As my time here at the school approaches its end, I realize that what I have given and taught to the students is only a fraction of what I have received and learned during these past weeks. I thank all of the 24 students for giving me their smiles and laughter, their personal stories and their Tibetan dreams, and their trust and their hearts. The students' curiosity and desire for knowledge never faltered during my time here, and with English as our common ground, we delved into such areas as politics, history, Buddhist philosophy, everyday life, and even dog sled races! Sometimes our conversations and understanding of ideas was more successful than others, but no one ever gave up and stopped trying to share questions and answers.

With living so closely together and sharing our daily meals, we were able to become friends, and those friendships will stay with me forever. I am so grateful for their concerns about my daily needs and welfare, their eagerness to help me in any way they could, and their unconditional willingness to share whatever they had with me. Hiking together, cooking together, celebrating together, and seeing the Dalai Lama together were all part of the wonderful experiences I had here at K.C.S. My life is richer because of my time here in northern India with these hardworking and generous students, and I thank each student for sharing their lives with me. Through

their examples, I have learned new meanings of courage, humility, patience, and commitment.


"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
   Gandhi


Tashi delek!

By Maggie