My volunteer work in Nepal

After finishing school in early summer, I wanted to discover a new culture for myself. However, I could not imagine to travel to a developing country where I am confronted with the poverty there, without doing anything about it, or at least something to contribute to the positive development of the standard of living to me.

Arrival in Nepal

So on July 2nd, 2014 I set out for Nepal – with the aim of teaching children in a public school. The first 2 days I stayed in a hostel in Kathmandu. A tourist day with three stops was on the program: the Shiva Temple, Monkey Temple and Boudhanath. The guide could speak German and the information he provided was very interesting and extensive. I always ate dinner and breakfast with Sher and his family, so you got the first glimpses of actual Nepali life.

Journey to the volunteer project in kindergarten

On July 5th, I took a bus to my assignment site in Chitwan. There I had a full program for the first three days: Culture dance center, elephant ride through the jungle, elephant bath, canoe tour. After those days I met Shiri, Sher's brother. He runs the hotel next to which he lives on a small farm with his family and a few employees. There is also the volunteer room from which you have a view of the elephant, two cows/buffalo, pigeons, dogs and cats. Shiri then drove me around on the motorbike in the immediate vicinity to show me everything. For example, to the "20.000 lakes" where I saw peacocks, rhinos, crocodiles, deer and monkeys.

Unfortunately, when I arrived, there were still 2 weeks of school holidays, so I could not be employed directly at my desired job. Therefore, in a small classroom in the village, I was supposed to teach students who wanted to learn something new voluntarily. That worked quite well at first because they were very interested in stories from Germany. However, I quickly realized that I was having too much trouble understanding her English accent and that I didn't feel up to the task of properly expressing myself in English when questions went into more depth. So I told Shiri about my concerns and he offered me to visit his brother Hom in Pokhara for a few days and after this visit change to another job.

Travel and excursions

Pokhara is the starting point for almost all activities in Nepal. This is where the trekking tours start, you can paraglide, visit the stupa, book rafting and much more. Therefore, I had a wide range of leisure activities, so I liked it in Pokhara. Above all, because Hom and his wife were very hospitable and made all my wishes possible. In addition, I was able to experience a lot of the culture in Nepal during this time, as I lived with them and their little son in a very small apartment and became part of everyday life. My personal highlight was when Hom woke me up early to take me on the motorbike to a viewpoint that had a fantastic view of the Anapura mountain range. The final of the soccer World Cup was also a great experience, as the majority of Nepali are Germany fans.

Start of my volunteer work in Nepal in kindergarten

Back in Chitwan, I then switched to a kindergarten that accommodated children from the age of two. There I made sure the children didn't run away, distributed food, washed the children's hands, played with them and taught them the simplest things in English. During this time there was also a holiday for snakes, which I was allowed to participate in with another volunteer. We got local food, danced with the locals to their music and got an insight into the religious rites.

Additional activities

After initially feeling a bit alone, things got better and better from then on, because another German came into my room, with whom I got along very well and spent the entire day. She was responsible for the care of the elephants, which I sometimes helped with when I had nothing else to do. We also accompanied another volunteer to his work at the elephant dung paper factory. I also twice visited the orphanage directly opposite my accommodation and gave them things that I no longer needed and played with the children. Furthermore, when I didn't have to go to kindergarten, I helped in the hotel with making the beds and cleaning the rooms and with the big family with the cooking. I also liked these things very much, because I was able to take away so many different jobs and experiences.

leisure

In the afternoons, we sometimes went to the riverbank to drink and play cards or ran around with the elephant keeper in the area, showing us some great places, such as an abandoned jungle hotel or elephant rearing.

Farewell to Nepal

In the end I wanted to go to Pokhara again for two days to say goodbye to Hom and Bandana and thank them. Coincidentally, there was a big "pre-party" one evening before the actual holiday for women, to which the two of them invited me. So I still had the opportunity to wear a sari and had a wonderful evening.

After that we went back to Kathmandu for one night. During the day I went on an excursion to Bhaktapur - a former royal city of Nepal - together with the same guide from the beginning of my trip, which I found to be a nice conclusion.

Conclusion of my journey

All in all, I found my trip great, even if I was "plagued" at times by illness or communication problems. In my opinion, volunteering is the best way to get to know a country because you get to see many things in everyday life that tourists don't get. In addition, as a volunteer you are treated differently than a normal tourist and you feel more comfortable and welcome as a result.

Thanks to RGV and Sher, Shiri and Hom for your unreserved hospitality!

Volunteer Nepal in Kindergarten Experience report by Josefine 02.07. - 25.08.2014