Hello Matrika!
Thank you for hour help, hospitality and everything you did for me. Nepal was the greatest experience in my life! If I didn't have my own child and family, I would stay there longer! I felt fantastic in my host family, I was really lucky! And the students at schools were lovely and nice. At Emerald's school I loved lessons with the students-they are so clever! But I didn't feel well there. At Kalpana's school I felt like one of them. LIke at home. I'd like to ask you ab sth.I talked to my headteacher and the mayor of my town about Kalpana's school. We would like to start some cooperation with them. At first I'd like the students to chat or exchange e-mails. I will choose about 10-20 pupils (???) to exchange e-mailis ( I will write the subject-e.g at first - my country - geography 2. my family 3. my free time etc) Later they can do some summary what they have learnt in my and Nepali school. Is it possible? My next idea is connected with money. We'd like to help this school collecting the money ( we did it before for some African sql) . Can you advice me- will it be better to send you money and Kalpana will buy essential things for the kids-or maybe we will buy some items and send them? I have no idea but we are able to give this school about 100-200 dollars a month I think so). Please write me what is better or maybe you have another idea??
I' waiting for an answer, because I fell in love with Nepal and I really want to help in some way.
Matrika-you do great job! I'm really happy that I've found your organization:))
kisses from Poland-and thin ab it. I'm waiting. bye,

Hi, How are you? and how are your wife and children doing? Its so cold in England there is so much snow its crazy. Sorry I had to rush off when I saw you Monday, it was nice to have a beer and catch up. So here is the few sentences you wanted for your website (I restrained myself from writing too much but feel free to add anything I've missed or ask me to change things. " I was able to spend 4 months in Nepal through VSSN and had the most incredible experience during my stay. The whole trip from landing in Nepal to leaving was perfect and I received support and guidance whenever it was needed. The language lessons and sightseeing on arrival provided a good basis to start my placement. I worked in the health centre on a school nutrition programme, for which we ran several activities in 3 of the local schools during my stay. The family I stayed with were so welcoming, making me feel part of the family and I had the opportunity to celebrate both dasian and tihar festivals with them. I would recommend VSSN and the programme at the health centre to anyone."
Speak soon and take care.

Namaste, Kasto chha? Hope you are well! I am doing fine. I have managed to print the pictures out for the host family. The next time you visit Chapagaun, I would be grateful if you could pass these on to the host family. How are the volunteers doing? I hope we can keep in touch about what’s happening with the orphanage and how the children are doing. Did you manage to contact the school asking if the students are interested in volunteering to play with the boys at the orphanage? I hope the response was a positive one; I will also start asking schools over here if they are interested in helping at the orphanage once we think of some project for them. Keep in touch, much love,

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,

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 had a fantastic time in Nepal! Living in the village Chapagaun was much more comfortable than in the big and busy capital Kathmandu. My host family was very friendly and open-minded, always supported and helped me. They really know how to host newcomers and made me feel welcome. But it hasn’t only been my host family, who made my stay smooth. The Nepali people are so kind and helpful. I never met a Nepali with bad mood or a really angry one. VSSN is the best choice when going to Nepal. Matrika is a very friendly man who’s always around. If there was a small problem he solved it immediately. And he arranged trips all around Nepal for me and made exploring the country easy. Nepal is a great country with a completely different culture and lifestyle and staying with Nepali people is the best thing to really get to know their habits. It’s a perfect place to escape stress and order at home and to start an adventure. The people are so thankful and give you a lot for little effort - that happiness they show you is wonderful!

