Friends, family and a lot of dal bhat

I had the most amazing time ever in Nepal. Staying with a local host family really gave me an insight into Nepalese culture and way of life. It's incredible how quickly you adapt to living with just a few hours of electricity a day, no shower and a simple diet of dal bhat (rice and lentils) for breakfast and dinner. The trips were fantastic - trekking through the Himalayas is something I'll never forget, and visiting Tibet was the most awe-inspiring and humbling experience of my life. But I have to say, the highlight for me was teaching. Where else would you get a roomful of children literally cheering as you enter the classroom, and kids running up to talk to you at break time? It was really moving to realise that many of these children had never been praised by a teacher before, and were completely bewildered by things we take for granted, like drama, games and storywriting. Even now, more than three years since my trip, I still think about my pupils and the smiles they gave me every single day. I would recommend this trip to anyone.