COUNTRY: Nepal
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Nursing and Paramedics
WRITTEN BY: Amelia Walsh & Lachie Graham
Nepal is an amazing, fresh and vibrant country with strong history, culture and traditions. We started off not knowing what to expect and slightly nervous about staying here for over a month.
On arrival in Kathmandu, we were greeted by Rajesh and Prima. That night we stayed in their granny flat/hut out the back of their house with walls made of clay and wine bottles! We had to climb up very steep ladders to get to our rooms in the attic… which made getting our 26kg bags up there quite a challenge! Rajesh showed us his office, where one wall is covered in over 300 photos of all the previous volunteers. They went through the basic cultural norms with us, from greetings to use of squat toilets (this was even demonstrated). Apparently we’re not supposed to use toilet paper in the squat toilets because it clogs up the ‘sewerage’ pipes. We have to use bins instead.
The day we left Kathmandu for Chitwan was a very early start. Driving through the main street, the bus actually swerved an elephant just casually standing outside a shop in the middle of the road. Two minutes after embarking on the bus ride, we had to stop for fuel. Between the ‘bus-ride naps’, we saw monks teaching little kids how to clean their teeth on the side of the road. The bus trip was 150km and took over 6 hours! Lesson learnt to take Kwells before leaving next time.
When we got off the bus at Chitwan, we were met by a small taxi which we were somehow all meant to fit in. Being the structural engineers that we are, four of us not-so-small-adults crammed into the tiny back seat. Not the most comfortable drive. When we arrived at Rishi’s, we were all given freshly picked bunches of flowers and cups of milk chia. Then we were given our Nepali names. Ellen became Etka, Amelia became Ambika, Chloe became Kamala, and Lachlan became Laxman. After a couple hours of being taught how to act respectful around our new Nepali families, we were at our new host houses!
We three girls stayed together and ‘Dr Laxman’s’ home was a few houses down the road. Living here is very different to living at home from the harder mattresses to the squat toilets. The hardest part to get used to was definitely not being allowed to throw toilet paper in the toilets. The food is good though! Lots of rice (‘baht’ in Nepali) with every meal, we’re learning the consequences of eating bulk rice all the time- something our digestive systems are definitely not used to.
Nepali people usually don’t eat breakfast like Australians, but eat brunch instead. We get breakfast made just for us, which is usually a rice form of porridge with milk and banana or freshly made roti which we dip in chia – our favourite! Our families also took us to make out traditional Nepali dresses called Gouttars, where we picked out the fabric and had tailor-made for just over $5. Everything is so cheap here!
At Rishi’s house there are three levels. On the second level are the children, or "God's gift to me" as Rishi calls them. On the second night, the children put on a dancing and singing performance to welcome us again. Rishi is very appreciative of us and calls us “not guests, but family” and it is always his pleasure to have us and see us happy. He has been fundamental in the coordination of our time at the hospital and has given us a brilliant insight into the Nepali way of life.
The hospital where we are based is considered modern, new and clean. It is located on a road that houses approximately 60 other hospitals (both public and private). Without a doubt the health system here is different. It is hard to watch some treatment, especially since it is considered offensive to recommend something. C-spine injuries and orthopaedic injuries are often ignored and the patient can be left without any stabilisation and immobilisation for hours. On a positive note, the patient flow within the hospital is very fast; patients are treated and discharged often within the hour. In Australia, patients usually stay within the Emergency Department for a minimum of 3 hours. Here patients leave quicker and often self-discharge.
Overall, week one has been a very steep learning curve and has demanded rapid adaptation. Nonetheless, it has been successful and truly a great experience. I know there's much more to come, so stay tuned for week two!
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