Nepal Summer Service Adventures

I really enjoyed the trip and I feel like it really helped my self-confidence by showing me this new kind of freedom. It really prepared me for going out of state for college and being away from my family. I made friends that I still keep in contact with and have visited. I have recommended Global Works to several people, even giving a small talk to my high school about it.

I am no stranger to global travel, but it was really fun and exciting to travel by myself to a place that none of my relatives have visited before. I definitely want to go back and spend more time in the marketplaces and just wander around because everything was kind of rushed due to the scheduling.

They took away our phones so we couldn't access the internet, but they had phones that we could call our families with. It was nice to be unplugged for a while and just really observe and integrate myself into the environment around me. In addition to this, being in such a religious place was very interesting. I don't consider myself to be a very religious person, but learning more about Buddhism and the middle way was a very enlightening experience because I felt even more connected to my surroundings in a spiritual way that kind of felt like magic.

I decided to go to Nepal in a moment of crazed inspiration. This was the best decision ever.
As soon as we arrived in Nepal, we were immediately immersed in Nepali culture- just navigating the streets was the most incredible and mind-blowing experience. My entire travel group grew close together very quickly (I made friends I am still super close to to this day). After a few days of exploring the streets of Kathmandu, we began the service portion of the trip. I was incredibly nervous about this part because we would be interacting with a LOT of children, but it actually ended up my favorite part of the trip. We spent time playing (often terrifying) games and drawing animals and have incredible insightful conversations with the kids- I value this experience more than anything.
Doing construction for the schoolhouse was strenuous and difficult, but it might have been one of my most rewarding experiences ever- I now KNOW that I can push myself farther than I imagined.
We spent the rest of the trip exploring other parts of Nepal- these were some of the most exciting and rewarding days-- I grew so close to my group and was just constantly in awe with my surroundings. This trip was some of the most fun I've had, and I would highly recommend it to everyone (including people like me- people who are anxious and NOT adventurous- you will stretch yourself and it will be worth it).

I learned so much from my trip in Nepal. I experienced many new and exciting things. I will never forget the people I met and the things I learned. It was definitely a once in a life time experience!