Program Reviews

My experience in Nepal was amazing. I started out a shy and very nervous girl with little life experience and 4 months later I came back to the UK very confident, with heaps of great teaching experience, unbeatable memories and lifelong friendships.

For me, Oyster offered an unbeatable programme of cultural immersion, voluntary experience and organised treks and excursions all added to a comprehensive timetable. As I had never been away without family before, having a fairly organised structure really helped. I was able to explore Nepal during activities pre-arranged by Oyster, but along with my group we also arranged our own trips, such as watching the sunrise over Nagarkot, and bungy jumping, on top of socialising every weekend!

Being a volunteer teacher was by no means easy, and I am incredibly proud of myself for overcoming initial nerves to teach classes of around 40 children. I learned an incredible amount as a teacher and (hopefully!) imparted some knowledge too! In fact I was so inspired by teaching in Nepal that I completed 2 years as a Teaching Assistant back in the UK and this September I start my PGCE at Cambridge in order to become a qualified teacher. In Nepal I found the one major thing which was lacking in the curriculum was creativity. All teaching was done using set text books. Therefore I decided, with permission from the headteacher, to focus on creative writing with the children. I felt well prepared for teaching, as we had some detailed training delivered during the pre-departure course.

A highlight for me, as well as the awesome treks and safari, was living in the village with a traditional Nepali family. This experience was like none other I have had or ever will have again. I learned so much about Nepali culture, eating the staple 'dal bhat' twice a day, going to weddings at least once a week and waking up to my Nepali brothers turkey squawking at 5am every morning are just a few memories I will never forget!

Thank you Oyster for a FANTASTIC 4 months. 6 years, 2 universities, and countless residences later... Nepal still tops all my experiences!

The program focus is very much on teaching. However, it is very much up to you to make sure you have a positive impact at the schools at which you are teaching. In your (relatively short) time there, make sure to quickly identify what problems your pupils are having in their understanding of the English language, and then identify which one's you can make a real difference on in your short time there.
Outside of school, there are plenty of things to do, as well. The school day is relatively short, so make sure you make the most of your free time. You'll be living with a working family so you'll definitely get a 'real' experience, but make sure to explore the local area to get a good sense of what its like to actually live in Nepal (rather than just holiday there).
I did lots of longs walks, and took trips around the country on the weekend. I went to Pokhara (Nepal's second city), went paragliding, bungee jumping, and hill walking. I also went on safari in Chitwan National Park, seeing elephants, rhino and monkeys. At one point, when I got a bit longer time off (during a school holiday), my group and I even went to Tibet! The Tibet trip is fantastic and really worth doing.
The support from the Oyster contacts in Kathmandu is fantastic. Basant's main business is as a travel agent, so he can actually help you out a lot in terms of organising things to do in your free time.

I have spent five weeks in the magic beach of San Miguel, Costa Rica. We have been volunteering on the sea turtle project. The work was mainly during the night, patroling the beach and collecting turtle eggs in order to prevent them from beeing poached. We have collected thousands of eggs and have released thousands of baby turtles. To see the hatchlings making their way in the pacific ocean is touching the Soul.
The work in combination with the inspiring volunteers has changed my life. After returning back to Switzlerand I have left the financial industry and I have started to work for our familiy Business.