My trip to Nepal would turn out to be the defining factor that got me interested in photography

It was 2007 and I had just recently graduated from college, not knowing what to do with my life, I decided to look into doing volunteer work in a foreign country. I searched online and found work in Nepal and immediately contacted the person to setup an arrangement.

2007年，我剛從大學畢業，當時不知道人生想幹嘛，家人建議出去看看，所以我想説不如去當義工吧。也不清楚當時爲啥選上去尼泊爾，上網查詢後，跟一個當地人聯係上就決定要去了。一切決定都非常迅速，沒想太多。

Excited, and a little anxious, I booked the flight to Kathmandu and packed my belongings into a large backpack. Then I was off. It all happened quite quickly.

興奮中帶點焦慮，我訂了飛往加德滿都的機票，行李打包到一個大背包就出發了。

The first week, my volunteering coordinator set me up with work on an organic farm. It was an awesome experience and I soon discovered the humble hospitality of the Nepalese people. I was learning simple Nepali phrases to communicate with them better and to appreciate their culture.

到尼泊爾的第一周，我被安排到有機農場幫忙。這是一段非常棒的經歷，不久就感受到尼泊爾人之熱情款待。我也努力學習簡單的尼泊爾語，更好地與他們溝通，並欣賞他們的文化。

The house I lived in during my stay at the farm. 那時住的房子。

Volunteering as a math teacher

Soon after my work on the farm had ended, I was relocated to a rural countryside school in the Kavre district. There I lived with the principle of the school and his family. In the daytime, I helped teach math to grade school children.

在農場工作結束後不久，我被安排到一所鄉村學校教書。在那裡，我與校長及他家人同居。白天時，我擔任國小數學老師的職位。

The village school and students. 學校及學生們。

On special holidays, I would participate along with the locals, and had essentially become a member of the family I was staying with. I've witnessed weddings, animal sacrifices, and even a holiday where everyone got high on cannabis.

我和當地居民一同慶祝各大節日，校長也把我當成他的家庭成員。我參加了婚禮，目睹了動物犧牲儀式，甚至吸大麻的節日我都有參與。

The scene after a ritual animal sacrifice. 動物犧牲儀式後的場地。

My journey into photography

During my trip, I used a small point-and-shoot camera that I had brought to Nepal, the Pentax Optio S5i. I had no concept of photography at that time.

整個旅行中，我用了一台小型傻瓜相機記錄，當時我完全沒有攝影的概念。

Then one day I borrowed some books from the local village library, most of which were donated by other countries, some books on various topics in photography. I began to read them and was drawn to the contents, it was an eye opener! I became excited with each passing day as my knowledge of photography began to grow, the world around me literally began to change from that moment on.

直到一天我從村落的圖書館借了一些書（其中絕大部分是由其他國家捐贈的），一些攝影專題的書籍。書的内容把我給吸引住了，并且使我一開眼界！隨著我的攝影知識開始增加，從那幾天開始我每天都很興奮，周圍的世界從那一刻開始逐漸變化。

I was looking for shots everywhere with my new found knowledge, and was so fascinated by it. It soon became apparent that this was the hobby for me, and I quickly noticed the limitations of my little point-and-shoot camera, but kept shooting anyway. I even shot during the government mandated power outages, like this one during supper:

配備著新學來的知識，我帶著相機到處拍，並從周圍開始注意到曾未發現的細節。我的興趣大概就是這個時候開始培養出來的，雖然相機有所限制，但還是不斷拍攝。我甚至在政府強制停電時段照樣拍：

Candle-lit suppers are not uncommon in Nepal. 在尼泊爾常見的斷電。

The kids were fascinated with my camera and also in the photos I shot of them. I even learned the Nepalese phrase for people's permission to photograph them!

孩子們看到相機也充滿好奇心，一個個跑來看我把他們拍成什麽樣子。我甚至學習如何用尼泊爾語問，“我可以拍你的相片嗎？”

Kids being kids during recess. 開心的孩子們。

After six months living and teaching math in Nepal, I felt I needed to switch life paths, and ended my trip. It turned out to be one of the best experiences in my life!

在尼泊爾生活和教學六個月後，我覺得我的旅行到了一個段落。那六個月是我人生中最好的經歷之一！

And that my fellow Steemians, is how I got my feet wet in the wonderful world of photography!

這就是我踏入攝影之路的故事。

To be continued...

未完待續...

Hope you enjoyed this post! I strive hard to provide quality content :)

My goal is to share with this wonderful community my passion in photography, and hopefully contribute to the awesome inspirational content on Steemit.

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