10
Location: Dharamsala
I started the morning climbing up the stairs all the way to the restaurant for breakfast. After breakfast, I went with my service partner, Tsultrim. At first, we walked along a mountain visiting temples and cemeteries. Then, we went to a cafe where I had Tsultrim practice and reviewed his English. The group met back up for lunch at a Japanese restaurant in McLeod Ganj. I had rice balls and Omrice for lunch, and my sister was excited to eat her Okonomiyaki. When lunch was finished, my sister and I went shopping for half an hour and bought some souvenirs. Then, we went to the Men-Tsee-Khang for a lecture given by an American psychotherapist on the integration of Western medicine with Buddhist philosophies. After the lecture, we were meant to see a documentary but, as is common in India, plans had to be changed, and we instead explored the town for a bit. After some downtime, we met back up with the group for a nice Italian dinner. After dinner, we walked back down the stairs to the monastery and had our forum as usual. Tonight students led our forum, and we talked about this afternoon’s lecture and mental health.