Working as a volunteer
During the four weeks that I stayed in Kathmandu, I worked at two different schools: the first two weeks I worked at Nepal Tara School and the second part of the month I worked at Y.M.B.A. School. We received a warm welcome from both schools and were greeted by the teachers and all the students. On our first days we received a tikka, a red dot on your forehead which, according to Nepalese faith, is a sign of love for God and it protects us from evil. After the ceremony, we were shown around the school and divided into groups to teach the classes.
During class, we spoke English with the children, played hangman and told them all about our own countries. The children were eager to ask us questions about the cultures and what, for example, the most popular animals in our countries were. At the end of the week, I brought with me finger puppets to Nepal Tara School and brought bottles of bubbles to Y.M.B.A. School. The local toy store in my village in the Netherlands had sponsored me and so I was able to give these out as presents to the kids. They loved their new toys and ran around the school to show them to everyone. I helped the youngest kids blow bubbles and the principal even pulled out his camera to capture the special moment.
Besides teaching English, we also helped painting the school. At Nepal Tara School, we painted the outside of the school and at Y.M.B.A. School, we painted the classrooms. We decorated the classrooms with wild animals, flags and funny characters. During the painting, the children who had class waved at us as we walked by smiling with our wet paintbrushes.
Weekend activities
Besides teaching, we went on a lot of trips to different places in or nearby Kathmandu. From the monkey temple (Swayambhunath) to the Bauddhanath stupa, every place we visited was breathtaking. Together with a girl from Norway, I took tons of pictures to share with my friends and family.
We also did many other activities: we took a Nepali language course, joined a dance course, did yoga, cooked Nepali food, watched a fire dance performance and much more. There was something amazing planned every day. The most impressive thing was a mountain trek we did at five o’clock in the morning to watch the sunrise over the Himalayas.
Time went by far too quickly and as I was packing my suitcase, I realised I didn’t feel like going home yet at all. If it were possible, I would have stayed for a few more weeks, but, unfortunately, school was about to start again, and I had to go back home.
Afterwards, people often ask me what my favourite moment in Nepal was, but to be honest, I can’t choose a favourite. The whole trip was amazing, and I enjoyed every moment of it. The people, their hospitality, the children, their enthusiasm: everything was incredible. I could get onto a plane at any moment and fly back!
