So today this blog turns one year old! I had no idea what I would be writing about when I originally put this together, and looking over the posts from the last year it's interesting to me to see how it all shaped up. All in all I've had a great experience over the last year, from the final preparations to come here in December to now when I'm planning to leave Nepal for the first extended period since coming here (I'm heading to Thailand/Cambodia for a short time). While any experience has its ups and downs, this one has been mostly ups and a great experience over all that I'm glad has been a part of my life. Not everything goes as expected, but that is in an ironic way that's something we expect.
So before I left I wrote a post on Why would you want to move to Nepal, and now that it's been a year I thought it would be interesting to revisit some of those thoughts and see what I have done, what I haven't done,how reality matched up with expectations, what I'd still like to accomplish and what was just naive thinking. I'll use Italics to quote the original text.
Showing posts with label Volunteering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Volunteering. Show all posts
Monday, December 13, 2010
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Why would you want to move to Nepal?
So I always am asked, "Why would you want to move to Nepal?" Here are just a few of the reasons I have for the move;
1) Experience. This one kind of goes without saying and is what many assume is the only reason. I Have always wanted to stay for an extended period in one country as opposed to moving quickly from one to the next. This gives the opportunity to form some real friendships, learn something about local customs and language, as well as expose oneself to a different way of living.
2) Climate. This is not a tropical paradise by any means, but Kathmandu sits at about the same latitude as Tampa Florida, though the elevation makes the temperatures swing a bit more. That said it is much warmer than Maine, and the average lows in the coldest months are still above freezing, much better than the frequent sub-zero temps we endure. The drastic elevation changes in Nepal allows for some variation at any time of the year as well.
3) Time. America is a busy culture, we are obsessed with doing things constantly and we make very productive use of our time. That can be a great quality, but as it spills over into your personal life and you begin to shut out what you actually love in life for more productive time to make money there is a balance that has been abandoned. Nepal takes life at a slower pace, and a little extra time to talk over tea is what I'm looking for at the moment.
4) Hiking. I love hiking and Nepal offers trekking that is unlike any other place on the planet. Not only does the terrain consist of the highest mountains on earth, some jungle and Tibetan plateau, it also has the cultural experience of the tea-houses and villages that you stay in over the course of the hike. Some of my most fond memories in life are on Nepali hiking trails.
5) Simpler Life. Maybe this is in part a combination of point number 1 and number 3, but it is just the desire to get away from ...how do I say this without sounding like a dirty hippy...a cluttered consumer culture. As I become an increasingly bigger fan of a fairly Spartan lifestyle I find that I would rather work less and just have a cheap lifestyle, and few places are cheaper than Nepal.
6) Volunteer. I would love to take some of my time while I'm over there and try to volunteer in some capacity to help out people that are truly disadvantaged. I will very likely look into some kind of teaching or coaching opportunity while I am there.
Then there is always things like what an amazing city Kathmandu is, how unique a place it is, and how friendly the Nepali people are. There is the natural beauty of the country, its proximity to other places I want to visit China, parts of central Asia and Bhutan, and that certain satisfaction one can take from finding something a little crazy that they have wanted to do and having the courage to go through with it. Even if my move there is a dismal failure and I come home poor and jobless, it far better than to remain comfortable but always have wondered what might have been.
1) Experience. This one kind of goes without saying and is what many assume is the only reason. I Have always wanted to stay for an extended period in one country as opposed to moving quickly from one to the next. This gives the opportunity to form some real friendships, learn something about local customs and language, as well as expose oneself to a different way of living.
2) Climate. This is not a tropical paradise by any means, but Kathmandu sits at about the same latitude as Tampa Florida, though the elevation makes the temperatures swing a bit more. That said it is much warmer than Maine, and the average lows in the coldest months are still above freezing, much better than the frequent sub-zero temps we endure. The drastic elevation changes in Nepal allows for some variation at any time of the year as well.
3) Time. America is a busy culture, we are obsessed with doing things constantly and we make very productive use of our time. That can be a great quality, but as it spills over into your personal life and you begin to shut out what you actually love in life for more productive time to make money there is a balance that has been abandoned. Nepal takes life at a slower pace, and a little extra time to talk over tea is what I'm looking for at the moment.
4) Hiking. I love hiking and Nepal offers trekking that is unlike any other place on the planet. Not only does the terrain consist of the highest mountains on earth, some jungle and Tibetan plateau, it also has the cultural experience of the tea-houses and villages that you stay in over the course of the hike. Some of my most fond memories in life are on Nepali hiking trails.
5) Simpler Life. Maybe this is in part a combination of point number 1 and number 3, but it is just the desire to get away from ...how do I say this without sounding like a dirty hippy...a cluttered consumer culture. As I become an increasingly bigger fan of a fairly Spartan lifestyle I find that I would rather work less and just have a cheap lifestyle, and few places are cheaper than Nepal.
6) Volunteer. I would love to take some of my time while I'm over there and try to volunteer in some capacity to help out people that are truly disadvantaged. I will very likely look into some kind of teaching or coaching opportunity while I am there.
Then there is always things like what an amazing city Kathmandu is, how unique a place it is, and how friendly the Nepali people are. There is the natural beauty of the country, its proximity to other places I want to visit China, parts of central Asia and Bhutan, and that certain satisfaction one can take from finding something a little crazy that they have wanted to do and having the courage to go through with it. Even if my move there is a dismal failure and I come home poor and jobless, it far better than to remain comfortable but always have wondered what might have been.
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