Volunteer Forum Nepal

Coming to Nepal and coming to see how medicine in Nepal works has made an incredible impression on me. The doctors apparently lack the amount and quality of equipment the Western countries have available but they make up for it by their clinical skills and expertise. I have learned a lot about clinical tests, signs and symptoms during my two months in Kathmandu. The children at the Department of Pediatrics at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital were amazing; though many of them get there in stages of diseases we hardly see in children in our countries, their strength and smile were encouraging to see. I was integrated in one unit during my stay, participating in ward rounds, outpatient and vaccination clinics. It was also possible to spend some time with the neonatology unit, in the neonatal intensive care unit and in pediatric surgery. My stay at the hospital was very well organized in advance by Internship Nepal. The staff at the Education Center at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital was very friendly and tried their best to make the internship as pleasant as possible. Thank you for everything! A special thanks to family Pandey who took so good care of me and made me feel at home in Nepal.

As a university student, I strongly believe that having internships is the greatest way to learn. It is the best way to apply what you know and especially learn what you dont know. Doing an internship in a foreign environment is an even better way to do it and Kathmandu is definitelyone of the best places to do it. The country is undergoing tremendous changes, millennium-old traditions meet modern globalization and you get to experience both every day. On the start of my photojournalism internship, I had one big problem: choosing a subject. There was so much to talk and document about that I didnt know where to start. After a couple of days of exploring the city, I got to sit down with Nardev and Ram Humagai, a local renowned journalist, and talked about my upcoming project. During my entire internship with Internship Nepal, Nardev and Ram were continuously asking me to report to them what work I had been doing but never dictating what to do. I could choose how I was leading my project but I always had the guidance and advices of an experienced journalist. The contacts of Nardev and Ram were of great help because I was taken to places and to people that I could never have found myself. During the course of my project I also had the opportunity to visit remote villages. This was also a great experience and a good way to grasp a global view of Nepal. Living in a homestay was also one of the good parts of the internship. Living with a Nepali family, I got to stay away from the tourist district and its never-ending tourist-traps. Instead, I had a great experience with the mom and dad, fun with the two kids, great local food, and I got to experience colorful Nepali festivals from the local peoples point of view. Overall an experience that I would definitely recommend and I know that I am leaving Nepal with a lot more than I came with.