As I signed up for a trip that would take me to the other side of the world, I was nervous and started second guessing why I signed up for this journey. In the end, I found that being a part of this humanitarian mission to Nepal was the most incredible and life changing experience I have ever had. An amazing thing I got out of this trip is the fact that I have made lifelong friends from this journey. Everyone in Nepal was extremely welcoming and caring towards myself and the four other students from America. Since I have returned home from Nepal, I have stayed in touch with some of the great friends I made while in Nepal.
I really loved that this trip involved both a humanitarian aspect and a cultural exchange. I enjoyed going to the schools and to the orphanage because I could tell that the children were very happy to see us and we had so much fun interacting with them. It was touching to see how thankful the people of Nepal and the Rotaract members in Nepal were to see us dedicating our time to participate in the various service projects. I also appreciated the fact that we were able to see a very different culture and lifestyle. For example, we learned a lot about Nepal culture when we went sightseeing and when we went to the picnic with the Rotaract members in Pokhara.
One of the most memorable moments of the trip occurred as we were leaving the orphanage in Chitwan, we were sad to say goodbye to the children. So, myself and the four other students from America dug through our backpacks to put together any snacks and candy we had on us. We did not have enough for all of the kids to get something, so we asked them to share what we did have for them. It was heartwarming to see that the children were not selfish at all, as we were leaving we saw them splitting the food evenly, piece by piece, so that they all got the same amount.
The trip as a whole was very memorable to me as this experience was unlike anything I had ever done before. Going to Nepal was my first time leaving the country, so I did not realize how different it would actually be in another country. Another reason why this trip was so memorable was because it made me become so appreciative of the life I live everyday. Overall, I definitely plan on going back to Nepal in the future and truly loved my experience in Nepal!
Please visit http://www.theashaproject.org for more information about the project and other activities.
The Asha Project 