Kieran (Nepal)

I travelled to Nepal and volunteered with HELP in the summer of 2016, and it was an incredible experience! After arriving in Kathmandu, we stayed there for a few days, which gave us the opportunity to visit many of the city’s attractions. We then travelled to the school that we would be teaching in for the next few weeks, in a village called Bhotechaur.

I had no prior experience teaching a class, and although it was difficult at first, we quickly learnt the best ways to keep the students engaged and learning. The children loved games and interactive activities like question and answer competitions in English, as this was a style of teaching quite different from what they were used to. During the lunch break each day, we would teach the children playground games like “duck-duck-goose” and show them photos from home. We also talked to the teachers a lot and observed some of their lessons.

Throughout the teaching placement we stayed with a host family near to the school. While living with them we learnt a lot about Nepalese culture and participated in some of the local festivals. On our days off from teaching, the family took us to visit some of the surrounding area, including visiting a cave and a garden where tea leaves were grown. We also helped the villagers to plant rice in the terraced rice paddies on the mountainside.

Following the teaching placement, we travelled back to Kathmandu and then on to Pokhara, a beautiful lakeside city, where we started a six day trek as part of the HELP “Teach and Trek” programme. We trekked in the Annapurna region on a short circuit through jungle and mountainous terrain, sleeping in lodges in small villages along the way. The trek was a great way to end our time in Nepal after the teaching.

The experience as a whole was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. While teaching, it was clear to see that our efforts were making a considerable difference to the lives of the children at the school, and I myself gained a lot from challenging myself to stand up at the front of a class and teach. Living with a local family was also a very special part of the trip, as it enabled us to experience a way of life that is completely removed from the way we live in the UK, and this gave me a completely new perspective on life at home.

As a result of the earthquake in Nepal, the school we taught in had limited resources and consisted of small temporary classrooms. Almost all the buildings in the surrounding area were temporary too. Although this made the living conditions more difficult, it also made our trip feel even more worthwhile, as the communities affected need help now more than ever.

I would encourage anyone who is thinking about volunteering to give it a go, as it was a fantastic trip – I am definitely considering going again!