Hard work, but worth it!

I came to Nepal a few days after the second major earthquake back in May 2015. I had no idea what i was doing, or why i was coming; after one month i was put in touch with Gap Year Nepal. I'm so grateful for their help and support during their programme, as their hospitality really put the icing on top of the programme.

I mainly worked in Admin, and helped write their funding proposals, and did some project research. Alongside this, i spent some time out in the field with various projects. I personally helped with some building, and field research.

When we were in the villages we slept in tents and village houses. It definitely was an authentic experience, alongside the hearty Dal Bhat meals home cooked by our host Didi. The work was tiring but extremely rewarding. We had breaks and were told not to push ourselves.

We had lots of down time whilst in the villages to do as we wished - Play with the kids, explore the area or chat to the locals.

Getting to the villages was sometimes tricky. Because Gap Year Nepal works with pretty rural areas (giving a more authentic experience) you can only go so far by bus/car. We walked for many hours to the villages, which i both enjoyed and hated at the same time! Despite being incredibley hot and tiring - it gave me a chance to do some simple trekking and see the nature (which given the circumstances, it would have been difficult without their aid)

When not staying in the villages, they have an apartment block in Nayabazaar, just a few minutes walk from Thamel the tourist area in KTM. There is an in house Didi who cooks delicious meals, and depending on the group size, you'll have a room to share with either yourself, or max 2 people. It is a homely place, and you're definitely well looked after. The only downpoint i found about staying in their appartment was that the door was locked at 10pm, and i felt bad ringing the door to wake Didi up to let me in at night!

They are an extremely well connected organization, who can personalize your experience to a degree as to how you want it. All in all i had an amazing couple of months with them, and can't wait for my next visit!