Volunteering at the Pema Ts’al Sakya Monastic Institute in Hyangja, Pokhara, Nepal
-Eldo Kim
July of 2011
I went into Nepal apprehensive and nervous. I was 18 years old, a rising senior at Kamiak High School (Mukilteo, WA) in the United States. It was my first time volunteering in a foreign country completely alone without the reassuring presence of other volunteers or my family; I knew nothing about the language, the people and the culture. But my worries were quickly put to rest when I arrived in Nepal. No one sought to take advantage of the confused foreigner. The people of Nepal, from taxi drivers to random people in the streets, were warm and incredibly friendly.

I was picked up from the airport by a driver who took me promptly to the Millennium Inn in Kathmandu. After I checked in, I talked about plans with Badri and he patiently answered the endless number of questions I had. Badri and the Hands for Help organization are very efficient and they will go beyond expectations to help make people’s volunteering experiences in Nepal as comfortable as possible. Before leaving for the monastery, I received two intensive lessons on Nepalese from Pramila. Although learning Nepalese is difficult, there is no need to excessively stress about it because many people in Nepal speak elementary English and the good ol’ body language is universal. :) I was also taken to various major tourist sites including the Monkey Temple where monkeys roamed freely. Tip: do not have bananas hanging out of your pockets because the monkeys will surely take them sooner or later! After two nights at the inn, I took a six-hour bus ride to Pokhara.

I soon arrived at the Pema Ts’al Sakya Monastic Institute in Hyangja, Pokhara. The monastery is set in a peaceful, isolated environment, surrounded by glorious mountains, rushing rivers, and rice fields. I spent a month at the monastery teaching children English and writing up examinations for various classes. Everyone was eager to learn and each class was a splendid explosion of contagious laughter and enthusiasm. But during the first week, I learned that I was frequently the student, rather than the teacher. Every night, the monks taught me about the desperate plight of Tibetan refugees and the daily socioeconomic problems that they face in Nepal and other countries around the world. My interest in the situations of the refugees were further cultivated at a nearby Tibetan refugee village that was approximately ten minutes away from the monastery. The monks also taught me Tibetan Buddhism, a spiritual experience that forced me to re-examine my life from entirely different perspectives.

The contemporary world largely has the impression that monks are conservative, introverted, and quiet. I too had this perception but this was utterly shattered during my stay at the monastery. The monks at the Pema Ts’al Sakya were always in high spirits and good-humored. They loved to joke and ask cheeky questions that often had me laughing and gasping for breath. While I was not teaching, I spent my time playing basketball with the monks and watching Hollywood (and Bollywood and Korean and Thai…) movies with them on the weekends; we also seriously debated the merits of the music of Justin Bieber, the American teenage sensation.

When it was time for me to leave, I found it very difficult to bid farewell to people that I had become extraordinarily close with. I promised the monks to come back when I could and I reluctantly left for the airport. Nepal is a beautiful country and there are astonishing experiences to be had and lessons to be learned if you are willing to look past the typical mountain trekking and canoeing (although these are sensational adventures in and of themselves of course). There is a Buddhist idiom that talks about how the more you give, the more you receive in return. Volunteering in Nepal is the perfect opportunity to be both the teacher and the student.

If you have ANY questions or concerns about volunteering at a monastery in Nepal, please do not hesitate to contact me at eldo.kim@gmail.com  I will answer quickly and give advices to the best of my knowledge. Volunteering in Nepal is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I highly recommend.