After exploring the Kumaon region in Uttarakhand, I travelled to Nepal. During my one-month stay in Nepal, I explored different parts of Nepal. In this post, I will talk about my volunteer experiences in Nepal at two drastically different workplaces and regions, i.e. as a guest lecturer at a college in the lowland region and a Tea picker at a Tea farm in the hilly region. It was a great learning experience for me. Read on!
Crossing bridge between India and NepalAlmost there!WELCOME TO NEPAL!
Huge Shivling in the townEnjoying local cricket matchStunning SunsetGoing to nearby village
Typical Nepalese thaliMomos time!Lecture time 🙂
Sunday picnic with staff
Will miss itTime to say goodbye
MY VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE AT A COLLEGE IN NEPAL
I crossed into Nepal on foot via the Banbasa Border in Uttarakhand, India. At the border, I was greeted by friendly Nepalese border police. Before entering Nepal, I was planning to take a bus directly to Pokhara, but at the last minute, I found a host on Workaway in the Far-west province of Nepal, and I decided to change my destination. I volunteered for around 2 weeks at the college. My work entailed writing and taking lectures on various topics(drawing from my personal experiences) and helping in the back office. Also, I conducted a 2-day workshop for the students about “Traveling as a career”. The college’s location is quite different from quintessential Mountainous Nepal. It is in the lowland region of Nepal and was quite hot during my stay in May. I truly enjoyed my volunteer stint at the college. I got an opportunity to tap into the untapped side of my personality. I was a bit nervous during my first lecture while addressing 40+ students, but gradually I got the hang of it. I started doing pre-writing, pre-planning, and pre-rehearsing of my lectures. Gradually, I started looking forward to interacting with students. I learnt many aspects of teaching. At some point in my life, I would definitely like to teach. I explored the town and nearby village during the off-days and after-school hours. I had a glimpse into the Nepalese culture, food and way of living. After working hours, me and PR ma’am used to go for evening walks. During our evening excursions, Ma’am told me a lot about teaching, Nepal and her life experiences. Truly enlightening conversations! Also, I was really impressed by the simplicity of Principal Sir. He treated me like a younger brother. Nutritious vegetarian meals were provided during my stay. I had a truly fulfilling time as a volunteer and will cherish the experience.
Hidden gem 🙂
Picking time!
The result 🙂
Drying the leaves after rolling with handsFinal product after roastingGood Morning to you too 🙂
I made paranthas for all!Cute Kittens!Simple and Nutritious mealsYou don’t need a microwave to make popcorn 🙂
Chayotes
“We will be waiting for you”Back to home country!
MY VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE AT A TEA FARM IN NEPAL
I end my journey in Nepal with a week-long volunteer stint. Thanks to Workaway again, I volunteered at a family’s tea farm. The village where the farm is located, is truly serene and beautiful, populated with tea plantations. I quite liked the foggy weather which is also perfect for tea farming. I worked at picking tea leaves, tea making process(rolling, roasting, drying), cutting long grass, in the kitchen, and helping their son with the admission process. I totally enjoyed doing different tasks. I learned a lot about tea farming and tea making process. It was a totally machineless process, completely organic and the result was Non-CTC tea. Drinking tea from the dry leaves we picked, dried, rolled, and roasted was truly fulfilling. Also, I tried Chayote for the first time (locally known as Chow-Chow). It belongs to the gourd family. It is a staple food of the village. I enjoyed conversations on various topics with the family, especially with their teenage son. Such a bright kid. We spoke on diverse topics, or I merely tried to calm down his countless curiosities haha. A great place to work, learn, relax and rejuvenate away from the hustle and bustle. The more I travel to mountainous/hilly villages, the more I feel like I belong there. My two drastically different volunteer experiences were truly the highlight of my Nepal trip, but it is only one part of my journey in Nepal. Stay tuned to read about the other part of my journey 🙂
Hello! My name is Saurabh and I am the voice behind the “An Indian Traveler” blog. I'm a cinephile, travel writer, an avid traveler with a song stuck in my head which I keep humming till ad nauseam :)
such a beautiful place nepal.Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
It sounds like it was truly amazing. So many of us will never have the opportunity to experience half of what you did with the people, culture, and workings of that farm.
Wow!! What an incredible experience! You must have learned so much!
I’ve heard great things about volunteer travel, and it sounds like your experience with Workaway in Nepal was both rewarding and educational. (Glad you got to give chow-chow a try, too. What a curious-looking squash!) I love that you got to experience different cultures so intimately while making a difference. From what I know, these types of trips volunteer can truly be life changing. I really need to do one myself!
An incredible and meaningful journey and experience. Thanks for sharing and I would love to hear more about the work.
What an amazing and life changing experience that mus thave been.
Wow! That is so amazing I’m sure it was a really wonderful experience! Thanks for sharing this with us!
