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Nepal

soulive11127420soulive11127420
edited March 2011 in General Banter
In a few months ill be volunteering at a monastery in Nepal. I have never left the north America before and i don't really know what to expect. I've been trying to read as much as i can about the culture but there only so much you can learn through books. Anyone ever been to Nepal? and if so could you tell me a little about what your experience was like?

Comments

  • RogerRoger
    edited March 2011
    I _BELIEVE_ there was a thread a few weeks ago about visiting Tibet which might be helpful too. I gave it a few minutes with the search function and realized I don't have enough clues to find it in my lifetime (haha). Anybody have better clues?

    Of course direct replies to soulive's question from people who have been there would be muuuuuch better. Anybody?

  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    SwissSis spent a month on a study program at a monastery in Nepal, and has spent months in Ladakh and Nepal doing volunteer work. You can PM her about her experienes.
  • TakuanTakuan Veteran
    I've never been to Nepal, but I've lived in another country before. Just be open. Seriously, you'd be surprised how much this helps. I've traveled with people who are stuck in the "American way" of doing things, and it really impedes their enjoyment of a new culture.

    What kind of volunteer work will you be doing?
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    edited March 2011
    Be open, DO NOT JUDGE what you see, hear, eat, drink, or otherwise experience. Understand that North America (esp the US and Canada) do not in *any* way represent what is "normal" everywhere else in the world. Not even a little tiny bit. Things you take for granted simply do not exist elsewhere.

    Just be open, go with the flow, and enjoy yourself. Don't be tempted to say "Oh, in America we have...." unless you're specifically asked. That's often (rightly so) taken as a sign of contempt or superiority. Compliment things you find interesting or attractive or positive, but do not criticize things you find repugnant or otherwise unpleasant.

    Go in with an open mind and you'll have a grand time, I guarantee it!
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    edited March 2011
    Watch out for the Maoist guerrillas. Check the State Department's website for an update on that. They had a travel warning out for Nepal for a long time, and suggested women in particular avoid the country altogether. But being that you'll be tied to the monastery, you'll probably be fine. Take a water purifier (a straw-shaped gizmo). Don't imbibe anything with ice in it (ice = more unpurified water). Tibetan doctors have an extremely effective herbal treatment for dysentery and the like, if that becomes a problem. Take mosquito netting to sleep under.
  • soulive11127420soulive11127420
    I've never been to Nepal, but I've lived in another country before. Just be open. Seriously, you'd be surprised how much this helps. I've traveled with people who are stuck in the "American way" of doing things, and it really impedes their enjoyment of a new culture.

    What kind of volunteer work will you be doing?
    I am going to be teaching English to junior monks, as well as organizing games and extra curricular activity's

    Thank you all for the great advice.



  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    Speaking of the water... see if you can get your doctor to give you some Cipro (ciprofloxacin) to take with you. I'm sure the Tibetan herbal treatment is great (I wish I knew what it was!), but Cipro will definitely help you out. You should take it for five days *religiously* if you get the GI bug.
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    What kind of volunteer work will you be doing?
    I am going to be teaching English to junior monks, as well as organizing games and extra curricular activity's
    Take lots of Frisbees.

  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    Consider a visit to the beautiful country of Bhutan while you are in that region of the world, if the money to allow is available ... and yes from my travels I also advise being mindful of the very diferent differences which exist between cultures and how this can impact on us westerners
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    I've always wanted to go to Bhutan, but it's prohibitively expensive for us average Joes and Janes. How long and when were you there, andyrobyn?
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited March 2011
    It is very expensive for tourists ... less so from Nepal. The opportunity for me came about due to Amnesty International work I was involved with about 20 years ago.
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