Lha hosted groups from three different countries in June as part of the 2019 Cultural Exchange Programme.The first group was a group of eight students from Tulane University, United States, led by our longtime supporter Michael Smith and his wife, Pema. The group was with Lha for eleven days taking part in our Mutual Learning Programme with Lha students and exploring Tibetan culture, tradition and way of life.

The second group, from Japan, was a group of seven people from different walks of life who were with Lha from June 2 – 7. The itineraries for the group included a visit to Bir, Tso Pema, Norbulingka, Gyutoe monastery, TCV School, the Museum and the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts to enable them to understand the sacred and rich culture of Tibet. The group visited the Central Tibetan Administration to give them an idea of the functioning of the Tibetan Government-in-exile and its work.

The third group hosted in June was a group of nineteen people from Portugal on a pilgrimage to India. The group was with Lha on June 20 and they were taken for a morning circumambulation (ling-kor) around the residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tsuglakhang temple, walking with a guide who explained the benefits of walking the Kora to them. They were given a presentation on Lha which included a talk on the life of Tibetan refugees and how the Tibetan organisations function to support the larger cause of Tibetan’s struggle. Lha organised a lecture for them, The View of the Ultimate Nature of Reality among the Different Buddhist Philosophical Schools, by Geshe Lhakdor la, Director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.
To help them understand the life of refugee Tibetans living in exile, the group joined our soup kitchen beneficiaries for lunch at Ahimsa Community kitchen as well as volunteering as conversation partners for the Lha English conversation class in the afternoon.

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