Visit Nepal for the mountains, return for the people

COUNTRY: Nepal
PROGRAM: UniBreak - Kathmandu
PROJECT: Community Healthcare
WRITTEN BY: Sherman Chu

Yet another week has gone by, even quicker than the last. This week it was our final week of placements and we were all very sad to say our goodbyes. Thinking back, we have all had an amazing experience. We saw things that we wouldn’t have seen in Australia.

This experience has been very eye-opening for all of us. We all feel that we have made a difference - even if it is only small. From picking up a child who is unable to walk out of bed each day at BAS (Emily and Georgia) to helping a man walk again at Sahara Hospital (Anthony and Tarryn). Working at our placement sites has been very rewarding and we all wish we could have stayed longer to build a more sustainable future.

Anthony had the opportunity to observe the doctors in theatre during childbirth, prostatectomy and cholecystrectomy (gallbladder surgery). He even got a gallstone as a souvenir after surgery! Anthony also taught lower back exercises to a group of Tibetan people who came from a rural area in Nepal. These people are from an underprivileged area and cannot afford to pay for physiotherapy sessions. The hospital refused to do any sessions unless they paid and Anthony stepped in as a student to share his knowledge! The group was very grateful and Anthony was interviewed from the press! Look out for him in the Kathmandu Post!

Everyone in Nepal is so friendly! I’ve never been to a country where everyone is so friendly. People say that you go to Nepal for the Himalayan and mountain views and return for the people. An example of this is when Catherine and I were on a very crowded bus and there were no seats left so we had to stand. We were struggling to hold our books and keep ourselves upright. A man who was seated offered to take our books and our bags and put them on his lap so our hands were free to hold onto the railings on the bus. We were so touched and completely trusted the man.

On Wednesday, Catherine and I cooked for our host family. We made them tomato and cheese omelettes, fried bok-choy and tuna spaghetti. The verdict: they liked it! Anthony also made a Greek dish for his host family and they thoroughly enjoyed it too!

Last weekend, we split up into two groups for different weekend activities. One group (Bronwyn, Georgia, Jess, Emily, Anthony and I) were the adrenaline-seeking group who went canyon swinging over a 160m bridge at The Last Resort and rafting at Bhote Kosi. The other group (Catherine, Kiara, Alana, Lisa, Tarryn) chose to have a peaceful and relaxing yoga weekend. Bronwyn, Georgia and Jess braved the canyon swing and they have a DVD to prove it!

Apparently Nepal is one of the world’s best rafting and kayaking destinations and I am so thrilled to have experience it! The terrain varied between roller-coaster white water to gentle rapids that allowed us to float peacefullythrough jungle wilderness and semi-remote villages. We all met on Sunday night to reunite once again and celebrated Australia day at friend’s restaurant in Thamel. Kiara made our day by bringing us Caramello Koalas from Australia!

Next week will be our health outreach project. We will be teaching at Souvenir School at Dhapasi Heights, two orphanages and painting at the Shree Daphasi School. It will be a short week for some - Cat’s last day is on Tuesday and Thursday will be the last day for Emily, Alana and Georgia who will be departing for Pokhara to begin their yoga trek!