Teaching English at Buddhist Monasteries in Nepal

Well finally back from Nepal and had time to reflect on the 6 weeks I spent in this country. I had the good fortune to share my teaching experience with Ben one of the many wonderful volunteers I met while I was there.

I wasn't sure if we would have a class room to teach from or a curriculum. On arrival I was taken to a solid classroom with an old black board (which we soon painted). We were told that my class would consist of Buddhist monks, aged between 6-18 years old. We divided the class up into two classes and two levels and both Ben and I made our own lesson plans to suit the age and level of student.

We found that the students were well behaved but like any group of boys that age you have to keep their attention and get them involved in the lesson or they would start to do boy things. They seem to be able to write and speak English but they have limited knowledge of the meaning. So we made up plenty of games to get the message across.

All the volunteers looked out for each other so there was never a moment that I didn't feel safe or alone. We hung out with each other most of the time; I really enjoyed the new friendships that we formed. I had such a great time finding out about myself through this experience I can't wait to do it again next year.

All in all Kathmandu is an easy place to stay; friendly people, tasty food and loads of shops. In my spare time I was able to do yoga in the evenings and attend cultural dance lessons. Met some beautiful local people and had dinner with their families in their homes.

The team with i-to-i took great care of us and were there to help life comfortable and the transition into Nepal life easy. Our local guide at the guest house was always there to take you on an interesting look around Kathmandu and beyond, the other staff at the guest house were just lovely boys; very trustworthy and full of local knowledge.

Jill More's voluntary work placement in Nepal was arranged with i-to-i Volunteering.