Hello all!
So much has happened since my last post, and so much is yet to come. I hope this finds all of you doing well and having your own, unique experiences wherever you are. Remember, you can have an extraordinary experience every day, if you know how to look at things.
This past week and a half, my friends and I have spent volunteering in lower Dharamsala at an Indian childcare program down there. It's a 15-20 minute ride down the mountain, and though I'm used to it now the trip is really a game of 'get as close as you can to pedestrians without hitting them...' The road is narrow and there are constant switchbacks. It's a wild ride, to be sure. Don't worry, I took a video this morning to remember the experience. The daycare itself is a one-room deal, literally. There is a table to set your bags on and a couple of benches, and the far side of the room is largely off-limits to the kids. There are a few 'toys' hanging from the walls, but we are forbidden from taking them down so the kids can play with them. We think that perhaps they have so few nice things there that the teacher and her assistant, an older lady who comes accross as pretty mean much of the time (she's been known to hit a kid or two) but then finds some things hilarious and has a delightful little cackle, are reluctant to let the kids demolish what they do have (sorry for the runon sentence). There are posters of the alphabet, numbers, body parts and other charts on the walls which are mighty useful, and we do have one ball that we use sparingly with the kids too. The whole thing has been a very interesting experience. All of the kids are adorable in their own way, but there are a few we lovingly call 'devil children' (aren't there always). The 'hitting' method runs rampant in Indian culture, and it shows in our daycare. Even the sweetest child will punch another kid in the face if he/she doesn't get their way, and I've watched them abuse and kick the two stray puppies who hang around outside the building multiple times. It's very frustrating, because I want to teach correct behavior but I know that, realistically, it's a lost cause. Many of the children are very intelligent, and it shows in the way they studiously complete the exercises their teacher prepares for them in their notebooks. Overall, it's been a great experience and I'm sad to leave the kids (especially the ones who have taken so long to open up), but tomorrow is our last day there.
Speaking of last days, the last member of my original group from Delhi, Suzie, left this evening. It was a very sad goodbye, and I am especially sad to see her go because I think I bonded with her more than any of the others. Not that they weren't all fantastic people, but Suzie and I clicked really well and have experienced the most together. Peggy and I will most certainly be visiting Suzie and her boyfriend in Quebec someday! (Hear that, Suzie? Be prepared for awesomesauce.) I feel very much like I am in transition mode today: new people have come in, one placement is ending and new experiences are beginning. I know that those are the tides of life, and I am truly excited for this next stage in the adventure, but there is always a sense of loss that accompanies saying goodbye to friends and places of comfort. There is always a sense of foreboding, of the unknown, when you venture into new experiences, but if you don't leap into the fray with your colors on your sleeve, what are you really doing with your life? I hope, as I've said before, that I am always displaying my colors proudly, and that the path I tread towards Christ would be well-seen and duly noted by others. It has been my greatest striving, this whole trip, to lead by example and show what a true Christian thinks, believes, and acts like. Hopefully my actions and behavior have glorified Him.
In the past two weeks, I have seen the Dalai Lama, witnessed angry Tibetans burn the Chinese flag, eaten delicious (and deliciously cheap) street food, shared a hard cider or two and enjoyed good times with some excellent people. Now, I look forward to this weekend and beyond: Tomorrow afternoon, Dawa, myself, the three new girls here and a group of Tibetan students studying German, are leaving Dharamsala to go experience a Buddhist pilgrimage south of Bir. Dawa hasn't been since he was a boy, and invited us to go along with him. Apparently a large aspect of it will be centered around meditation, which I am fine with. I could use a few hours of alone time with God. We are going to stay with Dawa's parents one night, and hopefully find a hotel room the next one, or two, nights. We don't actually know. It's a huge pilgrimage, so many people are participating and rooms are hard to find. However, I don't think we're coming back to Dharamsala until Saturday or Sunday. I'm really looking forward to it! It will be very interesting, and I get to have a sneak peek at Bir, where I'll be spending the last three or four weeks of my placement. There is a Tibetan monastery there, and I'll be teaching young Buddhist monks English. I hear it's an even nicer, more peaceful locale than Dharamsala so I'm certainly looking forward to that.
After we get back to Dharamsala, we start the 'real' volunteering, with Rogpa again. It will be a 'baby daycare' program, up to age 3, so I'm STOKED about starting! It's going to be a wild time, I just know it. Plus, March 10 marks the 53rd anniversary of the Dalai Lama's retreat to India from Tibet, and he will be giving a speech. There will also be, we hear, a massive demonstration of some sort.
Thank you for catching up with me! I'll post more pictures soon I'm sure. Please continue to pray for me, those I work with and those we are serving. So many people need the light of Christ in their lives here. I wish to continue being an example of what following that light looks like, and your uplifting prayers are much appreciated in that endeavor. Please also let me know how I can be praying for you! Send me a private message, or a fb message, or an email. I am happy to do whatever I can for you.
Take care all!
