Sweet, sweet times

Hello all! I apologize for the tardiness of this post, but I have ample excuses, I assure you! I am safe and happy here in McLeod Ganj, if not a little weakened by a case of giardia (I’m pretty set on living off of digestive biscuits and apple juice for the next few months – food now frightens me. I’m fairly sure I have a permanent aversion to Indian food specifically).

My days here are full and chaotic – I’m currently a volunteer at Volunteer Tibet, teaching one English class a day and leading a conversation class in the evening along with the other volunteers; I’m a volunteer writer for a newsletter and my first article should be published within the next 24 hours (!!) ; and lastly, I’m a volunteer editor at the Tibetan Women’s Association – I’m helping them write/edit a book that they’re writing for the 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s escape from Tibet in 1959 (there are lots of projects like this being undertaken all over the world). Not only am I volunteering at these three non-profits, but I am living – along with another American from Idaho named Travis – with 4 Tibetan guys – Dhondup, Rikden, Yangsham, and Jamyang – and helping them prepare for a big English fluency test in the spring.  We live in an aparment a ways out of town, a 10-minute hike up the hill to the center of the village.  And when I say “up”, I mean “up” – in order to get anywhere around here, you’re pretty much guaranteed at least a decent thigh-blasting 10 minutes.

An average day usually goes something like this:
Up at 7 or 8, and a breakfast of thimu (or steamed buns) and tea (the boys do most of the cooking – I usually take care of it on the weekends – and it is GOOD).
9 – 11 I help the guys with vocab questions from their reading and I pick 2 articles from the daily paper for them to read and review. I also prepare for my class which goes from 11-12.

After my class, I head next door to the paper that I work for (where I am currently, mooching the free internet) and either write, or do an interview. Sarah, a girl from California who arrived at the same time I did in Dharamsala, also works here. We’ve come to the conclusion that we were separated at birth. The similarities are uncanny. The director, is the BEST – he has a great sense of humor, and working in the office is one of the highlights of my day.

At around 2, I head over to the Women’s Association to edit/write for their book which needs to be done by mid-March. The women who work there are some of the most inspiring, strong, motivated women I’ve ever met. The director (a VERY prominant figure on the human rights scene) is warm, personable, and understanding. Working there has proved to be a great experience. The fact that they give the volunteers lunch and tea also helps ;D

At 4 I head to conversation class which, oftentimes, is the best part of the day. The students I talk with are SO motivated, and the conversations always leave me thinking. It’s surprising to me how willing – if not eager – the students are to talk about their experiences in Tibet and their journey across the Himalayas to India. It’s not something I try to bring up or press, and yet each class the subject seems to come up. The stories are mind-blowing, and it’s even more heart-breaking to see the struggles that Tibetan refugees face even after they’ve made the arduous trek across the mountains (which can take up to a month). Their status as refugees doesn’t permit them to travel outside of the country, and getting higher education is, oftentimes, next to impossible. TB and HIV are rampant in the community, in addition to a growth of substance abuse problems among the younger generations (the general health of the community is what my article for the Post is about).  I think that my students have taught me more than I’ve taught them – being here has made me value my ability to get a higher education to an insane degree.  I realize now just how many things I take for granted in The States, and just how many opportunities I have that many of my students probably will never have.

After class, I usually have a little private session with 3 or 4 of my students.  They are all sisters between the ages of 9 and 14, and they are wonderful.   They – like most of my students who are not monks – are studying at the Tibetan Children’s Village and are on vacation.  Yeah, that’s right – they all study on vacation.  I can count on a class of around 40-50 people each day, and most of them are on holiday and will return to school in March.

I head home at around 5:30 and help prepare dinner – usually steamed momos (kind of like veggie dumplings), or thenthuk (vegetable and noodle soup), or some masterful creation undertaken by myself and Rikden, who once worked at the Namgyal Cafe here in McLeod Ganj which is famous for its pizza.

So, as you can gather, this part of the trip has taken a turn more towards the political and less the spiritual.  Each day is an adventure, but I’m always rewarded with a little home and a family to come back to at the end of each day.  In addition to “Ju”, “Julia Rabbit” (a nickname my roommates have for me, derived from “Julia Roberts”…I don’t really know…), and “Jules”, I answer to “Teacher”, a name I’m coming to like a lot.