Olamot/Hillel Travels to India

Natali Yudekevich

2009-09-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

It’s the last week in Dharamsala; my emotions are running all around. On the one hand I miss my family and friends, have exams to complete and I miss "the rush" of the big city. On the other hand, the peaceful community that unites lives and grows despite everything.

My volunteer placement is at "CHOICE", the main goal of this unique NGO is to educate and create awareness among the Tibetan people in exile about HIV/AIDS, an epidemic which has no boundaries. The community here has the third highest number of people living with HIV, with an estimated 2.5 million people in India with HIV/AIDS. Volunteering at “CHOICE” has opened my eyes to issues that had never crossed my mind living in a country where human rights are protected by the law. In Dharamsala a large part of the population, don't receive the proper education about HIV/AIDS and lack the means or knowledge about prevention.

On a more poetic note, I would like to share some thoughts:

If you were god, what would you do?
This is a question that has been asked at HOPE centre – which offers conversational English classes to newly arrived Tibetan refugees.
It seems like a rhetorical question when you are speaking to people who escaped from their country, trekked for days in the mountains, in the snow without their families to the unknown of a different land.
I write these thoughts in a cute cafe with a good cup of latte. What else do I need in life? I have a caring, loving, supporting family that has, like any other family its own craziness. I have caring friends that surround me with love. I am volunteering on the other side of the globe. In the Himalaya Mountains.

Everything but the last part was probably in the Tibetans mind, which forced them to escape from their country. One morning while they were drinking their traditional black tea and eating Tibetan bread, watching their sheep's or goats that they raised from childhood, this memory probably looked far away and shrouded in fog.

I can’t imagine this kind of moment in my life, that everything I find important and care for is taken away from me, leaving me on my own and hopelessly incompetent.
Is that what happened to my parents when they immigrated from Russia to Israel "The Promised Land". They left everything they knew and had so many obstacles in those early years in Israel as much as our ancestors had in our long and far history. The wanderings to Israel "to the land that they were promised"

Every one of us is asking for stability in our lives, a safe place and for a place that our children will call "home".
We Jews found this home in Israel, we still struggle for this home every day and it sometimes seems we will continue to fight forevermore for it. The way things are going, even my kids will go to the army even if we hope that in the future - our kids won’t have to join the army - we won’t need an army in the peace days that we hope will come.

We as people, live to protect our children, our home, our mental and physical safety. The Tibetan community live with hope, a hope directed to the Dalai Lama, that one day he will succeed and bring them back to the land they lost, that they were forced to abandon. They live on a hope that their children and grandchildren will one morning be able to sit on the balcony with a steaming cup of traditional Tibetan tea, looking at the snow covered mountains. They will smile with tears and say - "here we did it".

In the end, I just want to quote something I was reading in the cafe I am sitting in:

"The Final Analysis -
People are often unreasonable, illogical,
and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, People may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some
false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone
could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the FINAL analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway”

Meeting the Karmapa

2009-09-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

From Maayan Ravid (August 17, 2009)

2009-09-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

On our last day in Dharamsalah emotions are raging.
Receiving ceremonial white scarves from everyone as a sign of respect and good luck, a tea party at the Women's association, goodbye lunches and events and individual goodbyes. It seems a part of us will never leave.

On my last day I had lunch with a monk who I'd taught English at our conversational English classes at the Hope Centre. He made me noodles in his room- 3 metres x 3 metres. Simple, basic, his life in a matchbox.

As we had our last conversation he explained to me that the Jewish people are very strong- they waited for their homeland for over 1000 years, Tibetans only waited for 50- it's OK. Then he continued to explain how Jews say: Next year in Jerusalem- leading to our mutual rephrasing- Next year in Lhasa- the ancient capital of Tibet. This for me is a final reminder of why we are here.

Last week we had an audience with the Karmapa. The 3rd holiest lama, whom we had the honour of meeting. This 23 year old man, chosen for this role at less then 10 years of age will be the future leader of Tibetans. We are close in age but worlds apart in responsibilities and life course. In response to our question he said:
"You are from the West and we, from East, different cultures are meeting, thank you for your contribution, and maybe take along some compassion from what you experience here, if every person passes on a little bit, the world will gradually improve."

So two final messages:
1) Next year in Jerusalem or Lhasa- safe and free
2) Sending you a dose of compassion- please pass it on!

Signing off from Dharamsalah,
Peace and Love to all,
Maayan

Judaism is not a sheep

2009-08-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

McLeod Ganj

Buying salwar kameez in Lower Dharamsala (Sandra, Rebecca & Tracy)

"Judaism is not a sheep"

Program at TCV (Tracy & Dafna)

From Merav

2009-08-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

A few thoughts before the end of the trip...
A common phenomena of the Israeli youth is to travel the world after their military service. Many of them also visit India. I had one of these trips a few weeks back, this trip was very different although it began in a similar way...after a few flights, we found ourselves worried and overwhelmed in a Tibetan hostel somewhere in Delhi. That is when the trip reached its turning point - we met Tenzin. A strong Tibetan women who never ceases to amaze me. Tenzin is our local coordinator.
Then we traveled to Mcleod Ganj to our daily routine, I volunteered at "ROGPA" a day care, free of admission, for Tibetan kids aged 8 months to 3 years. Its purpose is to enable the parents to work more hours and to save money for school later on. Working with kids (42 of them) was fun, hugely fulfilling, challenging and sometimes very hard work. Communicating without speaking the language, playing, crying and smiling. In the afternoons I participated in conversational English lessons with Tibetan individuals, most of them who fled to India from Tibet. Some more recently then others. For me the interaction with Tibetan individuals - the teachers and parents at ROGPA. (and then meeting them on the street), hearing personal stories, experiences of pain and hope, made me listen, learn and understand the problems and the needs of the Tibetan community as refugees in India, and feel connected to their community and their cause at a personal level.
One can find similarities between the Tibetan story and our own Jewish story (being in exile, coping with oppressor)I found a connection in values and religion. The experience of being in the present and seeing the Dali Lama. Even though I'm agnostic, spending time with our Jewish group, at Kabalat Shabbat for example, made me feel more connected to my Jewish roots and the Jewish tradition. I can say this trip made me feel part of something bigger. Part of the Tibetan cause, and part of my own Jewish heritage.
-Merav Cohen

