So I spent around 10 weeks in Nepal, most of that time was spent living and teaching in Nurbuling School but also over the school break I was helping in the HELP office in Kathmandu.

First the journey to the school was crazy; the bus is full of people as well as sacks of rice and various other random things, I also thought I must have gone wrong somewhere as it took nearly 8 hours when I was told the distance was only about 80km. But eventually I made it to the school where I was greeted by groups of students all saying ‘Namaste Miss’ at once. Even though I was arriving just as a storm was starting I was still struck by the incredible view- I never got tired of the view throughout my trip! I stayed in one of the dorm rooms throughout my placement; the girls were wonderful, so friendly and welcoming after a long day travelling.

I quickly got into the routine at the school although I certainly wasn’t used to waking up at 5:30 to start with! Every morning the kids enthusiastically say ‘Good morning Miss’- I’ll certainly miss that compared to my brothers usual grumpiness in the mornings! School started with assembly at 9:40 each day. It was always lovely to see, the kids took turns going to the front and giving the news, a thought for the day and a speech as well as everyone singing the national anthem which is something we would never do back home- it always sounded great!

Then there are 8x 40minute lessons a day, I was always teaching maths and English. The kids were so dedicated to their studies, both in the classrooms and in the dorms in their own time; it was amazing to be able to teach them. There were sometimes challenges; particularly with getting the younger kids to understand me but it was then so rewarding when they learnt something new, also working in the temp classrooms where noise from the other classes carried but you learn manage. It was also lovely teaching some classes with a couple of the teachers in the school as the younger kids were able to understand much better with Nepali translation so we could cover much more content.

The children at Nurbuling were absolutely incredible throughout my stay; always so friendly and polite. It was certainly odd for me at first to stay in a dormitory with so many people but they made it so easy for me. It was lovely; I will always remember the power going out one night so the girls used the one torch we had to light the middle of the room and teach me to dance and sing with them. All the kids would always ask me how I was and if they could do anything for me; they even helped me wash my clothes the first time- think they must have realised I was a bit of a novice at it! They were wonderful in and outside of their lessons, I’m very glad I got to work with such a great group of students.

The teachers and local community at Nurbuling were absolutely incredible and treated me so well during my stay. The teachers were all so friendly and welcoming and generally had very good English so they always spoke to me and included me. They invited me to their houses for tea or dinner or even to stay the night, it was amazing to get the kind of experience of the community and the Nepalese lifestyle as well as just the school. I am also very grateful to the teachers for organizing hikes on our days off so I was always kept busy! The local community was also very friendly; although many didn’t have a good level of English I was always welcomed into community celebrations- even attending a wedding!

Overall my experience was completely incredible and I am very glad I spent my time in Nurbuling School; I do hope to return in the future!

Heather Charlesworth, UK

heatherch@btinternet.com