Dahl Lake and TCV (Tibetans Childrens Village)

November 15th, 2008

There is just soo much to do here at McLeod. It's not like the rest of India, and you can easily spend a large portion of your trip here. There's plenty of volunteer opportunities, teaching English to Tibetans, women, men and children. Going to concerts, watching the Monks meditate at the temple, catching a movie at a cafe, or just browsing the streets talking to shop-owners or tourists you meet. It's such a great place with a wonderful atomosphere. There plenty of good food to be tasted as well, and great bakeries (chocolate cakes are just super!).

So, today, Sandra and I decided to visit Dahl lake. According to the guidebook, it's supposed to be a nice place to see so it sounded like a good idea. We were to meet up with two to three more of our friends there once we arrived. Having time to spare, we decided to walk the few kilometers there, and it's always nice to get some exercise hehe. We didn't know exactly how to get there, but Sandra was confident that we would find the way, and you could always ask the locals you bump into for directions. It was a pleasent walk, and with the right company, it always makes it that much more enjoyable. Finally arriving at Dahl lake, it was nothing what we expected, to be honest, we didn't know what to expect, but this wasn't it. It seemed like a regular man made lake. Dahl lake....uhmmm....

We ended up laughing at ourselfs, what a moment. But there's always something good coming out of unexpected occasions. As we turned around we saw a sign posting, "Tibetans Childrens Village" - TCV. And, as it turns out, TCV was more than what we had expected.

This is a complex of schools, from pre-school to high school. And you have loads of children, both orphans and non orphans. It was great to interact with them, and play some basketball, look around their class rooms and school grounds. Set in a quite location, and surrounded with expressions of love and sharing on the school walls, it's no wonder the tibetans are such caring and compassionate people. They're thought from childhood to share and put others before self. The time spent here brought back many memories of my own childhood, and schooling. A feeling of nostalgia filled the air.Sandra and I

As we walked through the alleyways, and entered a few class rooms, we observed the posters, and writings on the walls. The children here are thought all in English, and we even passed by a recycling center, and there were garbage cans all around the grounds - they're thought to throw garbage properly, which is something I havn't observed in parts of India, sad as it is. It turned out to be a great day, an interactive day with the children and we got to see them play some football :D It all felt like a big summer school - lots of positive energy floating about.