2009-08-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

Visit to the Dalai Lama's Temple in McLeod

Bhagsu Waterfall (Rebecca & Shauna)
Trying sweet paan (Maayan & Tenzin)

The group at India Gate (Left to Right Top row: Meir, Rebecca, Tracy, Sandra, Lihi, Maayan, Merav, Natali, Tamar, Shauna. Kneeling: Yoav & Tenzin)

From Lihi Zechovoy

2009-08-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

The True Meaning of Life:

” We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives. If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life”. The 14^th DALAI LAMA

That was the first thing that I saw when I arrived here. “ Here ” its MCLEOD GANJ, DHARAMSALA, INDIA. When I saw it I thought : maybe I’m here with a group of Jewish students that came to India to volunteer at the Tibetan community, maybe we thought that it’s very special and unique to do it but apparently we aren’t the only ones who thought about that idea.

So then I thought maybe those people that we came to be with and to help aren’t so different from us, if we all have the same goal and same meaning of life, we probably have the same issues that bother us, the same issues that we want to change and the same hopes in our life.

I was very surprised to realize that I was more than right.

The first time that I realized it, was at “ THE TIBET MUSEUM” that was the first time that I heard about what really happened in Tibet and actually still happening. At that museum I could see and be empathic with the pain that they have and it was very strong for me because of the feeling that there is another holocaust just like we had, that still continues this day, right now!!!

The second time that I saw that we aren’t so different was when we found the place to volunteer at. “ The Rogpa Baby Care Centre (BCC) ” – I could see that babies all over the world have the same needs and it's not important if they are Jewish babies from Israel or Tibetan babies from India, they all want to see a smile when they arrive in the morning, they all want a warm hug when their parents leave them, they all want to play with their friends , they all love the “ hashafan hakatan” song, all the babies in the world cry when their diapers are wet, they all have a runny nose, once in a while they have fights with each other and after lunch they all want to sleep. It’s true that they have different ways to do all of those things but basically we all have the same needs.

A little bit about “The Rogpa Baby Care Centre (BCC)” – they are providing free childcare, daily meals and play equipment in a fun and safe environment for 42 children under 3 years of age, 6 days a week with no cost to the parents in order to allow low-income Tibetan families, struggling with everyday challenges for their survival to go to work, become self-sufficient and independent.

At the beginning of my volunteering I felt that it might not be so important to the community and maybe I need to do more or more meaningful activity but a few days ago I bought earrings from some shop on the street and after I paid the woman, she said to me “this is a gift to you”. I asked myself how it could be that I’m in India, in every shop that I’m going they trying to give me the highest price ever and this woman want to give me a gift ?!?!?! So I told her that it’s fine and she doesn’t need to give me a gift and then she told me “ You are from Rogpa, right ? I’m Gamso’s mom and I see you hugging my baby everyday when I’m going to work. I wanted to thank you for helping with my baby and with all the babies and also to thank your sisters (she thought that maayan, merav and me are sisters)”. And then I realized that I was taking part in a meaningful way, that maybe they have other volunteers from all over the world but it’s enough for me that one baby, one Tibetan mom will remember my love for them and that will make me happy because the way that I see it, the most satisfying thing that I can do is to make the hard life that they have every single day more comforting, with less worries just because they know that beside the four teachers they have at least three girls from Israel that care a lot about their babies.

From Meir Dick

2009-08-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

In the past three weeks we all had our stories and experiences from being in a unique country with its unique people and cultures. After spending this much time with this particular group, reading about your personal experiences, talking about how it has had an effect on you I realize how much it really provided to our outlook. But I believe that even more then just this new place, I have been able to learn more about myself by spending this time with a group of such amazing individuals that are both interesting, caring, kind, knowledgeable and of course provocative.

For me this trip is not only about seeing and experiencing a new far out culture, but to question my own values and beliefs with others who are experiencing the same, allowing us to see the effect on our own selves.

These unique individuals, combined with the thoughtful programming, allowed me to be more vocal then I would at home, not allowing me to hide behind my native views and beliefs. Although we are all our own individuals, I may also be the one who usually ends up on the opposing side, one too many times.

Given another forum such as this blog to further to express my views, it would be great if I can also share something the trip has taught me. Hopefully this is also something that all of us can learn about ourselves and what it means to be who we are.The Tibetan community, with whom we are volunteering, is a unique example of a people who must question, who are we as a people? What do we have that makes us unique? Is this something that is valuable to us? Is it something worth suffering for? These are important questions that must be reflected on ourselves when seeing how they have suffered in their struggle to maintain there unique identity.

From our interactions with the Tibetan people we hear their stories of how it is to live as a refugee exiled from their homeland. Even worse are those in Tibet, living as the victims of continuous human rights violations. There is nevertheless an important distinction to be made between two separate issues they face that may otherwise be overlooked. On one hand there is the suffering, pain, imprisonment, but as terrible as these may be, this is not what they are fighting against, more so, this is the cost. The cost that they must be willing to take in order to maintain what is most valuable to them, so valuable that they choose not to subvert themselves. It may be very likely that if they would have given up there unique culture and become ordinary Chinese citizens, they would be treated no differently then an ordinary Chinese. Furthermore, one of they key issues in The Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet is to "abandon the Chinese population transfer policy which threatens the very existence of the Tibetans as a people" (Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet, H.H. The XIV Dalai Lama). The Tibetans see there identity as something so valuable that they are not willing to become ordinary even if it may mean suffering.

