"I was just so powerfully struck by what this experience meant to you as teachers. It's amazing how much advantage you get in teaching out of a very short, intense time and I think we need to remember that these experiences can be really big experiences in the teaching world--and we ought to think about how to create more of them." --Bruce Payne, Executive Director of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation

"You [teachers] are bringing back to schools what is such an important part of the East and I am so impressed because I always say there are only three things—you want to inspire kids, you want to educate them, and then they have to take action. From this they will carry away with them something that they can use in their own lives. I think we as a group need to recognize the Rubin Museum for having generated this, so that we can open our eyes to the East as Americans. It is an extraordinary step—imagine if this could be done all over the country, wouldn’t it be a far more compassionate, understanding world?" --Stephen Spahn, Chancellor, The Dwight School

Lyssa and Laura offering butter lamps in Dharamsala on the Dalai Lama's birthday

Sandy with Khen Rinpoche, founder of Siddhartha School

3am---------Dharamsala July 6th, I think. Oh my, so far an amazing journey. This hotel Pema Thang is charming, a view of the mountains, lovely balcony-just terrific. My body on some other time zone. The trip from Delhi on a small bus didn't work out very well. It was an adventure---grueling but we are here after a sleepless plane ride, bus ride—jeep ride that I shall never forget. The trucks and bus horns will be with me forevermore---70 miles an hour passing trucks that are highly decorated, personalized and look like toys a child might create---no side walks --women in beautiful brightly colored clothing always hard at work, always beautiful with beads, veils. Men handsome and dark. People sleeping almost anywhere, on meridians, along the side of the road--truckstops playing Bollywood, a dog barks outside. I have not walked through town yet. I want to go to the Temple at 6:30 for morning prayers.

Julley! (hello, please, thank you & goodbye in Ladakh--it's all purpose!)

We started the day riding the Siddhartha school bus into Stok with about 60 students and teachers standing in the aisles and sitting on top of each other. Khen Rinpoche a Buddhist abbot started this school 10 years ago to serve the children of Ladakh. We came earlier with a group of teachers to observe, meet the students pre k-10th grade and in some cases teach a short lesson. Apparently the 3rd grade missed out on the day so they insisted we return. My friend Laura and I met 25 students in the 3rd grade class and they drew pictures of life in Ladakh for us to exchange with students in New York. It was a blast- the children so full of joy.

Lyssa and I had a great day and stayed almost as busy as you have been keeping us. But we do have a few questions, and as we are unable to pester you immediately, we thought we'd find a slower method...

We did end up going to the Siddhartha School this morning - one of the highlights for me was actually the bus ride there, as we were in a smallish school bus (think size of the coach to Dharamsala, but with more seats) that eventually picked up approx 60 students and teachers! Most of the preschoolers had a tough time hauling themselves up the first step, and had to get hoisted by their peers. It was introduced to the entire morning assembly that we were going to teach an art class (oops) but it was a lot of fun, and we have a whole mess of student work to show for it...

Anyhow, the questions actually come from the second part of the day. We eventually made it back to the city in time to see the sand mandala ceremony at the monastery (which I hadn't realized was actually part of the group of related monasteries that Khen Rinpoche presides over).

The trip has been truly fantastic and awesome in all senses of those words. Lyssa and I left the group this morning, but I still feel carried by the surge of energy that David and Alex's insights and passion for the subject brought to the group. I have a few contacts now in Leh, and am hoping to set up a meeting or two in the next few days -- particularly with a conservationist working on preserving monastery murals (we think) who David gave me contact info for.

Laura K.

Kate

To my great joy, the luggage has arrived!!! Well, at least mine did - some of the other's bags are still to be heard from. I hope for my friends’ sake that their luggage turns up soon. I'm glad I got my bag - I had bought a thangka in Dharamsala and didn't want to lose it. Also, my journal was in the bag, and I was looking forward to recording the rest of my India adventure in it.

There is a monastery in the center of town, and I was privileged today to get a look at a sand mandala that the monks were putting together. For anyone who hasn't seen this process, it involves dripping small bits of colored sand in intricate patterns, building up, grain by grain, a map of the path to enlightenment (about 5 ft in diameter). I have some great pictures.

Also of note, the scenery here is quite striking. When we came in on the plane, we flew over the Himalayas - nothing but mountainous desert for hundreds of miles, and the occasional verdant green spot where these tenacious humans have actually succeeded in getting stuff to grow. It's astounding. I made an attempt to photograph some of the mountains, and I think I've got some nice shots to bring home.

We're up in the Himalayas now, Ladakh. Absolutely stunning. This morning, I went to two (smallish) mountaintop monasteries and one stupa on the top of a mountain. The stupa was at six am and kind of winded me for our schlepping around later on. Still, there's an exhilaration and lightness and beauty being up so high, the colors painted on the Buddhist images are that much more vibrant and the landscape is stunning--a lot of barren brown gigantic mountains with a few snow peaks left (global warming?) and then brilliant patches of green in the irrigated parts of the valleys. We went to a school for Tibetan refugee children, but need to go back tomorrow, since they were expecting us in the morning. So, standing in the parking lot of an already stark landscape, I started playing with three or four little boys, drawing a line in the dry dirt with a pointed stone, and leaping over it to see how far we could jump.

and enjoying their creations

In Dharamsala, I felt as if I was in another realm -- geographically because of the location of our hotel (high above the city and with a perfect few of the Namgial Monastery and the residence of the Dalai Lama and spiritually because of the sense of the sacred that seemed to be very real in Dharamsala. We were all at the monastery for the celebration of the Dalai Lama's birthday and experienced it in different ways. I watched some of the dances, music, and speeches by dignitaries and then did a cirumambulation around the grounds that was incredible -- prayer flags everywhere, shrines, beautiful colors of text on rocks, etc. And most wonderfully the day was very misty, so that at times, the mist rolled in and pieces of the landscape and shrine disappeared and reappeared -- quite primeval and wonderful. In any event, the day of celebration was remarkable and we were very much a part of it.

Jullay Brad!

This trip has been wonderful. We have been running around trying to see all the sights and have been loving them all. Each day has been filled with exciting opportunities to open our minds to the ideas and culture of the Himalayas. We have explored Tibetan Buddhism with talks with Lama Tenzin, a visit with the Karmapa answering questions about teaching, to the awe inspiring Sikh temple - The Golden Temple in Armistar. The people have been warm and welcoming as little old ladies help us through a prayer service making sure we get the most out of it. The food has been wonderful and flavorful, I think we all eat our weight at each meal! I have thoroughly enjoyed the fruit of the region especially the mangos and apricots! We will be visiting the Siddhartha school tomorrow and I am really looking forwards to meeting the kids! More to come!

Erica