It’s already been 18 months – with my kids, their parents, the community, and the school staff being a Didi, a Miss, a Madam and a Teach For Nepal Fellow. 

My life has changed in infinite ways.

From commuting in air-conditioned cabs and staying inside an air-conditioned office for the entire day to waiting for overcrowded buses and walking through the filthy roads (yes, you read it right), life has become more of an unpredictable roller-coaster ride. I always hated the idea of using public transportation and could never stand the smell inside the buses, the stare of those indecent eyes, or the touches of strangers in a packed bus.

I could never stand the dust of Kathmandu even though I was inside a car looking through the black tinted windshield while driving around the city. I never experienced dirty water from the potholes of roads getting splashed at me by cars while running towards a jam-packed bus just to get around.

I was always the one who was sitting inside the comfort of cars, indifferent to the chaos that goes on in the city roads during monsoon, summer, winter or any other weather for that matter. My relentless efforts of surviving through the month with the current paycheque, which is almost one-fourth of my previous salary, is sometimes an icing on the cake.

At times, the smell of my own sweat is enough to make me hate the job and question myself why I chose to do the Fellowship. My mornings often start early, either with a phone call from one of my student or their parents. On days, I wouldn’t know where I'm headed to, why I'm sailing in this big ocean where the harbor is never conspicuous. There are times when I doubt my own intentions, I feel defeated or feel behind in career compared to my friends – who are working relentlessly in the endless race of accumulating money, getting that promotion or bragging about the new phone they bought which is 10 times more than the annual income of my students' parents.

Though the last 18 months has been a roller coaster ride, I wouldn't trade it for anything else. As a Didi, a Miss, a Madam and a Teach For Nepal Fellow to my students and the community who takes my entire day, the respect and love I get cannot be compared to anything that can be bought using the money.  The numerous invitations to their home from students in my classroom and when I do visit their home, it is decorated as if the god itself has paid a visit for a luncheon.

Birthdays are always grand, as my students and community are more excited about my birthday than I am. The love I get is unmatched and the love I have for them is incomparable. They have become my life and when I guarantee you they will be your when you join the movement.

In the last year and a half, my students have become a center of my life and they will be yours too. They are part of every conversation I have with my friends and my family and it will be the same for you. Just seeing them grow, all the crap of your life becomes indifferent. You will start seeing the world through different eyes. All your personal problems become small when compared to the struggle your students face and you will care for nothing but your students. Fellowship will make you will feel alive, and more importantly, you will learn to feel, for the first time – for Yourself!

You don’t work at Teach For Nepal because children in Nepal needs you, you work here because you need it more than they need you!

Join me in the movement and inspire the next generation of students to be innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders.