Classes, Conversations and Creativity

Earlham College
Sep 17, 2019
2 min read

Greetings from Dharamshala! My name is Jared and I’m delighted to share our experiences from week three at Sarah College. This week was filled with opportunity for growth and engagement with the community. Academics are now in full send as we have faced a full week of classes. We were thankful to keep our Tibetan language skills fresh with five days of the class. Additionally, we spent an hour each day after class dedicated to conversation in Tibetan. Each student was assigned with a teacher or teacher-in-training to practice and clarify confusion. The main focus was towards developing an understanding of how to spell and pronounce vocabulary words. Working with a one-on-one teacher developed our confidence for future conversations in Tibetan. On Thursday, we invited our roommates to Om, a pizzeria in McLeodganj. We filled our stomachs with pizza, lemon sodas, and waffles & ice cream. Personally, familiar food was a comfort; however, momos (Tibetan dumplings) are still one of our favorite foods.

Students enjoying pizza and conversation from Om

Towards the end of the week, we visited Norbulingka Institute, a community and monastery dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan arts and culture. The institution is the second biggest Tibetan NGO (non-governmental organization) in India which features wood-carvings, copper statues, cotton paintings, and many other art styles. It was easy to get lost in the beauty of the art institute, as it seamlessly held gardens and stone waterways. A small museum explained the intricate and vibrant clothing of Tibetans from the past. I found it fascinating to compare the clothes of the Tibetan people according to their geographical locations. Housed in the center of Norbulingka was a Buddhist temple that featured a fourteen-foot Buddha with a copper body and gilded head.

A Buddha statue located in the Temple of Norbulingka

Traditional clothing from the northeast region of Amdo, Tibet

We had the opportunity to unveil our creative minds through a two day workshop. Some of the group chose to create intricate wood carvings while others painted nature-oriented images. I personally partook in the painting experience. The process started off by tracing the outline of a Yak onto a wooden frame with chalk. The chalk highlighted the curves of the tracing, which were then outlined with a glue-paint mixture. I then covered the empty spaces with colorful natural paints. The painting was finally glossed to give the yak some attack. Despite sore hands and hunched backs, the workshop harvested a calm and intentional environment for all.

A painted yak

Berto and Shani finishing up their painting masterpieces

Week Three of Sarah College was met with new experiential opportunities to engage with the Tibetan community, arts, and culture. Stay mindful for next week’s post! Jela jel-yong