With all the noise of barking dogs and car horns, I was looking forward to my visit to Sanga for a bit of peace and quiet!!

We arrived in the evening and met our little host family, who were great! Our room looked like a converted barn and we were the lucky host of their mushrooms (they grow these and get a lot of money at the market, apparently!), and any animal or child that came charging through. This often happened and after having a small nap one day woke up to the sound of a little pig and puppy playing together right next to my head, when do you expect that sort of thing?? Never, that’s when!

Our meals were the traditional dal Bhatt, curry and pickle, in vast vast quantities!! The food was great and I always enjoyed the seconds… thirds… mmm. I should the size of a small elephant.

My companion Nancy attempted in failing Nepali to ask the host’s brother if he thought the food was tasty and ended up telling him he was delicious! Ha ha I did laugh.

After a night of dreaming about crazed mushroom men chasing me, we crawled out of our bed for the hours walk to the Ashram where we would spend the next 3 hours attempting yoga. This may have been one of the funniest mornings, as we contorted our bodies and made lion faces, the giggles were bound to come.

I must say the older people in this group should have been the most mature….. Like I said they SHOULD have been. The oldest (a father of 3!) was giggling like a girl…

Our guru smiled peacefully as we all desperately tried to withhold the laughter. He didn’t bat an eyelid. This man was truly at peace with himself and his surroundings, not quite the same as these western ejits.

The views in Sanga were beautiful, as were the people. Every morning I looked down onto the hills and watched as the men and women of what looked like 100 years old, wondered up and down these mountains with huge baskets filled with dirt.

These mountains left me exhausted, and judging by the obscenities coming from my mouth I wasn’t at the peak of my physical fitness!!! So I had such huge respect for these tiny people carrying all this weight on their heads.. All I carried was a camera and bad language.

Our Nepali language lessons always began after lunch, with our guru Bicky, who tried to teach us all the important information we might need to get by in our villages. The poor guy deserves a medal.

After our classes we were taken out for some sightseeing of the local area. Again this inevitably meant climbing up and down mountains….

Our first destination was an amble through fields to the local Temple, the views, as always were spectacular and my newly acquired camera was being used to its full potential. We also got to practice our Nepali on our guides who were very sweet and tried desperately hard to get us to at least pronounce things correctly! What fun they must have had!

To have a change from the usual food Bicky and some of his friends took us for a Mountain View picnic and bonfire. We got to sample the delights of Nerwari food and of course the famous Raksi…. One of the other volunteers managed to knock back about 4 of these! I could only manage half and that was enough.

Speaking of which, we had suspicions that the Grandma of our host family may have been drunk most the time and we this was confirmed when at 9am she was trying to get us to drink the local Raksi….then knocked back 3 in a row herself… This stuff is lethal…

Our evenings were spent entertaining the family by being taught how to dance by the daughter and trying out our new phrases of Nepali…. I have a stomach ache, she has a stomach ache….. stuff which im sure fascinated them, all this as well as drunken Grandma correcting our dreadful pronunciation, we were all happy!

I tried to help out with the cooking and quickly realized that you need lungs of steal to sit beside a fire indoors, now I realized why they were all so ill. But other than that it was a very tasty meal and I think my loving touch made all the difference…. oh how we all laughed at my incompetence!!

As there was a Nepal Bandh on when we were in Sanga our only choice was to stick around until the buses and transport was allowed on the road.

Not that we wanted to leave I would have been happy to spend more time there.

But sadly we had to move back to Kathmandu, back to the chaos, traffic and those barking dogs!

