Lakshmi would like to share some very nice winter stories, written by Druk White Lotus children. Here she explains how this came about:

“During my time at The Druk White Lotus School I taught Computer Science to students from Junior 1-Middle 6. After school, while waiting for the bus, I would talk to students about school, home, sports and whatever else came to mind. Occasionally I would ask them about their homework and what they were learning in various classes.

One day, a few students in the Middle 6 class didn’t have any English homework, so I asked “would you like some homework?” Though not all students were enthusiastic about the idea of having extra homework, some agreed.

My first assignment was partially to satisfy my own curiosity. I asked “What did you do on your Winter Holiday?” After they turned in the first draft I edited their work for grammar and spelling and returned it to them. They then wrote a second draft. Though I wanted them to type their work, I had to go back to the U.S. so I took their work with me and typed it up. After reading the students reflections to my mother, I thought there was a need for a wider audience”.

WINTER STORIES:

Tsering Dolma, Class 4A

About Winter Holiday

During winter holiday we celebrated new year and many more things. We also went to the monastery. During the holiday I played many games with my friends. I also helped my grandparents and friends. We call 1st of December the first day of the new year. In holiday I did my homework and studied hard. I woke up at 7:30 and washed my face and hands then ate my breakfast and I went to bring water. Then I studied more. In winter the weather was very cold. There was so much snow that we could not do any more work. I went to tuition to read some difficult subjects like Hindi, Bodhi and I went to tuition from 9:30-3:00 and then I did revision on my difficult subjects, on what they taught me. From 3:30-4:30 I played with my friend. After, I went home and washed my hands and drank some tea. 6-7 I watched TV and my sister made dinner for us. Then we ate dinner. We went to bed at 9 o’clock.

Tashi Lamo, Class M6

Winter Holiday

Our winter holiday started from 8 December to 3 March. We all enjoyed our winter holiday. Firstly, we celebrated our Losar. Losar is a festival that all Buddhists celebrate. We celebrated our Losar from 10-17 December. We enjoyed it very much. We sang and danced with joy. We went to our friends’ and relatives’ houses to wish them a happy Losar. We wore new clothes on our Losar. Every home was decorated with beautiful flowers and dishes. We ate lost of different kinds of delicious foods during our Losar.
On 1st January we celebrated new year at my home. My friends and relatives came and we all enjoyed very much. We sang, danced and ate lots of things. We watched different movies. My mother cooked delicious food for dinner. After eating dinner we continued dancing. We danced up to 6am. After 6am we slept. In the morning I went for tuition. Then again I met my friends. On 3rd March we came to school again and met our teachers and other students. Now we are continuing our studies.

Chesmith Dolker, Class M6

Winter Vacation

Firstly, our winter vacation started from 8 December. On 9th and 10th we cleaned inside and outside of our house. On 10th of December at night we wore new clothes and new shoes. On 10th-14th we celebrated Losar. Our relatives and friends came to our house and prayed for a long life. They bought us biscuits and cake. They gave money for the children to buy sweets. From 20th of December I started going to tuition in Leh. After I came back from tuition I wrote my schoolwork. On 6th and 7th of January I went to Spituk Gustor at Spituk. I saw lots of monks wearing colourful masks. After that I continued to go to tuition. In winter we wore woolen clothes. It was so cold in winter, that’s why. On 26th January it was Republic Day. India got democracy on this day. On this day we have a holiday for tuition. I went to see the Republic Day at the polo ground. During that time many school students participated in the celebration and many sing songs and do dances about our country. On 4th and 5th of February there was a festival at Leh Palace and we visited the palace and saw masks with colourful clothes. At that time the market was full of lotteries and I gave a lottery. I got a pen, finger ring, and earrings. After that I continuously went for tuition. 17th February was a happy day for me, it was my brother’s birthday. A gave him a gift, a toy car. Then he thanked me. Now he is eleven years old. For his birthday we danced the whole day, night and the party ended at 2am. Next morning we unwrapped all the gifts. There were lots of toys. During winter holiday sometimes I went to the monastery to pray. Our tuition ended 20th of February. After 20th I played with my younger brother the whole day. We played hide & seek. Sometimes I washed clothes and my uniform to prepare myself and be ready to come to school. THE END

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

Mike Beaven, Principal of Arup Associates said:

“As a global design and business consulting firm, Arup is at the forefront of designing for a low carbon economy. Our unified design practice, Arup Associates, is itself carbon neutral. We minimise the carbon footprint of our operations first, and then offset any residual amount. The Principals recently decided to carry out the offset by investing directly in renewable energy at the award-winning Druk White Lotus School in Ladakh, India. Arup Associates staff designed the system and will supervise its installation and commissioning, planned for July-August 2008. In this way, we at Arup Associates are applying our skills and resources to directly offset our carbon impacts, and to learn the practicalities of implementing renewable technologies in challenging circumstances.”

“As I sit and contemplate my upcoming stay and volunteer position at the Druk White Lotus School, I have many doubts, worries and questions. Despite these, I am looking forward to Leh.

My father grew up in Kerala, on the west side of the most southern state of the Indian subcontinent, a coastal sliver of a state that many people have never heard of before. I am half Indian and half American and, since I was born and raised in the U.S., I have been in India for the past 2 months, learning about my heritage and visiting family. I am going to Leh not only because I have heard it is beautiful and because there is a school with a different mission regarding education (than the standard Indian government schools), and they are willing to take on volunteers, but because I would like to learn more about all of India.

The beginning of my stay in Leh will mark the halfway point of my travels from the U.S., and instead of being a tourist, traveler, or some combination thereof, I am looking forward to being in one place for an extended period of time, while also having a purpose. I am looking forward to learning more about Buddhism and meeting children who can speak more languages than I ever dreamed would be possible. I’m also looking forward to connecting on a level that goes beyond linguistic and cultural barriers.

Despite my reservations: Will I be warm enough? Will I be lonely? Will I be able to teach anything of substance? Will they understand me? Will I understand them? Will they like me? In any new place or situation the truth is I don’t really know what to expect, and ultimately, I am going to DWLS not only to teach, but to learn what it means to be Indian, while also being Tibetan, Ladakhi and all the other ethnicities, regions and religions one may identify with. I am going to gain a sense of the many differences between and among Indians, help out as much as possible, and perhaps discover my own Indian-ness.”