8th to 17th of April, 2023.
Volunteer work in Nepal.
I must start saying that, the situation in this volunteer work is a bit weird. As almost all hosts Workaway profiles for Nepal, my host asks for a fee from volunteers to cover food expenses. I don’t agree with that in any means, neither in Nepal or any country. But so many other volunteers agree and are OK with it, so people just keep on doing it. Perhaps for those volunteers who, fly from their homes specifically to this or that country, just to experience the volunteer work for a little while, that’s fine. But for me, that’s my life now. That has been my life for the past almost 6 years, so I cannot afford that. And I was honest with Birgu, my host, since the beginning. He said it was OK but in case we had other volunteers coming, I should not tell them. I don’t like that either.
The place is a garden. Well, mostly. People also come here for events and parties, but mostly is a huge garden, with beautiful flower arrangements everywhere. And even though these arrangements are properly done and beautiful, the whole place is rawer than fancy, like it would be for a wedding, for example. There are some paintings over benches here and there, and some signs with hearts and the word LOVE spread all over. People come here to relax and to take photos, to have a pic-nic or to celebrate a small birthday party. And their income comes mostly from the entrance fee.
I believe that, as many other Workaway places, in the beginning of this project, the place was nicer. I can see that in the old paintings, old structures and the idea of what it supposed to be. But with time, things got lost and perhaps the whole idea got lost. Now, Birgu wants mostly to have some small tree houses as holiday rentals, and the volunteers will come to help with the garden. There are also some small huts where normally the volunteers stay. And there is also a huge Ger which supposed to be for meetings but it is under restauration.
I am staying in one of the tree houses. It is very cute and I do like it but it is also a bit tricky. You have to climb up to enter, quite high up, and the roof is made of metal sheets, which makes the heat unbearable during the day. Even though the tree house supposed to be cool and fresh, and it is during the night, it is unnecessarily hot during the day because of that. And, of course, it is quite open to any insects, bugs or rodents, which decide to come. Luckily, the mosquito net around my mattress prevents some uncomfortable encounters, but not the knowing that they are there.
My duties are basically just to water the gardens and pick out the weeds. We must start working early morning because of the heat; take a long break during the hottest hours of the day; and resume work in the late afternoon. During this break I am dead. The heat is too strong and we don’t have even fans. I sleep for a while under some shade, and try to do some writing on my laptop after. It is hard. It is so hot that you just feel like doing nothing.
There is not a real breakfast. At least not for me. Perhaps for the workwayers who contribute with a fee. Normally I just have some tea and sometimes some cookies. Then we have early lunch and early dinner, and go to sleep also early. The food is simple but tasty: dal bhat (dal, rice, tomato chutney and some sabji). What surprises me the most about it is the huge amount of rice that people eat in Nepal. It is really like a mountain of rice and some small portion of the other ingredients.
The reason why I am fine with this arrangement is because I supposed to stay here only for one week. Birgu has a friend who owns a school and he would like to have me as a teacher volunteering there. That was the agreement before I came here. But once I got here, this friend of Birgu was difficult to reach, not answering messages or picking up the phone. Once he did, he said something about the school being closed and not opening for a few more weeks. He mentioned that I could come and help with other stuff, but I say no. I also say no to the offer of Birgu for me to stay here and keep helping with the garden. I don’t feel comfortable with this situation but most importantly, I don’t feel really welcome here. Apart from Birgu, there is a lady helping him and she prepares the food. Her young son is also staying here. Birgu has another house in the village, where he lives with his family. The lady is nice but she cannot speak English. Birgu can, of course, but we barely talk. So basically, I am not learning much about Nepal, and that’s also another reason why I decide to leave.
Around the garden there is a tomatoes and papaya fields. The tomatoes are rotting and nobody seems to come and pick them. Why? What a huge waste! When I notice that, I come every day and pick up some myself, to have as a salad together with my lunch and dinner.
In general, I feel very sorry for this place. It has a lot of potential but for whatever reasons it has been neglected, and that is also a huge waste. I stay for about one week and then I come up with a kind of a plan. I will visit some parts of Nepal, and see if I can find a volunteer work just by talking. I am also in contact with Miles and Simram, who happen to be here, staying in a town which is a lot like the Bir of Nepal, a place called Pokhara. I will go there last, meet the guys, and see if I can find a volunteer work around there.
10 Years Around the World 