Nepal Volunteer Journals
The Global Volunteer Network currently has volunteer opportunities available through our partner organization in the beautiful Kingdom of Nepal. Volunteers have the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational and community aid programs. These include teaching English, working in an orphanage,community health and environmental program, school and community maintenance, and a home stay/cultural exchange program.
In a typical placement volunteers stay in a family where they get Nepali food twice a day (around 9 o' clock in the morning and 7 o' clock in the evening). Tea is served in the morning and in the afternoon. Volunteers will have the opportunity to get together with other volunteers and share their experience. You will be able to travel to nearby towns to purchase things for daily use and could travel to other areas on longer vacation. Besides your project work, volunteers can utilize their spare time in organizing the youth and women's groups of the community to do some worthwhile activities like building a smokeless stove, toilet by using local materials, making a soak pit, kitchen gardening, making a solar dryer, garbage management or paper recycling.
For more information, please visit the Nepal page on the Global Volunteer Network website.
May 12th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Ok back again. I think I left off at the end of day 4.
Trek -day 5:
The chilly rain last night meant bright blue skies this morning and we even saw our first snow capped peak (thank god!). The day was beautiful, sunny, and clear, with a dry heat and scenery of tall rock-faced cliffs/hills…I could have been convinced I was somewhere in BC, right down to the pine cones scattered on the path. I think the scenery and weather made a positive difference to my mood. Everything was mostly climbing up for the morning, which I find better than the [...]
Posted in Nepal
May 11th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Well…I have missed you all very much on my trek, and it certainly seems like an entire world of things have happened since I last got to write to you. I’ll try to keep my entry(ies) about the trek as concise as I can…otherwise this might turn in to a novel
The night before we left for the trek (April 26), we met with our guide Raj only to be informed that he had a sudden matter to attend to and that a different guide would be taking us on our trek. None of us were very impressed by [...]
Posted in Nepal
May 7th, 2009 by Katie Gibson
Hi everyone,
Well, we have just completed our first 2 days of placement in Manamanju, Kathmandu, Nepal. The village (which reminds me more of a sub-burb) is pleasant. The people are very welcoming and the children are adorable. Paul and I have been sick, on and off, for the last week – making it difficult to adjust. For this reason, and a few others, we have decided to come home early. Our 1-month volunteer service will now only be 2 weeks in total. Thankfully the children’s home where we are helping is very self-sufficient and well run. The children are generally [...]
Posted in Nepal
May 1st, 2009 by Katie Gibson
Hi Everyone!
I can’t make this post very long as we just never know when they will cut power next. However, I want you to know that Paul and I are doing fine and adjusting as best as we can – it’s a big change! Fun facts about our trip so far…
- Great flights – very pleased!
- Bought a new camera in Doha (I think I may have already told you that).
- Paul’s lauggage was misplaced
- Crazy taxi drive from airport (so many cars/horns and no real organized system to traffic)
- Not a bad hotel – we’ve spiced up our room [...]
Posted in Nepal
April 26th, 2009 by Katie Gibson
Hi!
I’m Katie (as most of you know) and I’m a recent University graduate from Ontario, Canada. I will soon be setting out on my Nepalese adventure with my travel partner, and best friend, Paul. Together, we will be volunteering as part of GVN’s Health Education program for 4 weeks. I was especially interested in this opportunity as a future medical doctor, and Paul has always wanted to see the Himilayas, so this program/trip will be a perfect fit for us! Upon completion of our volunteer time, we intend to spend a couple more weeks touring around, enjoying the beauty and [...]
Posted in Nepal
April 25th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Namaste my much missed crew,
It feels like a lot has happened since my last entry, so it’s a good thing I’m reading from my paper journal right now. So now here I start at April 22.
I had another crappy sleep in my sauna room full of mosquitos, woke up and had the ridiculously sweet black tea my family serves me in the morning (which I’ve actually gotten used to and now quite enjoy). I went out and got a fried dough ring (still don’t know what they’re called) AND a donut…so healthy. Both were fresh, warm, and delicious. When it [...]
