Last summer I traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal, to work on a women’s empowerment initiative with the help of the International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ) and the Page Grant. I found IVHQ through extensive research, hoping to embark on a solo journey, that granted me independence to explore on my own. IVHQ stood out to me as it helped me find a host family and local initiative but gave me full autonomy over my free time in the city.

      I have long wanted to travel to Nepal, due to the incredible cultural traditions and hiking opportunities. I was excited about the fact that IVHQ had several initiatives in the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu.

      During my three weeks living in Nepal, I worked closely with a teacher and principal to create more effective lesson plans for a local women's school in the Chabhil area of Kathmandu. Many of the women we taught, ranging from ages 45 TO65, had been unable to finish their schooling earlier in life, as social norms lead many to marry and raise families at a young age. Each morning, I accompanied the teacher, Sarita, to a local carpet factory. We would spend an hour in a small back room teaching English, math, and Nepali. After the hour at the carpet factory, we would walk 20 minutes up the road to a women’s school. There, I rotated between three class levels: teaching the alphabet to the level 1 class, sight words with the level 2 class, and reading stories with the level 7 class.

      After returning from school around 4:00pm, I often explored Kathmandu. I walked through busy markets, visited several stupas and temples, including the famous Swayambhunath (or monkey) Temple, and shared local food with friends. In my free time on the weekends and for the week following my experience, I was able to explore Pokhara for a few days and hike to Annapurna Base Camp.

      The most meaningful aspect of my trip was the immersion into an unfamiliar place, without any help from others. I arrived knowing no one and had no clear plan for what my day-to-day would look like. The language barrier made conversations incredibly difficult, but made small successes in communication feel more significant. By the end of my trip, I had found a second home with my host family and formed close friendships with the students and mentors I met along the way.

      I returned from Nepal more appreciative of independence, something I have always struggled to embrace. The nature of my experience taught me how to navigate through uncertainty, how to trust myself in stressful moments, and how to embrace connections even when communication is hard. In the past months, I have found time to embrace independence in ways I used to find daunting. These lessons are invaluable and will shape the way I move forward in life at Taft and beyond.

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Meg Page ’74 Fellowships honor Meg’s commitment to compassionate healthcare. They are awarded annually to students who wish to explore an experience or course of study devoted to the provision of better health care in areas such as public health, family planning, medical research, mental health, and non-Western practices of healing.