The people who gave me the grant to go to Nepal wanted me to follow up my experience by answering some questions, providing a budget summary, and sending them a CD of pictures. Although initially irritated by the number of questions, which seemed so routine, I discovered they helped me sift through my experiences and more fully comprehend my experience in Nepal and my plans to return in the Spring. Thus I have decided to publish them below for any interested friends, family, (grantgivers?) or other readers.
1. What is the organization’s mission?
The Omprakash Foundation hopes to connect people around the world by becoming a bridge for separate communities and building mutually educative relationships. They do this by providing a free space for small grassroots non-profits around the world to expose their individual needs and missions. This summer I experienced their mission firsthand with two of their partners: Prisoners’ Assistance Nepal (PA-Nepal) and Raksha-Nepal. Most of my time was spent with the former organization which runs two children’s homes for children who are orphans or have incarcerated or estranged parents. Their vision is to provide security, education, and ultimately a successful future for children who would otherwise have no support or home. Their village home in Sankhu also has a primary school which educates both PA-Nepal children and children from families in the village. I also spent time helping Raksha-Nepal with office-work and English writing projects. Raksha is a women’s organization dedicated to eradicating forced prostitution of vulnerable women in Kathmandu, especially those displaced by conflict. Staffed almost entirely by former members, Raksha provides counseling, HIV/AIDs information, and, most importantly, vocational training and micro-loans so women can learn new skills and run self-sufficient businesses.
2. How did the staff and/or volunteers fulfill the mission and meet the objectives of the agency?
By connecting me with Nepali non-profits, Omprakash members like Willy Oppenheim allowed me to begin learning from and participating in another culture, and building the connections that are Omprakash’s aim. While they were not directly involved with my summer work, I acted as an Omprakash representative while I was in Nepal, establishing connections with two separate children’s homes, one of which will soon become an Omprakash partner. I also helped communicate the needs of the organizations I worked with to Omprakash as it was often difficult for the Nepali people to understand e-mails and clearly explain what they require.
I did work with purely Nepali staff members in both PA Nepal and Raksha, as well as with volunteers unaffiliated with Omprakash, consistent with Omprakash’s mission of interaction and connection with new communities. The Presidents of each organization are strong women with clear visions, so I sometimes felt as if the generation and application of ideas was one-sided, unless I was the authority in the area as with English writing projects. PA-Nepal and Raksha Nepal are very different organizations, with different missions, and my interactions with the members of each varied greatly. PA-Nepal has two children’s homes, which are directly managed by different individuals as one is in Kathmandu and the other in Sankhu, a village 25-30km away. The Kathmandu home has only 35 children, generally in primary school, and the staff tends to have much less interaction with the volunteers, likely because none of them live in the home with the children. In Sankhu, where there are 56 children from 4-18, there was more interaction and communication. I will add that language barriers made communication very difficult- in some instances I would encounter friendly staff-members who seemed interested in learning from me and teaching me, but we were unable to communicate fully.
3. What did you learn from your internship that might influence your course of study or career choice?
Nepal was challenging for me on many levels. When people ask me about my summer their initial response is “Oh that must have been awesome!” I try to be honest in my explanation: that my time in Nepal was usually fulfilling but challenging, often wonderful but also frustrating. Before this summer I was fairly certain I wanted to be a teacher, likely at the primary level, after graduating from Bowdoin. After teaching children in Junkiri, PA-Nepal’s primary school in Sankhu, I learned more about the challenges of teaching, especially with a language barrier. This does not mean that I am dissuaded from teaching, but that I am more informed about the difficulties I will encounter, especially with young students of so many different ages and abilities. Even if I don’t dedicate my life to teaching I still see the value of teachers’ certification, which can be applied in so many settings: in teaching younger children in schools or as a mother, in organizing group projects, in learning the Nepali language, in imparting my knowledge to others.
Though teaching still interests me, my Nepali summer has made me consider other work. When I first came to Bowdoin I was sure I wanted to go to law school, but I scrapped the idea after a semester, thinking law would never be a fulfilling lifestyle. However, my time in Nepal opened my eyes to the advantage of legal knowledge, especially when working with non-profits or developing countries. Even if my job isn’t a strictly “legal” one, such experience could be invaluable.
