On the 14th of March, we started our journey to Nepal. We experienced new cultural beliefs that were mixed together with the society of this less wealthy country. On behalf of the entire Nepal team, I am glad to say that the trip was a great success, both for the people who we helped and for us as students.

Nepal is a tiny country between China and India, its main incomes are from farming and tourism. Due to the big neighbouring countries, Nepal is standing in the shadow of these developing countries and has trouble taking care of itself. With the Himalayas on its side, Nepal is truly a breathtaking country with warm and welcoming people which is one of the main things I look for when going on holiday.

We started our trip by traveling first to Doha and then to Kathmandu. Altogether, the flights took around 13 hours to reach the capital of Nepal. Our landing in Kathmandu was unforgettable, looking outside the window we saw the mountains, villages, farming systems and infrastructure of the LEDC. The airport was very poor and soon we were welcomed by the “Himalayan Voluntourism” group (our guides and translators) and on the road, heading our way to the hotel. The traffic is also a really interesting aspect of Kathmandu, chaotic is the word to describe it. Just sitting on the bus, travelling through the city, watching Kathmandu’s society, is an experience. The first two days we got introduced to the cultural city and saw many temples and ate traditional food. Then it was time to make our way to the main goal we came here to achieve: to help the children of the school.

After a 2 hour bus ride, we reached the farmhouse hotel which is near the school. Our first reaction to the place was that we were surprised by how gorgeous the landscape looked from here. It was a really cosy and interesting location. We planned our schedule for the next day and went to bed. The next morning we watched the sunrise, which slowly rose over the mountains.

We hiked every morning for 40 minutes to the school and back. When we first reached the school, we were welcomed like family which gave us all a really a special feeling to. For 3 full days, we taught the children all kinds of subjects, having every class one hour a day. Everyone had a translator so that the Nepalese children could understand us.  I was surprised by how much I could teach these children in just one hour. I taught subjects like Mathematics and Geography but there were many more too. Because of the fundraising our school did, we could give the school a solar panel for electricity, give all the students a free lunch, give shoes and uniforms to the students, donate new books, pens, pencils etc. I really enjoyed working with these children because I could really see how much fun they had with us and I think that is what it is all about, that the children have fun.

Saying goodbye to them was really tough for all of us. Almost all of us gave a speech saying how much fun we had and how much we learned. We ended the day by taking a group picture and making our way back to the hotel. Now thinking back at the time, what I found most interesting was how happy these children were when we gave them the shoes.

The following day, our muscles were aching and on the schedule was a four hour hike. At first it was tough, but during the hike we passed houses, admired the agriculture and saw the daily routine of normal people. We also really saw the landscape of Nepal and how, for example, in the middle of the nature a marijuana plant was growing. When we finally reached the destination of our hike, we saw the oldest temple of Nepal. We ate lunch, got on the bus, and went back to the capital and the hotel.

The next day we went souvenir shopping with a guide. Then, at the end of the day we went to the airport and said goodbye to our guides who helped us enormously in all kind of aspects.

I would like to thank SIS, the group who came with us and our guides/translators for this amazing experience. It was really an extraordinary trip!