Embracing Opportunities: The Diverse Experiences of a Study Abroad Semester

Tashi Delek! Hello from Sarah College in Dharamshala. My name is Shani Grinspan and I am delighted to recount the experiences we have had this week. After we arrived to the beautiful college campus on the mountains we have become fully settled into our classes and campus life, as well as bonding with our roommates and other peers. 

Students and their roommates sharing laughter and snacks.

This week however we did not receive a regular class schedule as it was filled with celebrations, ceremonies, and teachings. 

September 3rd is marked as Tibetan Democracy Day. On this day, Tibetans commemorate the day in which His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama set up a democratic system in Tibet. After the Dalai Lama was forced to take refuge in India he continued this reform by establishing a democratic institution for Tibetans in exile. We traveled to the Dalai Lama’s temple in McLeod Ganj to watch the celebration of the 59th Anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day. Many Tibetans gathered at the temple to watch various performances. This event marks solidarity and nationalism within the Tibetan people. 

Students observe Tibetan Democracy Day celebration at His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Main Temple.

We were incredibly blessed to be able to attend all three of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s teachings. These teachings were held at the Main Temple in McLeod Ganj. The 14th Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion. He is considered a bodhisattva, which means that although he has reached enlightenment he has decided to continue reincarnating as a human being in order to help other human beings out of compassion. 

Earlham students at the Main Temple listening to the English translation of the His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teaching.

One thing that resonated with me from the Dalai Lama’s teachings was the emphasis on compassion and love in all religions. He mentions that philosophical ideas from various religions  lead to the message of love and therefore all religions should coexist in harmony. 

The Dalai Lama during the opening prayer of his second teaching at the Main Temple (taken from dalailama.com).

Every year the students at Sarah College celebrate Teacher’s Day. On this day students and faculty join together to play games such as Tug of War or Musical Chairs, and the students host a variety of performances during the evening. We watched our roommates perform traditional Tibetan dances, and some students danced to modern Pop music. The Earlham students also contributed to this fun event! We sang a song and some of us did a funny skit which everyone enjoyed. I am happy that we got to become a part of the Sarah College community in this way. 

Tibetan students in the senior class performing a traditional Tibetan dance.

We ended the week by going to the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) in McLeod Ganj. The TCV is an organization which cares for Tibetan refugee children or Tibetan children in exile. Many children receive housing and education. One of the teachers had allowed us to come visit a classroom of students who were 14 and 15 years old. The students were very welcoming and asked several questions about our school system and what video games we play!

Earlham students visit a classroom at the Tibetan Children’s Village.

This was an exciting week for us as we further engaged in and learned so much from the Tibetan community. Tune in for another blog post next week!