Sustainable Agriculture Development Program (SADP-Nepal) was a program of widely varied emotions and experiences for me. A most unforgettable and amazing period of time was spent in Nepal, full of learning, peace, serenity, hard work, and a lot of fun. My stay delivered both important life lessons as well as amazing insight into the lives of an incredible, culturally rich society of people whose way of living is so vastly different from my own.
I had the pleasure of experiencing both the village life and the farm life during my stay. The first stretch of my stay was spent in the Pragati English Boarding School, where the students and teachers were as eager to learn about my lifestyle as I was to learn about theirs. I spent each day teaching and learning, working closely with both the staff of the school as well as the pupils, aiding where I could in areas of conversational English, pronunciation, and grammar. I was also assigned the mission of aiding the principal in the daunting and time consuming task of editing the school’s yearly newspaper, in which I proudly accepted an editorial credit as well as a copy to take back to Canada.
I got to experience real village living, as I was set up to stay in the home of the wonderful family of a Pragati staff member. This was an unbelievable experience for me, as I got to learn about every day Nepali living, closely observe their customs, and form lifelong bonds with the entire blended family, which consisted of a mother and father, their two sons, each son’s wife, and their collective 3 children. I was treated as a member of the family, which was a warmly welcomed courtesy for one so far from home.
Because, at 20 years old, this was my first time away from my homeland, and I’d decided to be solo on this adventure, I was quite nervous and felt rather lonely. My feelings of unease were quickly abolished upon my receipt in Nepal by the SADP Executive, Ramesh Nath Sharma, and in Pokhara by the people who, as a whole, welcomed me into their lives as if I were a long lost family member. I felt safe, relaxed, comfortable, and more at home than I ever imagined I could so far away, and for that in itself I am eternally grateful to the SADP Nepal program and the people involved with it.
I was also granted the experience of life as a Nepali farmer on the Seti Valley Integrated Organic Farm. Here my days were filled with all kinds of labours, from planting crops of garlic to cutting grass by hand in the fields; digging and sifting in the vermiculture compost and weeding crops of cabbage. I’d never experienced this kind of farming before, so there was much to be learned. I was an amateur; a setback easily conquered by working closely with the various employees of the farm who were eager to help, and even more eager to ease my mind and seemingly lighten my workload with laughter, jokes, and friendships.
It was a major concern of mine that I simply would not be cut out for the hard physical life of the Nepali farmer, but I was given options as to what work I wished to do and was urged to go at my own pace and take breaks if ever I needed. I soon entered a comfortable routine and was able to spend the days with a smile on my face, and finish them with a remarkable sense of accomplishment.
Located atop a cliff in the Seti Valley, mornings on the farm provided me with peace such as I have yet to find anywhere else in this world. Early to rise, I spent my mornings, starting at 6am, reading, writing, or simply basking in the soothing sounds of the rushing river below or the splendor of Mount Machhapuchre and the Annapurna Range which could be observed in all their majestic glory on clear mornings from any given location on the farm.
Days began with an unbelievably delicious meal prepared by the boisterous and gracious hostess Deepa; were spent working hard, but at my own pace, throughout the farm; and ended with another amazing meal, enjoying the Nepali radio stations and joined by the overwhelmingly jovial host Puspa. Each night I would chop vegetables in the dim glow of lantern light as I watched the farm workers carefully yet systematically fill bags with fresh milk from the farm’s many cattle. It was simply amazing.
I was also lucky enough to have been joined for much of my stay by Ramesh himself, whose ever smiling face, kindness, and eagerness to exchange lifestyle, religious, and cultural information was both appreciated and relished, as my interests and passions lie not in agriculture, but rather in culture and religion.
Ramesh not only took care of all the arrangements for my stay in Nepal, he was kind enough to help with the suggestion and arrangement of my visiting different tourist destinations throughout Nepal. I was able to visit the Chitwan National Wildlife Conservation, which included a jungle safari on elephant-back, as well as go to Kathmandu for a visit and take a mountain flight (which was cancelled due to weather). But Ramesh ensured that my stay in Nepal would not only aide SADP Nepal, but prove to be fun and exciting for me as well.
Needless to say, my time with the SADP Nepal was overflowed with excitement, fun, and education – of the mind and otherwise. This has been a life altering experience for me, and I truly believe that anyone who takes part in this amazing program could not possibly come away unlearned, indifferent, or unchanged – for the better.
Savhanna Wilson
Nepal 2007