Internet Free, Volunteers Enjoy Offline Life in Nepalese Mountains

(AM 730) Urbanites are now so used to clinging onto their smartphones.  28 CityU students volunteered in the Nepalese mountains for 8 days.  Some of them stayed in a remote mountain area for 5 days.  Without access to internet, they were cut off from the rest of the world.  The students said that the experience of a life without internet changes how they spend time with family and friends.  They learn to put down their phones, and enjoy the interactions face to face. 

CityU has been running the Servant Leadership Training Program (SLTP) since 2015.  The program encourages students to serve the community, care for others and develop a sense of empathy.  This year, the students were sent to the mountains in Nepal to help in rebuilding the school and in teaching.  In addition to servicing and caring for others, they experienced much more.   Suri Chan, a 2^nd-year Economics and Finance student, said that she could not get used to a life without internet in the beginning.  Very soon, she realized that there is no point complaining.  She found that happiness could easily be found in the beautiful views and wonderful time spent with the locals.   Michelle Kan, a 3^rd-year Marketing student, recalled that because of the lack of internet, everyone could gather on the grass to watch the stars and chit chat.  They even spotted shooting stars!

Dr. Wong Chi-tim, CityU’s Director of Development Services, explained that through the program, students learn that leaders need to set an example by rolling up their sleeves to work and to care for others.  

“Living In the Moment” Through Helping In Nepal Disaster Areas

(Oriental Daily) Living in affluent Hong Kong, our basic needs are always fulfilled.  Indeed, buying the latest phone or travelling to Europe are often seen as part of the basic needs by many youths.  However, having abundance in materialistic terms does not necessarily translate to spiritual fulfillment.  Earlier on, a group of CityU students participated in the Servant Leadership Training Program (SLTP) and went to Nepal.  They volunteered to rebuild the disaster area, teach, farm and fund-raise.  Through these activities, they experienced a life back to basics, and understand the importance of “being in the moment”. 

Demolishing Collapsed Structures

Affected by the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, many buildings near the epicenter were badly damaged.  Rebuilding the school at the disaster area became one of the important tasks for this trip.  The school is located at the Lamjung District, in the south of Manaslu Mountain.  To get there, it is an 8-hour journey from Kathmandu by car, followed by a long walk uphill with luggage.  To these young students, it was certainly a challenge, yet they had no regrets doing the trip.  Frankie, a 4^th-year Policy and Politics student, and Kelvin, a 4^th-year Architecture student, emphasized the importance of helping out in the rebuilding of the disaster area.  “It has been 2 years since the earthquake.  Yet, the disaster area is still in a mess.  The rebuilding work has been slow.  With our help, we hope that the community can be up and running again soon.”  The students were responsible for demolishing the collapsed buildings, from the roof to the walls, to allow for future reconstruction.

A life without smartphones

In addition to rebuilding works, the students were teaching and helping out in the farm.  Through these activities, they had a cultural exchange with the local community there.  They had home stays with the locals.  Supplies are limited uphill.  People live a simple life.  They did not have access to WIFI; they also did not have enough water for showers.  To a young urbanite, this is a real challenge.  Michelle, a 3^rd-year Marketing student, had a different perspective.  “Without WIFI in the mountains, everyone had to put down his phone, and we got to communicate more.  After our work and our meals, we could leisurely sit on the mountains to appreciate the views, watch the stars, and chit chat.  The locals are friendly.  Even though they know very little English, they used their body language to communicate with us, and we had a lot of fun trying to guess what each other means!”

Learning to treasure the moment

From the mountains, the students head to Pokhara, the second largest city in Nepal.  They visited a children’s home among the snow mountains, and held a Fun Fair at Hotel Love and Light (a social-enterprise which supports the same children’s home) to raise funds.  They invited tourists and trekkers to join the Fair and raised HKD5,000 in a day.  The trip ended with this exciting achievement.

In the 8-day journey, the 28 students experienced a simple life without WIFI, without showers, and observed the frugality of the locals.  Natalie, a 4^th-year IT student, and Suri, a 2^nd-year Economics and Finance student, said that “to be contented (with what we have)” is their biggest reward from the trip.  “In Hong Kong, we are advanced in our transportation system, in our medical facilities, etc.  But in such an affluent city, people are not happy.  There is an air of complaints.  Perhaps these complaints stem from our endless desires.  After the trip to Nepal, I learn to live in the moment, and treasure every little thing in my life.  I find life more meaningful.”

Students From City University Experience Authentic Life Volunteering in Nepal

(28 Students from City University of Hong Kong (incl. from left Kelvin Wu, Natalie Chan, Michelle Kan, Suri Chan, Frankie Lee) travelled to Nepal to help in rebuilding the community and experienced life without WiFi and hot water shower for a few days.)

(Sing Tao Daily) Carrying over 10kg of luggage as they climbed uphill, washing their hair outdoor in the coldness with their down jackets on, 28 CityU students joined a volunteer programme in January this year.  They went to Nepal to help in the demolition of buildings collapsed during the earthquake.  Students said that without WIFI coverage, they put down their smartphones, lay down on the grass to watch the stars, and enjoyed the silent moments rarely experienced in Hong Kong. 

　　A troupe of 28 students from CityU participated in the University’s Servant Leadership Training Program (SLTP).  They went to Lamjung District of Nepal in January to help the locals to demolish the secondary school building that collapsed during the earthquake, including taking off the tin sheets on the roof, removing nails on the wooden beams and clearing away stone pieces. 

　　Water runs in scarcity on site.  Students were often covered with dust head to toes.  Despite the coldness, Natalie Chan, an Information Technology student, washed her long hair out in the open air at the playground.  She said, “It was only two degrees Celcius.  I still cannot believe that I had that determination to wash my hair!”   At last, they had a chance to take a shower after the left the mountain and came down to the big city Pokhara.  They waited outside the bathroom for half an hour for hot water, but when their turns came, the hot water had all been used up by the students before them.  Natalie said that she was dumbfounded with disappointment.

　　Rebuilding the school was not the only physical challenge that the students experienced.  Because here was no transportation, they had to carry their over 10kg of luggage uphill. As some of them were worried that they would not be acclimatized to the water there, so they even brought kilos of drinking water from Hong Kong and were carrying them uphill with their luggage as well.   However, the serene nights in the mountains bring back fond memories.  Without WIFI coverage, Michelle Kan, a third-year Marketing student, put down her smartphone, lay on the grass to watch the stars, and enjoyed a moment of silence.  She even caught a shooting star! 

　　A life without WIFI and without showers allows these students to reflect on their own lives.  Suri Chan, an Economics and Finance student, said that she quit looking at her smartphone the whole time and letting her phone takes the “first bite” of each dish that is served. She now values her time with family and friends more.