Nuwakot, Nepal Base Overview

      Keeping with All Hands Volunteers blogging tradition, I’ll be following up my Nepal introduction with a Nuwakot base overview. Apologies that this has taken some time – I’ve been busy since getting back to Korea but am hoping to get on a regular posting schedule soon. Here we go.

Home sweet pink home.

The All Hands Nepal base is three stories tall. There are bedrooms on the first and second floors and a single large bedroom on the top floor that can probably hold over 30 people. Everything is open air, so whatever temperature it is outside is also the temperature in the base. There are bathrooms and showers on all floors. There is also living space in the backyard of base in the form of four sheds (each with two bunkbeds) and a camping area for those who want to sleep in tents.

Second floor hallway with bedrooms on both sides.

Second floor bathroom area and drinking water.

The top floor – over 30 volunteers can stay in this room.

All bedrooms are coed and dorm-style. I ended up telling the base manager on my base tour that I didn’t care where I slept, so I was placed in one of the sheds in the backyard. Although the shed was hot and stuffy and sometimes smelled like wet dog, I was able to call it home by the time I had finished my time in Nepal, and I’m glad I was placed there instead of in a room in the house.

Sheds out back. Mine was the first one on the left with the door flap open in this picture.

Best shed. Appropriately named “Paint the town shed.” Also, home.

Inside of our cozy little shed. My bed is on the top right (later moved to the bottom left when roommates left project).

The first floor is where most of the fun happens. It contains the kitchen, staff offices, eating/lounging area, a common room, and the laundry/dishwashing stations. After work, most people hang out somewhere on the first floor, though there are balconies on the second and third floors that are used by a few people as well.

AHV Staff office space.

Shoe area for all of our work boots.

Eating/lounging area.

Another view of the eating/lounging area.

The smoking area.

First floor common room. It looks dirty and smelly because it is. But had some of the best nights here with the best people.

View while sitting in the common area above.

Although running water isn’t always guaranteed, we only lost water for short periods of time during my stay. We also experienced a few brownouts, which also only lasted for short periods of time each time. As expected, hot water was not available on base, though the heat and work we were doing made cold water showers extremely welcome and even preferred. Most bathrooms had Western-style toilets, but the one on the first floor I ended up using a lot (closest to my shed outside) had a squat toilet, which I can now confidently use!

The tap water isn’t safe to drink, but we’ve got filtered water in jugs at the base. Meals are served on work days, so we are left to our own devices to cook or buy food on Saturday, our day off. Luckily for us, we are located near a small town where there are two or three restaurants that are used to volunteers ordering food. Most of our schedule can be found on the first floor, where there is the classic AHV whiteboard detailing the different projects the All Hands is doing and who is assigned to each project.

The mighty AHV job board.

The people here are from all around the world. During my stay, I met people from Iran, France, Spain, Singapore, Australia, the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, the US, Canada, and so many other countries as well. The best part about the international projects is that everyone is from all over the world and comes from different backgrounds and cultures. On base, all of these cultures and lifestyles come together and create something magical.

There are so many different ways to spend the time we are given on this earth, and living on base, even if only for two weeks this time, was a great way to learn. This is a place where people wake up early, cover themselves in dirt, sweat, and concrete all day, and come home exhausted to a small house where we all live together in close quarters. And everyone does it for no pay. It’s great to see a place where everyone has a different story, a different past, a different way of living life, but we’ve all gathered in this remote pink building because our different experiences have led us to believe that we are here to give.

I never thought I’d find a place like Alex Garland’s “The Beach,” but here I was, living it for a second time in under a year. All Hands Projects showcase true community, where everyone knows what’s happening and everyone has bought into the same way of living – of giving without expecting anything in return. These are people who have realized that there is more out there than suits and ties, or fanny packs and tourist attractions. The wanderers, the nomads, the optimists, the fearless, most determined, crazy-wonderful, weatherproof bunch of friendly strangers that the world has to offer, all living under one roof. When you bring together so many good people from so many different places, what else can you expect but to create magic?

One of the only places I’ve felt truly “home.”