CGA

Only having about two days left in Nepal I am extremely thankful for the people here and the kindness they have so willingly given to me but I am also sad to be leaving a beautiful country filled with lots of beautiful people. I keep wanting to turn back time to the beginning of the trip to relive it all over again. To see how close everyone in our group has gotten as well as how close we have gotten to our students makes it very difficult to imagine that in only a few days we will be back in our own beds.                 I can’t believe how fast time can move. It feels like yesterday we got here and now we will be on a flight home in less than fourty-eight hours. The kindness and trust that I have felt throughout this trip has been absolutely amazing. From conversations with Laxman in the hallways to Sanu making and bringing me tea and ramen when I was sick. Every person here making me feel more and more ...

As we walked through the busy streets in Nepal on our way home from school, I was holding the hands of two of my students in Class 5. I find these moments unreal. The longer I am here and the more I spend time talking and getting to know my students here, both in Class 5 and 10, the more I fall in love with them. My time here in Nepal seems to be going by very fast, faster than I would like it to. There are some moments, when I wish I could just hit a pause button and stay there forever. Today in my science class, I had one of those moments. I was having fun with them while we were learning about the benefits of carbohydrates. I’m not sure how to explain it, but there is something so rewarding about seeing a classroom full of students light up when you are teaching them something new. It makes my heart very joyful and happy. When I see the students radiating happiness and positivity, I instantly feel excited for the rest of the day. It is not very often that I get this feeling i...

“We have waited for your arrival for 365 days and that day has finally come. Welcome.” These were the words of the 10 th graders as we stepped into their classrooms. They welcomed us with so much joy and love, I’m sure I will never forget. Coming into Nepal, I really had no expectations. Never having been to a developing country before, or even out of the United States, I was coming into Nepal with an open mind. The people and students here exceeded everything I could have ever imagined. I felt immediate kindness from the people here as soon as we stepped outside of the airport. There is nothing like it, being welcomed into this beautiful country and into Milla’s Guesthouse as it if was your own home. Sanu is an amazing and beautiful woman who lives and works at the guesthouse. She is always cooking the best food and making sure that we are all okay. From having popcorn waiting for us when we come home from school; being welcomed on morning walks to worship at the temples; and ...

The place I grew up in has given me many opportunities and has shaped me into the person I have become. It has shown me that if you work hard enough you will get where you need to go. It has shown me that powder days and face shots are where I find my peace. But it has also shown me how big the world actually is. It's almost as if we have a glass bubble over the Vail Valley. We have astounding doctors with advanced technology right here. So with all of these resources surrounding us it's hard to see a world away from it. It's hard to picture a place where water and food resources are lacking and where people die because they don't have the resources and educational technology to keep them alive. It's hard to picture because I have a filled pantry and fridge and yearly scheduled doctor checkups. It makes me sad that my world consists of me taking advantage of things that many other people around the world don’t have access to. I have grown up in a place of innocen...

Past Nepal’s past starts out with the legendary traditions of the Newar people. These people were part of the indigenous community of the Nepal Valley. There is archaeological evidence that there was an early Buddhist influence on Nepal. The 10th-18th century Nepal was ruled by the Malla dynasty. The leader of the Malla dynasty named Jaya Sthiti created and introduced the very first legal social code that was very strongly influenced by Hindu principles. This was a problem because lots of the population was a mix of Buddhists and Hindus. He then divided the valley up into three different parts among his sons creating Kathmandu, Patan , and Bhaktapur . From 1775 to 1951 Nepalese politics started to be categorized between the royal family and some noble families. Then in the 19th century the British conquest of India created a serious threat to Nepal. Nepal came to no other conclusion than having to seek accommodation with the British in order to preserve its independence. The British...

My name is Reese Harnick I am a student at Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy and I am a competitive Alpine ski racer. I also participate in Girl Power, Girl Power helps with leadership and team building. This summer I will be heading to Bhaktapur, Nepal to teach at the LISHA school. We will also be participating in delivering supplies, home visits, making improvements to the school, and helping families recover from the devastating earthquakes of 2015. I am excited to help the people of Nepal and to learn about their rich culture. Has one experience changed your whole entire perspective on life before, even if it was only for 12 days? I have never had an experience like that, but I am thrilled too. I have always heard the stories about people doing and helping in all these different places and teaching students and hearing the line “You won't believe it until you see it.” I have a yearning to live out that sentence and to help people from all over the place as much as I can. Childr...