I had an absolutely wonderful time in Nepal! The people are so kind and welcoming, and I have learned so much. VSSN was extremely supportive and seamlessly provided the flexibility and guidance that allowed me to make the most of my experience. Nepal is such a unique and culturally rich country, and my health clinic placement in a pleasant village was the perfect environment for me. Besides enjoying the stunning backdrop of the majestic Himalayan mountains, I met some truly inspiring people. I miss my amazing host family, who was so warm and generous. I loved my time in Nepal, and can't wait to be back again!
I also kept a blog while in Nepal that may prove helpful to future volunteers
http://audreymch.wordpress.com/
Best,

It feels so strange to be back in the United States! I miss Nepal already and can't wait to find an excuse to come back and visit again. My trip transcended all my initial expectations. Volunteer Service and Support Nepal (VSSN) is accommodating and incredibly organized. I got to see and do everything I wanted, and then some, all thanks to your help and support. The experiences that I had during my trip will never be forgotten. I hope your organization continues to thrive and attract even more friendly and dedicated volunteers. If you ever need someone to brag unashamedly about how amazing VSSN is, don't hesitate to contact me. Good Luck, and keep changing lives. Thanks.

Hi Matrika.

Thanks again for finding a good place for me in Dhupu -- it was just what I was looking for. Right now I am back in the USA and will start classes tomorrow. I had an okay trip through India, but some things went unexpectedly. Fortunately it was nothing too bad. I hope business picks up for you again soon. I also put my photos from this trip to Nepal here if you are curious to see them. The book you lent to me -- your Nepali study book -- almost came back with me. But I realized that I still had it before I got out of the taxi to the airport, and the driver said he would do me a favor and give it back to you. I hope it made it back to the Millennium and is being used by a new volunteer now. Thanks again and stay in touch! The future is unknown, but I hope to work with you again!

I stayed for two fantastic months in Nepal. It was rainy
season, but -what to do- the summer is the only season when I have no
university. When I arrived, I was shocked by the so different culture,
but it took only a short time to feel comfortable in the Nepali crowd.
/Matrika helped a lot in this .../ I think that only the first few days
are critical in such a situation, after that everything goes
automatically. On the first week I had some basic language lessons and
we visited every day a different place in and around Kathmandu. After
these I moved to the local family in the village, where also the health
post was. In the family everybody was very friendly and this helped me a
lot to get used to the every day life in Nepal. At the health post the
doctors showed me everything what ever they did, I examined patients,
observed operations. Thanks to the great atmosphere, the 1,5 months I
stayed there was quickly over. During this period when I had any
questions or problems, the VSSN staff did everything to help me, there
was nothing impossible. They even organised my trekking on the last two
weeks! The Nepali people are very kind and friendly; I never had any
conflicts during my stay. So I can only recommend Nepal and VSSN for
everybody, they simply don't let you get bored!

I am now back in Paris with my family but my mind is still in your beautiful country. Thank you for welcoming me and making my stay a pleasure. You organized everything very well and I appreciated it very much. The language lessons were extremely helpful, especially in the countryside. Even if I could not hold conversations, people were happy to hear me say a few words in Nepali. I enjoyed being with the children, in Pokhara, and helping them study for their exams. I hope they did well. You are doing great things to help these children!
Thank you and Namaste,

The VSSN village build programme was excellent. My favorite activity in the programme was the physical side of the wall construction and living with local family. It is the best way of learning about different people and their culture. Food was excellent but unusual to western tastes. Village is very beautiful and people are very friendly and always smiling. I suggest for joining with VSSN and 'expect the unexpected'. Everything is 'awesome'. Thanks.

Hi Matrika, How are you? Things are good on my end - busy with work but thinking back on my experience in Nepal a lot. I'm in the middle of logging my volunteer hours with VSSN. Could you send me some details that I can use to recognize those hours wiht my company and get a donation match situated? The info I will need are:
1. Address
2. Best contact info for you
3. Government / Non-Profit ID #
Do you have these things? Also, can you put me in touch with your friend from Japan? I would like to get details of his volunteer org to figure out funding options for more support.
Thanks, Melissa

Hello Matrika! Well, Shelby and I made it safely back to California, and it's nice to be home. Nepal was the craziest, funniest, biggest adventure we've ever been exposed to! We have to admit we miss Nepal and we will always remember this experience. Thank you so much for everything, we really appreciate you coordinating our trips and placement into our host family. We also miss having philosophical conversations that make no sense with Ram, so you'll have to tell him hello for us. We miss the food so much! I wish I could just run down the street to Zaika's to get some Momo. When we think back on our time in Nepal we usually just laugh and tell people Nepal is Crazy (but in a good way)! Looking at our pictures and telling our family and friends about our experience makes us very thankful we were there.

Thank you so much for everything!

Hello Ram and Matrika!, Namaste!
I have made it safely and sleeplessly back to new york and while it's quite the adjustment, it's good to be home. Although, i'm completely homesick for Nepal, hearing the language, speaking Nepali - just the smells in the air, i miss!
I want to thank you both for all your guidance, humor, insight and all the help you both gave in getting me around the country. It was a remarkable experience and i'll be in touch w. you both with further things (volunteer paragraph, the medical package for the clinic. . . Of course, no promises Ram, but you'll get it! )
I hope you're both well and i'll keep in touch. Cheers and take care,

As a medical student from Holland, used to big white well-arranged hospitals I wanted to do something else and decided to do my gynecology internship in Nepal. VSSN proved to be a good mediator and helped me with finding the right hospital. But not only with an hospital. They were helpful with my whole feeling home in Nepal progress. It started with learning me Nepalese language. After that Nepalese food (twice a day daal bhat with my right hand) in a Nepalese family but above all they showed me Nepalese hospitality, culture and care. Supportive in making your stay in Nepal an unforgettable experience, giving a listening ear if you need it, and change the program the way it fits you the best.