Lena’s Nepal Teaching Experience

We are happy to share some first-hand insights from volunteers on the field! Today, it’s Lena from Germany – staying for a month in Nepal’s beautiful capital city Kathmandu supporting a public school. So we are going to hear more about her first insights:

What was your first thought when you arrived at the project site?

I was tired from the long travel of course and really, really nervous as I had absolutely no idea of what to expect. Already at the airport, I had a warm welcome from the grandfather of my host family. Within the first days, they made it really easy for me to experience the culture and feel like I am a part of the family here. While arriving at the school, my project site, the students were so happy but also a bit shy to finally meet me. It all felt new and unfamiliar on the first morning. As a week has passed, I feel like I really arrived.

What do your day-to-day tasks look like?

I am working at a school in Kathmandu, Nepal. In my role as a volunteer teacher, I am mainly working with students from grades 1 – 10 teaching them Maths and English. My main goal is to help them improve their skills and bring some new aspects to education here in Nepal.

Lena, what did you learn from your volunteer experience?

As I haven´t finished yet, I can´t fully answer the question completely. I only finished the first week from a total of four weeks here in Nepal. However, after week 1 I am totally sure that being able to fully immerse yourself in a new culture and world helps you to become more resilient, adaptable but also open-minded. There are so many wonderful people around this globe – and you meet a lot of them during a volunteer experience.

What was your most memorable moment?

I am only in my second week and have like a list of memorable experiences to share. Sharing tea and talking with the woman, that manages the foundation I am working for with her husband, is one of the experiences that I really enjoy. Besides that, it´s all about the people I am meeting along the way, e.g. an old man with whom I had a long conversation in a little café during a day hike, a long talk with a Tibetan monk with who I had a coffee with and a young girl that I meet as I explored that city. We had a walk through a place that is called the garden of dreams and appropriate to the place, she shared a lot of her dreams with me. As you can there, I already made a lot of wonderful experiences in week one and I am sure a lot more will follow.

Do you want to get more insights from this program? Follow Lena on Instagram! Also, follow us as well and you’ll receive even more insights from around the world.