1. For my STEP Signature Project, I traveled to Nepal through the Fisher Global Consulting: Non-Profit Program to improve the marketing strategy of the non-profit organization, SASANE, whose goals are to help women survivors of human trafficking by setting them up for proper employment and eradicating this awful practice. In addition to working with our clients from this organization, we also participated in several activities in Nepal such as paragliding, hiking, yoga, temple visits, kayaking, ziplining, and simply walking the streets of this foreign country.

2. This trip was a transformative experience in several ways. My parents had told me several stories about what life was like in India, but seeing life in this faraway country of Nepal with my own eyes made me see things on another level. I saw the poverty and fundamental struggles that were so prevalent here. My family started a non-profit when I was very young to support an orphanage in India ridden with poverty. Traveling to Nepal really showed me why it was so important to help. There are so many things that we take for granted, living in the United States, but what struck me the most was seeing the little children running around with innocent joy not caring about the things they didn’t have, and instead, just being content with the present moment. Watching the way people lived their lives allowed me to learn more about the world, and also learn more about myself.

I didn’t only see the struggles of Nepal, though. Part of what made this experience so transformational was seeing how beautiful everything was. A majority of America is filled with newly made, man-made structures and everything is so marketized. In Nepal, though, I was able to appreciate the beauties of the natural world by simply taking it in. People weren’t trying to sell it to me or cover it up. I was just surrounded by incredible mountains and valleys and structures that had been around for thousands of years. The culture was so strong and integral in their society. This was a very similar culture to the one my parents had grown up in in India. They tried to show me as much as I could but I was much more influenced by the environment in America. Being immersed in Nepali culture brought me out of the world I had lived in for so long and rekindled a desire to reconnect with my culture and travel to India again.

Another aspect of this trip that I didn’t think about as much, beforehand, was the relationships I built with 8 Ohio State students that I was with. I didn’t really know the kids I was traveling with very well but as we spent that time going on 30-hour flights and navigating through this new country together, I grew so close with all of them and developed a connection with each of them that I will be able to hold on to forever.

3. The day before we left for Nepal, I started to feel it in my nerves. This anxiousness of going to a new country for a couple weeks with people I barely knew. This was overpowered, though, by the excitement I had for it. I felt like I was ready for this new experience. My dad dropped me off at the airport and I was on my way. As I got to JFK, I started to meet everyone on the trip and we started to brace ourselves for this 14 hour flight. I got extremely lucky, though, and the service desk handed me a business class ticket. This made it, easily, the most enjoyable flight I had ever been on. When we got to Doha airport in Qatar, we started to explore as we had 10 hours. Luckily, we were in one of the coolest airports in the world. Eventually, though, we needed to find something to pass the time. One girl brought a deck of cards, so we decided to play euchre. Only three of us knew how to play so we had to teach the others, but from that point, Euchre took over the trip. We played it every chance we got, and it was a perfect way for us to bond. We would pass the time with the game and just talk to each other about all types of things. We played at restaurants, we played it while on breaks during our hikes, and we played at night on the rooftop of our hotel. A simple game was able to provide us with some familiarity with each other in this unfamiliar country. We got closer after every round.

As soon as we arrived in Nepal, it was pouring down rain. I started to feel a little worried that our trip was starting off with this but as we took our shuttle to our hotel, I wanted to swallow those feelings. I saw so many people on the streets with close to nothing to protect themselves from the rain and just trying to save whatever they had been selling at their shop which was the only thing that could put food on their table. I saw kids either working to help their parents or simply playing in the rain. On my first day in Nepal, I was able to see with my own eyes, the privileged life that I had led. Throughout the trip, I saw more of how life was lived here, and the extreme poverty people faced. We first landed in Kathmandu, the main city in Nepal, but our program was in Pokhara. This was a 30-minute flight and a 10-hour bus ride away. I chose to ride the bus. Kathmandu was a very crowded city and was where I saw the most people sleeping on the streets and children begging for money but as I went on this bus ride, I felt like I was able to see so much of Nepal. We drove through the mountains and tons of villages, and I saw many different ways of life. I saw kids bathing in the rivers, entire villages working together to rebuild their houses after a collapse, and people just living life without the need for technology. On this extremely bumpy and long ride, I stepped into some of their experiences as I talked with different people including a few kids who jumped on the packed bus halfway to go to their military school. They taught me about their life and their views on the world and I shared mine with them as well from an American perspective. I even got to have the experience of going to the toilet in the hole in the ground which I think was very valuable. As we entered the city of
Pokhara, a tourist-focused destination, I saw the true disparity between the center of the city and just outside. The villages on the outer parts of Pokhara were covered in dust, rubble, and odd construction. As you entered, though, you still felt the local presence, but it was dominated by wealthier individuals and tourists. It saddened me to see some of the sights I did, and it motivated me to find out how I could help and truly start making a difference. Watching and interacting with the people there is what created this desire. Everyone is so peaceful and kind to the people around them and live their lives, following the interconnectedness of humans. I saw some little kids in the village playing around in the rocks and laughing to each other. They didn’t need an iPad in their hand but were able to just find joy in the simple things. It happened again when three kids were running home from school to show their mom that they had gotten a small candy. They were so happy and excited and it warmed my heart. They deserve better lives but they are also so content with their current one. It made me think a lot about my role in the world and what impact I could make.

The work I did with the non-profit organization, SASANE, though, was probably the most gratifying part of the trip. SASANE’s goal is to help women survivors of human trafficking start successful careers after their experiences. As the engagement manager, I handled all direct contact with the client which allowed me to really connect with the women of SASANE. As a team of consultants, we were able to successfully provide them with ways to improve their marketing strategy and create content for them to use to increase their outreach. We increased awareness of their cooking class, which is the main way for them to market their organization, as well as applied for grants to receive more funding. I was able to grow professionally as a consultant while making a real-world impact. It made me realize how much I love helping people and showed me a career path that I would greatly enjoy. Being able to connect with Nepalese people including our GVI guides who were perfect at navigating us through their country was one of my favorite parts of the trip and has made me want to return just to see them again. I will value these relationships for the rest of my life.

Lastly, it helped me reconnect with my culture in an interesting way. My parents grew up in India and moved to America before I was born. I visited India when I was three years old but had allergic reactions that caused me to be in the hospital for multiple days. I never returned. When I got the chance to go to Nepal, I knew I had to take it, despite my mom’s worry. Since the cultures of Nepal and India are very similar, I felt like I was rekindling my ties with my culture during this trip. It gave me the need to return to India and the confidence that I’ll be able to handle myself there. After the trip, I decided to plan a trip to India with my brother for this winter break and now after 17 years, I will be able to return to this beautiful country.

4. This experience transformed me in ways I couldn’t have even imagined. I learned so many things and met so many people. I felt like I had become a better person after I returned and even understood myself more. I will hold the memories of this trip forever and understand it to be one of the most influential events in my life.