My most important lesson from this summer is the value of interdisciplinary education. Teaching the children, helping in the kitchen, designing brochures with the women in Raksha, doing manual labor- the variety of needs made me realize how valuable knowledge itself is. I seriously think about doing non-profit work, either in the US or abroad, where teaching and law degrees would both allow me to provide more help, more effectively. Honestly, I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life- I plan on spending my spring semester teaching photography in Sankhu, and getting EMT certified in Alaska after returning from Nepal. I don’t know if that means I should become a paramedic or a photographer, but I have a feeling both of these experiences and the knowledge I will gain from them will undoubtedly serve my future and whatever career I choose.
4. How did you fit into the structure of the agency? What was your role?
My internship allowed me to be an Omprakash representative in Nepal, a volunteer in PA-Nepal’s children’s homes, and an office and communications worker for Raksha. I think Omprakash is the least-structured of the organizations I worked with as it stresses individual participation and motivation, and encourages everyone to become part of the network of volunteers, non-profits, and the exchange of ideas and learning. While in Alaska, before I left for Nepal, I advertised and gave a presentation about Omprakash and my summer internship, with a caveat about how to get funding for international work with non-profits. I also put up Omprakash posters around Anchorage, and currently have a pile ready to distribute at Bowdoin. While in Nepal I communicated with all of Omprakash’s Nepali partners, informed other volunteers, travelers, and non-profits about their mission and website, and was a go-to source of information for other volunteers interested in Omprakash’s Nepali partners.
However, my greatest role in Nepal was working with Omprakash’s partners: PA-Nepal and Raksha, where I contributed in very different ways. With PA-Nepal my work was entirely focused on children, though occasionally I was asked to help with a computer issue. In the Kathmandu children’s home I showed up in the morning to help the children get ready and walk them to school. In the late afternoon I picked them up from school, walked them home, and immediately began helping them (and keeping them on task) with their homework. After homework was done we would play games or do activities until dinner time which was our signal to leave. Due to changes in the number of children in the home there was no longer the option of living there, making the experience very different from working in Sankhu where volunteers sleep in a separate room and share all their time with the children.
In Sankhu I woke up at 6:00 am to help in the kitchen or with homework before breakfast (at 8:30), and then walked the older children to school at 10:00. After that I would teach in Junkiri if needed (this was only about half the time given the number of other volunteers and Nepali teachers). I used free-time in the afternoon to organize activities, reflect on my experiences, work out, and do personal work. After the kids got home from school there was an hour of free play time, during which I taught them frisbee (I brought 10 from home), taught (and learned) songs on the guitar, attempted to learn how to crochet, dance and sing to Nepali music, and tried to add to my basic Nepali language skills. In the evenings I helped prepare dinner and/or helped with homework until bedtime. On weekends there was more play time, but also more chores such as washing clothes in the stream, helping build the new building for the growing number of children in PA Nepal, and pulling grass or otherwise keeping the building and grounds nice. With PA-Nepal my role was definitely that of a teacher and a role-model. When I wasn’t formally teaching I tutored one-on-one, constantly helped with English even if only as a conversational partner, and exposed them to new ideas and perspectives, which I find more valuable than math help or perfect grammar.
My role with Raksha was mostly in the office where I put my computer and language skills to work. I helped Menuka Thapa, the President, understand and respond to e-mails, edited the text on their website, helped communicate changes to their Omprakash partner page, and designed a brochure (which is still in its final stages). I met many of the different women who help Raksha function, many of whom were once part of Raksha’s target group and went through their programs personally. Menuka also took me to a children’s home, Navakiran, with deep connections to Raksha, and I am currently helping them finish the paperwork to become an Omprakash partner and seek some volunteers of their own.
5. What was the most meaningful aspect of your internship? Explain how and why this was meaningful to you and your future career plans.
The significance of my summer falls into two areas: the effects I had on others and the effects they had on me, though the latter is far easier to gauge. When I arrived in Nepal it was my first time traveling alone, visiting a developing country, living somewhere where I don’t speak the language, even my first summer outside of Alaska. I knew I would be challenged, but could not imagine how any of those feelings would affect me. Therefore a very meaningful aspect of my internship was learning how to live independently and how to communicate through a language barrier. I now have a much greater perspective on the world and the many differences and inequalities it contains, as well as the massive amount of diversity in culture. These differences also betray our similarities and mutual humanity, I dislike being cat-called by Nepali men as much as American men, for example, and I also found a smile is the easiest way to engage a stranger.
