Lincoln Seniors Return From Final Service Nepal Trip

The Lincoln Seniors experienced, explored, and learned a multitude of new skills over their extended six-day trip to the Borderlands Eco-Adventure Resort. Our adventurous schedule was combined with valuable cultural interactions with children at the local Bachalla Devi School. We also stepped out of our comfort zones through a variety of team building activities along with rafting and canyoning.

We embarked on our journey to Borderlands on March 16th. It was a 5-hour drive, stopping at Sukute Beach for a break, and then continuing to Borderlands. Upon arrival, we had time to freshen up and have some tea and snacks. After tea, the Bachalla Devi buddies came and both the Seniors and Bachalla Devi students engaged in team building activities. In the evening, the seniors collaborated with each other during the “Night Walk.”

The second and third day consisted of village tours and service learning, where we held three workshops for Bachalla Devi students – English Grammar Lessons, PLUM Lessons, and Volleyball Lessons. We visited poultry farms, corn and as rice mills, off-season gardening, including their greenhouse farming, and their most worshipped local temple.

On the fourth day, we spent their day hiking up the hill to a waterfall. This beautiful destination was surrounded by greenery and honey hives. We spent our time in the waterfall playing by the gushing, ice-cold water and basking on warm boulders. The seniors had a chance to understand and appreciate the local temples, coffee plantation and have a better understanding of the daily lives of the villagers living near the Bhote Koshi River during a tour on our way back to the resort. When the evening arrived, we began our ascent of the boulder outside the Borderlands Resort, where we practiced canyoning. We ended the day by the fire enjoying the sunset and nature around us.

On the fifth day, we were split into two groups – canyoning and team building activities and swapped later. We canyoned down a  Phase 1 and Phase 2 waterfall. It was an exhilarating experience for everyone involved. Back in our campground, we engaged in other team building activities that were more advanced than previous.

The final day was dedicated to rafting. The seniors had been eagerly anticipating this event since the first day, so packing and moving out was quick and efficient. The bus ride to the starting point for the rafting was an hour long and it was filled with singing, jokes, and meaningful conversations. The rafting itself was extremely fun, and it lived up to high expectations. The rapids were intense, and an individual even fell out of their raft! After rafting down the river, we were ready to go home.

Overall, the Seniors really enjoyed the trip; not only did we immerse ourselves in the local culture and the community through our service, but we also pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones.

– Class of 2019