Practical Tips: Volunteering + Travel Information

How to volunteer
www.pematsal-sakya.org
I have done up this blog in the hope that there will be more volunteers who will spend time at the monastery. As I did not know about Pema Ts'al Sakya, I went through an intermediary organization--RCDP who placed me there. Now that I have completed my assignment, from my perspective, I think it would have been better to have gone direct to the monastery.

When you go through a intermediary like the RCDP, the bulk of the fees would go to admin/advertising/other development etc rather than the organization you are volunteering in. I estimated that I could have additional funds of US$400-500 that I can spent on the children/monastery if I had arranged the trip myself.

Learning from my volunteer experience, in future, my personal preference is to  have better control over the funds and use it directly for my volunteer work.  However, for first-time volunteers, it might appear daunting to make your own arrangements, so I guess this is where the intermediary organizations play a part especially in places where English skills are lacking. One volunteer I met was placed by VCD and had fairly positive things to say about them and VCD seemed to offer a better orientation program inclusive in the fees, so this is another option.

If you decide to make your own arrangements, do note that the monastery is not a commercial organization, hence, you should not expect the same kind of expediency as dealing with a hotel or commercial school, so allow time for your planning. If you want to enjoy Nepal, you need to have an open mind.

Preparation of classes
For those of who are volunteering, there is NO curriculum to follow, so you should do some preparation work and source required teaching materials prior to your arrival. The children will only have basic stationery like a pencil and eraser.

The monastery  has a library that has children books and materials that you can borrow.  Many volunteers bring their own teaching materials and books, and leave it behind for the next volunteer or to be donated to the library.

It is unlikely that you will know specifically what classes you will be teaching till you arrive, so you should be prepared to teach young children and also English at beginners/elementary level (as per TESOL definition). You can also supplement your materials as there are many bookshops in Lakeside (I was able to buy some coloring books and most stationery). However, you will not be able to find arts and craft scissors for young kids or blue tack (which is useful for putting up the art work on the wall).

Bringing a laptop is also a good idea as they loved the videos I showed related to the topics we were learning. I think that if you want to establish a relationship with the kids, you should aim to volunteer for at least 4 weeks for them to know you.

Although I have written mainly about my volunteer work with the min-monks, I also worked on one-to-one coaching with the older monks as well. In fact, I was coaching the carpenter's son who is a 18 year old young man who has come to the monastery for 3 months with the objective of improving his English. He is such a motivated young man so it was great being his teacher.

Similarly, the evenings spent working on the spelling of numbers with a staff monk was equally fruitful and he beamed as he announced "I can write cheques now!"

Certification of English skills
Although the monastery did not request for me to produce any certification of my English skills, I have completed my TESOL diploma that is accredited by the London Teacher Training College. If you are interested in the course, in Singapore, I studied with the British Education Centre and I would recommend the school -- www.britisheducationcentre.org 

I took the morning classes so the class size was small and there were opportunities for dialogue and interaction with other students. It will take 8 weeks to finish the 4 modules and another 2-3 weeks to prepare/finish your practicum.

Those who are short of time can take the "kamakaze" cramp course but it means you will have lessons in the morning and afternoon. However, I think it sort of takes the enjoyment out of learning as the schedule will be too packed. I am on a long break, and I took the course primarily for self-enrichment so I chose a more relaxed schedule for learning.

For me, I found modules 3 and 4  on lesson planning and phonetics useful for my teaching. Phonetics really gave me a headache, but I was so much more sensitised to pronunciation and this is important when you are teaching English as a second language. There are also opportunities to conduct short lessons for foreign students and together with the practicum mocks and test, provide  opportunities for us to practise our teaching skills. Having said that, no simulated lesson can prepare you for the real world of managing 12 energetic little boys :) I think you need parenthood for that!

Some tips on travel
Day 1)Arrive in Kathmandu, stay overnight.
Day 2)Take a local bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara. If you take the early bus at 7 am, you should arrive at Pokhara in the afternoon 3-5pm (depending if there are accidents on the road which is fairly frequent). If you are taking the cheap local bus, please don't take the one with the air-con. For 700 rupees, I am really not sure what the condition of the air-con will be? I took the local bus (without air-con) and I was the last to board and sat on the last row, so my butt hurt!

