July 15, 2013

The Putney crew is super excited to be back at SECMOL! Today, we went down to the Indus River (as is our habit) to journal and reflect in the early morning hours. Then we enjoyed a Ladakhi breakfast and prepared for conversation class.

Conversation classes are an important aspect of student life at SECMOL: for two hours, international volunteers (like us!) converse with SECMOL students on a variety of topics ranging from celebrating special occasions (such as birthdays and the New Year) to a “typical day in the life of a teenager” for both Ladakhi and U.S./North American students. Conversation classes afford SECMOL students the opportunity to practice their English, while also allowing all of the students the chance to learn about cultures very different from their own. The students gather under a shaded willow grove, and rotate through different conversation partners and topics, which also helps students to build a wide range of relationships.

We also had a great time making brownies and a fruit salad with mangoes, melons, and banana for all of the SECMOL family. Even though our high-altitude wood-fired oven baking experiment turned out slightly different than we expected, the students all enjoyed the final result, and we quickly polished off everything.

July 16, 2013

Today we enjoyed a morning journaling session, breakfast, and conversation class. After lunch, we ventured into Leh for an afternoon hearing from people of various religions. We have learned a lot about Buddhism thus far, but some in our group expressed interest in other religions of Ladakh. So we headed to a Muslim shopkeeper’s store to hear his take on religion and religious tolerance in Leh, then visited the local mosque, where the resident imam answered our questions about Islam, living a good life, and the (current) month of Ramadan.

After our visit to the mosque, we had some time to use the internet cafe. We did a little shopping for snacks and treats at the grocery store, and purchased some books for our independent studies. Then we heard from an older Sikh gentleman who was born and raised in Ladakh, and who owns a local bakery (the Pumpernickel German Bakery) in town. As we sipped mango lassis and enjoyed tasty baked goods, we were regaled with tales of old Leh, as well as his perspective on the changes that Ladakh has experienced over the previous decades.

Today’s conversations helped us to better grasp the religious diversity of Leh, as well as the many different life experiences of people in this region.

July 17, 2013

We woke up bright and early this morning, ate a quick breakfast, and loaded the bus for a visit to the Tibetan Children’s Village School. Founded in 1975, the TCV has 500 students currently enrolled. Most are Tibetan refugees, or the children of refugees who have fled China for political reasons. Some of the children are orphaned, others come from destitute homes. The school offers a modern education that remains steeped in Tibetan identity, traditions, and culture. From the director, we learned a bit of the history of Tibet, the situation of Tibetan refugees in India, and the mission of the school. Our visit coincided with the exam period for many schools, so we were unable to interact with the children, yet the session with the director was enlightening for many of us.

Following the TCV visit, we headed to Leh to see the Women’s Alliance, an NGO focused on sustainable agriculture and income generation for Ladakhi women. We learned about agricultural practices in Ladakh, and checked out the new seed bank that the Alliance has started to preserve traditional and heritage varieties of seeds.

From the Women’s Alliance, we enjoyed lunch at the Tibetan Friend’s Corner restaurant, followed by another visit to the German Bakery for dessert. Finally, we dropped by the Snow Leopard Conservancy to hear about the conflicting relationships between snow leopards, which are prone to attacking local livestock, and local communities. The SLC has worked extensively with local stakeholders to promote conservation. One way that they have been able to achieve this (in addition to education) has been to help Ladakhi families establish homestay programs for trekkers. Participants agree not to harm snow leopards, and the money earned from the homestays offsets losses from snow leopard attacks on livestock. All of our homestays on our trek were affiliated with the SLC.

Back at SECMOL, we heard excellent individual project presentations from Livi (on the food cycle and agriculture at SECMOL) and Olivia (on the effects of tourism in Ladakh). Later on in the evening, we heard from Sourab, a master builder who uses natural and recycled materials to construct innovative designs. He inspired us to live our lives more sustainably, and we left the talk invigorated – and challenged!

July 18, 2013

After our traditional journaling session and breakfast, we loaded up the bus and traveled to Thak Thok monastery for their masked dance festival. We stopped on the way at a Punjabi dhaba stand for tasty paratha to sustain us for the three-hour bus ride. At Thak Thok, we joined a throng of pilgrims and tourists to explore the unique monastery, which is built over caves where monks have meditated for centuries. Then we assembled with a gathering crowd under a bright Ladakhi sun to observe the monks don intricate masks and dance out ritual prayers passed down over the ages. After the festival, we went to a SECMOL student’s home for lunch. We arrived home late in the evening, tired yet satisfied, and transfixed by the day’s events.

July 19, 2013

Today we heard from Will and Emily: Will presented on Ladakhi architecture, and Emily shared about religious diversity and tolerance in Ladakh. Two more fantastic presentations! After conversation class and lunch, we returned to Leh to climb a steep hill to Leh Palace and the local monastery. The views of Leh city from the top were breathtaking (literally and figuratively—at such a high altitude, we were all breathing heavily by the time we reached the monastery steps). After touring the various temple rooms, we strolled back down the mountain (breathing much more easily) and arrived at the Open Hand Café, a fair trade coffee shop and restaurant that also sells handmade goods primarily crafted by women who have escaped the sex trafficking industry in India. We heard from Debi Goldman, the current manager, who shared her life story with us (including a degree in medical anthropology and careers in nonprofit work). She inspired all of us to do something good for others in our vocations, and we were able to connect economic and social sustainability with our previous conversations about environmental sustainability. Also, the coffee drinks were a welcome boost!

After our visit to Open Hand, we did a little shopping, then enjoyed a Kashmiri feast with a lot of goat, chicken curry, and delicious garlic naan! The Putney team really indulged in this last feast!

We will hopefully be able to share some photos very soon!

Karan and Sarah