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May 7th, 2008
Our new volunteer, Lakshmi, who went to Ladakh to teach IT and English, shares her reflections and experience at the school.
Reflection: Expectations reconciled with reality
My initial expectations of coming here were based on: A PBS special
(narrated by Brad Pitt) focusing on the school’s sustainable
architecture, a small brochure on the school and the school’s website.
As a result, my impressions thus far have changed from what I expected
prior to my arrival of Druk White Lotus School, or Druk Padma Karpo
Institute, as I have come to know it in Ladakh.
The PBS documentary showed absolutely stunning views of lush green
mountains and barren dirt valleys. It also showed a school, at times
devoid of students, and clean simple buildings which looked nearly
brand-new. The mountains of Ladakh are breathtaking, and not just
because the acclimatization process was difficult at first. But the
mountains I now see covered with snow and it is hard to believe they
ever turn green in the summer time. The school I have been seeing
six-days a week for almost the past month is never without at least a
handful of students running about, and though the buildings are indeed
clean, they are also lived in.
The students in the brochure are shown with their uniforms. Light blue
shirt, black trousers, and grey hat, but on the first glance I failed
to notice the winter uniform, complete with a traditional Buddhist
dress which looks like a full-length coat which is worn over numerous
pairs of trousers, shirts and sweaters to keep children warm in with
the winter chill still in the air.
Finally, the existence of a website would imply to some that internet
access is readily available. While the Principal’s office at one point
in time had an (irascible/mercurial) connection that occasionally took
2-3 hours to ‘dial-up,’ the school does not, at the moment have an
internet connection, and the computers (all 14 of them) are shared
among the 400 and some odd students. Though there is internet in Leh,
perhaps what surprised me most is the lack of connection I felt to the
outside world, especially through my personal favorite form of news:
the newspaper. I was so baffled by the fact that the closest
newspaper, The Hindustan Times comes 2-3 days late (if you are lucky),
that I wondered momentarily how people knew to strike, after violence
in Tibet. I had, of course, momentarily forgotten about TV and radio
media, as well as the ever-increasing usage of mobile phones.
Overall, the school and my life here is both none of what I expected
and all of what I had wanted.
Lakshmi Eassey
March 29, 2008
Entry Filed under: Direct From Ladakh, General News
6 Comments Add your own
1. Naomi Gourlay | May 8th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I loved reading your excerpt on life in Leh. My name is Naomi and I sponsor a student at DWLS. I spent almost a month in Leh in the summer of 2006 and have been dreaming about my return ever since. Plans are in the works to return to Leh this fall. I hope to visit the school and if possible volunteer my time as well. Until then, Julee
Naomi
2. Lynne Thompson | May 9th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Has the school and/or its donators considered computers from One Laptop per Child? Does anyone know how good these very hardy computers are? Please see link - http://www.laptop.org/en/vision/index.shtml
Lynne Thompson
3. natalie | May 20th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
hey last summer i spent some time working there with a world challenge team. It was a wonderful place and its lovely to hear other peoples experiences.
natalie
xxxx
4. Gary | May 25th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Hi Lynn
Thanks for raising the topic of OLPC. I also feel that we should be looking at mobile/laptop solutions for various reasons (25 watts laptop with built-in 2hr UPS vs 150 watts desktop is a good argument to start with!).
I’ll be visiting the school in July to discuss computer matters. I’ve followed the OLPC project with great interest since its inception. It was a fantastic concept and instrumental in establishing the current market for cheap classroom laptops.
OLPC XO is not ideal for us but its innovative sofware is available on other machines and its pioneering hardware design has influenced other computers.
Unfortunately OLPCs are difficult to obtain by private individuals and are still relatively expensive for the features provided. Moreover, the Indian Government decided not to support OLPC, perhaps because it has such a close relationship with Microsoft (OLPC computers don’t use Windows). Recently Intel have walked away from the OLPC project and OLPC’s chief software designer resigned in April.
Today I can buy high quality used laptops on ebay for £100. My IBM Thinkpad 600e is built like a tank, has a large screen and runs internet and office applications perfectly. Even my main laptop for software development (Thinkpad T40) can found on ebay for £250.
New laptops like the Intel Classmate and my Asus EEE PC 701 are similar to the OLPC XO but more capable (although less robust). They cost around £200 now but will soon be much cheaper.
I’d be delighted to receive any comments via dwls (at) rolmo dot com.
5. Gary | May 25th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Hi Lakshmi
I look forward to meeting you and gaining from your local experience of IT!
I hope you will write more on this blog. Your messages so far have been very informative.
6. Gary | May 25th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
I just saw that OLPC will soon ship with Windows XP rather than Linux. What a disaster! One big plus of the XO was its use of Open Source software. Presuably Microsoft made an offer that couldn’t be refused.
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