Sarah's Nepalese Experience: an insight for first time travellers
I never thought Nepal would be the first country overseas that I would ever travel too. If you had told me two years ago that I would be going to Nepal, I would think of my future self as crazy. I think what attracted me to participating in the Challenges Abroad program in Nepal was stepping out of my comfort zone, and the encouragement from my friend Georgia, who participated in the program as well. I also had a strong urge to experience a completely different world to my own. We often get way too comfortable in our own bubbles that we don’t realise how big the world really is; even more so we become scared to face failure if we step outside our comfort zone. I was therefore, drawn to the idea of challenging myself mentally and physically and just trying something new.
Before leaving for Nepal there was quite a lot of preparation involved, but I throughout it all, it just didn’t feel real. It all felt so surreal up until we got to the airport. Once I was lined up to board the plane it finally hit me that I was actually leaving the country. I felt very overwhelmed yet ecstatic when preparing for the trip, and because it was my first time overseas, I was making sure to be conscious that I was packing everything I needed. I didn’t know what I was going to expect which was exciting yet a little terrifying. I believe the best approach was not to go to the country with any expectations because when you do you end up falling into the trap of comparison. I think regardless of this however, Nepal does exceed any expectations you may have, and overall, it was a wholesome experience.
Sarah and her group on their cultural orientation upon arriving in Nepal.
When I first arrived in Nepal with my friend Georgia, we did feel very overwhelmed. Nepalese can speak English but there can still be a language barrier, so if you arrive at a different time to when the transportation is organised, like Georgia and myself did, then you will have to be conscious of this. You will need to remember to pronounce your words more slowly so the locals can understand the gist of what you are trying to say if you don’t speak any Nepali. I recommend learning the basics of Nepali language to communicate with airport staff, taxi drivers, and hotel staff etc. However, despite the language barrier, the people are very polite and hospitable; if you need help, they will offer a hand. Personally, I did experience cultural shock as, again, it was my first time out of the country, and this would be similar for any first-time travellers. It’s so different from home, and you feel like you are in a whole new world. But because of our amazing Nepalese guide and the wonderful hospitality at our accommodation, we were able to settle in pretty quickly. Some confronting things, that took me a few days to get used to, was the chaotic traffic and roads of Kathmandu, but once I conquered crossing, I felt like I could accomplish anything in Nepal! I also felt like we got stared at a lot. However, I quickly learnt that it is only out of curiosity, and I found that if you said ‘Namaste’ people would immediately smile and return your hello.
On the second day we did a cultural walk around Kathmandu, and this was a real eye-opener. This was such an immersive experience, as it helped us to understand the day-to-day life of Nepalese people just by simply observing the environment around us and learning a lot from our guide Neeru. One cultural experience I will never forget was learning about the Living Goddess. On one of our cultural walks, we went to visit the Living Goddess and it was so fascinating to learn about the traditions and practices that have been ongoing for hundreds of years. The Nepalese food also took me by surprise: the flavours and spices used were amazing! Before having Nepalese food, my spice tolerance was very low, but after all the rice dishes, noodles, and Dal Bhat, my tolerance has definitely changed in a good way.
Not only was it amazing to immerse myself in the culture, but it was such a rewarding experience being able to conduct workshops for year 5 and 6 children in the school we visited. The children were so excited and grateful that we were there. I remember being nervous since I had no prior experience working with children, but honestly as much as the prior experience is helpful, personally I don’t think it’s overly important. After a few days, I quickly learnt that if you are patient and lend a listening ear then you can create a connection with them. There will be times when it is hard to connect with some students, but I found that by the end of the two weeks, they had all opened up to us. We did many creative workshops and physical outdoor activities with the children: we did rock-painting, story-telling, and outdoor games like Red-Light Green-Light, Bullrush, and Stuck in the Mud. They definitely enjoyed Bullrush the most. We also did a kindness workshop with the children and they wrote anonymous notes about their friends and also kind affirmations about themselves. It definitely was a success as the children enjoyed reading kind notes from their friends, and it was fulfilling helping them to understand self-empowerment and the importance of kindness.
Sarah conducting workshops within our local partner school.
My time spent in Nepal helped me shape my definition of a Global Citizen. I believe a Global Citizen is someone that gives back to their community and will pursue opportunities to help create an impact within the world. No matter how big or small the act may be, it can still create change in one person’s life, and that is the most valuable experience one can encounter in this lifetime; selflessly giving back to others and helping to make a difference. It is a rewarding feeling knowing that you’ve helped create change. When we were doing the rock-painting workshop with the children, the principal was walking around observing the activity, and he said to Neeru, our guide, that he would like to implement more creative activities, similar to what we were doing, within the school’s curriculum. It was truly the greatest news to hear. Despite it being a small change within the school, it is still creating change in the long-run, and it was the best feeling knowing that I have helped made an impact on the children’s lives.
In the future I would love to participate in another community challenge within another Challenges abroad country, possibly Thailand or Cambodia, because I want to continue to learn about different cultures and help to make an impact in the world. I would love to revisit Nepal as well; it is such a beautiful place, and I would be interested in visiting some more remote areas - I am yet to hike around Mt Everest basecamp (it’s definitely now on my bucket list!). I think my Nepal experience has also made me realise that I can also create change within my own community at home, and as an Aboriginal Australian there is definitely a lot of challenges and disadvantages my community face, and I know that I can help create change, no matter how big or small!
I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but no matter how big or small the act may be, it can still change someone’s life, wherever or whoever you may be! Everyone can be a Global Citizen, and at the end of the day we are all human, and it’s about working together to create change. That is the biggest take-away from my experience in Nepal and it has changed me as a person for the better. For anyone that is thinking of participating in a Challenges Abroad program, I definitely encourage you to participate. It’s ok to doubt yourself, I had my own doubts when deciding whether or not to participate. However, I had great support from my friend Georgia as we made the decision to go together, so maybe if you feel unsure about going by yourself, talk to a friend and see if they would participate with you. At the end of the day, I could’ve said no because I had never been overseas before and there are thought to be too many ‘dangers’, but I am so grateful that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, because my experience in Nepal taught me many life lessons and, in the end, I gained fulfillment and joy from helping create impact at a school in Kathmandu. So, push yourself out of your comfort zone and experience life through a different lens.
If you have participated in a Challenges Abroad program as part of your first time overseas, we would love to hear about it! Share your story with us on Instagram @challengesabroad #challengesabroad