Posted in Nepal
April 21st, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Namaste my beloved friends and family!
On Saturday, I left my host family early in the morning to meet one of the volunteers in Thamel for breakfast at this delicious little Korean run restaurant that serves a toasted peanut butter, banana, and honey sandwich (soooo good after you’ve been eating a heap of rice and curried vegetables for breakfast for the past however many days). I had come in to Thamel to go with the Health Coordinator to the other Children’s Homes and help with the monthly health checks (our home had been done the week before, if you remember). As [...]
Posted in Nepal
April 17th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Namaste friends,
Dad pointed out a typo in my last journal (internet isn’t cheap in Thamel, so I just type fast and don’t bother proofing). All I eat is CARBS…not CARDS. Thanks Daddy.
Woke up last Wednesday and managed to get a hold of Mom on the phone. Don’t worry Mom, everything is going well here! Just because something’s different (poverty, dirt, culture, or otherwise) doesn’t means it’s bad, remember? I walked in to Thamel for our weekly volunteer meeting at the VSN office. One of the volunteers walked in with me because she was ill, so I dropped her off at [...]
Posted in Nepal
April 14th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Namaste friends and family who I miss so much!
Here’s the rest of what’s been happening up till today (April 15)…provided I can finish it all in the next 20 minutes! On Saturday I was in a hurry to get to the home because the nurse from VSN and a Nepali doctor came to our children’s home to do health checks for the children (this happens once a month). However, my daal bhaat was served late and also included meat for the first time (goat) and a dish of curd. Hard to get through quickly….
This also wasn’t helped by the fact that I had [...]
Posted in Nepal
April 12th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Namaste!
It feels like it’s been quite a while since my last entry and I know I have loads to tell…but unfortunately it’s 9:45pm (a good hour past my bed time) and I’m exhausted! I’ll do my best…
On April 6 we woke up in Thamel and went to the VSN office to be sent to our volunteer placements. We soon found there was a bandha (strike) and that we couldn’t be driven anywhere (or apparentely rocks would be thrown at our car). Bandhas happen here often and for what seems like no reason. Someone explained it to me as follows: someone’s [...]
Posted in Nepal
April 5th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Namaste saathi! (I salute the god in you, friends!)
I returned last night back to Thamel from the training village of Bistachap. I decided to cut my training short to 5 days (instead of so that I could start my placement sooner in the children’s homes. I’ll be missing some language training, but I seem to have trouble remembering any Nepali unless I have my book in front of me anyway.
We arrived in Bistachap on Friday after a bus ride that felt more like being on a rickety boat on very rough seas. At least we each had a seat [...]
Posted in Nepal
April 1st, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Namaste!
I had a lazy day on the 30th because I woke up not feeling too well (perhaps the momos the night before? ). I took a nap and relaxed in the room for most of the day, which was probably a smart idea in the end. The next morning I headed out to breakfast alone to the highest rooftop cafe in Thamel. Good views of the city, but disappointing views of the mountains (…or should I say no views of the mountains). It’s getting to the end of the dry season here and I’ve been told it hasn’t rained in [...]
Posted in Nepal
March 30th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Namaste!
Once again I have forgotten to bring along my paper journal so that I can use it to write this journal. I’m sure I’ll forget many things now…but for anyone who is particularly interested, you can read my paper journal when I get home (haha I’m sure there will be no takers for that!)
I met Kailen (the guy from Vermont who I went to the monkey temple with) for breakfast yesterday and we headed out east from Thamel towards Bodhnath (the largest Buddhist temple in Nepal, where many tibetan exiles now live in the monasteries at the site). We decided [...]
Posted in Nepal
March 27th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
I should have brought my (paper) journal with me, so that I could remember what’s happened since my last entry….it hasn’t been long, I know, but my brain feels overfull already. I had my first daal bhat with the ‘old’ volunteers at a Nepali restaurant (rice, lentils, curry, cooked spinach, curd, all mixed together), which will be what I will be eating twice a day, everyday once I start my volunteer placement. After the day with the ‘old’ volunteers (who were only in Kathmandu for their one day off), I was left to be on my own. None of the [...]
