Nepal so soon!

*Alhaalla Suomeksi*
In 10 days I am going to Nepal to work as a volunteer for Finland's Teachers Without Borders- network (opettajat ilman rajoja) for five months. I opened up this blog so that I can keep a journal for myself on how thing progress during my volunteer period. Also in case anyone is interested in having a glance of the everyday life in Nepal, Kathmandu, I am happy to share what I learn and see out there. This blog will mainly be about my own experiences in Nepal- in a totally different culture than what I'm used to. I will be writing short posts from my point of view as a volunteer working in the field of education and I will add a lot of photos. In this first post I will introduce Teachers Without Borders- organization and I will also share some thoughts about my upcoming arrival.

WHAT IS TEACHERS WITHOUT BORDERS? 

I applied to this network last December and I was chosen for the program on January. Things escalated pretty fast, since I am already leaving on march. I am not the only volunteer to jet out in to the world, as Teachers Without Borders- network has many volunteers working around the world- mainly in Africa though. In Asia Teachers Without Borders work at the moment in Nepal, Cambodia and Myanmar. Nepal is the newest addition in Asia, and I will be one of the first volunteers in this specific program. Teachers Without Borders- network is part of Finn Church Aid (FCA), which is the largest Finnish development cooperation organisation and the second largest provider of humanitarian assistance. Finn Church Aid has had an amazing impact on helping the developing countries and their progress. The three main goals for FCA are "Right to Education", "Right to Livelihood" and "Right to Peace". The first goal is the one that I will be working with in my volunteer period Nepal. To read more about FCA goals and work around the world, see here. 

HOW DID I END UP HERE?

I have always known that I want to combine work and travel, but I also know that this is not an easy goal. My previous travels (mainly in Asia) and my exchange semester (in Bali) has given me a lot of experience about the Asian culture. My friends, as well as my family members, have also inspired me with interesting stories about their internships, jobs and travels abroad. I believe that once you want something, your mind starts to move towards the existing goal and you start to notice opportunities around you. I guess this is how I ended up here, flying to Nepal in less than two weeks. I have no idea what the next five months will bring but I am excited to find out. Of course I do have some fears and doubts as well, mainly about myself, which I hope to turn out to be false. My main concern is my age and gender- I worry that being a young woman will not be a benefit in the labor market in a highly unequal developing country. I also worry about fitting in, since I don't know any one from the country of destination beforehand. I guess the only thing that I can do about these issues is to get out there with a positive mindset!

*** 

Tammikuussa sain tietää, että minut on valittu Opettajat ilman rajoja- verkoston kautta vapaaehtoiseksi Nepaliin. Vapaaehtoisjaksoni kestää 5 kk ja työnkuvaani kuuluu työskentely paikallisen järjestön sekä koulun kanssa. Opettajat ilman rajoja on Kirkon ulkomaan avun alainen verkosto, jonka tavoitteena on viedä kasvatusalan osaajia kehitysmaihin ja tätä kautta yrittää vaikuttaa positiivisesti kehitysmaiden koulutuksen parantamiseen sekä koulutukseen pääsyyn. Verkosto toimii myös Suomessa, jossa sen tavoitteena puolestaan on tarjota tukea koulujen globaalikasvatukseen. 

Oma vapaaehtoisjaksoni Nepalissa alkaa maaliskuun alussa ja päättyy elokuun alussa. Odotukseni tulevalta viideltä kuukaudelta ovat melko korkealla, vaikka yritänkin parhaani mukaan lähteä avoimin mielin, ilman mitään sen suurempia odotuksia, jotta en myöskään pety. Tähän mennessä kaikki käytännön järjestelyt ovat sujuneet ilman ongelmia, joten en stressaa lähtöä oikeastaan ollenkaan. Suurimmat huolenaiheeni tällä hetkellä liittyvät lähinnä sellaisiin asioihin, joihin en voi itse vaikuttaa. Ensinnäkin työskenteleminen nuorena naisena epätasa-arvoisessa kehitysmaassa jännittää. Huolenani on etenkin se, miten minuun suhtaudutaan. Toiseksi en tunne entuudestaan ketään, joka asuisi maassa, jossa pian asustelen itsekin ja tässä on myös jännityksen aihetta tarpeeksi. Toivon, että nämä huolenaiheet osoittautuvat turhiksi ja kaikki menee hyvin. Ei muuta kuin iloinen asenne ja menoksi!!

-Elisa-