Being Jewish and proudly so, people may ask if being Jewish makes me better then other people. I believe that if being Jewish is something that I greatly value, and it is something I possess, then in virtue of having something unique of great value, then that should make me better then those who lack it.

Every individual has their own merits, which if having merits is of value, then anyone who possess merits is justified in believing him better then someone else who lacks it. This is no justification for treating another unfairly because everyone possesses their own unique list of merits. Instead of seeing everyone as the same, all being ordinary, let us rather embrace what makes us who we are. This includes our merits, our faults, our experiences, our challenges, our values and our history, including how we have grown in our own unique journey through life to get to where we are. It is something that should be valued and not be given up easily.

The only question remains then, why is being Jewish so important and therefore so valuable? What did our parents and grandparents over thousands of years believe so strongly in that they felt it necessary to maintain their Jewish identity through all the suffering and persecution? Hopefully the measure of how much we have been through shows how valuable this must have been to them.

We are different individuals and we may all have different reasons why our Jewish identity is important to us, but let us all agree that what we have is something of great value, not to be given up in the face of all those who wish us to be nothing more then ordinary. Everyone has things that makes them who they are, and if this is something that is valued, then let them say:

"Yes, I am better, I am ME"

-Meir Dick

In and around Dharamsala

2009-08-08T02:10:00.001-07:00

Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil (Maayan, Natali & Merav)

Dharamsala

Walking from TCV to McLeod Ganj (Sandra & Maayan)

On our Way to Dharamsala

2009-08-08T02:05:00.000-07:00

TWINSIES! (Sandra & Meir)

Stopping at roadside on way to Dharamsala.
Back row, left to right: Tamar, Shauna, Maayan, Natali, Lihi, Merav, Dafna, Sandra, Rebecca, Meir & Tracy
Bottom row, left to right: Tenzin, Yoav & Tenzin's friend.
Stopping for chai with our drivers (Yoav & Sandra)

From Tamar Tepper

2009-08-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

A Precious Human Life
On Thursday July 16, 2009, I arrived in Mumbai, India where I boarded a second plane heading to New Delhi. Alongside a group of nine other volunteers and two trip leaders, I was excited to embark on a journey I knew would be eye-opening and shake me to the core. Upon learning of my desire to travel to India, many friends, family, and colleagues advised me to come prepared. Each informed me that I must be open minded and quickly learn to adjust to the mentality and reality of the locals. Arriving in India I quickly realized that this would be an experience that I could never truly prepare myself for. How could I have really known about the smell, the poverty, the dirt, the unique dress, the rich culture, and the fiery food without ever having traveled here?

I came to India to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone. To do something fresh and extraordinary before commencing my master's degree. I wanted to immerse myself in a new culture and a new setting. I came to question and reassess values and to learn about myself. In living among the Tibetan people of Dharamsala, volunteering to better the community, and through meeting talented individuals with similar values and ambitions, India has and continues to shape who I am and where I am heading, and show me more about what kind of person I am and wish to be. To me, this trip is about personal growth and challenge, about allowing myself to wander into different situations, and gain another perspective on life.

My volunteering experience here at The Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) has been phenomenal. TWA is a well organized and established group with a strong committee of dedicated employees. Its main objectives include: raising awareness of the situation inside Tibet, calling on international pressure to improve conditions for all Tibetans, investigating and taking action against human rights violations committed against women in Tibet, ensuring Tibetan women have access to educational information about health care and child care and supporting the needy and disadvantaged within the community financially through sponsorship programs. My role is to help write proposals for grant applications, research issues pertaining to several United Nations Conventions on refugees and women, and teach English to recently arrived Tibetan women learning how to sew traditional Tibetan clothing so that they may one day open their own businesses. Volunteering with such an organization has taught me much about the compassion and sense of solidarity that flourishes within the Tibetan community. It has shown me that while I have never been stateless, grown up in the hilltops of India or Tibet, or known much about the Buddhist belief - and while my Western upbringing has led me to subscribe to a different set of values and perception on life - all people believe in the same core values. Love and kindness are universal.

Volunteering in Dharamsala, India is to volunteer with those who truly need your help most. It is to volunteer with individuals, whether young or old, who have so much to share with you and give to this world. Their stories of their homeland, Tibet, so fresh in their minds and hearts, are moving and saddening. Yet their passion and excitement for their people and their culture, and undying yearning to return to this land, inspiring. Coming here as a volunteer means to demonstrate to these stateless people, many of whom have not been granted refugee status by India, that the world cares. It is to illustrate to each one that we have not forgotten them and want to know about their exceptional community and troubled past. It shows them that we care and will step up to help.

Everywhere here there are scrolls, wall hangings, and post cards imprinted with a hugely powerful passage written by His Holiness the 14th Dali Lama. In this passage, he declares that each one of us has been granted a Precious Human Life and that we must not waste this life. The Dali Lama goes on to say that we are so fortunate to be alive, to be able to develop ourselves, and to expand our hearts through acts of kindness.

Just over two weeks after I first arrived in India, I still cannot fully comprehend how much I have gained during my time here. I came to India to give to and help a community, yet what I've gained in return is so much more. With each passing day I learn. I touch, see, smell, taste, and meet new people and travel to new places. And I know that I am pursuing a precious path. I greet each day as a new awakening and I know that the day will be filled with an exciting new adventure and lesson that I cannot even imagine. Whether a stroll down to a holy Temple, a nearby town, a beautiful waterfall, or a crowded market, the experience will be different, and something will be learned.

We are so fortunate to have a Precious Human Life. Use it wisely.

- Tamar Tepper

From Shauna Lichtblau

2009-08-03T23:51:00.000-07:00

Generally speaking, I'm not an overly emotional person. But truth be told, everyone has their moments. For me, the truth of the matter didn't fully sink in until a few nights ago. We were volunteering at the Hope Centre, a centre where conversational English classes are held. Each volunteer is paired with one or two Tibetans, with whom we converse for an hour, in hopes of improving their English. After the hour is up, everyone reconvenes and a discussion question is brought forth, upon which, everyone in the circle is given the opportunity to respond. That night, one's task was to complete the phrase, "You are important because..." It wasn't until one of the Tibetan men spoke that I felt a lump form in my throat, as I realized I was fighting back tears. His words, "You are important because your families are expecting you to return home," truly struck a chord within me, as the Tibetan man laughed nervously, unsure of how the others would respond.

