Swapping Chocolate for Porridge

News Release: Tuesday 1 May, 2012

Swapping Chocolate for Porridge

At Easter many kiwis gouged on chocolate and enjoyed the late summer sun, while two Queen Margaret College girls ate porridge and climbed altitudes well above Mt Cook. Year 12 students Michelle Lancaster (from Lower Hutt) and Olivia Chrisp (from Seatoun) grasped the opportunity to trek in Nepal with a company called Youth to Everest lead by John Gully.

Joining 35 students from around New Zealand they began their journey with a short stay in Kathmandu. From there they flew to Lukla, landing in one of the worst airports in the world, making ‘windy’ Wellington’s airport seem tame. The approach is through cloudy mountain peaks and the runway is so short it actually slopes, leaving little time to stop.

On the landing, they knew their creature comforts were far gone as they started the ten day trek in the Himalayas. Stopping at villages along the way such as Phadking, Namche and Deboche, enabled them to experience the culture and lifestyle of the Nepalese. The girls discovered a very plain lifestyle with basic amenities, rough paths and lots of noodle soup. However the spirit of the people was admirable. This is a society which survives without iPhones and facebook Michelle observed, “They are always happy about the smallest things”.

During their visit to the village of Phadking, the girls participated in a reforestation project which involved preparing seedlings for later distribution. The group prepared over 1000 seedlings. In their spare time they enjoyed playing sports and interacted with the local people, in particular the children.
Reaching a height of 4,100m above sea level challenged them physically and mentally. Michelle explains, “The altitude made it very easy to get out of breath”. Throughout the trek they forged strong connections with local Nepalese, met Sir Edmund Hillary’s close friends and were blessed by Lama Geshe.

Both say words cannot describe how amazing and life-changing the experience was in Nepal. The girls strongly recommend going on a Youth to Everest trek, which they have completed in order to achieve their Gold Duke of Edinburgh.

Attached is a photo of the girls during their trek; Olivia Chrisp is on the Left and Michelle Lancaster on the right.

Background Information:
Queen Margaret College is a leading independent Presbyterian Girls’ College. It offers holistic education from Pre-School through to Year 13 and the choice of the qualification pathways of IB (International Baccalaureate) Diploma and NCEA. QMC is a College with an international perspective that delivers a high-quality, globally-relevant curriculum within a family atmosphere.
www.qmc.school.nz
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