From Shauna Lichtblau

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