COUNTRY: Nepal
PROGRAM: UniBreak Groups
PROJECT: Education
WRITTEN BY: Flinders University Education Students, Pokhara, Nepal
Greetings from Nepal!
We have just reached the end of our first week here and the mood among the group is one of excitement and good spirits.
After arriving in Kathmandu around midday Monday 10th, we spent the afternoon acclimatising to the people, culture and weather which was much warmer than expected.
The girls busied themselves shopping while the boys focussed their attention on challenging a group of 10 year olds to a soccer match. The girls were successful, coming away with some groovy hippie pants while the boys suffered a shock 3-1 loss to their much younger opponents. Dinner was enjoyed atop a roof in the centre of the city before the weary travellers retired to the resort for some much needed sleep.
Sunrise was enjoyed by an overzealous Kate and Jess the next morning when they showed up to breakfast one and a half hours hour early. The rest of the troops filtered down around 6.30am to a good spread and a quick group meeting. The duration of the bus journey, initially believed to take around 6hrs, quickly grew as a result of the routine stop by the ‘bribe seeking’ local police’ and a rolled truck on the mountainous highway. Nonetheless, we reached Pokhara unscathed and in good spirits, where we were welcomed by our host families and a world of extremely low doorways.
The first days involved familiarising ourselves with the beautiful Tibetan settlement, trekking up to the Peace Stupa and taking a boat ride over to the tourist hotspot Lakeside. The first day at school produced a countless number of good stories and ended with an evening that will not readily be forgotten by myself and Leah. Friday involved a trip out to the countryside to watch Joel and Chris partake in a game of Volleyball with teachers from the local schools but ended in a whole group of us playing an exhibition match expertly filmed by Kerry.
To those eager family members reading from home shores, we are all fine and having the time of our lives. For those prospective participants of future trips: I believe I speak on behalf of all of us when I say I could not recommend any experience more highly. The people are the most giving, caring and well natured I have ever met and the scenery is beyond words. A more authentic cultural insight could not be had and the beauty of the people and landscape is something that every person should enjoy in their lifetime.
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