I arrived at the ES Tibet school at the beginning of January this year for a 6 month period and right from the start, was taken aback by the warmth of welcome I received. The actual school itself is nothing to write home about: originally a large house that has been converted to accomodate 20 or so students, 4 or 5 teachers and some management, but like a lot of things here - it just works, and it works very well. The facilities will be a shock to the system to any Westernised, first time traveller who is used to an easier way of life, but spending a week here makes you realise just how unimportant it all is - and how one can actually get by with very little when it comes down to it.

The school is flanked on all sides by some awe-inspiring nature: a sleepy forest nestles low in a mini canyon in front of the school, with the imperious Himalayas hulking to one’s left, hiding the treasures of McLeod Ganj which is about an hour or so away by bus. The school is based outside of Dharamsala in small area called Upper Sukur, which is outside of a slightly bigger spot called Fatehpur. Don’t bother checking Google Maps, as the latter two will not appear, this is the real hidden India

When I first sat in on a class what really impressed me was the dedication and earnestness of the students. They literally live and breath English all day in their pursuit of proficiency. The next morning I awoke at

about 6am, thinking no-one else would be up, but was stunned to see students reading and practicing their speaking, miming the words of a book to themselves. By the time we had breakfast at 8am, some students had already done 2 hours study in addition to whatever choirs they had. When the classes finally finished at 4, there was another hour or so of homework/study, followed by an hour of sport, watching of the news, and then some more study before bed.

The student’s schedule is very defined and this helps create an environment extremely conducive to learning. It may seem overly regimented to someone on the outside looking in, but it works very well. I found it extremely inspiring to see the student’s dedication and commitment, and made me realise the relatively pampered nature of my old life back in London. A lot of these students have struggled to get from Tibet to here, and just want a better life. I feel particularly blessed to be help out in the small way I can.

The thing I will take from here more than anything else is the openness and heart showed to me by the students. I felt like I was part of a family from Day 1, and I can honestly say I am learning as much (if not more) from these students as they are hopefully from me. Living expenses are really low, with accomodation and food paid for. Outside of that there’s not a great

deal else needed, and that which is, is much cheaper than Western standards.

If volunteering and teaching are your thing, and you want to get away from it all for whatever reason, then you could seriously consider this school. India is a land of hidden treasures and this place and its people are at the top of the list - I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Emmet Morgen