In the past month, I was honoured to volunteer for Eyes4Everest.

I have always wanted to do a volunteer trip to Nepal ever since learning about our uni’s Optometry program. Funnily, watching the Dr. Strange film made this desire even stronger.

In the Everest region, we witnessed the grand opening ceremony of the Khunde Eye Clinic (which took ten years in the making) and conducted Eye Camps at Khunde Hospital and Pangboche. It was striking to meet people of all ages who travel four hours one way on foot to have their eyes examined. It was also rewarding and heartwarming to see the beautiful smiles on their faces when they could see clearer. It was nice to learn the Lea shapes in Nepali passively.

Before the trip, I was terrified but more so excited. There were many firsts on this journey and many experiences that I would love to partake in again.

• Trekking 4-6hr each transit day on “Nepali flat”, fuelled by Dal Bhat Power

• Had the world’s best fresh buffalo Momos at Ang’s place

• Had the world’s best chips and Momo Sauce at Santosh’s family home

• Taking a helicopter flown by an ex-military pilot over the Nepali mountains.

  Getting chased by two yaks

• I mistook glacier for rock and slipped over (this must’ve been how it feels to slip over a banana peel in Mario Kart)

• Making it to Everest Base Camp

I feel incredibly blessed with perfect weather over the entire trip. Moreover, we were gifted with beautiful snowfall on our final hiking day.

The people made this trip so special: the guides that took us in like family, the supportive and fun teammates and getting to know my bud (and Pooki!).

This was an eye-opening, inspiring and unforgettable experience. Quoting our teammate Tiff , ”I was truly humbled by the mountains, in the best way possible”.

Nepal, see you again.

Black Panter/Tailgator/Zee Peace out