So since the last time I’ve blogged:

• Finished FIRST YEAR.
• Moved out of ku4th =(
• Volunteered overseas in Nepal
• Visited family and friends in Singapore
• Finally back HOME in Red Deer
• Is officially a 2nd year integrated sciences major in physiology, psychology and kinesiology. woohoo!
• Will be taking summer school at UBC in a few weeks
• Got into second year housing at gage marine drive babbbbby

So much has changed since April, volunteering abroad definitely changed my perspective and outlook on life.

The Basic Lowdown:

I did a 3 week project from May 7th to 28th in Kathmandu, Nepal. My project through Volunteer Abroad was called Improvement Project Siddhi Memorial Hospital Children’s Ward. What does that mean? Basically we help the hospital in any way we can, from making the out-patient dispensary more “child-friendly”, to painting murals in the conference room to visiting with the seniors to job shadowing doctors to attending meetings with their health care professionals and giving our opinions.

Life in Nepal:

…was pretty scary in the first few days with the Maoist strike going on. Articles online kept referring to the situation as “dangerous and chaotic” and one even said, “blood was spilled again on the streets of Kathmandu.” So imagine how freaked out of my mind I was. But don’t always believe what you hear or read from the media. Although some of it may be true, the way the media words it gives it all a bad impression. For example, I pictured the Maoist to be a group of strong men all collectively deciding to overthrow the gov’t. But turns out, there were also everyday women and children part of the protest marches too. Besides the protest, life in Kathmandu is very simple. Kathmandu is one of the few capital cities in the world without power 24/7 and is also the second most polluted cities in the world. Water availability is also scare. But the culture is amazing! There are so many temples, historic monuments and architecture to discover. The city is bustling, from the lady who sells (and screams) cabbage outside our front window at 5am to the many street dogs who bark and howl the night away.

My thoughts:

(Snippet from my journal) After spending a month in Nepal, I understand the simplicity of life. You really do not need power or running water to be happy, let alone luxuries like shopping, makeup or cellphones. It is all about being POSITIVE and appreciating what you already have. Roll with the punches because you cannot change what has already happened. You can only choose how you will react. So choose to be positive, make the most out of it. (If a dying patient at the hospital can be positive, if a kid living on the street can be positive, then there is no reason why you can’t be.)

Life is all about the experiences we have had and the people we meet. Always put yourself out there and meet new people. Everyone has a story. The least we can do is LISTEN to them. And never judge people. (I am guilty of this.) It’s so easy to make a judgement based on a stereotype, assumption or their appearances. All of it are misleading, give everybody a chance.

TRUST yourself. You are more capable than what you give yourself credit for.

The adventure:

Volunteering abroad doesn’t have to be all work. Weekends are a good way to escape from the city life and give yourself a break (or an adrenaline rush in my case). A three hour drive north from Kathmandu takes us only minutes away from the Tibetan border. To last resort, a place not for the light-hearted. I had one of the most memorable weekends of my life: Hanging out with the other volunteers, meeting so many cool interesting people and dancing the night away. Canyon swing, bungy jump and white-water rafting.

My advice:

For those interested in volunteering abroad, here’s a basic step-by-step guide of the process involve with going abroad to volunteer.

1. Start researching EARLY (like now). Keep your eye out for meetings and information sessions. Volunteer abroad, GoGlobal, projects abroad, and ecuaexperience are a few good places to start. Look into everything just to get a general idea of the application process, the deadlines and what placements are available.
2. Ask yourself what you want out of your volunteering experience, how much you’re willing to spend, where you want to go, how long you want to go for…etc.
3. Apply, apply, apply! I applied to four different organizations before I found the one that was right for me. Something that may look like a terrific idea at the start, may give you doubts on second look. It’s okay to turn the offers down after. (Just do so in advance of the deadline to give others a shot)
4. The interview. It’s not just about them questioning you. This is your chance to get the answers to any questions you may have. Find out how many other volunteers are going, who will be making travel arrangements (you or the organization) and what is included in your fee (meals, transportation). Tip: Reoccurring questions throughout interviews seem to be “how you will deal with culture shock and changes,” etc. And of course the standard “why you want to volunteer abroad through such-and-such organization”
5. Offers and decisions. After offers are made, consider the pros and cons of each placement such as duration, location, price and obviously the placement itself before finalizing your decision.
6. Accept and get excited. Acceptance deadline is usually in the spring. Try to connect with a few volunteers from your placement. It’s all about having the support, and being able to chat about “what are you bringing” to “booking flights and applying for visas.”
7. Fundraise. Depending on your organization, you can either fundraise with your fellow volunteers (goglobal, ecuaexperience..) or by yourself. Anything from bottle drives to writing letters to local business or banks. It’s not just about the money, it’s also about increasing awareness through your fundraising. Don’t forget to do a follow-up/thank you when you return.
8. Details, details. Look into passports, visas, immunization and vaccinations, booking flight tickets (tripadvisor or travelcuts in the SUB is a good place to start) and converting currency. Also check out www.voyage.gc.ca for travel reports and advice as well as notifying the Canadian embassy of your volunteer plans. Research into culture expectations to reduce culture shock upon arrival (ex, Nepal is a conservative country, women are expected to wear long sleeves and long skirts/pants). Additionally, do you plan on making any side trips after your placement, plan those now. (In my case, when I was in nepal, I wanted to go to India after my placement but because of the short notice I couldn’t get a visa.)
9. Time to go. Go with an open heart and mind, be ready to explore and discover. Don’t forget to bring along a journal to record all your experiences. Have fun!

Good luck everyone! And as always, shoot me a message or comment if you have any questions or just want to share your experiences. Always happy to listen. =)