top of page

REVIEWS FROM OLD GUESTS

Aurore Lab

France

I went to Nepal for 3 months in 2016. After a first experience in a Nepalese family that did not happen as I wanted, I met the Karki family and especially Shanti & Rousie. They immediately made me feel "at home" and live an incredible and unforgettable experience. We have discussed and laughed a lot and I have the chance to share with them great moments, visits and outings together to discover more deeply Nepalese culture. They helped me, comforted me, surrounded me when I needed them, and for me, they will always be my Nepalese family. I know I will be back one day and I know it will be a shared happiness! I highly and sincerely recommend this adorable family. 

Monica Reis Danai

Florence, Italy

An authentic journey that has touched my heart. Living with this family has made me feel welcome at home and really in touch with the uses, the habits of local people. It's hard to describe what you really should experience. A wonderful experience that gave me the opportunity to know the local context, the wonderful people, not just as a visitor but a real dive into the cultural context. Rousie is sweet, smart, kind and helpful. She will help you with her tour tips and paths to accomplish. And a big thank to all the fantastic women I met. Thank you for your force, the solidarity and sense of community you have taught and for all your wonderful smiles that I will never forget.  

Alice David

Quebec, Montreal

Nepal, a totally unknown country, with its own and unique culture, nature and environment. I have to admit that I felt lost in the Kathmandu chaos. It's easy to feel lost here. I also felt lost in my volunteering project. I thought it was going nowhere, I thought maybe it wasn't the right country for me. Then, I found them. I got to know them. I fell in love with them. More than once. Shanti, Ram and Rousie Karki. My new Nepali family. They laugh all the time, and their early morning smiles and "Namaste" (and milk teas) are more than heart (and belly) warming. It is quite hard to find people like that in this crazy world. They welcomed me in their house like if it was meant to be. Like if I belonged here with them. It has been only 2 months and I feel like I have known them forever. They feed me WAY too much (I don't fit in my clothes anymore!!)  My host mother welcomed my brother as if he was her own son (and also fed him WAY too much). Spending time talking and laughing with them every day is a priceless gift.
I absolutely love having a sister; I help her with her studies, she helps me understand the Nepali culture by answering my ENDLESS questions and by helping me putting on my sari and tikas. We share so many unforgettable moments every day, which always end up by a general laugh with my Nepali mommy - especially when I try to make momos. They are lovely, brave, generous and their kindness is above and beyond what I could expect. I am so blessed to have had the chance to end up in that family.

Katharina Sollfrank

Germany

Just imagine being in a country, where the 30 people in a 12-seat bus all together create space for a 31st person. Or a country, where you come to the house of someone you’ve never met before and the first thing you get is a cup of tea. This is Nepal. Who made Kathmandu a home for me are my dear Nepali friends: My host family, the Thapas and their relatives, the Karkis. The Karkis, that are Shanti, an extremely loving and very tough woman, Ram, her husband, who is always in the mood for a joke, and their daughter Rousie – the very best guide, master in bargaining (so if you need any souvenirs …) and last but not least a wonderful dear friend. The Karki family has given a home to volunteers for many years. When I met them, Alan from Hongkong and Gautier from Belgium lived there. Although I was not “their” guest, Shanti and Rousie organized some work for me at a nearby orphanage. If you have ever thought about doing social works in another country, you might have realized, that the prices you have to pay for NGOs are huge.  Rousie and her family know best, where help is needed. They are in contact with schools and communities and can offer you the opportunity to be involved in social activities.

If you think of visiting Nepal not only as a normal tourist (I’m sure, Rousie’s family will also do tourist program with you!) and also doing something good to this wonderful country, then think of taking part in Aamako Sapana. I can strongly recommend it! If you are in doubts about anything or if you have questions concerning the life as a foreigner in Nepal, just feel free to contact me! You can find my email address , kathifix@gmx.de. Namaste and see you in Nepal! (I’m already planning my next trip.)

Chung Leung Alan Wan

Hongkong

To describe the bonding between me and Mr. Karki’s Family, it was indeed a sheer coincidence which later blossomed into a friendship that, at least from my point of view, can only be rivaled by real familial bonding, a bonding that I would say all of us could not have envisaged. To begin with and be honest, I have never been a “family guy” ever since I started to have a conscious mind. Being a part of a family, especially communicating with my parents, are two big daunting obstacles that I have yet to overcome. Because of this, I did not expect anything out of ordinary when I was told that I will be assigned to a host family, I even felt the urge to tell the NGO I worked for that I am more than willing to pay extra fees just to make sure that I do not have to share my life with someone else. I think , in retrospect, it was one of the most idiotic ideas that I have ever had in my life and it could easily have had my journey in Nepal ruined. Thanks God I did not fall for my idiocy. It is really hard to attribute my love for Mr.Karki’s family to a single factor. With that being said, I think I have a better answer now regarding my unexpected emotion; it was always about the warmth that I felt when they were around, knowing that someone at home would actually care about your mundane daily routine in office had me convinced that despite my temporary visiting and different cultural belief and thus demeanor, I was accepted to become a part of the family . I miss those moments when I had a long day in the office and came back home with a weary shell, they would open the door for me with beaming smiles and ask me how my day was. I did get deeply moved by them and believe that they carried them out with real interests and concerns. Now that I am back to where I am from and I have to admit that I miss those moments terribly. To a certain extent, because of them I understand myself way more than ever before, which is me as a person do crave for family life. Apart from their tremendous hospitality, I also marveled at their determination of improving the situation of their home country. Although it is just my highly biased perception, I do think that “helping out my motherland/fight for my country” is something that easier said than done, something that people enthusiastically mention all the time without having the thought of putting those chanting into practice. However, judging by the fact that Mr.Karki’s family has dedicated themselves to voluntary works for more than twenty years without ever having the thought of bringing it to an end, I have to say that I have faith in them and thus I recommend Mr.Karki’s family to all the prospective volunteers who would like to make Nepal become a better place. They are real, they are authentic, and they are committed to their courses with great passion and enthusiasm. I for one can guarantee that if you choose Mr.Karki’s family as your voluntary partner, you would undoubtedly have an extraordinary experience in this beautiful land, cheers. 

Please reload

bottom of page