I think that moments like these are those that stay with us forever. It's not the scarves or jewellery that substantiate our souls. Rather, it's our first-hand experiences and the friendships that we create within the Tibetan community that imprint upon our lives and change who we are and who we become. These moments make us appreciate the small things that we often take for granted, such as being able to return to our families, no questions asked, and having citizenship in our home countries rather than a permanent refugee status.

When it came time for me to respond to what seemed at first, like such a simple phrase, I chose my words carefully as I said, "You are important because even though we give up our time to teach you English, you give us so much more in return." And in truth, I've never felt so sure about anything. These wonderful people have opened their lives and their culture to us and have consequently, taught us life lessons that are often overlooked in the 'fast-paced' Western world. We have been given the opportunity to view things from a much different perspective, and we are now easily able to seek out the underlying similarities embedded in the differences between cultures.

As with anything, it's the little things that count and it's our everyday encounters that often teach us the most. Every morning, I volunteer at the Tibetan Women's Association, an organization aimed at empowering Tibetan women in exile. I type up identification cards for each member of the association. As I go through the pictures of the now 15 000 members, it's hard not to pause and realize that behind each face in passing, there lies a story much deeper than one can imagine.

In the afternoon, I teach basic English to a group of women who aspire to start their own businesses, in order to support themselves and their families. Of the three women I teach, all are mothers and wives, born in Tibet, but living in exile in Dharamsala. The smiles and wide eyes that greet me upon first entrance and the unending gratitude once the hour is up cannot be compared to anything I've ever experienced. The impact that something seemingly so minute, such as teaching the different sounds of the English alphabet, can have on this group of extraordinary women has taught me the value of giving, and the power it hold above all else.

Once our time here comes to an end and I return to Toronto, the one fear I have is wishing that I had put forth more and had better embraced my time spent in India. I think that this fear is both what grounds me and what pushes me to give all I can. Although it's sometimes hard to comprehend, this trip has taught me that the good we do in the world lies more than surface deep - for the ripples that we create and in fact, everlasting. Likewise, the experiences that we have gained have become a part of us and are embedded in our hearts, our minds, and our memories, and are sure to last us all a lifetime.

- Shauna

In Dharamsala

2009-08-02T21:26:00.001-07:00

Jewish educational session at Tibetan Children's Village. (Left to right: Merav, Tamar, Yoav, Sandra, Maayan, Shauna, Meir, Lihi & Tracy).

Volunteering at House of Hope. (Left to Right: Sandra, Lihi, Director of House of Hope, Maayan & Tracy).

Yoav at Students for a Free Tibet

Dharamsala: First Days

2009-08-02T21:19:00.001-07:00

Stopping for chai on the way to Dharamsala. (Left to Right: Yoav & Rebecca)

First Day in Dharamsala. (Left to Right: Tracy, Tamar, Tenzin, Sandra, Rebecca & Shauna)

Checking out volunteer location, Tibet Charity. (Yoav, Tibet Charity employee, Merav, Tamar, Lihi, Maayan & Meir)

Dehli

2009-08-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

First Day in Delhi, Likhir House. Meeting Tenzin for the first time in our khatas.
(Left to Right: Dafna, Shauna, Tamar, Tracy, Meir, Natali, Merav, Yoav, Sandra, Maayan, Lihi & Tenzin)

Lunch in Delhi. Thali Plate (Left to Right: Tamar, Meir, Sandra & Shauna)

Trying on bindis in the main bazaar in Dehli (Left to Right: Sandra, Shauna & Tracy)

From Tracy Goldman

2009-07-31T23:16:00.000-07:00

OK, so the spiders are a little big, the rain is a little loud, but I live in the Himalayas, I have the nicest view ever, the food is amazing, the culture is so different, there are animals everywhere, and I’m working for a cause that is in so much need of supporters to help make a difference for an entire society. Holy cow, we’re in INDIA!! That’s about the seven millionth time I’ve said that and I’ve only been here for about two weeks. And I still can’t believe it! One day I’m doing research to find out the problem of climate change in Tibet and teaching English to a group of women who just recently arrived in India from Tibet, the next day I’m walking up and down the busy streets of the local village buying anything I want for under five dollars, and finally one day I’m sitting in the Dalai Lama Temple listening to his teachings awaiting him to graciously walk right passed me. As I said before, wow, I’m in India! Everyone at home I miss you a lot, but I have to say I could really get used to staying here for a long while. With the 45-minute hike up and down the mountain everyday to go volunteer and the relaxing group meals we have together, weekends off and evening activities, this trip is perfect and is such a wonderful experience. A few days ago I think I had the most culture shock experience yet. My roommate Sandra and I decided to go to Baghsu, another town nearby, just for the afternoon. As soon as we entered the town we were swarmed. I couldn’t believe my eyes but there were about one hundred men ranging in age that were staring at us and making comments to us and most of all: taking pictures of us!! I seriously felt like I was famous at first and my mind was blown away, but then I started to get very irritated. If anyone knows me, you will know that I get very aggressive and loud sometimes. So of course I started flailing my arms around and screaming at them as I was pushing my way through the crowd. It didn’t help one bit. All I could hear through all the noise was “one snap”. This is the most common thing someone will hear while walking down the street; if you look somewhat different, that is. One snap means “let me take as many pictures as possible of you on my phone please”. It’s as if they have never seen someone with light skin before in real life. So to them, since they’ve only seen Westerners on TV, we were actually famous! Once Sandra and I finally got to our destination, we hid out for a while hoping we would quickly be forgotten. This was not the case, as there was a lineup of guys outside the store taking “snaps” of us while we were shopping. So eventually we decided to leave and walk back, but this time we were a little smarter about it. We tried covering ourselves as much as possible. I didn’t have much to work with, but Sandra had her scarf wrapped around her whole head except for her eyes, and had her sunglasses on. It didn’t help at all. I was just so totally shocked and mind boggled at this experience and behaviour from the locals of a place where I will be living for a month. I guess that’s just one of the circumstances of being in India!
-Tracy Goldman

From Sandra Vadasz

2009-07-30T02:05:00.000-07:00

1st Day out in the Field! (July 22, 2009)
Family, friends, and blog followers, Let me begin by telling you a little story. It happened yesterday...

