13
Location: Dharamsala
Today we struggled up the 300 steps once again. Though we were told that the stairs would get less challenging every day, it seems to get harder each day. But the Nutella pancakes and bananas were waiting for us, so that was our one single motivation.
My learning partner and I decided to pair up with Molly and her partner to ride a rickshaw down to the Christian church and the cemetery right next to it. Most of the buried people were British, so it was really interesting to think about what Dharamsala was like in the 19th century. We talked about our religious beliefs and what we think happens to us when we die, which was interesting. We went to a cafe, and we read a thought-provoking article about the Dalai Lama together.
After lunch, we went to the TCV village homes of the children in groups of three. The kids ranged from age 6 to 13 and had a variety of English levels. It was awkward at first, but as we played games with them, they opened up more and more. By the time that we left, they were laughing and having a great time.
Then we went to visit the non-government organization of Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) and were introduced to what they do. The SFT tries to spread awareness of the situation of Tibet and try to broaden the support group for Tibet. I think it got a lot of the kids interested in thinking about starting a club in their school and taking an internship for the organization.