UniBreak Students Find Their Feet in Pokhara, Nepal

COUNTRY: Nepal - Pokhara
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Community Healthcare, Teaching
WRITTEN BY: Divya Venkataraman

Hello, friends and family! I’m here to give you a quick rundown of our escapades over the week.

Disembarking at Kathmandu airport was certainly an assault on the senses, as dust and scamming baggage handlers overwhelmed us. Though some volunteers had been in Nepal for a few days already, 11 volunteers met on the 5th of January at the Eco Resort in Thamel - we would meet our 12th member, Jess, in Pokhara.

The first night was an exciting one, getting to know each other over shisha, cocktails and our newest obsession: momos! (Nepalese dumplings). Evading the cries of “I give you good price!” from every street shop was an easy task compared to the temptation of a third and fourth helping of momos. That night one of our volunteers was even offered his own DJ set.

The rocky early morning bus ride to Pokhara the next day was long, though regular chai breaks and beautiful views made the journey far more bearable, especially when every other stop was only to use the bathroom - literally a hole in the ground.

We then met our host families in the Tashi Ling Tibetan Settlement, who welcomed us with open arms, and became accustomed to the rituals of life in Nepal - including the dreaded bucket showers on frosty mornings. Our orientation session involved enthusiastically mispronouncing Nepali and sightseeing around Pokhara. Sarah however, due to her height, ended up being the main attraction, constantly being pulled into tourist photos and even proposed to! We then started placements at CHILDREN-Nepal (an NGO), various schools and the Manipal Hospital.

However, Penny and I were faced with unexpected days off as our school had exams for the next three days. We decided instead to immerse ourselves in the spiritual side of Nepali life and visited a meditation centre. We practised meditation in a dark room where we suppressed laughter as we were told to “Just shake! Just feel the music!” and were dubious as to the legitimacy of our reiki healers who told us we had “blocked chakras” but refused to explain further.

Hiking up to Sarangkot was our first weekend away, where we took in the fantastic views of the Annapurna range and rejoiced over hot showers. Most of the group went paragliding this morning soaring over snowy mountaintops, which we all agreed was an absolutely amazing experience.

There’s much more to come - stay tuned!