This past spring, I was walking through the main hall of the MSC and I stumbled upon the Nepalese Student Association. I struck up a conversation with a few of the members and started to learn a little bit more about Nepal. Personally, I have always been fascinated by Mt Everest, yet, I knew little else about what Nepal had to offer. I had let them know that I was traveling to the middle east, Doha, Qatar to be specific to intern at Texas A&M University at Qatar and had an interest in Nepal. Immediately, the NSA member’s eyes lit up and they began to recommend various places in Nepal to go, what food to try, and overall were just so delighted to share about their country to someone who had a genuine interest in learning more about it.
 
Now flash forward to mid-June, Qatar is in the midst of diplomatic crisis with its gulf neighbors. The intern, aka me needs to renew his visa in order to continue to reside in Qatar for the month of July. Yet, due to the crisis flying the 40-minute flight to Dubai is no longer an option or at least an easy one. In looking at flights flying the 4-hour flight to Nepal was cheaper than going to the surrounding countries (I.e. U.A.E., Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan). I won’t bore you with the details.
 
Flash forward to arriving in Kathmandu. I had 13 days and 12 nights to explore all that Nepal has to offer. With countless recommendations, contacts, ideas, and must dos in mind I set out to see the beautiful, vibrant country of Nepal. During my time in Nepal I spent two nights in Kathmandu, 1 night in Pokhara, 4 nights in the Annapurna Conservation Area, 2 additional nights in Pokhara, 2 nights in the Chitwan National Park, and finally 1 final night in Kathmandu. During my time in Nepal, I got lost in the urban sprawl of Kathmandu, found beauty in nature in Pokhara, stared in awe at the mountains in the Annapurna Conservation Area, and feared for my life in Chitwan from wild boar, rhinos, elephants, and bengal tigers.
 
Below are some pictures to showcase the people, culture, and nature of my trip to Nepal.


Swayambhunath


Breakfast in Annapurna Conservation Area


ABC Base Camp


Rotary Club of Pokhara Newroad


Chitwan National Park


Boudha Stupa

Until next time, this Minnesotan is still trying to adjust to being back in the United States.
Take care,

Steven Metzmaker | Educational Administration and Human Resources Development

Steven Metzmaker is a first-year Masters student in the Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education (SAAHE) program within the College of Education and Human Development.