Maggie Propst: AU Human Sciences – Summer Program in Kathmandu, Nepal Summer 2022
On my study abroad program, *AU Human Sciences – Exploring Global Perspectives of Human Sciences in Nepal (Internship) I participated in a 6 week internship at Nepal’s first and only Youth Center. I would work 40 hour weeks, going to work at 9 and coming home at 5. I would wake up in the mornings, get ready, have breakfast in the cafe below our bed and breakfast, and then ride in a taxi to work. These taxi rides were an experience, some of the cabs are very old and feel like they are going to stall out at any moment, especially with how hilly the city of Kathmandu is. One day our cab actually did break down and we had to hail a new one just to make it into work for the day. During these 6 weeks, I really got the chance to live like a local, all the while getting international work experience. I was able to integrate myself into the routine of everyday life for people in Nepal.
I am always going to be thankful for this job and the opportunity that it provided for me. I luckily had another student from the program working at Arise and Shine with me. Ally was my comfort zone during my time at Arise and Shine. She was someone that I could count on to help me feel comfortable in a new place and experience that was way out of my usual. I had never done any serious travel before this program and was already like a fish out of water in being a tourist, working in a different country was a whole other experience. But in the end the experience is something that I will forever be grateful for.
Working for Arise and Shine I got the chance to teach, which is something that I have always been interested in. I got to build my own curriculum and teach English to the youth of ANS. I only wish I could have more time teaching these students, I loved it and want to continue doing something like this later in life.
I also got the chance to see how the full time staff built and operated programs for the youth. In my time there I got to see cooking classes being taught, guitar lessons given, basketball or soccer games, and many games of Uno.