My Time in Nepal: As I sit down to write about my summer, it’s hard to believe my 12 weeks in Nepal is already over and that views of the Himalayas and rice paddies have transformed into images of highways and cities of America. My experience in Nepal proved to be everything I had hoped for. The trip provided invaluable experience in rural health care, an opportunity to live and work with the local community, and the opportunity to collect the information necessary for completion of a small research project aimed to increase knowledge on medical adherence in rural Nepal.
VSSN was terrific throughout my stay and the program did everything within their power to create a memorable trip. I cannot speak more highly of Mr. Matrika, the coordinator for my trip. Mr. Matrika was always just a phone call away and never ceased to do everything possible to guide me through my stay and overcome obstacles. The members of the health center were always willing to go out of their way to help me bridge the language gap and help me accomplish my goals. The people living in the villages never ceased to be amused when I would try my tongue at Nepali. Their faces would grin as I butchered their pronunciation, and they would laugh every time I would mistake words, such as the time I tried to order kukur (dog) instead of kukhura (chicken) at a restaurant. My Nepali friends laughed and the waiter gave me a funny look, but fortunately the problem was resolved and I wasn’t forced to eat strange tasting “chicken”. With the language program provided by VSSN, persistent teaching from all the people I met during my stay, and with increasingly elaborate hand gestures, I was able to learn a little bit of Nepali and communicate with strangers. This made my trip much more colorful and certainly made for an even more enjoyable experience.
The clinical component of my internship was truly fascinating. The doctors at the health center were incredibly obliging in explaining how the center runs, allowing me to watch various procedures, and even letting me assist in minor procedures. The doctors courteously translated what the patients were saying, which allowed for me to gain a better understanding of the diagnostic aspects of the clinic. I am incredibly grateful for the clinical experience I gained from the trip, for these experiences have had great influence on my career plans.
The friendliness of the people living in the villages was heartwarming, and it is their kindness that ultimately made my trip remarkable. I will miss all of the wonderful people I came to know during my trip and look forward to returning to Nepal in the future. I urge anyone traveling to the region to contact VSSN and to volunteer with their program.

Dear Matrika, I hope this find you well. Thank you for all your help during our study tour. The students really enjoyed the experience and came back to Japan a little wiser and serious about their studies. In fact, the threesome, Kumi, MIsato and Moe all joined my course this spring and want to be teachers. And they have all expressed an interest in returning to Nepal. I am hoping to bring another group next spring for a bit longer so that they can do some volunteer work as well.
On another note, right before you left Thecho, I mentioned that my daughter, Nina, who just turned 19, and is a college student in the US is very keen on joining one of your volunteer programs. She and her friend, Natsuko, want to work with children and are open to the areas you could connect them with. Nina and Natsuko are both fluent in English and Japanese so no language worries. They would like to go for 3-4 weeks in July, which is the only time both have summer break together. I trust you will look out for them.
Please let me know if you can arrange this. All the best,

How are you? I was one of your volunteers with the VSSN program this past January. I was placed with a School in Thecho. I am just writing to touch base as I am planning to revisit Kathmandu through VSSN sometime in the future. I am also currently considering the option to send some children's books to the orphanage in Thecho (I found that reading resources were quite lacking, as you are well aware) via post. Would you recommend this or is the postal delivery system rather unreliable? Before I left Thamel, I did however drop off some books I had purchased for the orphanage with a Millennium Hotel staff member. I hope you had received them. Lastly, at the moment, I am preparing to enter a graduate program in Political Science at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I am wondering if it is in any way possible to receive a recommendation letter from you for this purpose. It would help me a great deal and I would appreciate it immensely. Please let me know. Thank you.

Dear Matrika, I wanted to thank you very much for your help in buying the best gifts. Today, I met my students and shared the Indian sweets with them. That was the most AMAZING thing I have ever eaten. Light and fluffy with spices, yet not too sweet. Thank you for choosing that. Next time, I should buy more! I was so impressed by the taste. I haven't tried my tea yet, but I am sure it will be just as amazing. My gifts from Dhukuti have been a major hit. Thank you for introducing that amazing store. Most of all though, I wanted to thank you for your hospitality at your home. I had such an amazing time with your family. Please send my regards to your children and your wife. Your wife is an amazing cook! Your children are a delight. Your daughter even gave me a beautiful hair clip, which I will cherish. Lastly, thank you for taking me and Randall to the airport. It was such a nice ending to my trip. I had a nice flight except there must have been at least 5-6 (screaming) babies on the plane from Kathmandu to Dhaka. In any case, I hope to stay at your cottage/resort next time. I think that you have excellent taste, so you will be able to design it very well. I am looking forward to seeing it soon. Send me photos! With appreciation,