Last week, we welcomed a group of four Nepalese students and their Headmaster Mr Binod Gurung, who travelled to the UK from Bhu Pu school, in the town of Besisahar, Lamjung Province. In their words, this was a life-changing experience.
This visit is part of our wider Nepal partnership links with Tormead School, which developed from a charitable impulse following the tragic death of OG Alex Ewart (2003) in Nepal during his gap year, and has evolved into a genuine reciprocal partnership. It was a successful week for our three schools: a week of learning, understanding, and exchange. It has been a delight to see our students and our visitors cherish their time together during the school day, and to appreciate their enthusiasm for being exposed, on both sides, to such interesting cultures and experiences. This visit has effectively illustrated some of the values which are at the core of our community: inclusivity, respect, and curiosity towards different cultures.
The Nepalese students were immensely thankful for this unique opportunity, which they managed to secure thanks to their hard work at school, as these places are awarded to them for academic excellence. It was poignant to hear their heartfelt thanks during our Middle School assembly at the beginning of our week together, which did not leave our students indifferent.
The four visitors, who were buddied up to some of our Forth Form students during their time at RGS, have genuinely enjoyed experiencing the academic standards of our school, as well as the breath of our co-curricular activities. They also had a chance to visit Guildford and our very own Chained Library, in their meeting with our Headmaster, which they truly appreciated.
The week culminated in an evening of celebration on Thursday 27th April: our visitors, dressed
up in some beautiful traditional dresses, some of the RGS and Tormead students with their
parents, colleagues from both schools, and Alex’s parents joined what was a joyful event for
our community, among good food, laughter and fundraising games.
Our students are now looking forward to visiting their new friends later this year, in what will
certainly be an equally enriching experience for them.