I find if far more difficult to gauge the meaning I imparted to the lives of others. The children in the homes can certainly live without me: they have teachers, food, clothing, and a small community. These homes provide more stability than I imagine most children would find in a Foster care program in America. However, I do not think my time there was insignificant, in fact I think it provided them with new perspectives, new thoughts and new experiences. Even little experiences like Frisbee or how to sing “You are my Sunshine” provide them with educational variety. I suppose I think that all learning has value, and that our decisions and futures are combinations of all that we’ve learned. My relationships with the children were mutual exposures to something unknown, a shared learning and teaching experience. These exchanges and the relationships I built through them were by far the most significant products of my summer.
6. Were your expectations met for this internship?
I didn’t really know what to expect out of this internship- my greatest expectation was that I would face the unknown. I also expected to come out of the summer different from when I arrived in Nepal, though I was worried about whom exactly I would be. My sister likes to call me “frighteningly idealistic” and I was worried some of my optimism would be lost after working in an impoverished place, with children who have unknowable emotional baggage and limited opportunities. Interestingly, I think my experience actually strengthened my optimism because I learned to recognize many different kinds of strength and some positive sides of living in a developing country. For example, many Nepali people may lack electricity or television sets, but these disadvantages are countered by the strength of familial relationships and a strong cultural identity. In many ways I came out of Nepal more hopeful after seeing so much strength where I didn’t expect it, especially in the children who I lived and worked with.
7. What changes would you recommend for this experience in the future?
I think the types of personal challenges I took on in Nepal were very good for me but also very frustrating. Culturally Nepal is an extremely different place from the US, and the delays, massive communication breakdowns, and language barriers consistently bothered me. I was surprised to find so many volunteers already working with PA Nepal, it sometimes seemed as if it would be better to work with an orphanage that did not have so much support. I also had a lot of trouble finding the organization when I arrived, finally stumbling upon another volunteer by chance who showed me the way. After that I was told I wouldn’t be allowed to stay in Sankhu, as previously discussed and planned, for periods longer than three days, an issue which wasn’t resolved for the three-four weeks after I’d arrived. Situations like that were commonplace and frustrating, though hard to avoid when arriving in a developing country where prior communication is hindered by poor language and computer skills. I would suggest that people either prepare themselves for these kinds of setbacks or find an organization that they communicate clearly and consistently with before arriving. It would’ve been much easier to work in Nepal through a program, rather than making all the arrangements myself, but that process certainly allowed me to learn a lot more, gave me more flexibility, and created a closer relationship with each organization.
8. How accurately did you estimate your expenses for this internship period?
Not as accurately as I hoped- I was off by $200-300, though I have a good idea where the discrepancy came from. First of all, I wasn’t able to stay at the home in Kathmandu, though I’d been told I could before arriving. The estimated cost for staying at the home for one week was $20, which included room and board. Living and eating independently in Kathmandu is relatively more expensive, I would say probably approximately $10 a day, perhaps $80 a week. Add that up over a three and a half week period (about the amount of time I spent in Kathmandu) and it would probably be about $250. The VISA to enter the country was also $50 more than I had been told and taxi rides (easiest for the Kathmandu novice to get anywhere) were relatively expensive given gas prices. Finally, everything in Nepal has gotten more expensive, one of the biggest reasons why these children’s homes need donations and support. The world depression has created food prices triple what they usually are, and the cost of living in a city swelled by displaced villagers is also high. Basically my budget wasn’t too far off the mark, but next time I create one I will be sure to over-estimate a little bit to offset the unexpected.
Furthermore, my trip to Nepal did answer the question: can and should I create a photographic-exchange program in Sankhu?
The answer to this question is "yes", and Omprakash has already provided me and a friend, Sam Modest, with the funding to buy cameras and make it happen. In short, I will continue Sam's photography program at Woodside Elementary that he began two years ago, teaching 5th graders how to use digital cameras. Sam, currently graduated and in Darjeeling, will teach paralel curriculum there, and the kids will exchange photographs after each assignment (with luck and logistical manuevering). In the Spring, sam will return to Brunswick to teach at Woodside while I return to Nepal to teach there. The project is explained in more detail by Sam on Omprakash's messageboard at: http://omprakash.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=114
please check it out and feel free to ask questions, post comments, critical or enthusiastic. I will try to keep updating here about progress to this program- after all, saying namaste is about recognizing the light in everyone, and can be said any time, I'd like to continue my learning as I use my summer experiences and build off of them.
