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Artificial glaciers, Tibetan youth, meditation,
and brainwashed rabbits…
The fourth Vermont Intercultural Semester for high
school students is underway in India!
For current reports and photos from VIS in Ladakh, see the
NEW VIS blog:
February/early March 2008
Dear VISionary friends,
Details about the following in this newsletter:
- VIS in Delhi: A Tibetan Colony, the World Bank, a “Laughter Club”
- VIS in Ladakh: A Student Run Campus, and Vibrant Landscapes
- Place-Based Academics: artificial glaciers, and brainwashed rabbits
- Upcoming “gap” and high school semesters
VIS in Delhi
Eleven students from eight high schools (Cabot, Leland & Gray, Woodstock and
S. Burlington high schools; Lyndon Institute; and the Sharon and Thetford
Academies in Vermont; and the Williston-Northampton School in Amherst, MA)
arrived in Delhi, India on February 1 for the start of the fourth semester
program accredited by the Sharon Academy in Sharon, VT. They settled into
the Tibetan refugee colony, a neighborhood of pedestrian-only streets in
north Delhi lined with small hotels, restaurants and businesses run mostly
by Tibetans. Over four days, they strolled in the intensely colorful bazaar
of Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, visited Jama Masjid, the largest active
mosque in India, and took bicycle rickshaws and the new metro to visit
organizations and people connected with the VIS curriculum. The VISionaries
toured the Ayurvedic medicine department of a large Delhi hospital; met with
the Editor in Chief of a daily newspaper; spent an afternoon with teenaged
students and VIS friends from an after-school tutoring program chiefly for
high school students in Delhi; had tea and a talk with the lead economist
for The World Bank in charge of health and education projects in India, as
well as with an expert in women’s public health in India; and joined an
early morning “Laughter Club” in a Delhi park, led by Laughter Master Jiten
“Kohi”. (At
www.laughteryogaindia.com, you, too,
can "join the family of Laughterians").
VIS in Ladakh: A Student Run Campus
VIS is based at the SECMOL (Students Cultural and Educational Movement of
Ladakh) boarding school outside of Leh, the major city in this former
Buddhist Kingdom bordering Tibet. SECMOL hosts students from all over Ladakh,
and both sets of students become immersed in the culture of the other as
they live, work, study and travel together.
Daily “responsibilities”, and work hour
SECMOL is entirely run by students. Every day, VIS students meet with their
SECMOL counterparts for “responsibilities,” such as milking the cows,
maintaining the solar electrical equipment, overseeing solar hot water
heaters, shopping for food and supplies, and managing operations between
SECMOL and VIS students and staff.
Each day also brings the whole campus together for an hour of
concentrated effort on one or more projects. On any given day, you might see
the group hauling water, cleaning facilities, working in greenhouses,
building stonewalls and a host of other group activities.
Work hour is one of my favorite parts of the day,” writes student Dylan
Chapman, “because you can see all 30 some odd students going to and fro’
working on this and that. It really gives you the sense of a working
community. “
VIS teacher Sam Janis, writing at www.visladakh.blogspot.com <http://www.visladakh.blogspot.com>
, says that teachers are “completely integrated into the equitable work
sharing systems that have been developed here over the past 15 years. In
terms of work sharing and responsibility, there really is no separation here
based on status or authority of any of the members, and in that way it is
indeed one of the most democratic and participatory communities I have ever
witnessed.”
For more details about life at SECMOL –music and dancing on Thursday
nights, the singing of traditional Ladakhi songs during dinner, a
Valentine’s Day party, predilections for “having fun” – see
www.visladakh.blogspot.com <http://www.visladakh.blogspot.com> .
The place: Landscapes
Ladakh (like Vermont) is somewhat “off the beaten track,” situated on the
boundary between the peaks of the western Himalaya and the vast Tibetan
plateau. It is the highest, most remote and least populated region in all of
India, and has been variously described as “Little Tibet” and even “the last
Shangri-la”. SECMOL nestles among high peaks, and on the banks of the Indus
River, at 11,500 ft.
