Blog post from one of the students from the World Class Kayak Academy who recently spent three months in Nepal
Each semester World Class Academy
plans a service-learning project aimed at supporting the local
communities in which we travel. This Nepal semester,
WCA supplied the funding and the manpower to paint a government school
as well as a day of play with a shelter for Nepali children. Senior Alex
“Ziggy” Zegart gives a first-hand account of this wonderful day, where
all those who participated were touched by the simplicity and beauty of
human interaction and the empowerment of individuals making a real
impact.
This November, World Class Academy participated in a two-day
service-learning project in Pokhara, Nepal, facilitated by
PoD Nepal. On day one we had the
opportunity to help a local school by painting classrooms that were in
dire need of some attention. The next day we spent time with orphaned
kids from a care home, teaching them how to kayak, and playing games
with them such as cricket, tag, and frisbee.
The day started early, with each student hauling a large bucket of
paint to a taxi outside the guesthouse, which would carry the supplies
to the school. Upon arrival we organized into groups and began our
mission. In total we were able to paint eleven classrooms at the school
in about six to seven hours, energizing them from a dull grayish color
to a bright assortment of yellow, blue, purple, green, and red. In some
classrooms we were able to add drawings that acted as helpful learning
aids for under-supplied teachers. Two students in particular played a
huge part in this process – David Miller and Josh Zimber, as they are
extremely gifted artists. With their help we were able to draw, and then
paint, numerous animals in the preschoolers’ room such as butterflies,
snakes, tigers, flowers, and the Nepalese flag. Another great help with
the illustration of the classrooms was our Nepalese student Surjan
Tamang. With his knowledge of the Nepalese language, we were able to add
in the alphabet and number system (0-20) in not only English, but in
Nepalese as well, thus giving the students a greater window through
which to learn. As a final piece to the school, David painted a tree in
the stairwell of the school. Then, each member of World Class Academy
dipped their hands into a bucket of paint and pasted handprints
representing leaves on the tree. This was our finale and a way for the
school to remember us.
The next day was a completely different experience for everyone.
Instead of painting classrooms, World Class got to take out a group of
four- to nine-year-old children from a youth shelter to a lakeside field
for a day of fun and an outside picnic. For one day we were like the
older brothers and sisters that they never had. This was an
unforgettable experience. None of these children had the kinds of
privileges we had when we were young such as swimming or playing sports.
When we took them to this field they were all overjoyed, and for the
next few hours we taught, played, and talked with them.
Alexandra Muck
and Anna Bruno taught a group how to hula hoop. Andy Hatch and Sean
Madden showed another bunch how to juggle. David Miller and Ryley Penner
took each kid out in pairs for a short little kayak lesson. This was
probably the most exciting thing for the kids, because none of them had
ever been in a kayak before. After a few hours in which time flew by it
was lunchtime, and everyone sat down to eat some fried rice. During
lunch Liam Fournier was kind enough to share his Coca Cola, giving the
kids another treat, which they would normally never get. After lunch
everyone split off into little groups: Surjan and Ziggy (Alex Zegart)
went to play cricket with some kids, some of the teachers showed the
children their cameras and how to use them, and a few others just sat in
the shade, relaxing and talking with the kids. After a while the
cricket game ended due to the heat and a new game had started, the “pull
the kids in the kayaks around the field game.” This was extremely fun,
and when one “puller” became too tired he would switch out with another
person, who then became the next engine that pulled the kayaks over the
field. But like all good experiences, the day eventually ended, and we
had to say goodbye to our new little friends.
Even though we had to miss two days of kayaking and, “sadly” enough,
two days of school… everyone at World Class thought it had been worth
it, for in those two days we livened up a whole school with bright
colors while having an unforgettable experience with an awesome group of
orphaned kids.
World Class would like to thank our sponsor NRS
for helping
us realize our service-learning goals. We would also like to extend a
thank you to Chrissy Dawkins from PoD and GRG Kayaking for their support and
organization with this project.
Myself and two volunteers spend the morning shopping in
Mahendra Pul to find clothes that were suitable for keeping them as warm as
possible but also practical. We then went straight back to the center to give
them their new clothes and their excitement was amazing! They all quickly
changed into their new gear and started parading around. When we went back the
next day it was great to see that the kids we wearing their new clothes,
although Purnay had gone back to his old hat which is what he arrived in and
even sleeps in so we weren't too upset about that. 
