March 19 - I just booked a one way flight ticket from Paris to Chennai, India. I have been dreaming about this trip for so long and it seems like it's finally coming together.
After travelling to India for 6 weeks, I landed in Pokhara, Nepal, to volunteer as an English Teacher in a school.
December 6 : I woke up at 6am to jump in a jeep and drive to Arnakot, 230km east from Pokhara. The journey was long, tiring and bumpy as most of the roads were in a very bad state. I finally reached Burtibang, the closest village to Arnakot, where my host family was already waiting for me. We stopped for a quick coffee, and here we went, up in the mountains for nearly 2 hours. I finally reached the village of Arnakot by the end of the day, or what I would call a second home for two weeks.
Arnakot is a tiny and rural remote village located between the Dhorpartan and Jhimpa Valley, 2100m high in the mountains. During two weeks, I was going to help in the school by teaching English to the kids there and helping to prepare exams.
My host family quickly made me feel like I was at home and always made sure I wasn't missing of anything. Every morning, at 9pm, I would join them in the kitchen where they were already preparing breakfast for me. The main dish here was the typical "dal bhat", basically rice, lentil soup and sometimes potatos or meat. Of course, they would ask me several times if I wanted more of anything, and making sure that I had plenty to eat (sometimes too much!).
My first day at school made me quickly understand why I had made the choice of coming here, and why I would never regret it. After a short presentation in front of all the kids, perfectly lined up by class in front of me, the headteacher greeted me by putting some ticka on my forehead and giving me a flower necklace, as a sign of welcome.
The kids in Arnakot were amazing. Every day, they would greet me as if I was part of the village, played with my hair, showed me some games they liked, shared their favorite biscuits with me at lunchtime. They showed me how much they loved their country and how much they were happy to welcome new people every month and show them their village.
Volunteering in Arnakot-Deurali school was for sure the most unforgettable trip of my year.
#TravelAdventure2019
