Drikung Kaygu Rinchen Ling Monastery

High in the mountains of Nepal, at the Drikung Kagyu Rinchen Ling Monastery, I spent 4.5 unforgettable months living alongside a community of young monks. I had come as a volunteer English teacher, but what I received in return went far beyond language lessons.

Every day, I taught classes—five days a week—helping the young monks develop their English skills with curiosity and laughter. But my time there wasn’t limited to the classroom. I lived among them, shared simple, nourishing meals in silence or soft conversation, and joined them in daily meditation, often surrounded by the echo of chanting and the smell of incense.

The rhythm of monastery life was both humbling and grounding. Waking with the sun, walking barefoot on cool stone floors, and witnessing the discipline, kindness, and joy of these boys changed the way I saw the world. It was a rare window into a different way of being—quiet, connected, and deeply present.

That chapter of my life remains one of the most meaningful—both as a teacher and as a student of life.