Rest, with good company

Hiked up to a Tibetan boarding school with other volunteers. A relaxing stroll on a beautiful day renewed energy lost to a busy (and wonderfully productive) work week. McLeod Ganj is home now, teaching is my job, goats are traffic and weekends are a time for sleep, meditation, paneer and ice cream bars.

I'm thankful for the friends I have here. Sanhueza (yellow shirt, photo below), an artist I met back at Stainless Steel Studios, came to volunteer for three months. He's thriving here - running an art program for the children in the slums, teaching courses to monks, Tutoring, helping with the cleanup project. His presence is motivating.

The other volunteers are equally skilled and gracious. Colin (far right, photo below) travelled many hours to find flea spray, worm pills and dog food for a stray pup. He came to do research for a Human Rights group, but his compassion towards Cocoa the emaciated dog demonstrates the extra effort some people will take to ease suffering. Many Tibetans, I think, exemplify this; they have tremendous respect for all sentient life, and will protect the lives of even the smallest creatures.