Posted in Nepal
March 25th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Well, after a bit of a whirlwind day in downtown Hong Kong with Andy (getting soaked by the rain and probably drinking too much coffee), I took the train (like a sky-train) back to the HK airport. I had a good flight to into Nepal, where almost half the people on the flight looked like tourists (much different than the HK flight), which was somehow comforting. I think I even snuck in an hour of sleep on this flight.
We arrived at Tribuhvan airport in Kathmandu and after filling out paperwork and getting Visa’s, etc (no computers in this airport!) I [...]
Posted in Nepal
March 24th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Just dropping a very quick line to let anyone who’s interested know (most likely just Mom and Dad) that I’ve arrived in Hong Kong safe and sound. I’m writing from my friend Andy’s bedroom at his house in HK. I think I’m heading in to about 37 hours without sleep (a plane is no place to sleep as far as I’m concerned…unless you enjoy a kinked-neck-balled-up-fetal position type of sleeping arrangement). The airline did, however, feed me a second dinner at 4am, which I suppose partly makes up for it. I’ll update more later, but for now Andy and I [...]
Posted in Nepal
March 10th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Before I head off in two weeks, there are some very incredible people I’d like to acknowledge for their pivotal roles in my fundraising effort. This volunteer trip has turned out to be an expensive one, but I know it will be well worth it.
In the end, I raised just over $2000 to help pay for my volunteer program. I am so amazed by everyone’s generosity (in time, money, donations,and support)…please know that it makes a huge difference and that it means an incredible amount to me!
A thousand thanks to:
The Campbell family
Leslie Gray, Willem Kruithof, Anna Kruithof
Brandin Lilgert
Brittany Janzen
Alexandra Orzeck
Every [...]
Posted in Nepal
March 9th, 2009 by Elizabeth Kruithof
Hello and welcome to my online journal!
I will be leaving for Nepal on March 24th for almost three months to volunteer with the NGO Volunteer Service in Nepal (VSN) and to trek my little heart out. I will be volunteering as part of a health team in Children’s Homes in the Kathmandu Valley. With any luck, I’ll come back with a broader mind, a bigger heart, and a wiser soul. And if all else fails, I’m fairly certain I’ll come back with stonger quadriceps.
This journal will be how I connect with all the people I love back home (instead [...]
Posted in Nepal
November 2nd, 2008 by Fiona Cavaiuolo
today was a long day, training went lionger than expected as there was a lot to cover. It wasn’t too bad though, but everyone was a bit tired by the end because there was so much to take in but it was all important. there was a lot covered. tomorrow we head to bistachaap to experience village life. bit hungry now so we are going to get dinner. more updates after we get back!
Posted in Nepal
October 31st, 2008 by Fiona Cavaiuolo
Well, we have all settled in quite nicely over here. all the volunteers are very friendly and we have all become friends very quickly. To look at us you wouldn’t know we have only just met. Thamel (district of Kathmandu) is fantastic! So many shops and people! It is just vibrant here. It is however, a very different living environment, but nevertheless I am enjoying it immensely and have fit in quite easily. Thankgod for hand sanitiser!
Today was my first taste of Dhaal Bhat. It was great! We were served up with a bowl of lentil soup and a plate of [...]
Posted in Nepal
October 30th, 2008 by Fiona Cavaiuolo
Well, after a good nights sleep at my hotel and an early wake up call to catch the bus, I am now killing some time before I board my flight to Kathmandu. I wonder what the next 3 months will have in store for me? Well, only one way to find out…dive straight on into it! Here goes!
Posted in Nepal
October 28th, 2008 by Fiona Cavaiuolo
Just one more sleep until I fly out of the country for the next few months. So excited! So many farewells have already been said. I’ve never had to catch up with so many old friends all at once!
Gotta go finish packing now!
