Today’s conversation class was really uplifting, as it reinforced my belief that Tibetans really are a nation of compassionate people. I chose to base the topic on the recent unfortunate events in Ladakh, where many people have died as a consequence of the floods that have hit. As well as enabling them to learn the English words for various natural disasters, the topic allowed them to voice their messages for those who have lost their lives or loved ones as a consequence of the floods. The messages were beautiful. All be it in broken or simple English, you could feel the empathy and sympathy in their voices and faces as they too have lost so much in their lives. That is, they have lost their country and many have been parted from their family and friends. Thus they really feel a deep sadness in their hearts for those that are currently suffering in Ladakh, India.

An example of one of the messages comes from Karma, a dedicated student at our school. He wanted to pass on this message: ‘I feel very sad and I don’t know where to start, but I hope you people are able to overcome this inevitable catastrophe and your suffering and sadness is alleviated as soon as possible. Instead of worrying about your losses, I hope you can rebuild your family again. May God bless you.’ This is just one example of the many beautiful messages our students wanted to share.

This was followed by some of the volunteers saying prayers in their own languages for those in Ladakh. We heard prayers in English, French and Italian. This was all topped off by the beautiful prayer that our Tibetan students shared with us. Around 50 students, all in harmony, chanted a Buddhist prayer for what felt like 10 minutes. It was so moving it almost brought tears to my eyes, but this is not the first time the unity of our students has brought me to tears. It provoked so many deep emotions in me, hearing them chanting as one, for people they have never met. They all have their own problems, yet they can still focus their energy on the suffering of others. I will continue to be amazed by this nation of such kind souls.

Written and published by Jessica Baker

Anyone in the Guernsey area or interested in visiting Guernsey, please keep September 12th free, so you can attend a day full of fun for a good cause, trying to raise enough funds for LIT’s yearly room charge.

If you are unable to attend, you can always attend in spirit by sponsoring some of the competitors or by organizing your own fund raising event to help keep LIT running. Sponsorship forms are available upon request.

So what is the big event??

An Adult School Sports Day (for big kids)

Teams of 4 to compete in egg & spoon races, sack races, ‘balloon between the legs’ races, 3-legged races, backwards walking races and more silliness. Prizes for winning team.

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS:
Round 1: Sack race, hopping race, backwards walking race, egg & spoon race (1 person from each team will compete in 1 race)
Round 2: 3-legged race, piggy back race (Teams will split into groups of 2 to compete)
Grande finale: A relay ‘balloon between the legs’ race! (All team members to compete)
Time: Sunday 12 September, starting at 2pm. Entrants should arrive at 1.30pm.
Place: St Peter Port Sea Front (on the main road between the Weighbridge and Crown Pier

For any queries or details on how to sign up please contact Sam Russell, LIT Volunteer, on 07781 456999 or email samata9@live.co.uk

Lets keep LIT alive

July 3rd: Reuters, Beijing reported a Tibetan environmentalist who organised villagers to pick up litter and plant trees had been sentenced by a Chinese court to five years in jail for inciting to split the nation.
For more information please see the below link reported by the Western Australian
link to article

LIT is a place full of laughter, discovery and development. I have never experienced a period in my life where every day is exciting and enjoyable. Everyone has bad days right? Not here! This is definitely mostly due to my time spent in LIT. So here goes, I will share my daily routine with you.

I begin my day at LIT usually at 10 or 11am. I either help write articles or chop some vegetables ready for the cooking classes that commence at 12pm. Of course, this is full of laughter as Sangpo and Lauren (the founders) and Choedak (one student that is so eager to help in every way) are the biggest jokers I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Whether it is a silly story being told or just Choedak’s amazing smile, my cheeks are always aching from the amount of laughter and smiles these guys provoke.

This is followed by either preparing a topic for the conversation class, which can be difficult as I’m always seeking to test them with obscure and exciting topics or reviewing some of the students’ homework during the English grammar classes.

Then my favourite part of the day begins; the conversation class. It really is an amazing experience. Hanging out and chatting with Tibetan monks in their red robes and smiling faces, truly is a novelty. Who would have thought I would one day have monks as my friends and even share my free time with them. Before we meet them I think most people regard them almost as a different race, but of course, they’re just like you and I. They are some of the most inspiring people I have ever had the privilege of meeting.

The students are so eager they’re lining up at least half an hour before the class commences, then flood in to get a good spot on the floor mats. There are so many students that they fill up the classroom, kitchen and even outside. Then come the volunteers, all eager to make a difference to these sweet Tibetans’ lives.

I put a topic on the board, along with four questions. As I mentioned before, trying to make them obscure is my priority as I want them to learn new things and especially, new words, every day. To give you one example, one topic was ‘the universe’ with questions like ‘name some or all of the planets in the universe’ and ‘do you think aliens will ever invade planet earth?’. You would be surprised how many of the students were unaware that we aren’t the only planet, but being a shepherd and not attending school in Tibet, why would this be significant to your life? The teacher helps them answer these four questions and then the answers are read aloud to the group. We keep it light hearted and often receive comical answers, as Tibetans love to joke and play around. Everyday I am dazzled with new discoveries, we’re all learning and sharing. I regard it as a cultural exchange as often the questions enable the students to learn about your culture, and vice versa. So not only are they gaining a valuable education, you are learning about this precious and unique culture that the Tibetans hold.

After the answers are read out loud, the real fun begins. The new volunteers are asked to stand up, are thanked for sparing their precious time and then we tell them about our school tradition. That is, they must sing us a song. The students love this as the Tibetans passion in life is definitely singing! The volunteers are so diverse so we have many songs from many countries. It’s always a new experience. Then the new students and those in need of punishment also sing. I keep my eye out for those who are talking too much or whose phones have been blaring out. It’s usually the same culprits and coincidentally (I think not) those who love to sing. I secretly think they like to perform and so chatter away on purpose. All in all, how could you not love volunteering at LIT? When you get to chat away to monks, make new friends, discuss some random topics and then be performed for. It truly is the highlight of my day.

My work doesn’t end here though. There’s much more to do, such as preparing the food for the nightly events, making flyers, coming up with ideas for fundraising, hosting the nightly events, and so on. The one thing I’ve discovered and found amazing about LIT is that they are an organisation that doesn’t only do things their way. They are more than willing to take suggestions from volunteers. If you have an idea, you can run with it. For example, Lauren and I, the founder, were discussing ways to fundraise and I came up with the idea of having a festival on the weekend with dance, music, cakes and so on. Her response was “Yeah, go for it”. It was as easy as that. It was nice to get more involved and to feel like I had really done something for the organisation. Every form of volunteering is worthwhile but it feels even better to get really stuck in and it is definitely sincerely appreciated.

So thank you Lauren and Sangpo for giving me the opportunity to have these experiences everyday and I hope this story will encourage others to come and laugh, enjoy, learn and experience a unique opportunity with us here at LIT.

Written and posted by Jessica Baker

After conducting various studies, leading researchers have recently found that the gene mutation that enables people to thrive at high altitudes is much more common in Tibetans than Han Chinese.

This may represent the strongest instance of natural selection ever documented in a human population.

To read more please check out:
link to mutation article