It was 3 February 2019, around 2:30 pm, when my flight landed in Kathmandu airport. It was a volunteer trip organized by Build Abroad, an NGO that works towards rebuilding communities using low cost and sustainable ways. I had volunteered to rebuild a house for women, who lost her house and husband during the 2015 Earthquake, using Earthbag technology. At around 3 pm, I stepped outside the airport where I was greeted by Bandana, an employee of Build Abroad. She escorted me to their head office in Lainchore. It was originally an apartment, which was being used as an office. The volunteers were accommodated within the office. I relaxed for a while and spent the day exploring the nearby localities. The next day, on 4 February, I was introduced to two other volunteers- John from the USA and Katrina from Australia. Together, we spent the entire day exploring the city and getting to know each other. The next morning, on 5 February, we left for the village where we were supposed to volunteer. Moving up to the village on hills via unmetalled road was a thrilling experience. We reached the village at around 3 pm. We were greeted with many happy faces. The village was very underdeveloped, with unmetalled and uneven roads, no street lights and no facilities like hospitals and police stations. But somehow it managed to mesmerize us with its natural beauty. Bearing greenery everywhere, the village sat in the lap of the Himalayas. Every morning, the village witnessed the mesmerizing moment when the sun peeked from behind the snow-covered mountains and every night, it witnessed the moon outshining the small beads of light. We were supposed to stay with the same family that we were serving and adapt to their lifestyle. The house that we were staying in had a living unit, one kitchen, and one bathroom, all three detached from each other. With no street lights, it was almost impossible to use the washroom after dark. After being welcomed, we were offered tea and some snacks. We spent the rest of the day, relaxing and interacting with the locals. In an era, when we look for a motive in every action, I was easily absorbed into their simple lifestyle. The next day, on 6 February, we strapped on a pair of working pants and with excitement in heart, moved towards the site where we were demonstrated the Earthbag construction techniques. Together, the three of us mixed the cement, prepared the plaster and started plastering the Earthbag walls. At around noon, we were offered some tea and snacks. After a break of half an hour, we carried on with our work and this time, we were helped by the kids as well. Together all of us managed to plaster the interior walls that day. At around 5 pm, we wind up all the work and moved back to our rooms. The next day was spent similarly. On 8 February, we decided to go for hiking to the Namobuddha monastery. Beautiful, as the experience was, so was it equally tiring. The weather added to our difficulties. On our way back to the house, it started raining heavily, thereby filling the uneven and muddy roads with water. Somehow, we managed to go back to the house safely. We couldn’t work that day due to prolonged and heavy rainfall. It kept raining all day and spent the entire day sitting under a blanket and a novel in hand. I went to bed at around 9 pm. It was our last night in the village. The trip which seemed very beautiful until now ended on an adventurous note. Due to the prolonged rainfall, the roads leading to the village were filled with water. Even the roads leading from Kathmandu to the village became very slippery and highly unsafe for travel. As a result, all the buses were canceled. I had a flight to catch the next day and could not afford any delay. The contractor and I stood at the tea stall near the bus stop, waiting for any mode of transport that was available. The contactor then suggested going up to the monastery to see if it had any tourist bus. With heavy luggage, we hiked up to the monastery through slippery tracks. To add to our difficulties, it started raining again. Somehow, we managed to reach the monastery. The difficult day finally gave us some relief. There was a bus which was about to leave in half an hour. We just made it just on time. I thanked my contactor and boarded the bus. Looking outside the window, I admired the village for the last time. I came there to give something to the villagers but found myself taking twice the happiness back with me. The villagers manage to stay happy even with minimal facilities. This trip gave me a fresh perspective and great respect for life.