From Dharamsala,
Aaron
So much has happened since my last post, and so much is yet to come. I hope this finds all of you doing well and having your own, unique experiences wherever you are. Remember, you can have an extraordinary experience every day, if you know how to look at things.
This past week and a half, my friends and I have spent volunteering in lower Dharamsala at an Indian childcare program down there. It's a 15-20 minute ride down the mountain, and though I'm used to it now the trip is really a game of 'get as close as you can to pedestrians without hitting them...' The road is narrow and there are constant switchbacks. It's a wild ride, to be sure. Don't worry, I took a video this morning to remember the experience. The daycare itself is a one-room deal, literally. There is a table to set your bags on and a couple of benches, and the far side of the room is largely off-limits to the kids. There are a few 'toys' hanging from the walls, but we are forbidden from taking them down so the kids can play with them. We think that perhaps they have so few nice things there that the teacher and her assistant, an older lady who comes accross as pretty mean much of the time (she's been known to hit a kid or two) but then finds some things hilarious and has a delightful little cackle, are reluctant to let the kids demolish what they do have (sorry for the runon sentence). There are posters of the alphabet, numbers, body parts and other charts on the walls which are mighty useful, and we do have one ball that we use sparingly with the kids too. The whole thing has been a very interesting experience. All of the kids are adorable in their own way, but there are a few we lovingly call 'devil children' (aren't there always). The 'hitting' method runs rampant in Indian culture, and it shows in our daycare. Even the sweetest child will punch another kid in the face if he/she doesn't get their way, and I've watched them abuse and kick the two stray puppies who hang around outside the building multiple times. It's very frustrating, because I want to teach correct behavior but I know that, realistically, it's a lost cause. Many of the children are very intelligent, and it shows in the way they studiously complete the exercises their teacher prepares for them in their notebooks. Overall, it's been a great experience and I'm sad to leave the kids (especially the ones who have taken so long to open up), but tomorrow is our last day there.
Speaking of last days, the last member of my original group from Delhi, Suzie, left this evening. It was a very sad goodbye, and I am especially sad to see her go because I think I bonded with her more than any of the others. Not that they weren't all fantastic people, but Suzie and I clicked really well and have experienced the most together. Peggy and I will most certainly be visiting Suzie and her boyfriend in Quebec someday! (Hear that, Suzie? Be prepared for awesomesauce.) I feel very much like I am in transition mode today: new people have come in, one placement is ending and new experiences are beginning. I know that those are the tides of life, and I am truly excited for this next stage in the adventure, but there is always a sense of loss that accompanies saying goodbye to friends and places of comfort. There is always a sense of foreboding, of the unknown, when you venture into new experiences, but if you don't leap into the fray with your colors on your sleeve, what are you really doing with your life? I hope, as I've said before, that I am always displaying my colors proudly, and that the path I tread towards Christ would be well-seen and duly noted by others. It has been my greatest striving, this whole trip, to lead by example and show what a true Christian thinks, believes, and acts like. Hopefully my actions and behavior have glorified Him.
In the past two weeks, I have seen the Dalai Lama, witnessed angry Tibetans burn the Chinese flag, eaten delicious (and deliciously cheap) street food, shared a hard cider or two and enjoyed good times with some excellent people. Now, I look forward to this weekend and beyond: Tomorrow afternoon, Dawa, myself, the three new girls here and a group of Tibetan students studying German, are leaving Dharamsala to go experience a Buddhist pilgrimage south of Bir. Dawa hasn't been since he was a boy, and invited us to go along with him. Apparently a large aspect of it will be centered around meditation, which I am fine with. I could use a few hours of alone time with God. We are going to stay with Dawa's parents one night, and hopefully find a hotel room the next one, or two, nights. We don't actually know. It's a huge pilgrimage, so many people are participating and rooms are hard to find. However, I don't think we're coming back to Dharamsala until Saturday or Sunday. I'm really looking forward to it! It will be very interesting, and I get to have a sneak peek at Bir, where I'll be spending the last three or four weeks of my placement. There is a Tibetan monastery there, and I'll be teaching young Buddhist monks English. I hear it's an even nicer, more peaceful locale than Dharamsala so I'm certainly looking forward to that.
After we get back to Dharamsala, we start the 'real' volunteering, with Rogpa again. It will be a 'baby daycare' program, up to age 3, so I'm STOKED about starting! It's going to be a wild time, I just know it. Plus, March 10 marks the 53rd anniversary of the Dalai Lama's retreat to India from Tibet, and he will be giving a speech. There will also be, we hear, a massive demonstration of some sort.
Thank you for catching up with me! I'll post more pictures soon I'm sure. Please continue to pray for me, those I work with and those we are serving. So many people need the light of Christ in their lives here. I wish to continue being an example of what following that light looks like, and your uplifting prayers are much appreciated in that endeavor. Please also let me know how I can be praying for you! Send me a private message, or a fb message, or an email. I am happy to do whatever I can for you.
Take care all!
From Dharamsala,
Aaron
Ha! I think there might be a particular devil child you might be referring too.
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