Namaste! A moving and inspiring journey in Nepal

Leadership in action, transmission and personal development, these are the deliverables of the 2nd edition. Teach & Learn which took place from October 25 to November 05, 2023 in the fascinating Himalayan country of Nepal.

A rich and innovative program:

20 participants from Strasbourg and Melbourne travelled by bus and 4x4 from Kathmandu to Laprak, then to Gorkha and back to Kathmandu.

A cultural tour of the Kathmandu Valley, with its magnificent temples, Pashupatinath crematorium and artisan quarters at the start of the trip, provided an opportunity to soak up an atmosphere that was both fascinating and unsettling.

The diversity and richness of the group, aged from 16 to 68, enabled us to offer a wide variety of workshops as part of the Teach & Learn program, with students from 4 schools - two in Laprak in the high mountains and two in Gorkha, a pilgrimage site set in a beautiful fertile valley.

TEACH: In all, 900 pupils aged 5 to 18 took advantage of our morning sessions, organized by 10 pairs, to learn about and be inspired by European culture. The students, all eager to learn, were very receptive to our fun, creative and interactive teaching methods, and the exchanges were lively, rich and moving.

Adapted to different age groups and in line with each person's skills.e, participants proposed the following workshops: taste with tastings, French culture, first aid - life-saving gestures, Spikeball, breath chants, a technique to activate or calm oneself, the 'upcycling' workshop transforming waste brought in by students, classroom decoration, a bracelet craft for oneself and one's mom, group and competitive games, animal imitation and learning English words.

LEARN: Then, every afternoon, the students and their teachers taught us about their customs, the school system, songs and dances... It was fun and motivating to reverse the roles.

So you see, Teach & Learn is all about meeting Nepalese students and teachers on an equal footing, to inspire and grow together. It's an innovative program in collaboration with the Alsace-Népal association, which has been supporting the education of the most disadvantaged children for over 30 years.

Strong emotions :

Of course, we were all very touched by the joyful and lively greetings we received with garlands of flowers, rice, red powder stuck to our foreheads or a silk scarf placed on our shoulders with a smiling and sincere Namasté. The rudimentary state of the classrooms in the high mountain schools did not leave us indifferent.

Our group's energy was contagious! Everyone gave their all, head, heart and body. Indeed, leaving our comfort zone every day demanded a lot of mental and physical energy. Living at altitude between 2000 and 3000m was tiring. And adapting to the different languages of Gurung, Nepali, English and French, as well as living amidst the singing and lively voices of the children, demanded constant concentration.

But the children put us at ease with their natural, straightforward authenticity. We quickly let go, thanks to the dancing, the singing and the students' joy in teaching us numbers, the alphabet and certain names in Nepali. We laughed a lot when we made mistakes ....

And in the evenings, we enjoyed some exceptional cultural evenings, Nepalese dances in our lodge, and lots of laughter over simple, delicious meals like Momos or Dal-bhat (sometimes a little too spicy for some). Give, give, give... that's how the Nepalese are. They have little and welcome us with open arms, are attentive and constantly concerned about our well-being, all with great simplicity and humility.

Mornings there are magical!

As the sun rises over the majestic snow-capped Himalayas, nature awakens to the sounds of animals, the women leave to work in the fields and greet us with a Namaste, and hot soup with fresh Nepalese bread awaits us for breakfast. A deep sense of gratitude pervades these moments.

Our initial doubts and fears that we wouldn't be able to adapt to an environment so different from our own disappeared as we went along, and were transformed into a deep-seated confidence that we belonged.

Touching moments :

We had a lot of intense moments:

• The Gurung death ceremony
• The eyes of the Stupas watching over the country.
• The open-air crematorium
• 8-hour 4x4 journeys on disastrous roads and tracks devastated by the summer monsoon.
• Welcoming schools with music, flowers and traditional dances.
• Check-in and check-out debriefings with participants and self-questioning.
• Nepalese aperitifs at sunset, listening to the latest hits from Nepal.

What participants bring back from Nepal:

The group left with big smiles on their faces! Our stay in such a poor but vibrant country brought us inner peace, resilience and a more positive outlook on our lives in Europe. Having experienced life in Nepal allows us to put things into perspective, to stop complaining about the slightest thing that goes wrong, and to focus our attention on essential things: acting more responsibly and autonomously, creating links, learning and passing on at all ages, enjoying every moment of our lives.

Does Teach & Learn make you want to get off the beaten track and invest in people? If you'd like to share this rich experience, contact Axel Bleschke at axel.bleschke@arc-innovation.com

He will be happy to provide you with further details. You can also extend your stay with a trek organized by our local partner Ethic Himalaya.

Namaste.‍

SAVE THE DATE 2024: date window estimated between Oct 19 and Nov 09, 2024 (to be confirmed when the Nepalese calendar is set for the new year).