First week of education in beautiful Nepal

COUNTRY: Nepal
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Education
WRITTEN BY: Amy Ross

While volunteering in Nepal, fourteen others and myself are staying in a Tibetan refugee camp named Tashi-Ling. The camp is situated on the beautiful lakeside of Pokhara. We all live in the close-knit community in shared accommodation with host families.

On a typical day we wake around 5:45 am and meet with others to hike up to Shanti Stupa, the World Peace Monastery. As we walk we can hear the sounds of the villagers praying in the nearby monasteries.

We arrive back home before 8 am to the smells of our host mother cooking Tibetan bread and brewing hot Tibetan tea. After a beautiful breakfast with our host families we get ready for school.

We all meet out on the roadside amongst the neighbourhood cows and dogs for our rides to school. My mother is setting up her jewellery stand and waiting for tourists.

At school the smiling faces of the children welcome us. They are all so intrigued by us and ask lots of question about Australia. We teach for 10 am until 2:30 pm Sunday to Thursday.

Usually after school we will all meet in the lakeside area for a late lunch. We discuss our varied experiences as we take in the beautiful view of the lake and mountains. We wander through the shops bargaining for the best price on sleeping bags and gifts to take home for family.

Later in the afternoon we head back to Tashi-Ling to spend the evening with our families. Mum is usually cooking traditional Tibetan food such as momos (dumplings) or thukpa (noodles). We spend the evening eating and laughing with our families before heading to bed.

No two days are the same living in Nepal, this is simply a glimpse into the adventure we are all experiencing. The sights, sounds, and smells are immeasurably different from that at home but still we have managed to settle in to our new homes with ease.

Namaste.