"20/20 Hindsight": 2008-2009 Evaluations
"20/20 Hindsight": Tips from former IFPers
What
things do you wish you had brought with you?
What things could you just as well have left at
home?
What restaurants would
you especially recommend? Why?
What did you find
especially interesting or fun to visit?
Any other advice to
share with future students?
What things do you wish you had brought with you?
-
Laptop
- Flash drive
- Memory cards
- Lighter clothes (hand washable) & sneakers or sandals
- First Aid (band-aids, nausea medication)
- Sturdy water Bottle
What things do you wish you had left at home?
-
A few long sleeve shirts
- Sweatshirt
- Nice shoes
How was the work ambiance? What are the
particular dress codes, working language(s), and office hours at the
organization?
“The work
ambiance at NFDIN was professional and friendly. The
organization is outgrowing its current office space, so there was little
additional space. However, I did have my own desk and shared an office with
three others. I did not have a desktop computer or internet access at the
office (there were a few people in the office with internet access, but finding
moments when they were not using their computers proved difficult). Dress code was office casual (jeans
were okay). Working language was Nepali,
but there were enough English speakers in the office that I could function
without Nepali fluency. Office hours were Sunday – Thursday
“My organization operates from 9-5
Monday-Friday. There was no dress
code. Most people in the office spoke at least a little English, some
had quite good English.”
“Work
environment was perfect; informal,
flexible but supportive. No dress code, everybody spoke English but more than willing to help
me with my Nepali. Office
hours were normal Nepali office hours unless work dictated more, which happened
occasionally.”
What restaurants would you especially recommend? Why?
- Mike’s Breakfast near Bal Mandir
because it really does approximate American breakfast and the coffee’s
great.
- Lazy Gringo in Lalitpur (near Jawalakhel) has
great Mexican food and all the fresh vegetables are treated so they’re
safe
- Any of the Thakali restaurants around
- I didn't eat out very much and lived in Lalitpur which is separate
from
- All restaurants
from Nepali food to Nepali twist on Mexican food.
What did you find especially interesting or fun to visit?
·
Field visit to a rural village was crucial in understanding a bit about
how the majority of Nepali people live –
·
Pokhara
·
Chitwan
·
I especially enjoyed Bouda, Swayambouth and
·
Was there anything in particular which helped you to get oriented, to
get around, or to get through daily life?
- Finding a good
street map of
- Language class was
also very helpful. Despite being a short crash course, it was very good to
learn enough to speak very simple sentences, ask questions and also get
some cultural understanding
- Walking the city helped me to orient myself and the map provided
by Ganesh was very helpful. Pretty much just not being shy and
hoping on a micro is the best way to get around.
- Maps, Maps, Maps, Bicycle
What advice would you
give to students who are planning to travel to other locations during the
Program?
- Traveling within
- Learning at least
a little bit of Nepali before heading on the road is a good idea unless
you’re traveling with someone from
- Tourist buses are
a bit more expensive than public long run buses or micros, but safer
(roads are narrow here and vehicles often go off the road in the rainy
season) and more comfortable making them worth the extra money
- Don’t use a
booking agent for anything like a trek or a safari, go directly through
the tour company
- Have patience things likely won't work out as planned so keep and
open mind and take things as they come.
- Travel as much as
you can. Its just the process of getting around that teaches so much
How much money would you
recommend that future students bring to cover living expenses? How much
for travel?
- Living expenses
for two months, including money for food, transportation, entry fees to
cultural sites, gifts for family and souvenirs will be about $1,000 total
- Travel within
- I spend around $400
which includes some gifts for people back home and limited travel outside
of
- $3000
Any other advice to share with future students?
·
Bring a laptop to work on. Many
organizations don’t have extra desktop computers that they will be able to offer
an intern. In addition, internet access at the office is often very hard to
come by and extremely slow, so using your own machine at a cyber café is
sometimes the best option if you need to do internet research or send documents
via email.
·