YEAR 10 NEPAL TRIP

In February this year, eight Dorothy Stringer explorers from Years 9 and 10 set off on a two-week expedition to Nepal. It was a fantastic trip that combined cultural experiences around Kathmandu, project work in a local school and a five-day trek in the Himalayas to altitudes of nearly 3000m. Students found it challenging yet rewarding, and different parts of the trip resonated with different students.

Project Phase

The team spent five days in Shree Saraswati School just outside Kathmandu. We were warmly welcomed by the headteacher - being offered traditional Nepalese scarves, and shown to our bedrooms for the next five days (classrooms!). We quickly developed a routine: every day two students assisted in cooking/cleaning for the day. Delicacies included pancakes, dal bat (traditional Nepalese dal/rice dish, momo (Nepalese dumplings), paneer curry, tempura and much more. Many of us would join the school’s 6:30am martial art class with students, before embarking on the construction phase of the project. Outside we were tasked with moving/laying lots of bricks/paving/rocks/sand to a site to build a new area for the school playground. It was hard work but we made great progress as a team. We also painted inside/outside two of the school’s new buildings. Our explorers then decided that they also wanted to paint a mural inside one of the buildings – and created a wonderful world map, that said “hello” in 12 different languages.

During the afternoons, were mainly dedicated to teaching in the classroom, and the Nepalese students were very welcoming and engaged with our presence. We were able to teach classes from Years 1-10, and we were constantly impressed with their expertise in English and subject knowledge. After tea and biscuits, the explorers would go and play football with the locals as the sun set behind the mountains.

Trekking Phase

Whilst on the project we did a ‘mini-trek’ to Nagarkot, where we got spectacular views of the Himalyas, and a sense of what ‘Nepalese flat’ means (think Seven Sisters terrain!).Then after a quick pitstop in Kathmandu we packed our rucksacks for a 5-day trek – and the explorers were tasked with packing their bag with all the essentials but keeping it as light as possible.On our trek we had 3 porters, who were able to carry some of the kit, but one student (Rhona) managed to carry all her equipment for the whole 5 days. This is something no-one had seen a student do before, and she was nicknamed ‘sherpini’ for the duration of the trip. The trek was challenging, 4-8 hours hiking each day, in 25 degrees, often climbing more than 1500m in a single day. The group showed an impressive amount of grit each day and were rewarded with impressive views and a filling lunch of egg-fried rice of noodle soup (every day!). After day 1, a local dog joined us on the walk (we named him Alfie) and he stayed with us for the rest of the trip, and motivated a lot of us to climb those mountains. Each evening we stayed in a local teahouse (think simple bed and breakfast but lacking heating!) or a homestay (where a family let you stay in their home) –all of which gave us insight into Nepalese culture.

Cultural phase

Physically exhausted, we returned back to Kathmandu to indulge in a more varied cuisine, buy some souvenirs and to visit local sites. As a team we visited Monkey Temple, Boudha Stupa and ate in a Nepalese restaurant owned by the father of one of the explorers on the trip. The hustle/bustle of Kathmandu is not something that one will forget quickly.

The expedition leader, from Adventure Lifesigns, had visited Nepal 29 times previously and was an expert in all areas of the country. Nar and Raj were our Nepalese guides and have worked with Adventure Lifesigns for over 12 years. Their hospitality, expertise, cooking and mountaineering skills were second to none. Students kept a joint journal for the duration of their expedition, writing up a couple of days each (I hope you enjoy hearing some of their experiences in their own words!). I could not be prouder of what they each personally, and as a team, achieved on this trip. Watch this space for a 2024 expedition!

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