By Owen and Meghan

We knew that we wanted to volunteer on our six-month trip and decided to come to McLeod Ganj. We live close to the vibrant Tibetan community in Toronto and had the opportunity to work on Bhutila Karpoche’s election campaign. She is the first Tibetan member of the government in the western world. When we told Bhuti la we were coming here she was delighted with our dedication to the Tibetan community. One of our friends had grown up in Mcleod Ganj and he introduced us to the former director, who now lives in our neighborhood in Toronto. It was at that point, after hearing about Lha that we knew we had to come.  We arrived at Lha not knowing what our jobs would be but our expectations of the organisation were high, based on their website and publications.

We were surprised and pleased to be able to lead two of the English classes here for the month of May. Owen teaches at a public school at the elementary level, so the students have to be at school whether they want to or not. In Lha, the students all choose to be there and want to learn English, so the attitude in the room was always positive, and the energy was high. We had students from Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, India, Bhutan, Nepal, and of course Tibet.

While they may come from all over Asia and speak different mother tongues, nothing breaks down cultural barriers like a good laugh, and we have had many during the past month. The songs we taught in the classes are still echoing in our heads (Don’t Worry, Be Happy, Space Oddity, The Gambler, etc.). So if you see a student walking down the chaotic street of Mcleod Ganj singing “Ground Control to Major Tom”, you’ll know why!

On Meghan’s last day of class, she asked the students if possible to wear their traditional clothing. Meghan had been given a Chupa (traditional Tibetan dress) by one of the staff so she could participate in supporting Tibetan culture. So it was a lovely last day, and a great visual memory for us with everyone dressed in their best. Of course, it was an emotional last day, as endings are hard, but it was also joyful as we introduced our amazing replacement teachers who joined us for our last two classes which made for a really smooth transition.
The staff have been nothing but supportive and we have been lucky enough to have our fellow volunteer, colleague and friend Firoz help out as well.

The thing about volunteering is you get back so much more than you give. We have learned so much more than we taught. We got to attend teachings by His Holiness, we learned about Buddhism, we had great food at the volunteer lunches, and we were inspired by the dedication of the staff at Lha. None of them do a 9 – 5 job, that’s for sure. They are out at workshops in the evening, they are building bookshelves for the Ahimsa Cafe on Saturday afternoon, and if it happens to be their day off,

they will still do what needs to be done, because they work as a team and that’s just how it is. We hope to come back in the future and see what wonderful projects are being done and where the organisation will put its energy. This has been a really special time for us at Lha and at Mcleod Ganj. It was sad to leave, but we have great memories!
Good luck to the students, staff, and volunteers at Lha this year and thanks for the opportunity to volunteer with such a well-run and compassionate organisation!