Some recent reflections on landscape from
www.visladakh.blogspot.com:
- “… I am comforted by the vastness of the mountains that surround me,
scraping the sky, soaring higher and higher, their peaks are out of
sight… I am so miniscule as I stand at the base of these mountains, yet
I am so enormous, so valiant standing at the top…” Ella Belenky, student
- “The sharp mountains that surround us in every direction tear into
the clear and heavenly skies. A landscape, that defines in every way,
this place. Remote, and vibrantly alive at the same time… Each moment of
every day seems like something that needs to be recorded, that every
conversation should be remembered… Ladakh is a place where… relaxing all
day is hardly a waste of time, in fact time has little meaning. The way
that people dance through their days, and chores are done with a grace
that is unknown to me… Ladakh is a place of reflection, while at the
same time a place of emptiness…” Terri Chapman, student
- “… I have never felt so at home in a place so far away from New
England. Ladakh is a world of its own. It has its own language, trees,
mountains, culture and especially its own people. The world that exists
here is one of not only tradition but also of innovation and
advancement... The people here use anything and everything they can to
support themselves and their families. …” Duncan Nelson, student
- “The very nature of living here, virtually free from the risk of
waste and every opportunity to lead a healthy lifestyle—this way of
living makes me feel comfortable, and though this lifestyle is different
from mine at home, it captures some of the things I had been striving
for with much greater difficulty. The mountains around us, the Indus
winding through them, the transplanted poplars by its banks, the snow
blanketing the poplars’ roots—this is the landscape in which I will
experience the feelings of being and doing what I should.” James Bridge,
teacher
The VIS Difference: Place based Academics
The VIS Academic Program is accredited as a program of The Sharon
Academy, and features courses integrated into daily life of SECMOL, and
Ladakh in general. Students say they appreciate a curriculum that takes
advantage of being in a landscape and culture like Ladakh. “My life at
SECMOL is … one I’ve been longing for ever since I joined the public school
system,” writes Dylan Chapman. “This school is run by the students; anything
we want done we do ourselves… The things I learn here relate to things I can
see outside the class room window, so I feel that I’m learning with a
purpose…”
Briefly, these are
VIS courses that earn one credit
each:
English focuses on native and regional literature, and also the
fundamentals of journalistic/news writing to process diverse field
experiences into relevant, readable news articles for various audiences. For
examples, students at a Monastery festival interviewed festivalgoers for
short expository writing/news articles based on the whole experience.
American and Ladakhi students in Science class work on hands-on
campus science projects, such as a redesign and new construction of the
greenhouse thermal garden beds to improve moisture retention and winter
heating capacity so that SECMOL can grow more fresh vegetables in the
winter. Related classroom lessons include basic engineering, thermodynamics,
and soil composition. Independent science projects allow students to
interact directly with local community members, NGOs, Ladakhi students and
regional experts. Topics chosen by students include: The impact of snow
leopards on the Ladakhi community; the advantages/disadvantages of different
power sources such as diesel, solar and hydro power in Ladakh; the impact of
higher education on rural farming villages; and controversies regarding new
and old farming technologies.
The History class, “Ladakh and Beyond” also aims to be as locally
relevant as possible, using readings, guest speakers, day trips and treks.
Students explore the ancient history of Ladakh, the rise of Buddhism in
north India, and the Kashmir Conflict, including the push for
self-determination in Ladakh.
The VIS Exhibition/ Independent Study follows The Sharon Academy’s
Coalition of Essential Schools model. It allows students to “delve deeply
into an area of study, used knowledge they gain, and reflect thoroughly on
their learning process.” The next newsletter will detail exhibitions
produced this term.
Ladakhi Language class is taught by native speakers, and parallels
English conversation class, which provides opportunity for both sets of
students to talk about anything and everything. A recent topic explored
cultural and societal differences between urban and rural USA and India, viz
a viz New York City, Vermont, Delhi and Ladakh; many topics make for ample
amounts of intrigue and even heated discussion regarding what is "good" and
"bad," traditional and modern, ethical and unjust.
Place-Based Academics: Speakers, Trips, Treks, Homestays…
Guest speakers give an extra dimension to classroom and interdisciplinary
learning. Recent speakers have included an amchi (practitioner of
traditional medicine); the head of the Leh chapter of the Tibetan Youth
Congress, speaking about the movement for Tibetan independence; a young
Ladakhi historian and filmmaker; and a series of glaciology lectures, and
geology hike, led by VIS volunteer and geologist, Bennet Leon.
Day trips are usually a combined, cross-cultural endeavor with SECMOL and
VIS students traveling and exploring side by side. Recent trips have
included visits to monasteries for Buddhist festivals; a day spent with “the
Glacier man of Ladakh” at the artificial glacier he created (and which has
made him famous); tours of hospitals in Leh and Delhi, and to a rural
Ladakhi health clinic; and a full day meditation course at SECMOL Campus for
all VIS and SECMOL students and staff.
