From Travelling to Explore to Travelling with a Purpose

Meeting the team for the first time and visiting a completed “buildOn” school

On 29th November, myself, Linh, Daniel and Lani meet for the first time. I had met Linh before but this was the first time I was meeting Daniel and Lani. We stay in Thamel (the tourist capital of Nepal) in Kathmandu and have a big night together!

On 30th November, Daniel and I get to meet Vi for the first time. Linh, Lani and Vi were part of the trek in Malawi 2 years ago. It was the first time for Daniel and I. Daniel’s wife was also part of the trek in Malawi so Daniel had a much detailed understanding of what to expect in the Trek than me. While I was prepared to take care of myself during the trek, I was hardly prepared on making the most of my time in the village. Nevertheless it turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences in my life. Having said that, I now know things I could carry with me & the preparation I could undertake the next time I do a trek to make it even more enriching e.g. carry a dozen work gloves for the kids who take part in the construction work! “buildOn” has strict guidelines on gifting the community. This is to ensure the community and the team doesn’t get distracted from the core purpose of the project. Anyways, I think I am going off track without realising I am writing a blog here.. 😉 First timer you see.. So back to 30th November, for dinner we meet our great trek leader Aaron Story. What a character! Aaron is from the US and has been part of 15 treks in Nepal. Such a great human being and I could see how doing these treks has turned him into a great leader!

On 1st December early morning we depart to Dhangadhi via flight. On the way I get to see the great Annapurna ranges in the distance. I have always been fascinated by the Himalayas and in a way I totally forgot about its existence in Nepal while I was there. Next time I visit Nepal, I want to make sure I do a trek to one of these great mountain base camps. I could also use that as a reason to go visit my village Banjariya and the friends and family I have there now. From Dhangadhi we take an approx. 1 hour bus ride to visit a nearby village that has a fully functioning buildOn school and also adult literacy program. It was such a joy to see the kids in the school. We had a great time playing games with them, learning a bit of Nepali. We also met the women who were attending the adult literacy program. It was so touching to hear their stories and how learning to write has made a significant difference in their lives. My emotional roller coaster ride began from here. Visiting a completed “buildOn” school and seeing the kids definitely set us up in the right frame of mind and further inspired us before visiting our village.