Pictures and stories from our trip - Part III - Mussoorie, Tibetan Home School
After 5 lively days we left Rishikesh for Mussoorie, a hill town closer to the Himalayas that was once a British enclave, catering to those wanting to escape the summer heat, and home to a half-dozen boarding schools.
|
|
One of these (the Tibetan Home School) was established by the Dalai Lama some 40 years ago to house and educate refugee and orphan children in exile from Chinese occupied Tibet. This school hosted our students for one and a half days - allowing us into their classrooms, discussing with us their history, and sharing their stories. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Many of these kids trekked over the high passes near Everest in weather that forced the Chinese guards to relinquish watch: blizzards and avalanches allowed the Tibetans to escape into India. Their fearless attitudes and steadfast determination to be the force behind the freedom of their people was humbling. When Carter observed that the 10th grade boys were an important part of the future outcome of Tibet they answered, "Yes, we are very important." They know of the responsibility they hold, and don't take it lightly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jorge (The Local): I loved going to India with the people because we got to know our teachers and the other students better. We students got to see the wild side of Carter and Malia. If I would travel to the other side of the world, I would do it with the same group. Thank you Malia and Carter for letting us travel and have the greatest time of my life with you. |
Hannah: After traveling to a country with a population of one billion people, I have a new sense of my place in this world. Being constantly surrounded by people, I had to break the wall I often place around myself and immerse myself in these people. I began to see how different their lives are due to living among a billion people. I noticed that the people talked to each other no matter if they know one another or not; conversations full of laughter and comfort. Here, I usually avoid eye-contact with any stranger and surely do not try to start conversations. After leaving India, I have realized how alone I made myself, and that there is nothing more amazing than making connections with people I do not know. After all, we are all people, experiencing this crazy thing called life, and there is no greater comfort than knowing there is someone riding next to you on this journey.
