Needs are so great

Hello again. Man, am I homesick. I am just one of those people that doesn't like to travel much. We are so blessed to live in the land of plenty. Today, this morning I have been working all morning in the numerous office. Yesterday I felt quite depressed as the need here in the manner is vast. But the nuns are very happy. The most important thing to them is our well being. They are very curious about Grass Valley, California, women in the US and what we know about them.

Yesterday I was feeling quite overwhelmed as I have become grossly aware of what a thin thread these Tibetans in exile operate from. Its one thing to do the work at Sierra Friends of Tibet - from our safe home in California. International support is the lifeblood of their survival here - (the support of the International Community that is). Without the help of the International community, I don't know what would happen to them.

On Monday, Geshe Donyoe (many may remember from the 1st Gaden Tour) came and picked us up. We have to be careful as we did not receive the special permit needed to visit this area so we are constantly ducking the local police. From here (the nunnery) which is in Camp #3, we walked to Camp #4. There we visit a small Kagyu monastery - a remnant anyway - and then the Tibetan Government's nursery school. To me it reminds me of the Jewish holocaust where the Eastern European Jews placed their children into the hands of strangers. Same here. The Tibetans will do anything to get their children out of Tibet. We stayed at the nursery school for quite some time. It was very emotional for me - as there was this one tiny child that would not let gp pf me. The Tibetan women caring for them came out of the incursion of 1959 and are holing on to the threads of their culture. I have video of the kids singing their little folk songs and bits of their national anthem.

From there we went to the community center which is an empty shack and a field made to look like a soccer field. They are trying to raise 20,000 rupees to paint the shack. National pride is very important to them. Then onto Geshe Donyoe's, home where his mom had fixed us lunch. Dahl, rice and greens. Geshe Donyoe's mom just sat spinning her prayer wheel all afternoon. From there we went to a sort of small hill where the Tibetans do fire puja every week. We walked all the back roads and paths of the camps - where you can really see what has happened here.

In the late 1960s, the Indian government leased this land 180 acres to the Tibetans in exile to form 9 refugee camps. The Indian government was quite generous giving one acre per Tibetan at that time and constructing government houses which consist of a room probably 12 x 12 feet for a family of 3-5. While I feel the Indian government has done alot, conditions were and still are quite tough. This is jungle land and in the late 60s the Tibetans had to do all the clearing to make the land habitable. It is surrounded by thick jungle. We have seen the monkeys, snakes, there are Tibets, and rogue elephants, etc. Now, 30 years later, the 9 camps or the Settlement is something reminiscent of a Gengis Khan camp. Its is extremely well thought out, the houses, while scantly built are immaculate inside. EVERYONE welcomes us. They share whatever little bit they have in a higher aesthetic form of hospitality. Everyone has a picture, alter or place for the Dalai Lama. The little paths and little gardens are beautiful. Although they have no trash removal and no sense of it. Outside the immaculate fences of their designated camp houses, the trash piles up everywhere. The tibetans themselves are fastidious people. The most important thing to them is their country and their children's education. All the children study very hard. You see them practicing and studying everywhere.

After Geshe Donhyoe' we then went to visit the old folks home. This was very sad to m. All these people came out of "old Tibet". This it nothing like our nursing homes. No smell or death or urine or ill conditions although many of the buildings are barely shacks. Rather everyone is stiing with their prayer wheel, Dalai Lama pictures in their hands, malas and. What a tragedy these people have seen. Many of them hoped to return to Tibet but now feel they may never see their home again. They light up when they tell you about the beauty, the magic and their home villages.

After visiting there we then met the Director of the Government hight school in the camp, The have vocational computer training but no teachers. Again we were asked if we can spend time there helping get their computers in shape. We have had the same request from the government office here so we will be going there for a day to do whatever we can with their computers in a day.

Good news, Geshe Dackung (wwhat I call the Sheriff of Gaden Forest) has just arrived with our permits! Now we cam move about the camps freely with no threat of the Indian police.

This morning we fixed the nuns scanner which will help them tremendously. They have no copier and can really use the scanner!!! All it needed was a USB connection. I am so grateful I bought that universal USB kit from Fryes. So far we have distributed and hooked up over 5 connections using that kit!!!


Got to run. Sorry for the typos but the power is off and I am now on UPS. Here are some more pics... Love to everyone!

Please pass this blog along and post your comments. It is thrilling to them to hear from everyone!