COUNTRY: Nepal - Pokhara
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Community Healthcare, Teaching
WRITTEN BY: Bec and Gia
Namaste, we are Rebecca and Angelisa and we will be keeping you all up to date on our amazing adventure in Nepal. Already we have experienced so much it’s hard to know where to begin. Even before our arrival in Kathmandu, two of our group members, Brianna and Sahreet were fifteen minutes from landing at their destination and were told that their plane was to fly back to Bangkok due to faulty landing gear! When we arrived along with our other two group members, George and Niamh, we were approached by our Antips pick up team and introduced to our lovely in-country partner, Kalden. As we were being introduced, one of the men carrying our bags was scamming for tips. Poor George and Niamh were tricked into paying this man $20 Aussie dollars and $20 US dollars (that’s about 4,000 Nepalese Rupee). Later we found out that an average wage for a local Nepalese is 10,000 NR per month ($100).
Our taxi ride from the Airport into Kathmandu was a bumpy and frightening ride! Drivers are encouraged to drive on the left hand side but that rarely is the case. Our driver braved the chaos that is Kathmandu and drifted in between oncoming traffic, cut off motorcycles and constantly tooted his horn to alert pedestrians and other vehicles that he was about to overtake. We drove with our windows down and we were enshrouded with clouds of smog and pollution, the overpowering smell of stale sweat and the sweet aroma of Dal (vegetarian curry). We waved to locals and were greeted with grinning yellows.
Our first morning in Kathmandu begun with an early yoga session on the rooftop of our hotel. For some this was a foreign experience, but for others it was a more intense version of Aus. Yoga. Our male instructor encouraged us with phrases like “these are your legs, control them”, “your legs are not elephants” and rotate your legs “faster than fast”. Our afternoon consisted of braving the roads in hatchback Suzuki’s (taxis) to make our way to Monkey Temple; a Buddhist Monastery. Five hundred steps was our challenge, a challenge we assumed would be easy. However, we sweated and heaved ourselves up the steps and endured small children and elderly beggars following us closely with their hands extended in exchange for money. Our breath became shorter and shorter as we climbed higher and higher but once we reached the top, our fatigue was replaced with awe of the beauty surrounding us.
A panoramic scenery of luscious greenery, mountains which stood high amongst the fluffy clouds and a rainbow of city rooftops was our reward. Upon arrival the girls donated a small amount of rupees to be blessed with the Tika (a red dot in the centre of our foreheads). Our first experience of bartering with the local shopkeepers was memorable. Being Westerners, prices were automatically increased. One time after we had worked the salesman down to a reasonable price with a purchase of headbands and backpacks, our salesman told us girls that he was “very skinny and short” and that we were “tall and fat”. After realising he had offended us, we were compensated with money purses as a small gift of apology.
We had an early start on Monday morning, waking up at 6 o’clock. We were also introduced to our newest member of our team, Jessie. We then made the eight hour bus ride to Pokhara. Although the bus ride was long, many of us took in the breathtaking scenery of the mountains, caught up on our sleep, chatted to the people around us and saw the many different ways a family in Nepal can live.
Coming from a more modern and touristy part of Nepal and seeing many poor living standards along the way, we were unsure of what to predict for our future home for the next three weeks in Tashi Ling; a Tibetan Refugee Settlement.
Upon arrival we were welcomed with open arms from our families, and served copious amounts of delicious, buttery and salty Tibetan tea, sweet, milky Nepali tea, orange juice and many fruits. Our fears of what to expect was a small barrier to overcome. Throughout the week we have been introduced to many different Tibetan and Nepali styles of cooking. Patting our stomachs to show our host families that we are full has become a joke to them. They respond by serving us more and more of their delicious food. George even claimed that he once ate so much that he “saw double”.
On Wednesday we all had our first day of placement. The schools in Nepal have had exams all week so those of us who were involved in a teaching placement were asked to observe students during their studies and entertain those who finished their tests early. We entertained students by playing AFL and basketball, Duck, Duck, Goose (which we later changed to Yak, Yak, Yeti), singing Australian songs and teaching English words, talking about our country and showing pictures of the ocean, our family and friends. Those who were involved with the hospital placement came back home the first day disappointed as they only witnessed consultations in Nepali, making it very difficult to understand patient problems. Fortunately, the very next day, their experience was much more interesting and knowledgeable for them. They cannot wait for their next placement on Sunday.
Even though we have only been here for such a short time, each volunteer has been laughed at for doing something silly or embarrassing. As a group we thought it would be appropriate to give a ‘Bekar (useless person) of the Week’ award to the person who did the silliest thing. This week it is with great pleasure that we award George and Niamh with this award. Not only did they not listen to Kathryn’s instructions of not tipping anyone at the airport, they also opened up their wallets to let the Skammer choose which note he wanted to keep. Congratulations, Guys! You are bekar!
We will write soon,
Bec and Gia x
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