when i went to nepal

September 11, 2019

ネパヌルに行った時

 

Hi, it’s Akari. Have you ever travelled alone? Travelling solo sounds lonely, but I became a solo travel lover because of this trip. Today, I’m going to share about when I travelled alone to Nepal for the first time!

 

こんにちは、あかりです。みんなは䞀人旅したこずある䞀人旅っお孀独そうに聞こえるけど、私はある旅のおかげで䞀人旅が倧奜きになったの。だから今日はそのネパヌルで経隓した初めおの䞀人旅に぀いおシェアしたいず思う

 

 

In March of 2018, I visited Patan, Nepal for three weeks. I went there by myself because I wanted to escape my life in Japan, and I thought it was better to be alone to think about how I want to live my life. In Japan at the time, I was doing something I didn’t want to do and I was struggling with that. Why Nepal, you ask? I’m sure you’re wondering haha. The reason is simple. I wanted to go far away from Japan in terms of distance, culture, and religion. And I found a travel agent who can send me as a volunteer to Nepal for a good price. I stayed with the family of the travel manager. I used a travel agency to travel to Nepal because I was totally afraid of staying in Nepal alone regarding safety and hygiene. 

 

昚幎の3月にネパヌルのパタンずいう街に3週間滞圚した。そこに䞀人で行った理由は、日本での生掻から逃げたかったのず、䞀人になっおどうやっおこれから生きおいこうか、日本じゃないどこかで考えた方がいいず思ったから。その時の日本での生掻では、自分がやりたくないこずをやっおいお、苊しんでた。ずころで、なんでネパヌルかっおみんなその理由気になるよね笑 理由は単玔で日本から距離的にも文化的にも宗教的にも遠いずころに行きたかったから。そしお比范的リヌズナブルにボランティアずしおネパヌルぞ行ける旅行代理店を芋぀けたの。旅行代理店を利甚した理由は、安党面や衛生面に関しお党く䞀人で過ごすのは怖かったから。

 

 

Although I went to Nepal to be alone and escape from reality, I actually never felt lonely in Nepal and I met new people in this new world. In other words, I couldn’t be alone because I realised that people cannot do anything without the help of others in the world. In Nepal, I was always helped by someone around me, like my host family, new friends, people hanging out on the streets because I didn’t know how to live in Nepalese society. I did my research on Nepali culture and religion before I visited, but it was not enough. In Tokyo, I thought it was possible to live alone as long as I had access to information, but I noticed that interacting with people makes me happier and more active! Talking with others can make me open-minded and I can find new joy from ordinary things. For example, when I wanted to get off the bus, I needed to ask the man who collects the fare to stop the bus because there’s no button to notify the driver and occasionally the buses change where it stops. It seems inconvenient but it was a good chance for me to communicate with people, and I enjoyed the unexpected events.

 

珟実から逃げようずしお旅に出たのに、実際にはネパヌルで孀独だず感じたこずは䞀床もなくお、私は新しい䞖界で新しい人たちに出䌚った。蚀い換えれば、この䞖界では䞀人で生きるこずは出来ないず気づいたから、䞀人でいるこずができなかった。ネパヌルではい぀も人に助けられた。ホストファミリヌ、新しい友達、道端の人たち。ネパヌル瀟䌚でどう生きればいいか分からなかったからね。事前に文化ずか宗教ずか調べお行ったけど、十分ではなかった。東京では、情報さえ持っおいれば䞀人で行きおいけるず思っおいたけど、人々ずのコミュニケヌションは、私をもっず幞せにアクティブにさせおくれるず気づいた。人ず話すこずは私をオヌプンにしお、い぀ものこずも楜しいこずにしおくれる。䟋えば、ネパヌルでは、バスを降りようずするずき、降りる時に抌すボタンがないからお金を集めるお兄さんに「降りたす」っお蚀う必芁がある。たたにバスが止たる䜍眮も倉わるから、どこで降りるかも䌝えるの。䞀芋䞍䟿そうだけど、それがある意味、人ず話すいいチャンスで私はコミュニケヌションによっお起こる予想倖の出来事も楜しんだ。

 

 

I met two Nepali friends when I was volunteering at Mother Teresa's house. First, I want to tell the story of Moni. She was a nursing student, and she also worked as a volunteer there. She guided me to a famous Hindu temple after volunteering, and she taught me some religious concepts in Hinduism and how to pray in the temple. When I experienced the religion, I saw the beauty in the temple. I was really surprised when she put flower petals in the water into her hair, but I also put them in my hair. When I went to the temple and did something holy with her, I felt something special in my heart. I couldn’t understand what it meant to pray to God, but I felt something holy along with her kindness. After that, we got on the same bus and headed to our homes. We are different in religion, but we had similarities. For example, we thought “music on the bus is really cool,” “our studies are really hard,” and so on. 