After a long morning at the health clinic, Shauna (a Canadian student in our group) and I were making our way up the road for lunch. For those of you who don't know me, I am an animal lover. I like all animals and I would not like harming any insect. Hence I along with Yoav (an Israeli from the group who shares my love for bugs) are the official "spider savers." A spider savers job description includes retrieving spiders, or any creepy crawler for that matter, from rooms upon request (or more realistically upon shriek!). After the spider is collected we place it outside in its natural habitat.
That being said, even before leaving Toronto I was extremely excited to see on animal in particular... the MONKEYS!!
Continuing our trek to lunch Shauna and I discuss our mornings. All of a sudden I hear some rustling coming from the trees to my left. I look up and what do I see??!! A family of monkeys! Am other and her two adorably cute babies, the father monkey was sitting out on the ground at the base of the tree.
My eyes lit up as my body filled with excitement. My knapsack quickly fell of my back and like the good little tourist within seconds I have my camera in my hand.
As if I don't look touristy enough with my white skin, blond hair and blue eyes, there I was standing on the road side talking to monkeys in my most annoying cutesy baby talk voice, snapping away, looking for the perfect shot.
Since the father monkey was on the floor he was the closest to me. I knelt down to his level. There is was my perfect monkey photo. In my mind I was imagining how impressed my friends would be. The praises were echoing in my ear: "You were so close to those adorable monkeys" Thinking about their "Ooos" and "awws" allowed my mind to drift temporarily.
M finger was about to press down on the shutter when... a loud growl, swinging monkey arms and a very angry monkey face was chasing me up the hill.
My heart immediately sped up to a million miles a minute. Shauna, further ahead of me was also running for her life. "I'm about to get bit by a monkey, it's going to hurt... really really badly. I hope my mom won't be worried... what WILL my grandparents, who might I add were not exactly gung ho about their precious little grandchild travelling to India, say? (Definitely multiply oy oy oy's and perhaps some Hungarian swear words at the very least). My mind was racing with all those thoughts. I was convinced that the one thought to be my smooshy, wooshy, friendly weindly banana eating brother was about to take a chunk out of my arm. It was inevitable. I stop running and started walking slowly, really to take the hit.
5 seconds, 10 seconds, no monkey!
Laughter. Laughter?? Laughter! The locals were obviously watching me as I ran for my life from a monkey. I guess it serves the annoying tourist right... I mean if someone were doing that to me I would want to bit their face off too. Shauna and I burst into hysterical laughter. I walked the rest of the way to lunch with my head down and beads of sweat rolling off my face.
Now today, today is another story. It's one thing for the monkeys to mess with me, but another for them to mess with my favourite 78 year old patient, Momo Tashi Chonzon.
Doing our daily rounds, nurse Tanzin and I climbed the steep wet steps towards Momo Chonzon's humble abode (Momo means grandmother, we call our elders either Momo or Popo out of respect). Panting, hunched over with my hands on my knees I thought to myself. "How on earth can a 78 year old do this??" Unwillingly I continued to walk until we reached an iron fence, it was open, we proceeded. We were met by an angry Tibetan dog with a pink fluffy dirty collar. Usually Momo comes out to save us from the wrath of the deranged, odd looking creature. There was no Momo in sight, so we press on with her rickety metal ladder like steps.
The door was open and Momo was sitting on her bed. When our eyes met I was staring back at the saddest puppy dog eyes I have ever seen. I rushed to her side and looked questioning at her trying to figure out what was upsetting her. Since I don't speak Tibetan Tanzine, the nurse, started with the basic questions. After we found out that her entire body hurt (in much more detail then this but I'll spare you) she fell silent.
My father always taught me that when everything is wrong with someone, usually they are quite healthy. I convinced Tanzine to stay longer even though we still had five more patients to see.
Finally, after forcing me to eat cookies she got at the temple and a large glass of butter tea (you read correctly, it's basically water boiled with salty butter and milk, which by the way I do not like at ALL but have to drink with a smile on my face since it is rude to refuse food from an elder).
Momo broke down. As tiny tear drops fell from her tiny eyes, down her tiny face my heart broke. Momo began to sign to me waving her arms in the air furiously. She got up and started running around her house. I turned to Tanzine begging her to translate quickly. "Monkeys" she said. "They came in through the window, five of them."
It turns out that right when Momo returned from grocery shopping at the market, five monkeys stole her newly purchased rice and tomatoes.
She returned from her kitchen cupping the one tomato and tipped bag of rice that she was able to snatch back from the monkeys. This means that she will have to wait until next week in order to buy more vegetables. Vegetable are expensive and not everyone can afford to buy them.
Now I really have a bone, or better yet a banana to pick with these monkey creatures! I advised Momo to keep her windows and door shut during the day and open them during the night. I gave her a hug and put my hands in front of my heart and said "Tashi Delek" and left for my decent down the mountain to visit more patients (Tashi Delek means hello, goodbye and peace, exactly like Shalom)
After we finished our rounds I found out that many of our patients were not eating enough fruits and vegetable due to lack of monetary funds.
The fact that I had pent up anger towards monkeys and the fact that I am a fruit and vegetable freak made me spring into action. Tanzine took me to check out the prices of these nutrient filled, vitamin packed delicacies. Half a pound of tomatoes were 60 cents. I went on a fruit and vegetable buying rampage.... don't worry dad it ended up being a whooping five dollars... necessities are necessities just like the scarves, skirts, wall hangings, sandals and dresses I bought.. money is no object when it comes to necessities... right dad? Dad? Hello? Oh no.
Moving on, I started to distribute tomatoes, cucumber, mango and papaya to my patients who looked like a vitamin boost was essential. They were elated! I felt like a little fairy prancing around town shaking my fairy dust on whom ever needed help.
Feeling inspired and full of joy, my ambitious brain forced my lazy legs to climb back up the mountain. Tomatoes and papaya in hand, Tanzine and I finally reached Momo Chonzon's front door (thankfully the yappy monster of a dog was out with its owner).
I handed Momo the goods, she was so thankful I can't begin to describe it in words. She had the chance to offer my butter tea, I made sure Tanzine informed her that we were in a hurry.
Although Momo did manage to feed me a biscuit I left feeling rewarded and now had a permanent invitation to my favourite Momo's place. I was able to bring my friends, fruit and vegetables and in return it brought happiness.
I can't thank my patients enough for letting me into their homes and being unexceptionally kind towards me. Spending time with Momo I have learned that she is one tough woman... so monkeys, WATCH OUT!

