My Immersive Experience as Volunteer Traveler from UK to Nepal

Story of Matt from St Albans, UK

Last Updated: August 22, 2024

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Being in a Lumbini, you will feel it, like this place is the birthplace of Buddha, for a moment I meditated beneath an oak tree. The whole area, gardens, Mayadevi temple, monasteries and temples, the aesthetic of whole places was making my spiritual side alive. To realize that Lumbini was the place where Buddha was delivered by his mother, where he put his first footsteps, where he had his teachings from the teachers, that was definitely a surreal experience.

Kopan was another beautiful and peaceful place I had been. I had an amazing moment while practicing and learning Buddhist meditation. Understanding Tibetan Buddhism and Nepali Buddhism, implementing them with meditative practices has been a valuable experience for me.

These were part of few of my 3 months experience in Nepal, here is an account of my whole trip:

My Moments as a Volunteer in Buddhist Monastery

The moment I was as a volunteer in the monastery, they had Lohsar festival, a tibetan New Year. I helped them by lending my hands to organize the rituals of the festivals. I had a very nice bonding with the senior monks, which provided me opportunities to learn about Buddhist values.

The monk kids in the monastery were filled with smiles and positive energy. From the moment I entered the monastery, I had established a sincere relationship with them. Their devotion in the temple for daily rituals, their keenness on learning in the classes was impressive.

Buddhism and Me

Earlier, I had no faith , there was no faith in me, I didn’t understand the values and significance of rituals in any religion. Over the time my inclination towards Buddhism increased, then I started realizing regular rituals increase humility. More I practice Buddhism, the more my empathetic and compassionate side comes to life.

What I am Taking from Nepal

Friends, definitely my first answer would be that because I met many friends here. Nepalese people are very welcoming and friendly, chatting with them was amazing. Learning about culture and religion from them has added a new side to me. During my Annapurna mountain trek, initially it was really challenging, but my tour guide and fellow trekkers were so friendly and supported , it relieved all the challenges and difficulties I had and I could finish the trek successfully.

Compassion for the people

I definitely had a good time as a traveler. But at the same time I was moved to see how challenging life is for the people of Nepal. Especially about the income level they have, it was incredible to see how they would manage their life with the scant income that would be considered nothing in my part of the world. Yet the people are smiling and sharing. It was amazing to see that spirit, but still I feel the government of Nepal has to be more responsible and empathetic to their people and do more for their welfare and to improve their living standard.

The country is trying to emerge from ordeals of civil war, earthquake and corona pandemic. I definitely have sympathy for those with the losses but at the same time it is impressive to see how they are rebuilding their lives with smiling faces.

There are a lot of different ethnicities in Nepal, to see how this is accepted here, how people are living together, without any racial conflicts, it is really inspiring and impressive. In the UK , we can still see racial conflicts. I think this could be a learning for people like us on how to live with harmony and compassion without any racial conflicts.

The Mountains and the Wildlife

My time in the wildlife safari in Chitwan with fellow volunteers was memorable. Spotting Asian Elephants and Rhinos and walking into the wild with the expectation to see Tiger, has been an awesome experience.

Trekking to Annapurna base camp was a close encounter with the Himalayan Mountains. They were gigantic and each step I went closer to them I realized how small and insignificant I am as compared to other elements of this planet or this universe. That was kind of a relief for me, because the less I think of myself the more I will have time to look into this beautiful world we have.

Farm Stay and Bungee Jumping

I had a little bit of moment of adventure as well. While staying in a farm helping a local family with their initiative of sustainable farming, I also experienced the thrill of Bungee jumping in the world’s second highest Bungee jumping place in Kusma, Nepal.

Thanks to Everyone

My journey in Nepal would not have been a beautiful memory if it was not with the support of my local coordinator Narayan, the supervising monk of the monastery Nima, my friend of many trips Sujan, my wildlife safari nature guide Suk, my trekking guide Bibek, fellow volunteers I met , Marlene, Hannah,  Luis, Oliver and everyone who have been part of this awe inspiring trip. I would like to thank to them for making this trip to Nepal a life changing one.