📷 The Volunteering Trip To Nepal That Got Me Started In Photography

in photography •  8 years ago  (edited)

My trip to Nepal would turn out to be the defining factor that got me interested in photography

It was 2007 and I had just recently graduated from college, not knowing what to do with my life, I decided to look into doing volunteer work in a foreign country. I searched online and found work in Nepal and immediately contacted the person to setup an arrangement.

2007年,我剛從大學畢業,當時不知道人生想幹嘛,家人建議出去看看,所以我想説不如去當義工吧。也不清楚當時爲啥選上去尼泊爾,上網查詢後,跟一個當地人聯係上就決定要去了。一切決定都非常迅速,沒想太多。

Excited, and a little anxious, I booked the flight to Kathmandu and packed my belongings into a large backpack. Then I was off. It all happened quite quickly.

興奮中帶點焦慮,我訂了飛往加德滿都的機票,行李打包到一個大背包就出發了。

The first week, my volunteering coordinator set me up with work on an organic farm. It was an awesome experience and I soon discovered the humble hospitality of the Nepalese people. I was learning simple Nepali phrases to communicate with them better and to appreciate their culture.

到尼泊爾的第一周,我被安排到有機農場幫忙。這是一段非常棒的經歷,不久就感受到尼泊爾人之熱情款待。我也努力學習簡單的尼泊爾語,更好地與他們溝通,並欣賞他們的文化。


The house I lived in during my stay at the farm. 那時住的房子。

Volunteering as a math teacher

Soon after my work on the farm had ended, I was relocated to a rural countryside school in the Kavre district. There I lived with the principle of the school and his family. In the daytime, I helped teach math to grade school children.

在農場工作結束後不久,我被安排到一所鄉村學校教書。在那裡,我與校長及他家人同居。白天時,我擔任國小數學老師的職位。


The village school and students. 學校及學生們。

On special holidays, I would participate along with the locals, and had essentially become a member of the family I was staying with. I've witnessed weddings, animal sacrifices, and even a holiday where everyone got high on cannabis.

我和當地居民一同慶祝各大節日,校長也把我當成他的家庭成員。我參加了婚禮,目睹了動物犧牲儀式,甚至吸大麻的節日我都有參與。


The scene after a ritual animal sacrifice. 動物犧牲儀式後的場地。

My journey into photography

During my trip, I used a small point-and-shoot camera that I had brought to Nepal, the Pentax Optio S5i. I had no concept of photography at that time.

整個旅行中,我用了一台小型傻瓜相機記錄,當時我完全沒有攝影的概念。

Then one day I borrowed some books from the local village library, most of which were donated by other countries, some books on various topics in photography. I began to read them and was drawn to the contents, it was an eye opener! I became excited with each passing day as my knowledge of photography began to grow, the world around me literally began to change from that moment on.

直到一天我從村落的圖書館借了一些書(其中絕大部分是由其他國家捐贈的),一些攝影專題的書籍。書的内容把我給吸引住了,并且使我一開眼界!隨著我的攝影知識開始增加,從那幾天開始我每天都很興奮,周圍的世界從那一刻開始逐漸變化。

I was looking for shots everywhere with my new found knowledge, and was so fascinated by it. It soon became apparent that this was the hobby for me, and I quickly noticed the limitations of my little point-and-shoot camera, but kept shooting anyway. I even shot during the government mandated power outages, like this one during supper:

配備著新學來的知識,我帶著相機到處拍,並從周圍開始注意到曾未發現的細節。我的興趣大概就是這個時候開始培養出來的,雖然相機有所限制,但還是不斷拍攝。我甚至在政府強制停電時段照樣拍:


Candle-lit suppers are not uncommon in Nepal. 在尼泊爾常見的斷電。

The kids were fascinated with my camera and also in the photos I shot of them. I even learned the Nepalese phrase for people's permission to photograph them!

孩子們看到相機也充滿好奇心,一個個跑來看我把他們拍成什麽樣子。我甚至學習如何用尼泊爾語問,“我可以拍你的相片嗎?”


Kids being kids during recess. 開心的孩子們。

After six months living and teaching math in Nepal, I felt I needed to switch life paths, and ended my trip. It turned out to be one of the best experiences in my life!

在尼泊爾生活和教學六個月後,我覺得我的旅行到了一個段落。那六個月是我人生中最好的經歷之一!

And that my fellow Steemians, is how I got my feet wet in the wonderful world of photography!

