Proof in Kathmandu

-Erin Oliver, London
Journalism internship,
July-August, 2011

Upon arriving in Nepal I was quite nervous and apprehensive about what awaited me. Once Nardev found me at the airport my fears were abated and I felt very comfortable within the house and my surroundings. I started work the day after I arrived at 'The Rising Nepal' as a copy editor/proofreader. The new working environment was certainly a stark contrast to the slick offices in London, but all experiences are good experiences, right! The Rising Nepal is a government run newspaper so there was much talk about the government and the state of political affairs around the office. This made for interesting conversations as I was really able to understand the political position and problems faced by the government and people of Nepal. I worked for 3-4 hours a day on the 5th level of a huge building overlooking the New Road. 

Everyday there was new articles to edit. Some of the stories that came through were horrifying, interesting and sometimes unbelievable. The work was quite difficult at times. Understanding the differences in culture, phrasing, terms and comprehending the government structure were constant challenges that lead to many questions being asked.The questions were always answered with sincerity which was very nice and again quite different to the sometimes harsh tones in London. Everybody at the newspaper worked very hard and it was evident that they were all proud to be Nepalese. I am so very happy that I got to experience working life within a Nepalese newspaper.