Q When did you decide to take action ?
A It has always been in the back of my mind , but it was about the right timing . It was right after the film festival and I wanted to film this experience . I wanted to do something that hadn ’ t been done before .
Q Recount what it was like when you first landed in Kathmandu , Nepal
A I was waiting in line and gave my passport [ to airport officials ] and they asked for a visa . At that point my heart started beating fast . I did so much to get here and now I don ’ t have a visa . But luckily it was possible to get a visa on arrival so I got the visa . I got my luggage and was expecting that my tour guide would meet me outside , but my flight was delayed and no one was there . I didn ’ t have a local number and no access to the internet so I couldn ’ t contact him . I crossed the road and then I saw my name on a green sign and my tour guide greeted me with a scarf and took me to the hotel .
Q What challenges did you face in Nepal ?
A The biggest challenge was being completely alone . Not having internet connection and not having electricity
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to charge my phone or my camera ; in Nepal they only have electricity for 12 hours a day . I don ’ t mind leaving the hotel and taking a walk , but the tour guide told me to stay in the hotel while we were in Kathmandu . It was completely silent in the hotel , so I decided to look at the view . I thought , ‘ I ’ m here in Kathmandu , the capital , and I ’ m bored . What am I going to do in the village ?’ I started to regret not bringing a friend with me . I began to plan for my film .
Q Why did you choose Nepal and not somewhere else ?
A I ’ ve always cared about poverty and I wanted to help , but never actually had a concrete chance to help . This was a chance for me to physically help and to gather footage to raise awareness about this issue . When I told my friends about this they said I was crazy . Even if my friends wanted to come , I probably wouldn ’ t want to go with my friends . It would take away from the experience . When I was there and took grasp of things I thanked God that I came here alone because it was the only way I could actually take full advantage of the trip .
Q What did you do in the village of Bandipur ?
A I like the community that was there . I was working in the Learning Center and I was interested in teaching film . The kids would come outside of my room ten minutes before class and ask to go to the Learning Center . They knew my name by the second day . They would go to the Learning Center in the morning for English and Mathematics and then they go to school and return in the afternoon for help with homework . The best way I saw that I could help was to completely give all that I can in the two hour classes each day . Generally , the whole trip was very nice and by the end of it I was thinking about when I was going to come back again . Two of my friends went to Nepal as a result of hearing about my experience . One of them went to the same village I stayed in and the children were asking about me . When I was there , they had computers so I was teaching them how to type and we set up emails for them . A lot of them still send emails to me .
Q How can we eradicate poverty ?
A It ’ s raising awareness about the issue . If people know about the issue , then subconsciously they would want to help . That was part of the reason I wanted to film this experience because I wanted people to see it and then think about helping . People who have power need to put [ ending poverty ] as a priority . They have power , they have a voice , they have people who follow them . They need to find out ways to solve it .
Q What advice would you give to children and young adults who want to make a meaningful difference to society ?
A A lot of times , throughout my life , I want to do [ something ] but I think I can ’ t because that ’ s something adults do . There ’ s this barrier between what the youth can do . My advice would be to try . If you have an idea or something you want to do , then just try . People will start to believe in you