COUNTRY: Nepal
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Education
WRITTEN BY: Joanna Pidcock
Our second week in Nepal has been characterised by hospital visits, birthdays, and an extremely lengthy walk up a hill.
On Friday, the volunteer group decided to hike up to Sarangkot, which is a large hill that overlooks Pokhara on one side, and the Annapurna range of the Himalayas on the other. The hill really doesn't look that big from the ground, however, we soon discovered that it was not only extremely large, but also very steep, as we began to hike up it. Despite the midday heat which caused Maddie to reflect 'I was sweating like a pedophile in a preschool', the walk was actually quite beautiful, and we were greeted along the way by gorgeous Nepali children, and people just going about their day, only mildly disturbed by a troupe of sweaty westerners singing Kelly Clarkson and The Sound of Music.
The volunteers eventually got to the top, or what we thought was the top, before discovering that we had to walk up an immense number of rickety stone steps to get to where our hotel was. Once we found it, we nearly wept with happiness. The walk was totally worth it: the views from the roof of our hotel were absolutely phenomenal. We could see an uninterrupted view of the mountains, which were only 25 km away, and as the sun set, we took hundreds of photos of the mountains, and many more of ourselves. If we thought the sunset was beautiful, then the sunrise was totally out of this world. We all rugged up (except for Erin, who got an unfortunate case of gastro, and Felicity, who inexplicably forgot her jumper but still came anyway) and went onto our own private hill behind the hotel armed with our cameras.
The feeling of watching such a formidable and imposing mountain range slowly emerge from the dark is hard to put into words, but I know I felt an inspiring sense of awe, at the same time as becoming acutely aware of my own insignificance. The mountains changed from grey to purple to pink, as the sun seemed to emerge from the mist like a glowing pink ball, just like the beginning of The Lion King. This prompted a hearty rendition of the opening song, obviously in perfect Swahili. Most of us left Sarangkot in style by running off the edge of a cliff and paragliding down. This was quite an experience, as none of us had ever done it before, leading someone who will remain unnamed to ponder 'do I have to wear a bra paragliding?'. The experience of flying above Pokhara and seeing the mountains from the air will live long in my memory.
Unfortunately, some of the international volunteers have become intimately aquatinted with the Nepali hospital system. First was Josh, who 'broke' his finger in a particularly competitive game of volleyball at school, only to find that it was just jarred, but very swollen, and a rather unappetising greeny purple colour. Our second casualty was Eliza, who ate a dodgy apple and had to see the doctor. Her Amala (the Tibetan word for mother, and the affectionate way that we refer to all the older ladies in the camp, as a group fondly known as 'the real housewives of Tashi Ling') came to the rescue with Oreos, guava poppers, and some very angry words for the doctors and nurses, who she felt weren't taking proper care of her daughter! We love the way that all our Amalas have accepted us as daughters and sons, and selflessly made us a part of their families.
The Moondance cafe in lakeside has become a favourite hang out for the group of volunteers. It is where we trust the refrigeration enough to go on 'dairy benders' eating cheese, yoghurt AND ice cream all in the same meal, and has received the high praise of 'your establishment is very aspen, I feel as though I could just ski in and ski out'. Furthermore, it prompted a personal favourite utterance from Felicity of 'I'll just have a sex on the beach thanks'. It's where Kalden has 'blonde time' i.e. hangs out with us, and is an alternative venue for a cheeky wifi and/or Facebook stalk of certain Sydney residents' extremely attractive friends.
Volunteering at the school continues to be both a challenge and a joy. The kids are so beautiful, but it is heartbreaking to watch their creativity being stifled, except in Lisa and Erin's school, which is a happy mix between Fame and High School Musical. We have all struggled with watching teachers hit students who misbehave, and we have all realised how incredibly lucky we are to have been educated in Australia, where emotional intelligence and mutual respect between teachers and students is of paramount importance. As Josh said 'I feel like I'm in the Von Trapp household pre-Maria, this is where creativity comes to die'. We are all making progress though, and the kids are beginning to respond to music and art, and are learning to work independently and use their imaginations. It is amazing to watch creative minds that have previously been discouraged, really flourish.
Finally, Nikita and myself both celebrated our birthdays this week on the 5th and 6th respectively! Birthday cakes are the gift du jour here, and between us we have amassed 5, including one with 'happy birthday Nikita and J-Lo' written in fluorescent green Nepali script. To celebrate, we had a bonfire with all the other antipodean volunteers and some of the amalas, which included toasted marshmallows, a heartwarming rendition of Mariah Carey's 'All I want for Christmas is you' courtesy of Josh, and a lot of laughing. Even though we all miss our families and friends, especially on occasions like birthdays, at the end of our second week we are beginning to realise that the people we are living and working with are just as special and amazing as the beautiful country we are in.
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