Julia Henderson. UK

jooleshend@hotmail.com

Ruth - Ireland

After a long flight plagued with delays and technical difficulties, we arrived in Nepal exhausted and completely unsure of what to expect. As the flight was 8 hours late in arriving, I was convinced that no one would be there to greet us but sure enough, as we stepped out of the airport we were instantly swooped up by an enthusiastic and energetic Bikie. His energy spilled over and gave me the boost to forget my worries. The next 3 days were packed with sightseeing, language lessons and socialising with other volunteers. Everyone was so welcoming and it was brilliant to hear all the suggestions of volunteers who had just returned from their placements. Just as I was getting into city life it was time to leave for our training village. My nerves came rushing back as we approached our new home but once again Bikie, with all his energy was there to deliver us to our new family. As soon as I arrived, I was instantly made to feel part of the family. By the end of the fist night, I was giggling away with my new sisters and joined in teasing my very poetic and sensitive new brother. Three days went too quickly and I found myself looking for excuses to stay! After a four day trekking detour, I found myself heading to Thulakhet, a small village near Pokhara. Here I was intending to work in a health clinic but high rainfall made the rivers flooded and isolated the health centre. It turned out for the best, as I was able to teach at the Resource Centre and the local primary school. I never thought I would have the patience or creativity for teaching but I loved it! I felt so lucky to be working with the most inspiring children, they were all so eager to learn but also to teach me about the ways of Nepal. They taught me about Nepali culture, language, dances, and songs. I honestly had not expected to have such great 'craic'! The primary school was sometimes extremely frustrating. Lack of resources, teachers, and structure meant the students were at a serious disadvantage to children in the local private school.The family I stayed with were so helpful and forgiving about my lack of awareness of their culture. Again, I felt like part of the family and totally enjoyed learning about their way of life.

I came to Nepal with grand intentions to contribute my help but I am leaving having gained so much more than I put in. I have learned so much about myself and gained an appreciation of the Nepali way of life. I cannot believe my trip is at the end. I don't want to leave Nepal, there is so much left to do and see and I will miss all my new friends, both Nepali and those from all around the globe. I will definitely be back and would certainly recommend Info Nepal to any future volunteers. Thanks for all your help and see you at the reunion in September!

Michelle Perez (USA): My Stay in Kaskikot

I spent a wonderful month and a half in the village of Kaskikot. There I spent quality time at the school, with my host family, and the village, Kaskikot. Kaskikot is located on a hillside, about a one hour bus ride outside of Pokhara, and a half hour passed Sarankot. If I walked about twenty minutes to the top of the hill, I would have a breath-taking view of the Annapurna Himalayan Range. The village is filled with wonderful members, mostly of the Brahmin and Chettri caste. My “Namaskar” or “Namaste” was always warmly returned. Many were eager to speak to me with the English they knew and many were willing to use simple Nepali so I could understand. I always felt very welcome wherever I went.

My family:

My host family was quite lovely. My host brother, Durga Giri, was also the teacher I would work with over the next several weeks. He and his wife Sardah have three beautiful daughters aged 11, 9 and 3. The houses itself was a built several ago by Durga and his brothers. I was given my own room, however, was always welcome in the kitchen and common room to watch television. My host family also owned several animals including three goats, one buffalo, and one chicken.

I was very eager to participate in the daily routine of village life. Sardah showed me how to properly harvest millet, cut grass, carry water from the local tap and well, plant saag, and even distribute manure in the fields (although I didn’t know that was what I was doing initially). With limited language skills on both sides, we communicated mostly through gestures, simple words, and much laughter. During the time I stayed there, I felt we had become quite close despite our different native tongues. I even learned that Sardah had the same birthday as my sister in the United States! By the end, I felt we had truly become family.

The School:

I taught alongside Durga at Shree Pragatishil Primary School located less than five minutes away from their home. The school has classes 1-5 with two permanent teachers and two volunteer teachers. Durga and I focused on teaching the basics to classes 3-5. The most effective techniques included games, drawings, and individual one-on-one attention. The school had only been recently built, and many things are still needed such as furniture, a better roof, and additional teaching materials. After much searching and bargaining, Sally, another volunteer, and I, helped fix the class five room with furniture, paint, and a white board. However, many things are still needed throughout the school. Additionally, Sally and I helped to develop a website that will hopefully connect the school with the outside world.

Special Events:

There were so many wonderful events that took place while I was in the village. They included a festival for the new farming season, the school picnic, and a Women’s Picnic. The festival was held at the top of the hill near a temple. It included dancing, food, and a cultural program. The picnic was wonderful as well. The children of the school were given an opportunity to dance, eat fresh goat meat, and play in the fields. Finally, the women gathered for their own celebration, cooking sil roti (deep fried bread) and achaar for nearly five hours. The women laughed and danced. More importantly, they had a day off to celebrate themselves.

