On June 28th, a group of 28 Senior School students and four teachers travelled to Ladakh, India for a three-week service learning adventure. In partnership with the Himalayan Health Project, the team spent a few days performing vision and dental screenings for more than 400 people in the village of Sakti. They also trekked through the Himalayas and spent time learning about local culture and tradition. Three students, Charlotte G., Marla R., and Caitlyn S. share their experience:
ADVENTURES OF THREE MULGRAVIANS CHARLOTTE,MARLA AND CAITLYN TRAVEL TO INDIA
CHARLOTTE
G.
Our trip to Ladakh was one that I will never forget. We went as a group that rarely interacted with each other, so I learned a lot more about my peers, and built on existing friendships. It was so incredible to see vast mountain ranges, and the beauty of the enormous Himalayan mountains. The three-day medical camp, which we helped out at, was at a school in Sakti Village. In those three days, people coming from many different villages travelled to that school for teeth and eye screenings. This was by far the best experience of this trip because it allowed us to help villagers in need of future medical treatment, and it gave us the opportunity to get to know more about their lives. We then embarked on an eight-day trek, which was spectacular. There are no words to express how extremely special this opportunity was, and how grateful I am to my parents for allowing me to have had this experience. One thing that has really stuck with me was how the culture and way of life in Ladakh are worlds apart from ours. I was speaking to a man in Sakti village, and he told me they do everything they can to keep the peace between themselves, staying away from conflict. They also don't have this constant competition within their society. In our more fast-paced lives, we are constantly competing with each other for personal gain. Over there, their gain is everyone else's gain. He said life may be a lot slower there, but it is so peaceful and simple. I also learned this from a Buddhist painting that depicts four animals of different sizes all helping each other to reach fruit on a tree.
A moment I am sure to never forget is when we hiked up to the Matho La pass on the fourth day of our trek. Up there, we hung a string of prayer flags, which we each wrote personal prayers/messages, across a stretch of the mountain. We all held a part of it, and let go for it to rise, and for our thoughts to be sent to the "four corners of the world." It was just a nice moment where we all accomplished something together, and set free our personal thoughts. Photo: Charlotte is fourth from the left in the top image below.
MARLA
R.
My experience in Ladakh was unbelievable! From helping local patients in travel clinics, to visiting monasteries, to trekking over the Himalayas, everyday was filled with endless excitement. Julley! From the very first day, we were warmly welcomed to Ladakh by Bill, Pennie, and the entire sherpa team, who we were able to spend lots of time with and create amazing memories over the entire two weeks. The opportunity to work with local optometrists and dentists at the Lamdon School in Lei, as well as helping local patients living in nearby villages was so incredibly rewarding. I also learned how to speak a little bit of Ladakhi, and was able to put this into practice, by speaking with both children and adults at the travel clinic. Over and above all else, our experience at the travel clinic and our trips to monasteries not only broadened my understanding of Buddhism, but also showed me a different way of appreciating the beauty of our world.
"HER SMILE WAS
IRREPLACEABLE, AND I
WAS OVERWHELMED
WITH A FEELING OF
HAPPINESS." The various principles of Buddhism, explained to us by Lama Pulden were extremely insightful, and showed me that we should be creating our own world, with our own expectations, tailored to our own needs and capabilities, rather than comparing ourselves with society and competing with everyone around us. After our first week in Ladakh, we embarked on our eight-day trek. The trek was amazing (to say the least!). Although most people (including myself) came up against altitude sickness along the way, we all fought through the symptoms and helped each other out! My favourite part of the trek was on my birthday, when we reached an altitude of 5,100 meters and overlooked the most beautiful 360 degree landscape. One of my most memorable moments on this trip, was when I was helping the optometrist in the clinic at Lamdon School.
The optometrist was testing to see which strength of eyewear each patient needed. There was specifically one mother, who came to the travel clinic with her daughter with the intention of receiving prescription glasses. Once it was her turn to see the optometrist, and the optometrist found the correct level (or strength) for each eye, I immediately saw her face glow with happiness. Her smile was irreplaceable, and I was overwhelmed with a feeling of happiness. For the first time in her life, this mother could finally see her daughter clearly. Small tears started streaming down her face when she cupped her daughter’s face in her hands, and looked at her for a long time. The feeling, which engulfed me in this moment was (and still is) unexplainable. I realised how many items we take for granted nowadays, and more importantly, how much a simple piece of eyewear can make a difference in someone’s life.
"IT WAS A TRULY MAGICAL AND UNIQUE MOMENT." From the moment we stepped off the plane to the moment we got back on, I was amazed by the hospitality and kindness we received, the things we learned, and the friendships we made. I felt so humbled with the opportunity to go to Ladakh. As many of us would agree, one of the highlights of the trip was on the second day at the medical camp when we took the cars up to the pass connecting to Tibet. The view was completely breathtaking, with Tibet on one side and an endless mountainous landscape on the other. Another highlight was the trek. Everyday we saw different views, made stronger bonds and overcame mental challenges. At the beginning, someone asked if all of us were from Mulgrave, but by the end we all grew together as one big Ladakhi family with the sherpas. I will never forget the positivity, compassion and patience the
CAITLYN
S.
sherpas have, and I hope to model that into my own life. I will forever be grateful to Mulgrave, Bill Kyte and his team for this once-in-a-lifetime, unique experience. I am beyond thrilled that I went and hope to return and volunteer for the Himalayan Health Project again. It is extremely hard to put the trip into words as it was so many things: eye-opening, moving, amazing, beautiful, unique, calming and the list goes on.
and said, "Julley" — a Ladakhi word meaning hello, goodbye, and thank you. One of the herders followed us back to the group and although there was a large language barrier, we were still able to have a conversation.
The biggest thing that I learned from the trip was the impact of global volunteerism. It was evident that the project was changing the lives of the locals in Sakti village. On our second day in the medical camp, we saw over 200 patients in the dental section, none of whom had come before.
We wanted to sing for her, I started with a song called Wangol, and others joined in. Then we sang some choir songs, and another herder joined our circle and listened to our singing.
The moment that I would never forget occurred on the fifth day of our trek in the middle of the Himalayas. After a morning hike and a delicious lunch, we approached a few sheep herders
We learned that she had 1000 sheep, she showed us a ring that she had bought with an intricate design on it, and her sling shot that she used while she was herding.
It was a truly magical and unique moment. It was crazy to think that even though we were in the middle of the unpopulated Himalayan mountains, we met and were able to interact with others and overcome language and cultural differences.