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Orphanage need help in Nepal
Added: (Sun Sep 11 2005)
We can’t express in words how fantastic our time volunteering in Chitwan has been. The people, the children, the scenery and the wildlife seemed to amaze us in new ways every day. We spent one month volunteering and during that time we worked with fourteen super kids in an orphanage home in Sauraha, Chitwan. No two days were ever the same during our placement! Each morning we would help the children with their homework and again in the evening time when they returned home from school. The children had difficulty with Maths and Science in particular so we spent a lot of time teaching them concepts in these two subject areas. However teaching was only one of the many activities we undertook with the children. Fishing with the children and swimming down at the local river (where we sat safely on the river bank) was one of the many memories we will take home with us. The children teaching us new games that we will use in the school yard when we return to Ireland and also teaching them games that we ourselves played as children was again another activity that we enjoyed immensely! Listening to the children telling various myths and legends of Nepal and spending time talking and interacting with them was so enjoyable and the nights seemed to disappear so quickly!
The village itself was such a delightful place to spend some time away from the hustle and bustle of Katmandu. The countryside was so peaceful and its beauty was captivating! At first you can’t believe that a herd of elephants are your nearest neighbors but you quickly find yourself adjusting to the lifestyle and not batting an eyelid as you stand in along the roadside to let elephants pass as they return from the jungle. I must admit that the local wildlife were one of my biggest fears when we planned this journey but thankfully I could cope with the lizards and the only other reptiles we saw were in a museum!
We can honestly say that at no time did we feel in danger or uneasy during our placement. The people were at all times so warm and welcoming and made every effort to ensure you felt part of their community. They were very helpful which made it much easier to appreciate the natural beauty of their village when one would go exploring the local countryside.
It was very exciting to be placed so close to Royal Chitwan National Park and I think the children guessed that we were a little nervous about this at first when they would tell us stories about local farmers been attacked by the tigers so they quickly reassured us telling us not to worry that the animals did not attack tourists!
Overall we were extremely happy with our placement. We could not have asked for a nicer host family, children or area to be placed working with. Everything from beginning to end was so enjoyable and we would recommend anyone who has any interest in traveling to another country to experience something so different but yet so fantastic to come to Nepal and spend some time working with Info Nepal and the people here in whatever area you are interested in.
We cannot thank Info Nepal enough for the experience we have had! Thanks everybody!!!
Audrey and Jane, Ireland