Launch and Travel Week: NYC - KTM
- alexandrahayes2005
- Feb 6
- 3 min read
Hi everyone! This past week, we began the program orientation in New York City and our cohort stayed at the Q4 Hostel in Queens. I roomed with some new friends, Chloe and Milan, who are so lovely! The week was filled with amazing food tours and exploration in Jackson Heights, our first classes, and visits to an array of non-profits and community service providers scattered throughout Queens.
A highlight of the week was our visit to Sunnyside Community Services, where we got to see and chat with kindergartners in the after-school programs and sing karaoke at the SCS elderly center! The director and teams at Sunnyside were incredibly warm and kind to our group, and they were mission-driven in every aspect of their work at the center. Another highlight of the week was trying a completely new cuisine, Somalian food! We visited Harlem on Saturday and had lunch at Safari, where we had a spread of hummus, chai tea, fritters (unclear on what these contained?) and I had an entrée of yellow spiced rice with mango vegetable curry. This meal was off the charts, and it was such a beautiful little restaurant! We also had the chance to visit the United Nations, and afterwards I took a detour with some friends to the New Yorker exhibit at the New York Public Library. I can't share every delicious meal we had, but another highlight was the Masa Madre bakery that I tried with my mom! We ordered their sourdough conchas, a Mexican chocolate croissant, and a dulce de leche tart, and all three were top tier pastries. I would totally recommend!
On Wednesday morning, our group began the longgggg travel day from New York to Kathmandu! We had a 12 hour flight from JFK to Doha, Qatar, and then a three hour layover during which we explored the indoor jungle at the Doha airport! Then, we boarded a flight from Doha to Kathmandu! On the way in to Kathmandu, I was lucky enough to see the Annapurna range in all its glory and it was absolutely mind-blowing. We finally left the airport around 6:30 KTM time, and our travel day amounted to roughly 30 hours. After going to bed early yesterday, today was our group's first day in Kathmandu! We are staying in a hotel that is north of the city for one more day. We are located right on the border of the Shrivapuri National Forest, and the window from our room looks down on the entirety of the stunning Kathmandu Valley!
Today was filled with delicious buffet meals from the hotel, where I tried literally everything they offered, and orientation programming. The orientation was beyond fascinating, and we learned about general Nepalese cultural norms and practices, and spoke a bit about our homestay experience, which will be starting tomorrow. I cannot wait! We also heard from Anil Chitrakar, who is a Nepalese economic planner and strategist. (Wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anil_Chitrakar) He gave an incredible talk on the complex geopolitics of Nepal, the state of Nepalese renewable energy, the establishment of national parks, conservation techniques used throughout the country, and so much more! Then, we left for a sunset hike into the Shrivapuri National Park, and up to a Buddhist stupa. Unfortunately, the stupa itself was closed but we saw the most gorgeous sunset from the hills! Today I saw both the sunrise (unfortunately I'm very jetlagged lol) and the sunset, which were both incredible!
I am so happy to finally be in Nepal and be with such amazing teachers, coordinators, and other students! Many more stories and updates to come! Love and miss you all so much!!!!!!
Love,
Alex
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