 

私はマザヌテレサの家ずいうチャリティヌ・ボランティア斜蚭でボランティアをした時、二人のネパヌルの友達に出䌚った。最初に看護孊生のモニの話をしたい。圌女はそこでボランティアずしお働いおいた。ボランティアの埌、圌女が近くのヒンドゥヌ教のお寺を案内しおくれた。ヒンドゥヌ教の考え方ずかお寺でのお祈りの仕方ずか簡単に教えおもらった。お寺の䞭で経隓したこずは、私にずっおずおも矎しかった。圌女が氎の䞭にある献玍された花びらを髪の毛の䞭に入れた時は驚いたな。でも同じように花びらを髪の䞭に入れおみたんだ。お寺に行っお、圌女ず神聖なこずをした時、特別な気分になった。神様のために祈るずいうこずがどういうこずか理解できおいなかったけど、圌女の優しさずずもに䜕か神聖なものを感じるこずができた。私たちは宗教は違っおも、いく぀か共通点があった。䟋えば、バスでかかっおいる音楜がむケおるっお二人ずも思っおたこずずか、日々の勉匷が倧倉なこずずか。

 

 

The next day, I became friends with Sunny. She was also a nursing student, and I met her while working at Mother Teresa’s house. She was really worried about me because I was a teenager and travelling alone. So, she guided me around town and taught me about Nepali culture. When I was walking with her, I felt that she had a big heart and she treated me as her sister. Before we went home, she bought me samosas* and flagged down a bus for me. I was really moved by her kindness because I had never experienced such kindness from someone I just met for the first time. Even if I don’t see them again, I have to always remember them because they made me realize that interacting with people is important to feel "love", and it can lead to warm friendships. Thanks to them, I was able to really enjoy everything in the moment.

 

*Samosa = a popular street food which is fried or baked with a savoury filling, such as spiced meat, and vegetables shaped into triangular in Nepal. 

 

次の日、サニヌずいう友達に出䌚った。圌女もたた、看護孊生でボランティアしおいる間に出䌚った。圌女は私が若いから䞀人旅のこずを心配しおくれお、私に街を案内しおたわっおくれた。 そしおネパヌルの文化も教えおもらった。䞀緒に圌女ず歩いおた時、圌女の愛をたくさん感じたし、圌女は私を効のように可愛がっおくれた。垰り際には、サモサ*を買っおくれおバスも拟っおくれた。私は本圓にその優しさに感動した。初めお䌚った人に、こんなにも優しさを分けおくれるなんお思っおもなかったから。たずえ圌女たちに二床ず䌚うこずがなくおも、私は圌女たちを忘れおはいけない。なぜなら、人ず亀わるこずが愛を感じるのに倧事だず気づけたし、そのこずがあたたかい友情にも繋がるこずが分かった。圌女たちのおかげで自分の目の前に起こっおいるこずに党力で楜しむこずができた。

 

*サモサ小麊粉の皮でスパむシヌなひき肉や野菜を䞉角錐に包んで油で揚げた屋台の定番料理。

 

 

This is only a fraction of my experience in Nepal. I was helped by others a lot during this trip, and I still remember the people I talked to. Although I travelled to Nepal to try to be away from people and escape my reality, I interacted with a lot of people and I enjoyed my reality there. When I went back to Japan, I tried enjoying the moment right now because I learned from the trip it is important to be happy for the moment. And then, I’ve been able to concentrate on what I really wanted to do, and I tried not doing what I don’t really want to do anymore. And, I feel like my worries are tiny things when I value the connection with people because I don’t have to be worried alone. This trip didn’t make me lonely, but made warm relationships with people. I can see what is happening in front of me as important and interesting things by experiencing the trip. I realised that there was no more lifelessness I’ve struggled with before going travel alone. Traveling is amazing, isn’t it?

 

このこずは私がネパヌルで経隓したひずかけらでしかない。この旅でたくさん人々に助けられたし、私はただネパヌルでお話をした人たちを芚えおいる。旅する前は人ず珟実から離れようずしお旅をしようず思ったのに、ネパヌルでたくさんの人ず関わっお目の前にある珟実を楜しんでいた。日本に垰っおからはネパヌルで孊んだ「今この瞬間を楜しむ」ずいうこずを倧事にしおたら、やりたくないこずは自然にやらなくなっお、やりたいず思うこずに集䞭できた。そしお、旅のあずから人ずの぀ながりをより倧切にしたら、䞀人で抱え蟌んで悩むこずが枛っお自分の悩みがちっぜけに思えた。この旅は自分を䞀人にしたのではなくお、人ず人を繋げおくれた。そしお、私は目の前に起こる出来事を倧事なもの、面癜いものずしお芋るこずが出来るようになった。気づいたら、い぀の間にか䞀人でモダモダしおいた生きづらさが無くなったんだ。旅っおすごい

 

It sounds weird that travelling alone doesn’t make the traveller feel lonely, but it’s true. If you are in a difficult situation and struggling, it’s not a bad idea to escape reality. I believe you can find another place of your own in the place you escaped to. You won’t be alone, you can interact with people wherever you run away to. The place where you go is your reality. 

 

I’d be so happy if you could share your experiences from a trip or your feelings with me! Bye :) 

 

䞀人旅が旅人を䞀人に感じさせないっお倉な感じだけど、本圓だった。もしみんなが蟛い状況にいお悩んでたら、今ある珟実から離れおみるのも悪くない。私は逃げた堎所がその人の居堎所になるこずもあるず思う。私たちは䞀人じゃない。逃げた堎所には人が居お、その人ず関わるこずができる。あなたの向かう堎所があなたの珟実だず私は思う。

 

みんなの旅の゚ピ゜ヌドや気持ちをシェアしおくれたら嬉しいな

 

Images by Akari

Edited by Eli, Kiara and Hikari

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