By Eisha Bajpai
After three connecting flights, I finally found myself in Nepal. I was greeted with a welcome scarf by a friendly member of VIN who was waiting with some fellow volunteers who had arrived slightly earlier than me. Once all the volunteers had arrived, we were taken to the volunteer house in the centre of Kathmandu which soon became my home away from home.
A rigorous three day induction of what to expect in the Nepalese culture, language lessons and a reassuring amount of phone numbers of persons we would be able to get hold of in case of emergency followed next. This induction was essential not only to find our bearings but for me and my fellow volunteers to get to know each other and bond.
We were also taken to various temples and culture sites in the Capital to get our first real taste of Nepal. Before we knew it, it was time to head to our host families and begin the projects we had signed up for. With a member of staff in contact with you every few days and visits at least twice a week, you know that you are in good hands and it makes adjusting to new scenarios much easier. It has become clear to me that VIN has one main goal; to enrich and empower different communities in Nepal whilst making sure those who have dedicated their time to doing so are comfortable and enjoying all aspects of the Nepalese life.
Moreover, they ensure we get a chance to visit different national parks, heritage sites and areas of beauty that volunteers would have otherwise been clueless about by organizing trips and giving us discounted tickets. All in all, it has been a pleasure to work alongside VIN and I am very excited to see what this organization achieves for the alluring country of Nepal.
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