From Rebecca Woods Baum

2009-07-30T01:47:00.000-07:00

For a long time I've wanted to come to India and I'm so thankful to be given the chance to see India as the madricha of ten amazing students from Canada and Israel.
Before coming here many people offered advice, warnings and interesting tidbits of information. I thought I knew for the most part what to expect. In many instances those friends and colleagues were right, but even then I was unprepared for the noise, glaring poverty on display, the dirt, the beauty, the kindness and the rich culture and history all around me.
Before leaving a close friend turned to me one day and said "You're going to come back from India changed." She was right. How could I go unaffected by this experience? But I've been affected in a way I didn't quite predict.
Coming to India, knowing that we're volunteering with the exiled Tibetan community I believed I had so much to give them as a "forward thinking" product of the West and also as a diaspora Jew who's community and ancestors have a history of being exiled from their homes- it is ingrained in my Jewish psyche and is commemorated during the Holidays. As is the joy of knowing I do have a Jewish homeland that has the potential to carry on the Jewish people both within and outside Israel. Coming from this background, I relate to the Tibetans, I feel for their plight, I support their cause. Where I was wrong was when I thought the relationship would be one sided; insight and help coming only from me.
The Tibetan culture and history is a rich one, and this I've seen in only a week and a half. A culture and language the people are striving to preserve and protect, and they do so proudly. It is from an outsiders perspective at least, a true "shcuna" of people who care for each other and look out for each other. I think of my own community worldwide and within Israel and I fear that in many cases it is not the same for us Jews. You hear alarming statistics of assimilation in America and while in Canada we are not at that point yet, experts report that we are following the American example. People only identify as Jewish by birth, their is not pride in the culture, in the people, in the language, in the Land. Within Israel I speak to Israelis who turn their back or shun ALL things connected to Judaism and it saddens and scares me. Perhaps we are a people who have become too complacent, our memories of our past fading from importance. From this I believe we have a lot to learn from the Tibetans as an example of celebrating and encouraging one's culture to grow. It is important for us Jews to celebrate our culture too and be proud of it because like the Tibetans we have a rich history and culture. Both peoples have made a positive impact on the world at large.
We can also learn balance from the Tibetans. Balance in our lives, in how we treat others. In the end I know I will take away a lot from the Tibetan people I've met and talked with and I only hope I can give back.
We had a Tibetan activist Tenzin Tsundue come visit us, he is considered a terrorist by the Chinese government, yet he practices the Dalai Lama's middleway non-violent approach and one important thing (among many) he said has really stuck with me when thinking about advocacy, education and activism in my own life. I will paraphrase. It is not only about the goal, but the journey you take to that goal. If the journey is filled with violence and hate what will happen when you finally do reach that goal, will your behaviour really change?

Tashi Delek

From Yoav Fekete

2009-07-29T01:43:00.000-07:00

Mcleod Ganj India, the seat of the Dalai Lama and the exiled government of Tibet. In many ways this quiet and remote Himalayan town encapsulates in it the full complexity of the Tibetan story. Nested at a height of 2000 mt on the Dhauladhar range (White Mountain rage) of the Himalayan chain, coloured with an ever green cover of forest, Enveloped in fog which finds it way to every house and corner, its a magical scene.

The local Indians and the Tibetan refugees coexist in a fragile symbiosis. The Indian population is very diverse made of the local Himachali people (the state were Mclead resides in), the Rajastani jewelers and cloth makers , the Kashmiri traders, Punjabi tourists that fill the town every weekend and many more. On the Tibetan side you have the veteran refugees already born in India and the newly arrived Tibetans that fled only recently from Tibet. Last and not least are the Western tourists from all over the world. All with different clothes and styles to make up a vibrant and lively town. Tourism is the life blood for the many restaurants, guest houses, handicrafts shops and internet cafes. The grocery shops rely mostly on the local population.

The Indian government being the only one in the world that accepts all refuges, has supplied a safe haven for the Tibetan people fleeing from the Chinese endless attempts to strip them of their religion, culture and identity. Although the Indian Tibetan coexistence seems ideal from the outside the more you go in, the more the cracks you find. The Indian government has given the Tibetan refuges a registration certificate which every year has to be renewed at the foreign registration office. Land is not allowed to be owned by the refugees, although some of them have lived in this area for more the 50 years. Also moving inside India is a problem, any trip longer then 14 days is possible only with a special police permit, so visiting your aunt's family in a different refugee camp in the south of India would involve a long bureaucratic process.

