My time in the elephant ship paper mill in Nepal

My decision to travel to Nepal came at the beginning of my studies when I considered what I could do during my first semester break. I wanted to travel, but I also wanted to do something useful and get to know a foreign culture better. The choice fell on Nepal, as I was tempted to discover a new continent and the project in the Elephant Shipment Paper Mill sounded very interesting.

My journey to Nepal

Hot, colourful, full and impressive. This is how I would describe my first impressions of the capital Katmandu. After going through the visa process and picking up my suitcase after a long wait, I met an RGV employee in front of the airport holding up a sign with my name on it. It started straight away, in the city traffic of Katmandu. The streets were full, everyone was honking their horns and looking out the window I could see monkeys, cows and countless mopeds.

I spent the first night in Kathmandu at the house of Sher's family, who was in Germany at the time. His wife Munu welcomed me very warmly and took care of me. In the afternoon I got a short introduction to the culture and the country of Nepal by the RGV employee and then I had time to rest. In the evening we ate Dal Bhat together, the Nepalese national dish, which consists of rice with lentils and mostly some kind of vegetable curry. On the first day I still ate with a spoon, but from then on I only ate by hand in the traditional Nepalese way.

My drive to Chitwan

Right the next morning I was taken to the bus station at 5am to go to Chitwan National Park. I resolved to see something of Katmandu at the end of my time, because unfortunately I didn't have the chance to do so at the beginning. On the bus, a nice employee showed me my seat and showed me where I could buy something to eat. I didn't have any provisions with me, so I bought a packet of biscuits from a small, candlelit stand in the dark, just to have some. Every passenger on the bus was given a bottle of water for free.

On the way I met two girls from Austria, who luckily also knew where I had to get off: at the end of the line. The 6 hour drive went by pretty quickly as I kept looking out the window. There was so much to see: snow-capped Himalayan mountains, rivers, colorful trucks, roadside huts and stalls and much more.

Arriving at the terminus in Sauraha, I regretted traveling with a suitcase for the first time. The roads are mostly unpaved and it turned out to be a problem to be able to move freely with the suitcase. I therefore recommend everyone to travel with a backpack. I struck up a conversation at the bus stop with the owner of a cafe who knew the hotel and the other volunteers there and kindly called for someone to pick me up. Even at this point I was very enthusiastic about the openness and friendliness of the Nepali people. Everyone was willing to help me.

My work in the project in Chitwan

At the beginning, the other volunteers showed me the area and the hotel, so that I quickly found my way around. The next day work began at the Elephantdung Paper Shop & Museum. The other volunteers showed me the premises, which were much smaller than expected. We worked from Sunday to Friday as only Saturday is the weekend.

Our main task was to paint the different paper products. There are books of different sizes, pen cups, postcards and picture frames, all of which are then sold to tourists. After a few weeks, we got the order to go out morning and night with a vendor's tray and sell at the bus stop and at Sunset Point (a popular spot for tourists) to increase revenue.

At work you could get a good impression of the mentality of the Nepali, who see everything much more relaxed and relaxed. I couldn't see a roster or structure of work distribution. I didn't work exclusively in the project I signed up for as there were other ways to help.

For three days we repainted the gate of the hotel. One day we participated in the recycling project by taking part in a garbage collection campaign and another day we participated in a demonstration against poaching in the national park.

Festivals and holidays in Nepal

During my 5 weeks in Sauraha I had the chance to witness many celebrations. Overall, there are many more public holidays than in Germany, something was celebrated almost every week. On my first day there was a food festival where I ate a Nepalese veggie burger and saw elephants for the first time: 5 at once! In later times there was a holiday in honor of the goddess Shiva, International Women's Day and the Holi Festival. The latter was particularly nice to experience. Celebrations took place over two days. A water and paint fight was held in the hotel with loud music, in which employees, volunteers, guests and everyone else who wanted to take part. Everyone in town wished everyone "Happy Holi" and everyone danced in the street and celebrated together.

Another weekend we were allowed to go to a wedding. This was a very interesting experience. We were given tons of food and then danced outside to loud music all night. It was a lot of fun because everyone was very open and we all just danced together.

Everyday life and my free time

After a few days of acclimatization, everyday life quickly returned. In the mornings, we volunteers had breakfast together at the hotel, where we could make our own toast, and sometimes when there were many guests, we were lucky enough to be able to eat a breakfast buffet. During our lunch break we usually ate Dal Bhat for the first time. Some days we went to our "regular place", a small food stand whose nice owner knew us all. There were samosas, chow mein (fried noodles with vegetables) and momos (steamed dumplings with vegetable filling and gravy).

In the evening we met in the Dal Bhat kitchen to eat Dal Bhat together a second time. Nevertheless, I didn't get enough of the food because the vegetables sometimes varied or we bought fresh vegetables ourselves to supplement. It tasted delicious every day. In the afternoons we often went for walks away from the touristy center and towards the smaller villages where there was a lot to see. We often did small errands, bought fruit or strolled through the small shops in Sauraha. On some days I relaxed in the hotel garden and enjoyed the WLAN or read a book. There was definitely always something to do. After dinner we ended the day in the hotel's restaurant together with the staff. Sometimes we played cards, otherwise we talked, wrote diaries or read. On the weekends, we volunteers usually did something together.

I did a jeep safari in the jungle and a jungle walk. One could see rhinos, deer, crocodiles, wild boar, peacocks and many other birds. A canoe tour on the river that marks the border to the national park was also very interesting and a relaxed nature experience. On another weekend we went to Lumbini for 2 nights. There is the birthplace of Buddha and many other temples and monasteries, so you could discover a lot in two days. At the end of my time in Nepal I still had the chance to see something of Kathmandu. I went back there two days before departure. I was allowed to accompany two Germans who had booked a tour through the travel agency on their day through Kathmandu. Our guide was very nice and showed us the Pashupatinath Temple, the Bodnath Temple and walked with us through Patan. So I could still see some of the main attractions. In the evening we ate together with Sher and his family, which was a very nice end to my time in Nepal.

My conclusion at the time in Nepal

Overall, I was very impressed by the country of Nepal with its culture, its landscape and its people. The mentality is hospitable, open, relaxed, helpful and you always feel welcome. In general, I had the feeling that the Nepali are always happy and friendly and they infect you with it. The joy of life and living in the moment is something that has greatly enriched my stay in Nepal. The time in Nepal was never boring because there was always something to do and there were many different ways to do something and get to know the country.

Volunteering at the Paper Mill in Nepal Review by Alida T., 07.05.18