Real Nepal Experience

I visited Nepal in July 2017 as part of the Real Nepal Experience. The programme is amazing and so well organised! The heavy monsoon rains meant that the order of the programme had to be completely rescheduled when we got there, but this didn't phase the local reps at all. It was clear that they were really keen for our experience to be the best that it could be; this was really appreciated when we were lucky enough to see the top of the snow-capped Himalayas after trekking for 2 days up to Poon Hill!

Before visiting Nepal we were sent a pre-departure handbook. This was really useful as it advised us as to what to bring and the activities we might be doing once there. The list was pretty extensive and as always, I definitely over packed! I think more use could be made from the PMGY Facebook groups- pages that allow you to discuss your trip with people out there already / those that have already taken part. It would have been really useful to have been told that white t-shirts are a nightmare to hand wash/keep clean and that you don't need to splash out on proper trekking gear!

The accommodation was always to a reasonable standard, with a western toilet etc. All the accommodation is pretty centrally located too, which was particularly good when in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Most hotels offer a laundry service- this was particularly useful after trekking.

I chose to volunteer in a government school in Pokhara and stay with a family as my volunteer placement. Staying with a family was definitely the highlight of the trip for me. Shesh, Laxmi and Puja were so friendly and took the time to show us Pokhara from a Local's perspective - something that I just wouldn't have been able to see if travelling alone! Laxmi is amazing at cooking and made us a range of Nepali food (not just daal bhat everyday!) and even made us pancakes for breakfast some days! We were able to get a real idea of the Nepali culture and even had the opportunity to dress up in a sari!

Working in a government school was really challenging. We were the first group of volunteers to be placed in a government school as opposed to a paid-for boarding school. We were teaching English to kids aged between 5 and 12. The younger classes were particularly difficult as the kids were just so naughty! As a result, teaching the class without the local teacher present was impossible. The teacher told us what to teach each day which basically just involved the kids dictating what we had written on the board; we were expecting to have the freedom of planning our own lessons but when we arrived this didn't seem to be the case. I think teaching in a government school is a great idea as it meant we were able to help the poorest and most vulnerable kids in society. But, I think we would have had more of an impact if we were able to teach older kids, maybe those aged between 12-16. This way we would (hopefully) not have had so many issues with behaviour and would be able to communicate with the kids better as their English would be more advanced.

Overall I think the trip was really well organised. I would say this type of trip would be especially good for 18-20 year olds who may be going on their first holiday alone. Taking part in such a tightly organised trip to a country as chaotic as Nepal definitely saved me hours of time on the organisation front and I'm sure worked out a lot better than if I were to have travelled to Nepal on my own. However, as a 22 year old who has done a fair bit of travelling, I think I would have enjoyed the trip more if I was given a bit more independence- maybe even just a couple more free days in Kathmandu or Chitwan to wonder around without being directed by a guide. However, overall I would 100% recommend this trip. Nepali is an amazing country and well worth a visit!