Today is the 48th anniversary of TCV, and the Dalai Lama is the guest of honor. All of the Bridges to Understanding mentors and staff were invited to attend as VIPs.

Over 5,000 people attended the event and the campus was packed. Luckily we arrived early and settled into our front row seats in plenty of time. The crowds of monks, nuns and students in traditional costumes and school uniforms got louder and louder as his car drove into the arena.

The Dalai Lama nimbly ascended the staircase right in front of us. I was very overwhelmed but my husband Chris amiably said “hello” to him. The Dalai Lama grinned and returned the greeting!

The cultural program consisted of a parade, marching bands, dancers and (the highlight for us) the middle school performing a calisthenics display of which they have been practicing for hours and hours over the past few weeks.

We looked for our 12 Bridges to Understanding students as they created amazing formations, including spelling out Tibet Will Never Die, Inner Peace and World Peace:

The morning finished with a politically charged speech by the Dalai Lama in Tibetan. However, as my Tibetan is a little rusty (or actually non-existent since I don’t speak Tibetan) , Choeppel, one of the teachers, gave us a rough translation.

After lunch of traditional food and Tibetan butter tea (salty and undrinkable in my very British opinion) we were lucky enough to spot another VIP up close – The Karmapa.

We meet back up with our kids who are extremely excited to think we spotted them in their performance and I am reminded once again of their absent parents.

We decided as a group to ditch the three hour (fairly obscure) performance of the Tibetan opera and headed out for our last afternoon with the kids. They don’t get outside of their school walls more than once a month or so, so this was considered a huge treat.

They decided they wanted to go to Bhagsu so we started the long trek. We spotted many black faced langurs along the way and at one point ended up running from a bull near the church cemetery.

Some students and mentors went up to the waterfall we visited yesterday. Lhakpa, the constant guide, took us to a local Hindu temple. We had seen a few Hindu temples in Delhi but nothing like this. It was completely bonkers, starting with an entry through a lion’s mouth. Then you had to crawl on your knees through dark tunnels before reaching a shrine. This was all gleefully described by Lhakpa as the “Disneyland of religion.”

While we waited for the others near the temple pool, we finally discovered what a monk really wears under his robes:

I made a comment on the walk back into town that the kids must be getting tired after their performance and now a long hike. Menhla Tsomo replied back quietly, “Yes, it’s a long way. But not as long as our walk from Tibet.” I didn’t know what to say.

The mood picked up again when we reached the restaurant. We let the kids know we were treating and they ordered enough food for a small army! The evening was made even more special with the kids started making speeches to all of us, thanking us for the experience. Always fighting for the spotlight, Tenzin Seldon and Lekphel kept us entertained. At one point I thought Lekphel was going to thank the academy!

I looked around and the entire restaurant was watching us. I suddenly realized that the Bridges program had been a success and these kids had truly found their voices.

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Today we met with the Bridges to Understanding staff Lori & Tanya, & Josh, the photography instructor, to briefly discuss the mentoring aspect of the workshop. Suddenly 12 shy, but smiling, Tibetan students entered the classroom & dragged their chairs to the back of the room!

Lori got us up & moving around with an introductory aerobics session & energetic name game. I’ll never remember all of the Tibetan names, although about half of them start with Tenzin, so if in doubt that’s my best guess!

We started the workshop with a photography scavenger hunt with the kids, asking them to  take both explicit and implicit photos of fairly complex concepts such as dreams,  freedom and compassion. Pema, Palkyi & I ventured out in a rather nervous fashion, but I had nothing to worry about — these kids are smart and creative and as soon as a concept was explained to them, no matter how abstract, they totally got it and snapped some great shots.  I think the Getty Images’ photographers have some competition!

Picture by Palkyi

Picture by Pema

Picture by Pema

After presenting all of the work, we were taken on a tour of TCV,  and discovered most of the kids live in group houses, looked after by a house mother, as most of  the students are either orphaned or their parents are in  back in Tibet and the children escaped on their own when very young.  Only three of the students we met lived outside of the TCV, and some students don’t have any relatives at all.

The visit to the “baby house” was very entertaining. The kids grabbed us as soon as we arrived & insisted on showing us around, even though they couldn’t speak,  It was our first realization that although the kids were well loved, by the TCV staff, they were all still seeking attention and contact of any kind. Chris became a human climbing frame until he was rescued by Choeppel, one of the teachers.

The tour took us past the temple where we saw a monk teaching the finer points of debate to two focused students…

(image 30 monk)

…past many group houses, the football field & dozens of kids playing. Ping pong seemed to be a particular favorite.

There’s a tuck shop on site as well as a book shop and canteen.

The tour ended at the library, where I was again accosted, this time by 2 students who wanted me to help them read Dr Seuss. Try to explain the meaning of some of those words to Tibetan kids!

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