COUNTRY: Nepal
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Health & Teaching
WRITTEN BY: UniBreakers, Pokhara Nepal
I can’t believe we’ve been in Pokhara for an entire 4 weeks. Honestly, it seems like yesterday when we were all awkwardly introducing ourselves and finding out where we fit within the group. But now, we’ve had several teary goodbyes as we farewell the lifelong friends we’ve made throughout the past month.
After hearing from a volunteer from each placement at the half-way mark of our journey, I was curious to know if any opinions had changed and how each volunteer grew from their placement experience.
The three are below;
Toni, Kumundini Homes School (Primary Education student)
“My time at Kumundini Homes was so valuable as an Education student – it was challenging and taught me to think in a different way. It was also great to be able to work with children of varying ages. I think it’s about soaking up the experience of teaching in another country with vastly different styles of teaching. "
As I said after Week 2, I loved employing a small group teaching style with the children in Kumundini – it’s not something they were used to and after 4 weeks of teaching in this style I could definitely see the benefits! One thing I noticed throughout the month was the local teachers were always asking if their teaching styles are correct and if there’s anything they could improve upon. It’s very sweet and humbling to know they value our opinion and education, and that they want to advance their own skills.
The current Nepali teaching style is about 30 years behind that of Australia due to a pre-scripted curriculum that is dictated through set text on all things Nepali. I’ll be recommending the placement to my peers at Uni when I get back on Monday.”
Lyn, Fishtail Hospital (Nursing student)
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Fishtail Hospital and was treated so well by both the doctors and nurses. I was lucky enough to experience the Obstetrics/Gynecology ward, general medicine ward and pediatrics ward, and spent time in the operating theatre. There are cases that I saw that would be few and far between in Australia, which I am thankful for!
As a medium sized community hospital, Fishtail is very under-resourced and as such it can be hard for students that are used to practicing in developed countries. However, learning to work in such an environment will make me a better nurse in my opinion – I’ve learnt to be innovative, resourceful and harder working.”
Amelia, Manipal Teaching Hospital (Reproductive Medicine student)
“My experience at Manipal was overwhelmingly positive. As Manipal is a teaching hospital, the doctors and nurses were happy to share their knowledge and experiences when they could see I was eager to learn. After demonstrating my knowledge and enthusiasm I was even allowed to assist in births and neonatal care! It was such an amazing feeling and they are experiences that I will treasure. The cases I saw were fascinating and I am still in awe at the miracles that occur in the hospital despite the lack of resources.
The standards are definitely different to those in Australia, which can be frustrating at times! This was particularly true when babies would pass away from conditions that could be preventable in more developed areas. All in all though I feel incredibly lucky to have spent a month in the hospital and have been incredibly moved by the experiences I’ve had. I hope to return to work with the doctors and nurses again in the not too distant future!”
But it hasn’t been all work! We’ve had plenty of time to relax and explore Pokhara and the surrounding areas – which in short are beautiful! Trip highlights have included
* Spending an obscene amount of time at Olive Café in the afternoons and teaching the waiter an Australian accent
* Jogging through the local Tibetan towns and providing the locals with a good belly-laugh
* Becoming intrinsically aware of each others bowel movements
* Bargaining with the local store-keepers with “good price for Monsoon!”
* Trudging through knee-deep water at Tashi Ling Settlement after hanging out with each other’s host families
* ‘Pepsi-water’ drinking
* Scenic taxi rides
* Foreign affairs
* Bloody mosquitos at Amsterdam Bar; and
* Finally seeing the Annapurna range in its entirety as we drove out of Pokhara bound for Kathmandu.
We’ve travelled to Chitwan National Park, we’ve hiked to the local hill-towns, we’ve rafted down a Nepali river, we’ve paraglided over Fewa Lake, we’ve hiked to the Peace Pagoda and Sarangkot and spent time with our Tibetan families. In my opinion, living with my Tibetan host family rivals the time I spent in the hospital, it’s been so special and I think of them as my extended family.
My family was a young married couple and their one-year-old daughter and whilst we were in Pokhara we watched her stand by herself, take her first steps and celebrate her first birthday. I will cherish these memories and am truly thankful to my host family for sharing them with me and for looking out for my health and well-being whilst I was living in their home.
Having spoken to each volunteer individually, everyone shares the same sentiment – our lives are richer for having travelled to Pokhara and taking part in our placements. We’ve been so fortunate with our placements and have seen some amazing and often moving examples of the kindness and spirit of both the Nepali and Tibetan people. Leaving for Australia is bittersweet – we will be seeing our loved ones back home but we are leaving our new friends and family behind.
Signing out for the last time – thank you for following our journey in Pokhara, Nepal.
Amelia Arnold, on the behalf of the UniBreakers, Pokhara Nepal (July 2012)
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