My uncle went to Nepal but I have never been there. It seems an interesting experience. Thank you for sharing!
What an interesting variety in the different volunteer experiences that you had. I always wanted to teach when I was younger. So it would have been good to get a little experience as a volunteer. We have visited tea farms and loved trying tea that was just freshly harvested. But I never really appreciated all the steps to get the final tea leaves ready. Definitely some unique learning experiences.
I love reading about your volunteer experiences, especially learning how to harvest and make tea from the leaves. I think that would be so much fun! Where is your next adventure taking you?
Thank You. Wait for it 🙂
first of all I am proud of you! It is fantastic you did a volunteer job! it is important to do it for people around the globe, showing the unity of people. second of all wow Nepal! it looks like a total dream to me. It must have been a trip of a life time
I love this! I have always wanted to visit Nepal and now, your pictures of your time there have added unto my confidence. Thanks for sharing.
Now – these are really two different volunteer experiences. I would have opted for the tea picking position. I can imagine that it is truy satisfying to drink the tea you have picked by yourself.
You are doing such a noble work! Combining travel and teaching is such a wise thing to do. I loved the simple food and lifestyle experience you had. Never been to Nepal, now I am seriously thinking if I can do the same.
That is a wonderful place you have visited. Looks like an amazing experience you got to enjoy, it is always nice to be in nature and help out.
You had an exciting journey and volunteering experience in Nepal. I was in this country a long time ago, in 2008 and I would love to come back and see it again. I admire your volunteering experience; it’s great that you contribute and help local communities in such a way. It’s great that your volunteering is so diverse in college and on the farm. Thanks to this, you can best get to know people, their habits, and their culture. It is a much deeper journey than a regular tourist trip.
Nepal is a beautiful mountain country with scenic beauty amid verdant tea gardens. You volunteering experience as a guest lecturer on choosing “Travel as a career” sounds amazing. And the traditional Nepali good looks yummy and your experience as a tea picker and enjoying the final product as a drink is absolutely amazing!I would love to visit Nepal and Ed colors it’s natural beauty and cultural heritage.
such a beautiful place nepal.Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
It sounds like it was truly amazing. So many of us will never have the opportunity to experience half of what you did with the people, culture, and workings of that farm.
Wow!! What an incredible experience! You must have learned so much!
I’ve heard great things about volunteer travel, and it sounds like your experience with Workaway in Nepal was both rewarding and educational. (Glad you got to give chow-chow a try, too. What a curious-looking squash!) I love that you got to experience different cultures so intimately while making a difference. From what I know, these types of trips volunteer can truly be life changing. I really need to do one myself!
An incredible and meaningful journey and experience. Thanks for sharing and I would love to hear more about the work.
What an amazing and life changing experience that mus thave been.
Wow! That is so amazing I’m sure it was a really wonderful experience! Thanks for sharing this with us!
My uncle went to Nepal but I have never been there. It seems an interesting experience. Thank you for sharing!
What an interesting variety in the different volunteer experiences that you had. I always wanted to teach when I was younger. So it would have been good to get a little experience as a volunteer. We have visited tea farms and loved trying tea that was just freshly harvested. But I never really appreciated all the steps to get the final tea leaves ready. Definitely some unique learning experiences.
I love reading about your volunteer experiences, especially learning how to harvest and make tea from the leaves. I think that would be so much fun! Where is your next adventure taking you?
Thank You. Wait for it 🙂
first of all I am proud of you! It is fantastic you did a volunteer job! it is important to do it for people around the globe, showing the unity of people. second of all wow Nepal! it looks like a total dream to me. It must have been a trip of a life time
I love this! I have always wanted to visit Nepal and now, your pictures of your time there have added unto my confidence. Thanks for sharing.
Now – these are really two different volunteer experiences. I would have opted for the tea picking position. I can imagine that it is truy satisfying to drink the tea you have picked by yourself.
You are doing such a noble work! Combining travel and teaching is such a wise thing to do. I loved the simple food and lifestyle experience you had. Never been to Nepal, now I am seriously thinking if I can do the same.
That is a wonderful place you have visited. Looks like an amazing experience you got to enjoy, it is always nice to be in nature and help out.
You had an exciting journey and volunteering experience in Nepal. I was in this country a long time ago, in 2008 and I would love to come back and see it again. I admire your volunteering experience; it’s great that you contribute and help local communities in such a way. It’s great that your volunteering is so diverse in college and on the farm. Thanks to this, you can best get to know people, their habits, and their culture. It is a much deeper journey than a regular tourist trip.
Nepal is a beautiful mountain country with scenic beauty amid verdant tea gardens. You volunteering experience as a guest lecturer on choosing “Travel as a career” sounds amazing. And the traditional Nepali good looks yummy and your experience as a tea picker and enjoying the final product as a drink is absolutely amazing!I would love to visit Nepal and Ed colors it’s natural beauty and cultural heritage.