Davinder Rao, Canada
Project: Teaching English at the Monastery:
My work with Rural Community Development Program (RCDP) Nepal:
In an effort to balance many of the positive things that have happened to me recently, the opportunity to volunteer abroad seemed like the right way to give back. After deciding on Nepal as the right choice, I proceeded to book a trip to volunteer teaching English at a Buddhist monastery in an area called Chobhar.
After making contact with the RCDP office in Kathmandu, I was directed to a specific monastery perched on the top of a hill overlooking the entire city. With 360 degree views of the mountains (the locals call them hills but in Canada they are definitely mountains) and a group of young monks eager to learn, I knew I had made the right choice. Right away, I was welcomed by everyone with open arms and given the tools with which to teach.
I had no previous experience in teaching English as my life has consisted of working for a large multinational as a corporate professional and this concerned me greatly. I have never had a problem standing in front of a group of executives but the thought of staring into twenty blank faces made my stomach turn. I had no reason to fear. The young monks (aged between 8 and 17) had workbooks and stationery along with the desire to learn that many of the children have lost back home. Before long, I had them learning sentence structure and proverbs; I don’t think I had used the word proverb in over 15 years so teaching it was a little on the difficult side.
The overall project has given me more satisfaction than anything in my life. I felt a sense of responsibility to the children that I have never felt in any aspect of my life. Living in the monastery was a truly blessed experience (my room with a balcony overlooking the entire city wasn’t all that bad too) because I had the opportunity to be immersed in the Buddhist culture. I was waking up with chants and prayers, eating with the entire group, and had the chance to view some of customs that define Buddhism (I value my hair very much so when the head shaving commenced I made a dash for the door). Bonding with the children by living and breathing their entire life everyday gave me a newfound knowledge about the monks themselves along with how similar they are to you and me. My lasting legacy was definitely instituting a workout routine because in order to be truly at peace, one must be of sound mind and body. Before long, the children and I bonded on every level even though we did not share the same language.
Nepal has been a great experience and the RCDP group has made me feel like one of their own. Coming from Canada and having no concept of how life in this beautiful country works, they guided me and helped me feel comfortable and welcomed and quashed any of my fears in this very different experience. The Nepalese are honest and genuine, the food is amazing (although I may be off rice for awhile), and I feel safer here than I do in my home country. There is nothing negative that I can take from my time here and I would recommend anyone to come here and change their life as I have mine. If you are: 1. looking to make a difference in the world 2. Want to be involved in a very unique culture and unique experience 3. Trying to fill a gap in your life; please make this voyage. I will cherish the memories of my volunteer experience and spread them to every person I meet.
