...I would get sent right into the field

There’s only one way to describe speeding along a steep, narrow, winding mountain road at 70km/h, playing chicken with cars coming the other way: FUN! That’s how my field trip began a week ago as I made my way to Dailekh, a town in the hills of Nepal’s Mid-Western Region.

Journey to the field

Although I've only even been to my Kathmandu office for one day, I've already had the chance to do a week-long field trip. The field trip started with an hour-long domestic flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, a city along the Indian border in the Terai region. We then loaded our gear into a car and started the ~6 hour drive to get to Dailekh. I loved the beautiful drive through the hills, although at times it was actually a little scary (like when we drove through the clouds along a cliff and couldn’t see more than 10 feet in front of us). But I enjoyed every minute of it! Yet, I was still flabbergasted when one of my coworkers slept through most of the ride. Between the bumps and honking as we whipped around every corner, I didn’t think anybody could possibly sleep. Yet, by the time we left 6 days later, I was so used to it that I was the one falling asleep, squished in the backseat of a car with 3 other people. Along the drive, it became clear to me that not many foreigners visit that area. As we drove by, jaws literally dropped, and I received many gaping stares. Children that recovered in time from the shock shouted “Hello” or “Bye-bye” as we drove past.

Views from a temple in Dailekh

During my time at the Dailekh office, I got to experience what life is like for the field staff. Their work and social lives overlap so their interactions are bit different than the Kathmandu office, as coworkers are good friends as well. Despite some homesickness while I was there, I really enjoyed my time there with the staff and learned a lot about the project I’ll be working on over the next months.

During my week, I also got the opportunity to go on a field visit to a small village district called Khadkawada with Rudra, the head of the MSFP project. To get there, I rode on the back of Rudra’s motorcycle and it gave me a whole new perspective on the car ride through the hills. We went off the main road down a muddy, rocky path along a cliff. Luckily, the motorcycle only slipped a few times, and we only ended up in the mud once. The ride was probably also the most intense ab and thigh workout I’ve ever had, trying to keep my body in one position for about 40 minutes each way. It was definitely both a physical and emotional roller-coaster the entire time.

A light taste of my motorcycle trip

Interviewing Santi and Masare

Once in the village, I got to attend a 2-day LAPA (Local Adaptation Plan of Action) workshop for the forestry management project with a group of about 40 local villagers. Although I couldn’t understand what was said, since it was all in Nepali, it was fascinating to watch the interactions of the villagers, and the passionate participation by everyone, and despite the language barrier I learned a lot in the 2 days. I also got to interview five locals for a field placement assignment, and it gave me

a lot of insight into their lives and their opinions on the project. At the end of the second day, I was incredibly lucky and the village performed a farewell ceremony, and Rudra and I received flower garlands and red powder on our foreheads. I hadn’t expected such a ceremony, since I merely a spectator during the event, and it was truly an honour. The entire field trip was an amazing experience and was exactly what placement is all about!

Farewell ceremony