Travel diary | Nepal

Hello!

I've wanted to tell you all about my wonderful trip, however I had to wait until all of my exams are over. Before I start, well done to those of you who have made it this far down the page!! I have so many photos now and this is after I have already cut out several hundreds!

So, during mid-April, a group of 30 us left for Kathmandu, Nepal. We spent the first week hiking in the Himalayas, from Lukla airport to Namche Bazaar (3500m). The scenery looked as though it had been taken out of a movie, it was just stunning. Although, I found it extremely confronting to have such extreme poverty next to exquisite beauty. We got to glimpse at the peak of Mount Everest and the ridge-line of Lhotse, which is the first and fourth highest mountains in the world. They were absolutely breathtaking.

As we walked through Sherpa villages, everyone came out to greet us. I met so many amazing children, whom I will always remember. Before the trip, I collected tennis balls, bouncy balls, frisbees and yoyos to give to the Nepali children and I was amazed at how grateful they were - not only for the small gift I gave to them, but for the little things that they already had. This made me realise that you don't need to have 'stuff' to make you happy. In this consumer-driven culture, we believe that having consumerist goods make us happy. Well let me ask you something. Are you happy? And are you grateful for what you have?

Our guide, Kami, was probably the most inspirational person I have ever met. When the Everest avalanche occurred, Kami sadly lost his nephew. It was a very difficult time for him but he stayed positive and led our group safely to the next village we were staying at. From then I realised that you don't need a reason to be help people. Imagine if people constantly did nice things for each other, for no reason. The world would be such a happier place. 

During the second week, we visited an organisation called Asha Nepal, which rescues girls from trafficking. We had the opportunity to meet these girls who had been rescued, teach them and play with them. I knew trafficking occurred, but pushed it to the back of my mind. After meeting these girls, who were around 14, I knew that trafficking did exist and no amount of ignorance was going to make it going away, in fact it would make the issue worse. We all know trafficking exists, however I think more awareness needs to be raised as to how serious the issue actually is.

This was the best trip I have ever been on and most likely will ever go on. It has opened up my eyes to the suffering that exists in our world, and that there is nothing stopping us from doing something about it. It has made me aware of how privileged I am and that I can make a difference. In the past month, I have attended youth conferences for several different organisations to learn about the global issues as well as those in Australia, and what I can do.

I will leave you with one of my favourite quotes:

"I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that.

Then I realised I am somebody."

xx

Georgia