We have begun a group ritual of rising early to start each day with a half an hour of journaling and quiet reflection on the banks of the Indus River.

Today, we spent the morning on a photo scavenger hunt in Matho, a small village close to our campus. Thirty of our friends from SECMOL came with us, and we split up into small groups to explore the town in search of examples of religious items in daily life, traditional architecture, juxtapositions of traditional and modern life, etc. Of particular note was the prevalence of religious items around the town, as well as an old house in the traditional style with a satellite on the roof. The scavenger hunt was a great way to learn a little bit about the area, and to meet local people. We debriefed by the river, and then enjoyed a lunch of rice, dahl (beans and lentils), and vegetables, graciously hosted by some of the villagers.

After lunch we paid a visit to Thiksey, a monastery of the Gelugpa sect (of which the Dalai Lama is the head) that is over 530 years old. The monastery is covered with statues and carvings, and as we walked slowly clockwise around the sanctuary we learned about the symbolism of the many paintings, statues, and carvings that adorned the walls.

On the way home, in honor of the 4th of July, the Putney students took over the music selection and shared some American music with our Ladakhi friends. The energy level was high after such a great day and “listening to music” quickly turned into yet another dance party upon arrival back at campus.

At dinner, the Putney group performed a rousing rendition of the American national anthem for the SECMOL students in celebration of Independence Day. Each of the students shared why this day was important to them, and we held a discussion on American history. Before heading to bed, we watched the film Three Idiots (a Bollywood blockbuster comedy) that is set in Ladakh, and was actually loosely based on one of the founders of SECMOL!

-The Global Awareness India Team