Jessica Estes

Overall I had a positive experience volunteering through VIN. Originally, I applied for a internship within VIN but a few weeks prior to my arrival I decided I would like to spend a couple months teaching english at a monastery as well. VIN was very accommodating to my requests and arranged for me to spend my first two months at Jovo Kadhampa teaching and my second two months in a homestay working for the organization. In the beginning I faced difficulties, mostly due to the sheer size of Jovo Kadhampa (200+ monks) but VIN quickly became aware of this and sent another volunteer as soon as they could. Having a fellow female volunteer in the monastery really helped to make my experience more enjoyable. We were able to bounce ideas off one another, make lessons together and plan activities for free time. While working in a children’s monastery proved to be a slightly different experience than I was anticipating, I feel I gained some genuine insight to the nature of Monastery life in Nepal. After finishing in the monastery, I moved to Balaju to live with a host family and work for VIN. Living with a family was a great experience that gave me an even deeper appreciation for the wonderful people of Nepal. While it took some adjusting to get on the family’s schedule, they were incredibly welcoming and gracious. I would recommend VIN to anyone visiting Nepal for the first time, looking to have an experience beyond the tourist attractions. They’re a reliable and trustworthy organization that truly wants their volunteers to have a positive experience. If I ever had any issues they were always willing to listen and do whatever they could to help the situation.