Many people who I have spoken with pointed out the language and culture differences as the main cause of problems. One story is about a young Tibetan refugee in the mid 1990's who fled only then from Tibet, when arriving to India he rented some room with an Indian family. He could only speak Tibetan and the family could only speak Hindi. One day, some dispute arose between him and the son of the family, the cause lost in the stream of time, from here to there a fight broke up and the Tibetan stabbed the Indian. The next 3 days Mcleod Ganj was on fire. Many of the Tibetan shops, restaurants and offices were pillaged, and burned. Most of the local Indian population did not participate in the riots, as they realized the great contribution of the Tibetan community. And as the riots ceased they asked the Tibetans to stay in the area and not leave (During the rampage the Dalai lama said that if we are unwanted here then we shall leave). Although this is rare story, under the surface there is always the tension of this reoccurring, Every dispute between an Indian and a Tibetan has the potential of ruining this delicate coexistence.

But don't let this story change your view on the Indian's generosity and the amazing town of Mcleod Ganj. The Tibetan community got a chance to preserve her culture here in India, a chance to share their story with the world and a chance to leave a decent life safe from torture, executions, starvation and fear.

From Shauna Lichtblau

2009-07-24T03:12:00.000-07:00

Free Writing Exercise in Response to following quote:
"Accept a teacher upon yourself; acquire a friend of yourself, and judge everyone favourably."
Pirkei Avos, Ch 1 (6)

Originally, I thought that coming to India was not only an opportunity to see the world, but was our responsibility to give back to the community at large. Little did I realize that this trip would be so much more, in that India has given me so much in return. I have been impacted by so many amazing people and have learned to view the world from a much different perspective. Even though the culture is different from our own, I believe that our underlying values are very similar and consequently they allow us to relate to each other on so many levels. I have come to understand how important it is to create bridges between different cultures in order to better understand and be able to relate to one another.

From Tamar Tepper

2009-07-24T03:06:00.000-07:00

Free Writing Exercise in Response to following quote:
"Accept a teacher upon yourself; acquire a friend of yourself, and judge everyone favourably."
Pirkei Avos, Ch 1 (6)

My teaching experience in India has been one of the most profound and memorable experiences i have had since my arrival. My students arrived from Tibet within the last few years, and each is not participating in the Tibetan Women's Association's program called "Stitches for Tibet" which teaches them how to sew traditional Tibetan clothing, provides health care and English lessons and gives each woman a small weekly stipend. As a teacher, the program has taught me not to judge my students and their conditions, but to embrace and befriend each. This program is especially important as it teaches these women how to sustain themselves financially in their new home in India, as well as provide a great opportunity for women with similar backgrounds, experiences, beliefs and hardships to meet and form strong bonds and acts as a support system for one another.

From Maayan Ravid

2009-07-24T02:56:00.000-07:00

Volunteering to write the second blog at the conclusion of our first week in India, I thought I would know what to report home. I thought I would have some new insights and clear understandings, but instead only more questions are added to the curiosity that lead me here, and more questions continue to arise every day. I will share a few of these questions here and tell a bit of our experience thus far.

I would like to open with a quote from the book I am reading here: "India- A Travel Journal." The book was written by Ezriel Carlebach, a descendant of German Rabbis and one of the main figures of early Israeli Journalism. He opens the book with a quote from his discussion with the late Indian leader Nehru. Carlebach asks him: "Well then, what should we do?" and the latter responds: "That is a typical Western question, an Indian would ask: What should we be?"

Part 1: Indian Delhi

Our first Shabbat was spent in Delhi where two things became very clear, very fast. The first- We are in one of the biggest countries in the world, both in size and population. So many people, so many cars, so many colors, so many smells, so many rickshaws, so many storefronts, so many beggars, so many gods. So much noise, makes us seem very small. The second understanding- This is a different world, what some may call the 3rd world, and our Western Standards are challenged everywhere: manners and etiquette, personal space and hygiene, garbage and pollution, standard of living- under a tin roof or by the roadside; standard of driving- even worse than in Israel; or other social standards- like the overwhelming statistic of 23 million children between the ages of 5-14 employed in the Indian workforce.

It makes you wonder: How does this harsh reality still exist in what we perceive as the "modern" "enlightened" world of the 21st century? How do forces like capitalism and globalization affect those on the "other" end of the production line? What does "Made in India" actually, really mean?

Part 2: Tibetan Dharmsalah and joining the cause

In Dharamsalah we are staying at the Tibetan Children's Village, about 8 km above the town of McLeod Ganj. It houses hundreds of Tibetan children who escaped from Tibet in hopes of education, a better future, and freedom from oppression. These young refugees, far from their parents and homes, are raised together as a family and community. The long drive up here is not just a mere change in scenery- from the Indian Delhi city skyline, to the tropical jungles and monsoons of the Tibetan lower Himalayas. This transition means entering a completely different community, social discourse, and purpose of our presence.

This region is the "home away from home" of the Tibetan refugee community. Since being forced into exile by the Chinese overtaking of Tibet in 1959, they were granted permission by India to set up their exiled community here and in other settlements. This is where their religious and political leader H.H. the Dalai Lama lives and preaches; this is where their government in exile sits and attempts to provide some normalcy to its followers. There are approximately 130,000 Tibetans living in exile. They are not recognized by the UN as refugees. They do not have passports and must renew their interim residency annually with Indian Immigration registration. They have been doing so for the past 50 years. They are a stateless people.

In the midst of the ongoing struggle and growing frustration, there are beautiful expressions of human perseverance. Their continued adherence to peaceful and non-violent struggle, lead by the preaching of their religious leader, is inspiring. The sprouting individual initiatives and commitments to a shared cause of leading a free and independent existence in their own historic land, touching. Both make me examine our more cynical, aggressive reality back in our homes.

Part 3: Some thoughts to wrap up with

Being Jewish and Israeli, I can't help but relate this experience to our own history, as a people who were, for so long, stateless. I can't help but think of the generations of Jews who yearned to return to their homeland, who suffered persecution and limitations of their basic rights. The countless Jews who struggled to establish a country that I can today call home, where I am lucky enough- to live and believe- freely.
Ultimately, I don't think it should be a matter of luck or chance. Adopting and Indian approach I would like to ask not "what we should do?" but rather "What should we be?"

