Written by Steven
We are at a camp with Conscious Impact, and we have been doing community work every day this week. I met villagers, my homestay parents, and the workers at Conscious Impact.
Top Highlights the Week
Homestay Experience: My first highlight of this week, and the best of the three, was the homestay. Even though it was a short stay, being with a family where you have no common language or culture makes you find different ways to communicate besides words and shared experiences. I found that card games are a great way to connect with your family. I also got to have a conversation with them using a translation app on my last day of the homestay.
Planting Fruit and Coffee Trees: My second highlight was planting fruit and coffee trees. I learned it’s pretty fun once you understand what you are doing, but it wasn’t enjoyable when you have to mix the compost into the soil and touch literal cow dung. Those trees we planted will bear fruits and coffee for years, so my three hours of struggle were worth it.
Painting Classrooms: The last highlight of this week was when we painted classrooms for the elementary students here. There were no colors in the classrooms, and the room looked boring, so we got to add some vibrance to the dull room. Painting takes a very long time, but I’m very happy with the finished product of our efforts, and I hope the kids love the new paint job and stencils.
Overcoming Challenges
This week, I faced some unique challenges adapting to village life. Being 6’3″ in a village where houses are built for smaller people, I frequently bumped my head on doorways and found the bathrooms a bit tight. Finding shoes in my size was also tricky. The local diet of Dal Bhat for every meal—plain rice, potatoes, and a super salty soup with peas or beans—led to some flavor fatigue. However, the food at the camp provided a nice variety, which was a welcome change.
Gratitude
What I am most grateful for this week is that I got to meet very amazing people in the village and at camp and got to be completely immersed in their community, culture, and way of life authentically. Even though it was short, I enjoyed my experience.
