Greatest way to learn

Simon Gillespie, Canada
Photojournalism 
Univversity of Montreal

As a university student, I strongly believe that having internships is the greatest way to learn. It is the best way to apply what you know and especially learn what you don’t know. Doing an internship in a foreign environment is an even better way to do it and Kathmandu is definitelyone of the best places to do it. The country is undergoing tremendous changes, millennium-old traditions meet modern globalization and you get to experience both every day.

On the start of my photojournalism internship, I had one big problem: choosing a subject. There was so much to talk and document about that I didn’t know where to start. After a couple of days of exploring the city, I got to sit down with Nardev and Ram Humagai, a local renowned journalist, and talked about my upcoming project. During my entire internship with Internship Nepal, Nardev and Ram were continuously asking me to report to them what work I had been doing but never dictating what to do. I could choose how I was leading my project but I always had the guidance and advices of an experienced journalist.

The contacts of Nardev and Ram were of great help because I was taken to places and to people that I could never have found myself. During the course of my project I also had the opportunity to visit remote villages. This was also a great experience and a good way to grasp a global view of Nepal.

Living in a homestay was also one of the good parts of the internship. Living with a Nepali family, I got to stay away from the tourist district and its never-ending tourist-traps. Instead, I had a great experience with the mom and dad, fun with the two kids, great local food, and I got to experience colorful Nepali festivals from the local people’s point of view. Overall an experience that I would definitely recommend and I know that I am leaving Nepal with a lot more than I came with.E-mail: simongillespie@hotmail.com