This week our team finish up their time in Nepal, before making their way in to India. Eve shares her summary of the latest week on our Nepal and India Adventure program below.
Our final week of the Nepal leg of the trip was volunteering. For the past five days we have been helping out at the Prisoners Assisstance of Nepal in a Kathmandu suburb named sanku. The orphanage was set up many years ago by a lady called Indra Rana Magar, who aimed to minimise migration from the rural areas to the cities and thus reduce crime, alongside providing a safe home and education for the children of the prisoners
We had a long commute each day, although the busy streets of Kathmandu and then rolling green countryside eased the pain a little.
We were given a tour of the orphanage and met all of the children, ranging from the age of 3 to 19, before beginning the laborious task of shifting bricks. Despite our best efforts, and the deghllipmennt of some interesting, if not safe, techniques, the pile continued to grow. Over the following days we painted the boys block and a classroom with designs of flowers, cartoons and the alphabet, as well as teaching English, maths and science. It is safe to say our teaching methods have much to be improved!
Our final day of volunteering was especially memorable. It was Nepalese Mother’s Day and so the Orphanage was partaking in the rituals of Nepalese dance and the feeding of the mothers. We danced to cultural music and taught each other new dance moves, with everyone’s favourite being ‘Cham Cham’. We spent the afternoon playing with the orphans, getting thrashed at football and having paint fights. Our farewell was very emotional as we’re blessed by Sagar, the orphanage’s manager with tika and a traditional scarf, and treated to baked sweets – one of the many unique benefits of volunteering abroad that our team enjoyed!
We struggled this week as many fell victim to dodgy stomach bugs, not helped by 500g burgers, but everyone recovered for one last night out in Kathmandu.
Are you thinking about a gap year traveling through Nepal and India? We’d love to hear from you and answer any questions on your mind.
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