The most amazing four months of my life!!

I participated in this programme from January-May 2014. Oyster did an amazing job selecting the group for the programme and I knew we would all become a tight-knit group from the outset (even the surprise addition of another volunteer before the mid-month break did nothing to break up the dynamic!). The first few days orientation were very welcome and well set out, especially the Neapli lessons! The local rep, Basant, was incredible and was always there to answer any questions along with the rest of his team. His offer to keep all of our valuables (passports, extra cash etc) in his safe deposit box was a very helpful weight off our shoulders.

The first few days at our village placement were difficult but luckily our host families were very welcoming and friendly as were the teachers and kids at the school (having my fellow volunteer Rebecca just down the hill was a great help aswell). Living in the village with a local family was an incredible experience. We got fully involved with the family and they treated us as part of their family. I got invited to a number of parties throughout my time and one evening I even had dinner with the local chief of police! On public holidays in the village I'd often head down to Rebecca's house and play cards although we'd mostly end up making Momos with her host family!

Conditions in my house were basic (I lived in a traditional house with a seperate shower and toilet "hut" outside) and this was difficult at times (especially when you I got up in the morning having only a cold shower to look forward to) but I got used to it after a few weeks.

For the first week at the school Rebecca and I taught our lessons together to get used to it as we'd both never taught before. After this we got assigned seperate classes to teach on our own. Our coordinator teacher helped us set out our timetables and would regularly check to make sure we were coping and the kids were behaving. I loved teaching at the school and trying out new things with the kids. The younger ones loved being read to whilst the older ones enjoyed toned down versions of TV quiz shows from back home. It was difficult at times to come up with new ideas for teaching but it was all part of the challenge. We had plenty of fun with the kids aswell, a particularly memorable moment was when a goat decided to walk into my class in the middle of a lesson and me and the class had to chase it out the building!

I can definately say that if you want a complete cultural immersion then this is the programme for you. Living for a long period with a local family in a different culture was the perfect way to get to know the "real" Nepal. From going to local weddings through to experiencing Holi (the festival of colour) in our village with our students and friends, I can truly say I got a truly unique cultural experience.

Life in the village did get boring sometimes, especially in the evenings when lessons were planned and books are read. Luckily we were allowed to head back to Kathmandu on the weekends to have a break from the village and teaching. We'd meet up with the rest of the Oyster group and share our weeks stories. Some weekends we'd head out of Kathmandu to see some sights. The medieval city of Bhaktapur was a favourite (especially the yoghurt the city is famous for!).

After the first two months were over we had a month of travel and activities lined up for us as part of the programme. Firstly was a 7 day trek along the Langtang Valley. The bus journey to the start was scary but the trek and scenery was amazingly something most breathtaking I've ever seen. And to share it with my amazing friends was something I'll never forget. After a day's rest in Kathmandu we took the bus to start two days white water rafting. This was an amazing trip and the rapids were awesome! Our overnight camp was comfortable and we had a great evening dancing and relaxing as a group. Straight after the rafting we headed to Chitwan National Park for a few days seeing the amazing wildlife. On our elephant back safari we saw a rhino whilst our river trip got us close to some crocodiles and another rhino!

After Chitwan we had a few days to kill before our next organised trip. So we organised to spend a few days in the lakeside town of Pokhara in Western Nepal. We had a great few days relaxing and seeing the sights, including a visit to the Gurkha museum and an afternoon's kayaking on the lake. Back in Kathmandu a few days later we headed off for an eight day cultural tour of Tibet. This was a truly once in a lifetime trip that included a visit to Everest Base Camp. We learnt so much about Tibetan culture and I'll admit the scenery was simply spectacular!

At the end of the whole four month placement we were all sad to leave our host families, schools and the country we had all come to love so much. But it is an experience I will never forget and would recommend in a heartbeat to anyone. The Oyster Worldwide programme was incredible, from the interviews and pre-departure preparation through to the support of the rep in Nepal and the truly incredible programme and placements. This is a programme were you can truly make a difference and truly immerse yourself in a beutiful country and it's culture. I made friends I'll keep for the rest of my life and had the best four months of my life!