There is a Greenline tourist bus that is more expensive but more comfortable. Since it is a fairly long ride and the roads are bad, it might be worthwhile to pay for a better ride.

The other alternative is to fly to Pokhara from Kathmandu. I was told that you get a lovely view of the Annapurna ranges if you sit on the right hand side of the plane. I took Buddha air from Pokhara when I was going back to Kathmandu, and I managed to get a window seat on the left, so I was treated to a gorgeous view of the mountains during the first 20 minutes of flight.

Location of Monastery
The monastery is about a 15-20 minutes ride from the hustle and bustle of Fewa Lake, in which a local taxi will set you back between 300-500 rupees (one way) depending on your bargaining power!

Funnily enough, the monastery is located next to the one and only swimming pool in Pokhara "Penguin swimming pool" so you can almost never get lost! If you are coming from Lakeside, you will first pass a sign that says Penguin swimming pool on your left and then about 100 m, you will see the gate.





If you are coming from the bust station, when you alight at the final stop of the bus station, you can take a taxi to the monastery, it should probably less than 300 rupees. The ride from the airport should also be a similar price.

I guess the other point is to have a good sense of humour cos as tourist we frequently get overcharged. Normally, my stance is that if it is not exorbitant and the difference is 50-100 rupees, sometimes, I just let it be. However, you should always check what is the "base price" that locals pay and see if you can bargain around it.

Best Time to go
I started my volunteer assignment on 10th Sept and left mid-October. I was approaching the tail end of the monsoon so it still rained periodically, and you need a raincoat if not you will get drenched as some parts of the monastery are not covered.

It was only during the last week when I was able to see the Fishtail mountain as it was hidden behind the clouds during the first 3 weeks of September though there were still many days of blue skies. The monastery is beautiful as it is, though it is definitely a bonus to be able to see the Annapurna ranges in their full glory, but I won't get too hang up about it! To me, it was really the volunteer work itself and the interaction with the monks that made my trip unforgettable.

Some Tips on Food
If you are thinking of losing weight, wait no further. After 5 weeks of vegetarian meals and climbing stairs (there are no lifts in the monastery), I shed 3.5 kg and shrunk a size.  However, at times the vegetarian meal can get a tad boring, so there is always the option of walking down to the eateries downhill for a quick bite.

There is one just 5 minutes down slope, and I always go to "ejay" (I was told it means sister) for a fried rice and omelets. They also serve momos and seen here is "ejay" with the kids.

There are a few eateries scattered throughout if you walk 10-15 minutes along the road. The one that I like best is next to the water bottle factory (if you ask the monks, this is the place whereby you can buy mineral water in bulk). They actually have a English menu and sometimes I pamper myself with a chicken winglet when I feel very deprived after many days of vegetarian food. If you want to have dinner at the eateries at night, the road is pitch dark, so you will need a headlight. Please do not walk on the road at night, it is pitch dark so the cars cannot see you. Walk along the inner foot path which is longer and not paved, but it is much safer.

You can buy cup noodles from the supermarket easily, but I could not find any "3 in 1" of  drinks like Milo or Horlicks, so might be a good idea to bring some if you need a morning fix like me. If you are not too fussy, the monastery serves milk tea. I also bought packs of Campbell Soup, which I distributed to the little monks in my class when they fell sick, so that they can have some warm hot soup. I thought the instructions on the pack were clear enough, but one of the little monks started eating the powder but I caught it just in time!!


Some Tips on Groceries/Stationery
There are a few mom and pop shops which are 5-10 minutes around the vicinity of the monastery for us to top up basic groceries like bottled water, chips or toilet paper, but it is pretty limited.
I normally go to Lakeside to top up stationery supplies/groceries though there is another city, Mahendrapool where the locals go to and the prices are cheaper. It will cost about 200-250 rupees by taxi to Mahrendrapool from the monastery or you can take the local bus that is right infront of the monastery and get a feel of what it is like to travel like the locals. In fact, Mahendrapool has a large supermarket, SafeWays  whereby you will find almost everything you need.