Kathmandu, Nepal

As a volunteer you don’t expect anything, as a tourist you expect a lot.
Elliot one of the volunteer in Kathmandu came to build toilets for villagers in the Kathmandu Valley. Not as much toilets, more of drop hole and a septic tank (hole in the ground) At
the age of 21 he decided that traveling without any deed is
useless. “Come with no expectations” was one of the advices
almost any volunteer gives and its a good one. The living
conditions in Nepal are rough for those willing to live with
host families in rural areas. It is a matter of time before you
get used to an outside toilet, infinite amount of rice for
dinner, mosquitoes, the smell of cow manure, piles and
piles of garbage on the side of the road in the city and what
makes most of the landscape in the country side.

The kids in the villages have the luxury of going to school and with the help of teaching volunteers they get to learn English, but the commitment on the part of the educator should be great. “The teachers don’t really care, it seems that schools are a dumping ground for kids, giving parents space and time to work in the fields” Hellen came from the UK for 2 weeks to work with deaf kids. She seemed irritated “oh i don’t know how anyone can be a teacher, it is just so hard and annoying” and she wasn’t talking about working with the hearing impared but working as a teacher in general. “I was asked to tech a class for one of the teachers who didn’t feel like it, the class consists of 50 students ages 5 to 20, what is she nuts?” The kids sit on floors, some don’t know the basics and every single volunteer has to start from scratch with every student and there are 50 of them. 

Monte from Houston, Texas made a big commitment, coming to Nepal for 5 months to teach monks and also live at a monastery. “I am hoping that they will allow me to teach dance and art, I am a contemporary artist and have been brake dancing for a while now” After his mom died last year and re-evaluating his drug habits, Tibet made a lot of sense especially after reading The book of the dead “It changed my life” a Buddhist view on the after life. Quitting drugs (sort of) he is focusing on fusion of religions Nepal gathered from Tibet, India and China. (Assuming Tibet is its own country, and in this example it is :P) “What I was doing back home, contemporary art not a lot of people appreciate it and it was selfish, elitist, very good means to live outside of consumerist society. I just want to give back and learn from the experience” Monasteries in Nepal vary differently but some are more “pampered than the villages, people are more educated” The monks are very patient with Monte, “they engage in intellectual activities, they debate, solve math problems and they eat with spoons other than using hands, its a part of the Tibetan diet” 

 Being selfless in one retrospect is an amazing thing, and everyone in their lifetime should volunteer, but also know what exactly you are getting yourself into. “One of the volunteers was placed in a barn and rats ate her underwear” someone at the dinner table at OR2K said. Now this would sound funny back home, but when you are living in similar conditions and depend on the volunteer organisation to place you with a host family a statement like that is frightening. Surely one of the girls from that night was placed in a home with rats in her room. Experiences like that make for a good conversation, and the best place to tell them is OR2K, a cliche in a sense, every volunteer, tourist or passer by that has ever been to Kathmandu hanged out at OR2K, it’s an all vegetarian, take your shoes off before coming in, sit on the floor and trip out under the black light cafe.
 You should expect to:
-step into a pile of trash or avoid one, but not the smell
-get comfortable with cows having priority on the road, not people.
-blend together “Om Mani Padme Hum” chant, honking and spitting/throat clearing sounds.
-be enlightened with the vast amounts of temples and religious literature.
-overwhelm your senses with magnificent food, beautiful mountain views and admiration  for the kindness of people.
-fall in love with every Nepali child you see.

 Nepal brings together people from different backgrounds, religions, countries etc. There is no logic or rationality only feelings and emotions. Everyone is overwhelmed with everything and everyone. This is a place of peace, chaos, love, desperation. To understand what it is to actually LIVE- Nepal is a fundamental stepping stone. And if you find joy and peace amongst all the worst and best things that Kathmandu brought together... then you are ready to find it within yourself and truly call yourself Happy!