這就是我踏入攝影之路的故事。

To be continued...

未完待續...


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What a great experience. I wish I took more chances when I was younger. Your really lucky to have been able to experience that. I am sure that was life changing to be there for six months. Cool man.

Thanks, I'm grateful for being able to have experienced that!

yeh man. awesome write up and story.

I have been following you since I joined I guess.
I remember this part about you, you going to Nepal :)
Loved your post :)
Nepal looks beautiful!

Wow, you've been following me all that time? Thanks for your support Tara!
Nepal is a very beautiful country with awesome people :)

Yup. I joined in October and I have been following you since then and I remembered this part about you :P
I wasn't very active on Steemit.
It's only recently I started posting again.
:)
Thank you too, Aaron, for all the support :)

You're welcome Tara!

It is simply great. We have heard due to massive earthquake entire Nepal's geography changed and their economical system collapsed.
I don't know then and now how it will match wish small kids you have taken photo stays safe.

  ·  8 years ago (edited)

Thank you, I have contacted them after the earthquake and you'll be happy to know that they are safe :)

Its great. Nice to hear that.

May God bless them.

These photos show you don't need a fancy camera when you have a good eye.

That's a very nice compliment @ocrdu, thank you!

LOVE your pics...They are all so vibrant and filled with life (even in the ones with no people in them). I also recently got into photography this year and have mostly just been taking close up shots of the moon and outdoor pics. Check out my posts if you get a chance :) Just posted one of my pics. I'll be sure to follow you and keep up. Great work ✌️

Thank you very much for the comment and support @teenybee!

This is amazing, @Shieha! I adore blog made not to impress but to explore and express- and learn! :)

Thank you @feye for the kind words!

Amazing experience @shieha ! Really inspiring trip! Thanks for sharing! Greetings from Spain!

Great. Why don't you try to publish some of youzr photos (look at http://www.calvendo.com).

Thank you @maxibucks! I will look into it, thanks for the tip!

Very good blog)

Thank you @fiord18!

Wow, very good writing @shieha ... thank you for sharing here. May I follow your lead.

I'm flattered, thank you for visiting my blog post @steemwart :)

Very interesting pictures it reminds me of a picture I took in avillage of Pakistan ! Upvoted and followed !

Thank you very much for the view and support @newyorkfever!

nice blog , i follow you , please see my blog and if you liked please follow and upvote

Thank you @alireza-tili!

趕快寫後續的!(敲碗~

哈哈,還要想一下要寫啥 :)

Beautiful Pictures! You have real talent! Keep posting!
You might also like Varanasi as a great location for photography. Just a thought, if you ever plan on going to India. Following! @ecoknowme

Thank you very much @ecoknowme! Thanks for the suggestion!

Nepal is one of my dream destinations, the photos are great, and specially considering using/shooting with this camera!
Really nice photos wish you all luck with your journey, you can check my work too :)

Thank you for viewing my post and taking the time to comment @marwanabdelalim!

wow, that's cool!

Thanks for the resteem man!! Your support is greatly appreciated :)

no problem! :D

That was enjoyable indeed! Felt like I was there myself :)

Thank you @immarojas!

you're welcome :)

Sometimes just forget about the camera setting may help us to be more aware of the valuable moments. Nice shots!

Very true, and thank you for reading my post @arkoko!

Good read! Thanks for sharing your adventures in Nepal! I am also a self-taught phototograper and still practicing to get good shots. Lol.. Looking forward for your next post! Following your blog. Cheers! :)

Thank you @jamiz, hope you have fun in your adventures in photography! Thanks for the support :)

You're welcome! You can also check out my photos on my page if you want. :)

Excellent!

Thank you @timelapse!

You're doing fabulous job! Volunteering is extraordinary part of human been. You become great photographer!

Thanks for sharing your journey with us. Looks like a wonderful experience. And how far you've come from those first days. Though hard work and time are the main factors of this journey. Thanks for the look into your world of photogs. Have a nice night.

Thank you @ddschteinn! I would not trade that experience for something else if I had the choice to do it over :)

好讚的故事!

謝謝!

Thank you so much for taking the time to volunteer in Nepal- Great article! My family is actually from Nepal and I just uploaded a post about the earthquake from my perspective. I hope you'll check it out @preeinatree

Namaste @preeinatree, it was one experience I will never forget! I will check out your post :)

Thank you so much! I just think the contrast from someone in America to someone who saw the wreckage in Nepal will be interesting for you to read! Wishing you the best!