Ellie Raymond

I immediately felt at home

This past summer, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to Nepal and volunteer with the Small World organization. This experience was one of the most eye-opening encounters that I have had in my life. As soon as my group stepped off the plane and into the environment of this foreign land, we were immediately treated as family. From every direction, “namaste” and “welcome” was shouted to our nervously bunched together group. Random people grabbed our luggage and carried it to our car just out of the kindness of their hearts. I immediately felt at home in this land that I had never travelled to. From that day forward, I was never treated as a stranger or a tourist but rather a friend or even a family member.

During my three weeks in the country, I volunteered in the Hope Home in the valley of Kathmandu and built schools in more remote villages. As I learned more about the issue of education in the country, I began to understand the extreme importance of the work we were engaged in. Since this hands-on experience, I have had a strong desire to continue my work for the country of Nepal. This fall, I took a Global Scholars class and learned the importance of continuing service to make a long-term impact rather than short-term one. After learning this, I decided to contact the Small World and continue my work with the organization. This is how Students for Students was created. I hope that through this project, we can make a small dent in the large issue of education in Nepal.

Ellie Raymond
Hingham, Massachusetts, Boston United States