Posted in Nepal
July 8th, 2008 by Alyson Hard
Namaste,
TJ and I have just returned from a week-long training session in the village of Bistichaap. Bistichaap is a rural village about 1.5 hours away from the main city of Kathmandu here in Nepal. In Bistichaap, we stayed with a host family, which consisted of an aamaa (mother), baa (father), two didis (older sisters), the husband of one didi, and their three children. We were given a nice, small room. Each day, either our aamaa or didi brought us tea and we ate Daal Bhaat, which is the main dish in Nepal. In fact, it is all the Nepalis eat! [...]
Posted in Nepal
July 1st, 2008 by Alyson Hard
Namaste! We have arrived safely in Kathmandu, Nepal, and have instantly fell in love with this city. After India, Kathmandu seemed very refreshing to us– more calm and relaxed. It is also cleaner, which is a welcome surprise as well. We have spend hours roaming Thamel, which is the tourist area of Kathmandu, and have been amazed at all the wonderful things there are for sale, and mostly at the cheap cost! We also went to visit the nearby Monkey Temple, which is basically a temple where lots of monkeys hang out. I can honestly say that seeing monkeys here [...]
Posted in Nepal
June 28th, 2008 by Alyson Hard
Since our last entry we have seen the Taj Mahal, been back to Delhi for a night, traveled north to Rishikesh for 2 days, and are now back in Delhi. The Taj Mahal was incredible, to say the least. We had a tour guide for this outing, so we got to learn a little bit about the history behind the Taj Mahal, as well as the architecture. The Taj Mahal is a monument of perfect architecture… the marble is stunning, and the inlays of semiprecious stone are beautiful. We feel very lucky to have glimpsed one of the seven wonders [...]
Posted in Nepal
June 24th, 2008 by Alyson Hard
Our first week in India has been an adventure, to say the least. Sometimes we truly feel like we are on a different planet, because India is so extremely different from the life we know at home. After spending our first night in Delhi, we met up with Raj, who was our cab driver from the previous night and had offered to take us sightseeing in Delhi for 800 Rupees (about $20). He met us at our hotel, and we went first to see the Birla Temple, where we offered money to the Hindu gods and received a blessing. We [...]
Posted in Nepal
June 2nd, 2008 by Alyson Hard
“Life is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”
This quote was said by my grandmother, and it is one that both TJ and I believe in wholeheartedly. As you all know, we will soon be embarking on a journey that will take us to the other side of the globe. We will be spending 6 weeks working in a Children’s Home in or near Kathmandu, Nepal beginning the first of July. The month of September will be spent working in another Children’s Home in Calcutta, India. The rest of our adventure will be spent in [...]
Posted in Nepal
May 23rd, 2008 by Bea Foster
Since coming back from everest i have been back to charity for a few days to meet the new volunteer there, Hilgo.
Going back was awesome, but so sad to have to say goodbye again, i kind of feel like my relationship with the children had got so much stronger in the last few weeks and it was so nice to be greeted with hugs and high-5’s (including the silly little high-5’s i taught them) i spent the days helping out Hilgo with medicines and we attempted to implement a medical routine as so many of the children need twice daily [...]
Posted in Nepal
May 13th, 2008 by Bea Foster
Yesterday i came back from doing the Everest Base Camp trek, one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
Me and Rebecca started out on the 28th with a little gear, a little money and the lonely planet guide book, hoping to make it to base camp, the gokyo lakes and back in 18 days.
In the end we met up with a group of indian trekkers, and English girl called Juni and and Australian girl called Jacky and made it to Base Camp and back in 12days but had to miss out Gokyo due to monetary issues!
So we started out [...]
Posted in Nepal
May 11th, 2008 by Bea Foster
Have spent the last 2weeks going from one extream to the other.
Firstly headed off 2 Chitwan National Park for a small retreat with Jess which started out with an early long and stupidly hot bus ride through the mountains (beautiful untill you drive past an upturned bus.) where we tried 2 stay as still as possible as our window wouldnt open!
During the 1 stop on the 6hour coach of a thousand fires we ordered food a little late and ended up attempting 2 down our lassis and wrap up pancakes in paper towels (which then stuck as fast as a [...]
Posted in Nepal
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