I had a great volunteer experience in Nepal and I hope to continue my support even when I return to the United States. Thanks for this wonderful opportunity!

Michelle Perez
USA

Loki John

My last month in Nepal, passing in a series of fragmented images across my over stimulated senses, brought a sense of completion to an experience already brimming with richness. My time was divided between office work and placement review, bonding with volunteers and just traveling. This final stage gave me an even broader view of Nepal, after 4 months of adjusting to the microcosm of village life.
After leaving my placement in Nawalparasi (not without its share of tears shed), I returned to Kathmandu for a trek with several other volunteers in the Langtang region. While riddled with all the essentials of a trek-breathtaking views, snowcapped peaks, perfect weather, blisters and altitude sickness-one short anecdote serves to illustrate best the serendipity that one comes to view as commonplace in Nepal. Jet and Joel had decided to tackle the Ganja La pass, while Eugenie, Jenny and I opted for the softer beauty of the mountain lakes of Gosainkunda, so on day 4 we parted ways in Kyanjin Gompa and agreed on a meeting spot 6 days later, in Tharepati. Numerous locals had expressed skepticism at their abilities to do it sans guide or map, but they seemed confident (well, Joel did), so we cheerfully waved goodbye and secretly hoped that all those head-shaking locals didn't mean their certain demise.
Five days later found us much further along than anticipated, and when Eugenie took exception to an anomalously rude innkeeper and proposed pushing on to the meeting place a day early, we agreed. Now, any external observer would of course realize that this is the point where the travelers get caught outside after dark as an opaque, bone-chilling fog fills the air, but there are some disadvantages to not being external. We arrived at Tharepati somewhat dispirited only to discover that our meeting hotel didn't exist. After trudging around to find the best deal, I passed a well-lit dining room with a crackling fire and heard the unmistakable sound of a warm, relaxed Aussie: "Ehhhh Loco!" They had arrived an hour earlier and even warmed up the common room for us. This is the magic of Nepal.
After returning, there was a brief interlude, involving whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, rented motorbikes with dysfunctional (or absentee) brakes and Dutchmen with inexplicable forks in their pockets, after which Asim, Rabyn and I embarked on a motorbike journey to visit and evaluate prospective volunteer placements. I now believe that any trip to Nepal that doesn't include a motorbike trip with Asim is sadly incomplete. This is the realm where Asim truly shines and every one of his impressive array of skills comes to the fore. While discussing options with local representatives of library and school councils, Asim left me speechless. He is the perfect diplomat, articulate, clear and supremely convincing; I was proud to be a member of an organization that would have him as an ambassador. Additionally, Asim is capable of an equally impressive symphonic range of snores, a quality not conducive to restful nights but more than compensated by the stories it inspired. In addition to the three placements we visited between Butwal and Pokhara, we also visited Lumbini and spent a night in Tansen, one of the more beautiful towns I've seen in Nepal.
Finally, in Pokhara, it was time for the volunteers to say adieu. Asim, having heard all the Aussie stories concerning barbies, wanted a taste of the experience, and graciously offered to organize a farewell barbie for the crew. "Don't worry about it guys. I'll take care of everything", was our last report and we wandered off, confident in the abilities of our fearless leader. Asim, meanwhile, scratched his head a bit, wondered what a barbie is and how one goes about organizing one, and then resorted to an old Nepali tactic for just such situations: he purchased 3 kilos of buffalo meat and a grill. The group converged at the prearranged time (several vegetarians in tow) and found Asim, pleased as punch, piling logs on the fire.
These are just a few of my multitude of memories of Nepal, but as I write this, countless more spring to mind, each more precious than the last. Now that I have returned to Austria, I am struck by how much I miss not only these major experiences, but just the simple pleasantness and beauty of everyday life in Nepal. Both my volunteer and social experiences there have taught me more than any school ever could and I know the friendships will last a lifetime. At the moment, I have other projects on my plate and other countries to visit, but I know I will be returning to Nepal many times in years to come.