Ella Belenky reflected on the meditation experience at the
blogspot:
“… Sitting on my mat for hours on end gave me a chance to really process
everything that has been happening over this past month. Being here at
SECMOL I often forget the significance of my self-reflection. Ladakh is
filled with so many aspects that seem so substantial to this trip that at
times I find myself moving fast, never slowing down. I get so caught up in
the desire to experience it all, that I forget the importance of letting it
all sink in... During meditation I thought a lot about the idea of reaching
emptiness or enlightenment, a concept of Buddhism that we have been
discussing a lot during our classes… I like this concept, this idea that I
am in a sense connected to everything around me, and everything is somehow
connected with me. I carry my Vermont pride and I stand with my feet firm in
Ladakh…”
Treks, and Homestays
Treks and homestays are an integral part of the place-based, experiential
VIS curriculum that operates on the premise that the most meaningful lessons
are often created through conversations and explorations that take place
across cultural, social and, of course, geographic boundaries. The first
trek for the VIS group in early March was a week of walks and homestays in
five communities, starting in Likir, a lovely village about two hours by bus
from Leh with an impressive monastery headed by the Dalai Lama’s brother. As
usual, SECMOL students joined the VIS trek, which kept language classes and
practice in Ladakhi and English going for both sets of students. This trek
also provided a focus for studying basic Buddhist teachings, iconography,
and monastic life in Ladakh, and VIS student interviews with their Ladakhi
families about issues such as agriculture, health, pollution, and technology
that occurred around the kitchen in an informal manner as students and
Ladakhis prepared for dinner.
Some excerpts from the VIS blog about learning on the road:
· Duncan Nelson, writing about a visit on the trek to a monastery where a
treaty signed in 1684 set the boundary between Ladakh and Tibet that exists
still today: “…To be in intimate contact with such rich history is something
that can be surreal to the senses. It is very hard to appreciate how much
history and how many stories are engraved into the stones and the cliffs…”
· Emma Gershon-Half: “… Living in Ladakh means becoming one with the past
and living in history. The mountains are proof of the incremental creeping
of the Indian subcontinent, which somehow results in a majestic collision of
earth and stone and peaks three miles above sea level. Trekking through the
mountains, it is possible to see how the layers of rock converged and
mutated to become the austere guardians of the valleys they grew out of…”
· Ella Belenky: “Staying with a family in a Ladakhi household completely
exposed me to a whole new side to where we are. The means of simplicity that
these people live by is, to me, incredible. We hiked to villages that didn’t
have roads leading to them. In areas this remote, yaks became the means of
transportation. I remember staying in one household where our five-year old
brother... carried stacks of dried dung, and wood toward the room we were
staying in so we could stay warm next to the stove throughout the night.
Later in the evening, after dinner, we all danced to the scratchy tapes of
Ladakhi pop songs that played off of the radio … The Ladakhis are by far the
hardest working, and most compassionate people that I have ever met…
More excerpts from the VIS blog about Learning in – and from – Ladakh:
Ashleen Buchanan: “Each day here has been fulfilling to say the least…. The
days pass all too quickly at SECMOL, but each day is never wasted. I find
myself learning continually, whether about the Kashmir conflict … or the Lu
spirits that, according to Ladakhi folklore, cause women to become twisted
and stiff… One day a woman who has studied Amchi medicine came to speak to
us and told us about how she reads your sickness through your pulse and
tells you whether you have anger, jealousy, hatred or maybe a bit of bile.
On the more laid back days I’ll often find myself gossiping with the SECMOL
girls about dating via text messaging…
Elise Gloeckner: “Up to now, the countless days spent in the breathtaking
Himalayans nestled at the indirect heart of India has taught and shown me
more than I have ever gathered in my 16 years spent in the comforting hills
of Vermont. This program is greater than anything and everything I could
have ever possibly asked for...
Living here has taught me how to just simply be. Be in the moment, be
willing, be open, be calm, be exploratory, to be myself. I’ve let my mind
slip into a state of easiness that no longer consists of scattered thoughts
about desires and expectations. This place no longer has expectations. I
discovered that you can’t have expectations while here. You just have to be
ready to embrace. Embrace the genuine smiles that the Ladakhis are
constantly flashing at you. Embrace the undeniable laughter that is shared.
Just embrace and just be, for the days are numbered and the months go way
too fast…”
Jansyn Thaw: “As I sit here, gnawing on dried apricots, I feel
accomplished… I have finally realized that this journey to Ladakh is just a
journey and there should be no expectations. I live day to day with minimal
forward thinking. I live in the present… At home, my life progressed like a
checklist. The infinite, empty white squares lined up in my mind, begging to
be checked off. I spent my days anxious to finish the list that didn’t have
an end… It seems one must live like this in order to “succeed” in our
western culture. When we desire good futures, our experiences in the present
become inconsequential. We move faster and faster until we are hopping
around like brainwashed rabbits. There are no brainwashed rabbits in Ladakh…”
Applications Available for fall 2008 “gap” semester in Ladakh
The VIS semester for “gap” year students, and those admitted to college
for February, offers cultural immersion, and the opportunity to participate
in one-on-one internships with Ladakhi community members in an area of
interest. More
information, and
applications, are available.
Information for applicants to the spring ‘09 high school semester in
Ladakh
Applications for the spring, 2009 high school semester will be available
here by April 3. For information, and an application, please send an
email or call Curtis Koren at or
802-276-3424.
Jullay,
Curtis Koren
Director, Vermont Intercultural Semesterss
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