My Nepali experience

I went on the GIVE Tibetan Frontier trip in summer of 2019. If you are a prospective traveler, know that the hiking here can be intense, there is a day that involves hours of uphill, and you will be doing some form of hiking for some period of time basically every day of the trip. While sometimes this was exhausting, it was also rewarding. I would definitely do some cardio exercise before going on this trip. I absolutely loved the Nepali people, especially our guides. They will tell you their stories and welcome you like family. They will make sure you are cared for on hikes and be amazing DJs and dance party hosts. Life is a small Nepali village is incredibly different, and getting to experience a traditional family home, a yak farm, and spend time with the community members is a great part of this trip. In our group, a lot of people only got to do education and work with the kids once or twice. Unless something changes with the program, I think this is important to know so that if this is something you're really interested in, you will likely not get to spend a lot of time with the kids. The time that I spent with the school kids was a lot of fun, and they are really cool and sweet and taught me a lot. The Nepali atomsphere is very laid back and I always felt safe in the village. There were times during transportation by car where I felt anxious about safety. If you have any issues with riding on the edge of a mountain, this is something to be aware of. I'm from a very flat and low elevation, but I did not have any trouble with adjusting to the altitude. The volunteer work was labor intensive. We carried sand bags uphill. We chiseled rocks and mixed cement and built walls for a school. I recommend helping build the wall because it's very satisfying work. There were also some paint jobs available, which was also enjoyable. Overall, this is a trip to go on if you really want to connect with young Nepali people, and work alongside them to make a difference in the kids lives in this area. The kids here often have to leave their families to get an education, so helping to build a school is something that is really valuable and amazing for these people, and that is the motivation that will get you up the mountain!