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June 30
Luke Sloan
Life is well in Tagong. The group started the day at 8 a..m when we were treated to a delightful breakfast of boiled eggs, yak butter tea, and traditional bread. Excitement filled the room when Tenpa revealed the blessing of Skippy peanut butter, practically gold amongst the group. After breakfast, it was straight to the coveted minivan on our way to the nunnery and monastery. The nunnery was fascinating as there were piled stones – so many they appeared to be a temple – each stone with a prayer intricately carved into them. We visited a cave where a monk once meditated for 60 years, from the 1930s to the 1990s. The group was challenged by the leaders to reflect and put ourselves in the perspective of a Buddhist monk or nun. It was incredible to see the simple, but spiritual, lifestyles. The monasteries were breathtaking to see as the gold plated rooftops clashed with the mountainous Tibetan backdrop. We visited the third monastery right in Tagong and made offerings and brief prayers to Buddha. Shortly after, we headed towards Tenpa’s hometown of Dora, stopping for lunch and delighting at the presence of another ever-so-entertaining ‘lazy susan’ that made passing dishes in our family style meal that much easier. We arrived at Tenpa’s home and were graciously welcomed with open arms by his family. Unfortunately, our highly anticipated basketball game was postponed due to rain, but instead, the group played games. We also had an open-ended group discussion about our purpose and motives for our service work. We then had an amazing dinner of momos with entertainment provided by one of our favorite friends, one of our drivers, Jin Chu. Chesley and Eva helped clean the dishes and the group prepared for bed as we have a hard days work tomorrow.
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