounding mountains. One of the many images I will remember of Shyabrubensi. I was also lucky enough to fit in a few treks to neighbouring villages during my. Most weekends I would meet up with fellow volunteers who would come to Shyabrubensi to restock and indulge themselves in a hot shower or two at the local hotels! We experienced some amazing views and even more amazing people. The true beauty and peace of the Himalaya’s was in its inspiring people and their numerous traditions and cultures. I feel absolutely privileged that I was able to spend my time in Nepal within such a great little community but also that during my stays in Kathmandu I was able to stay at Happy Homes orphanage. For that I thank the children, Asim, his wife Namratta and their two beautiful sons, for being so welcoming and making my stay there so much fun. I would also like to thank the charismatic Bicky, in whom we trusted and was always there to lend a helping hand. Also all the other volunteers who I was lucky enough to share my whole experience with and will look forward to keeping in touch with.
AUDREY AND JANE - Ireland We can’t express in words how fantastic our time volunteering in Chitwan has been. The people, the children, the scenery and the wildlife seemed to amaze us in new ways every day. We spent one month volunteering and during that time we worked with fourteen super kids in an orphanage home in Sauraha, Chitwan. No two days were ever the same during our placement! Each morning we would help the children with their homework and again in the evening time when they returned home from school. The children had difficulty with Math and Science in particular so we spent a lot of time teaching them concepts in these two subject areas. However teaching was only one of the many activities we undertook with the children. Fishing with the children and swimming down at the local river (where we sat safely on the river bank) was one of the many memories we will take home with us. The children teaching us new games that we will use in the school yard when we return to Ireland and also teaching them games that we ourselves played as children was again another activity that we enjoyed immensely! Listening to the children telling various myths and legends of Nepal and spending time talking and interacting with them was so enjoyable and the nights seemed to disappear so quickly! The village itself was such a delightful place to spend some time away from the hustle and bustle of Katmandu. The countryside was so peaceful and its beauty was captivating! At first you can’t believe that a herd of elephants are your nearest neighbors but you quickly find yourself adjusting to the lifestyle and not batting an eyelid as you stand in along the roadside to let elephants pass as they return from the jungle. I must admit that the local wildlife were one of my biggest fears when we planned this journey but thankfully I could cope with the lizards and the only other reptiles we saw were in a museum! We can honestly say that at no time did we feel in danger or uneasy during our placement. The people were at all times so warm and welcoming and made every effort to ensure you felt part of their community. They were very helpful which made it much easier to appreciate the natural beauty of their village when one would go exploring the local countryside. It was very exciting to be placed so close to Royal Chitwan National Park and I think the children guessed that we were a little nervous about this at first when they would tell us stories about local farmers been attacked by the tigers so they quickly reassured us telling us not to worry that the animals did not attack tourists! Overall we were extremely happy with our placement. We could not have asked for a nicer host family, children or area to be placed working with. Everything from beginning to end was so enjoyable and we would recommend anyone who has any interest in traveling to another country to experience something so different but yet so fantastic to come to Nepal and spend some time working with Info Nepal and the people here in whatever area you are interested in. We cannot thank Info Nepal enough for the experience we have had! Thanks everybody!!!
NEAL TURKINGTON - Northern Ireland When I arrived in Pattihani in June, I was lucky enough to be greeted by the experienced presence of Liam. This became a very important starting point, as not only did Liam introduce me to the village and the children, he also acted as a good advisor on how to act and assimilate within the new environment. Therefore, on my first evening I was taken on a long bicycle adventure, which included my first experience of quick sand, a wash in the Raapti and drowning my sorrows with a few beers in the village afterward. Unfortunately, Liam departed a little later due to visa restrictions but not before explaining to me his own little Rhino adventure in which the villagers chased the rice-munching fiend from the fields with fire torches, if I am correct. Of course I thought this was an interesting story but did not believe it would happen again. Three weeks later I was proved wrong when I was fetched by Surindra and brought to see a Rhino sitting happily in a field not more than 50 meters from the village. This was great and as the only foreigner I immediately ran forward to take a few snapshots. However, I became more and more intrigued and ventured as close as about fifteen feet. Unbeknownst to me, a local villager had taken it upon himself to, at this stage, unleash a bombardment of stones upon the unfortunate beast. This startled both the rhino and myself and resulted in a bit of a race. I, helped by the fact that I feared for my life found that I could run at quite a clip but it also appears that rhinoceroses have talent in this area as well. Needless to say there was a bit of stumbling, swearing and laughing (this coming from the entire village who for some reason found this quite funny) followed by myself finding a sudden belief in a higher being. As you can tell the colossal beast spared me after a pitched battle of wills and determination on both our parts, to be honest I think the little bugger was quite frightened. Between you and I, I provide quite an imposing figure sprinting away from you expressing my talent for diverse and intelligent expletive language. Although to me this period of time seemed to last hours it apparently lasted a few seconds (ridiculous). However, this short period emphasized the tremendously different opportunities in Nepal and how removed from everyday life it is. I hope that a few of you can gleam some sort of comedy from this episode and realize that, essentially, volunteering remains and will always remain good craic. Goodbye from the INFO Family and Good Luck to you all.
DARMUID - Ireland I arrived in Nepal at the end of August and I begun my Nepali training after spending two days sightseeing with the other volunteers and there was also a Nepali style birthday for a volunteer. As I was in Nepal for just over three months I was sent on a number of placements allowing me to fully experience following two additional days of training in Sanga, I began my first placement in the local boarding school, Dipendra police school which lasted for two weeks there I was trying to English as best as I could without being distracted by questions like who is my favorite wrestler or favorite footballer to young students. I spent the evenings playing basketball and soccer and I shared a hostel with class ten students, and eating the best dal Bhat in all of Nepal. After Dipendra I took a short break to Tibet with Sonya my good friend whilst Tibet was okay I was glad to return to Nepal. For my second placement I went to a orphanage in Sauraha, Chitwan, which very much enjoyed even though a lot of the time I was not kept busy because the children were in school but in the evenings I played sports with them and i organised a picnic to a lake with the children and a farewell party. I would also like to thank the baby elephants, rhinos and crocodiles they made my trip more memorable. For my third and final placement I went back to Chitwan because I loved Chitwan and the Chitwan people, this time I was working on a farm for a two week placement were I experienced the real Nepal in a way not many foreign people can. The host family I stayed with very very nice and they really made me feel welcome for my time there and for the Tihar (Lighting) festival. For my overall experience in Nepal I am very happy there was a few rough patches like jet lag, getting cross with Nepali shopkeepers here and there but I really am sad to leave and I know it will be a massive shock when I go back to France to stay with my second mother (my sister). I would like to thank all of the volunteers who I met along my travels they made the trip even more enjoyable and I would like to give a special thank you to Philly, Sonya and Aron.
PAULA MULLINS - Ireland I have had such an amazing experience in your country. I only wish my stay could be longer. I will never forget the wonderful students in Dhulikel and how motivated they were to learn. My host family treated me like one of their own and I feel honored to have experienced Nepal culture so closely. A big thanks to all at INFO also to Rajesh who would move heaven and earth for you!! All the best to INFO in the future and I hope to be back soon. |
My placement
was in the small Himalayan metropolis that is Shyabrubensi,
at the start of the Langtang Himal trek. The town that is
never spelt the same way twice! Here I taught English and
Environmental Awareness to the women and children for five
hours a day, early in the morning, afternoon and the
evening. I also taught in the local school for two hours a
day up until the local exams and holidays.