I still believe we should be a light among the nations, in the fields of human rights and the fight against injustice. We should be a people and a country that remember our past, draw the right conclusions and act! Act not only for ourselves, but for others in plight, living beside us, among us, or worlds apart.

Wishing us all a Shabbat of Peace and sending positive energies from Dharamsalah, India

Shalom, Maayan

Never Give Up

2009-07-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

Never Give up
No matter what is going on
Never Give up
Develop the heart
Too much energy in your country
is spent developing the mind
Instead of the heart
Be compassionate
Not just to your friends
but to everyone
Be compassionate
Work for peace
in your heart and in the world
Work for peace
and I say again
Never give up
No matter what is happening
No matter what is going on around you
Never Give Up.

H.H. the XIVth Dalai Lama

From Sandra Vadasz

2009-07-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

I am currently sitting in my room on my little comfy bed. I am surrounded by possessions that I brought from home: clothes, toiletries, shoes, books, makeup... my cell phone! and I begin to think. I begin to compare myself with India. I begin to think about what I have seen, fist in Delhi and now in Dharamsala, a small town tucked away amongst the lush forests of the Himalayan mountains.

India is a diverse country that differs vastly from region to region. As I look around I notice an enormous clash between the superficial and the reality. As I walk down the uneven, pot hole ridden streets, the most beautiful plants and flowers catch my eye. The sun is beating down on my head and I feel so grateful to be in such a serene place. As my eyes close I take a deep breath of air. The stench of human waste, rotting garbage and extremely strong body odour enters my nostrils. My eyes fling open, as my feet trip on he rocks beneath me. Startled I look up to find a woman, crying child in hand, asking, no begging me for money. Regaining my senses I stand up and keep walking. We had arrived at our destination, the National Museum of art in Delhi. We spent a few hours there feasting our eyes on paintings, sculptures and ancient treasures. Now it was time to fill our stomachs, so into our taxi with air conditioning we go. The first red light we stop at, children no older then 10 run up to our car and start banging on the windows asking for money. The driver slams on the gas nearly running the children over. We continue. Tin huts, out door bathrooms, garbage, green grass, bright saris, nice cars, beggars, stray dogs. The car stops. we exit the vehicle and find ourselves in a quaint Indian restaurant with the best Indian food that has ever touched my lips. Laughing, smiling, well dressed local Indians surround us also eating like royalty. Upon leaving the restaurant we freshen our breath with 'sweet paan', spices wrapped in a leaf. Satisfied and refreshed we are ready for an exciting afternoon of sightseeing. A woman with no teeth and a snot covered crying baby greets us with her hand cupped together pleading for anything she can get.

We have now left Delhi and travelled twelve hours by car to a remote Tibetan village in the mountains. Today was our first day of volunteering. I am working for an organization called 'Tibet Charity India', working in the health clinic alongside the head nurse. She is the head of the clinic, there is no doctor. She has selected girls and boys from the community to become nurses and she trains them herself. She mostly deals with the elderly and since there is not access to a doctor or prescription medicine she mostly prescribes homeopathic remedies. She serves as the elderly's doctor, teacher, mother, psychiatrist and friend among other things. I will be accompanying the nurses to visit patients that are too old or sick to walk to our clinic. Today I spent the morning talking to Tsering Lhamo, the head nurse about the Tibetan refugee life versus the western culture. After going back and forth with stories of poverty and the busy American life, we found ourselves in tears. We looked up at each other and before I could speak she took the words right out of my mouth. In a soft voice, she muttered "I feel so sorry for you." You feel sorry for me??!! I said to myself. As I sat in front of her with tears rolling down my flushed face she began to explain.

"I have not even half as much as many people from the West but I am happy. I love my job, I spend time with my husband and my children everyday. I am mentally sane, calm and peaceful inside my soul." She paused. I suddenly realized that I was crying for her and she was crying for me. What a bizarre feeling, a twist of faith and a moment that I will never forget.

"Wow!" I said as a stared back into this woman's eyes. This human being who has been through so much struggle and seen so much pain. A woman who lives every single day in a seemingly hopeless situation. A woman who fled her country to escape torture by the Chinese government. A woman who has not seen her daughter for four years because she wants her to get a better education. "You are right, my family and friends have every possession they could ever want and your family and friends can not afford to buy veggies every day. You see one hundred patients in a month or two, my father sees one hundred patients in one day. I am often so busy I don't get a chance to eat sitting down. Everything is so fast paced it's hard to look around and observe the world. In fact, sometimes it's difficult to find a moment in the day to breath!"
"This is not a life!" she replied. She is right. We must slow down and take time to enjoy life, spend time with our families and lend an ear and a hug to those in need. We are in desperate need of the opposite things. They need money yet they are happy. We need time and we are over worked, stressed and live a complex money driven life.

As I sit here on my little comfy bed I feel angry and ashamed of my makeup and fancy rain boots. I don't need my hundreds of pairs of shoes because really you only wear one pair at a time.

Mom and Dad, Karen, Brian, Greg, Grandma and Grandpa, Grandpa Peter, I love you, I am having a fantastic time and while opening my eyes to the realities that exist in our world. Spending time together is my favourite thing in the world. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for instilling values in me that have shaped the person I am today. You have all taught me so much but when I get home, I think I will have a few things to teach you.

I close my eyes and think about the beauty that surrounds me. The clouds that keep the thin crisp air moist, the wide variety of vegetation and the sunshine that filters through the canopy of trees that soar above my head on the winding path down the mountain. My eye lids open just a crack and quickly notice a black dot on the wall. Crawling down to my little comfy bed is a huge hairy spider coming to pay me a visit!.... I love INDIA!

Please visit www.tibetcharity.in to donate money and find out more about us!