Job at Lha: Computer professional
After reading various writings of H.H. The Dali Lama, and visiting the Shambala Center in Boulder, Colorado, I wanted to learn more about Tibetan Buddhism and volunteer to teach. Traveling to McLeod Ganj was the perfect way to do both. I decided to volunteer at LHA, and had a number of skills. Lha let me know what they most needed: Computer support and English Teachers. Here I am, doing both, after lugging a 23Kg suitcase full of items to donate from the USA.
This place really feels like home to me after just a few weeks. There is a real sense of welcome. Some days I join the prayer meetings at the Main Buddhist temple (where the Dalai Lama speaks), other days I walk the Kora that circles it and recite a popular mantra, “Om Mani Padme Hum”, and spin the prayer wheels.
I get excited and nervous before each class, and relieved and pleased by the enthusiasm and attendance of the students. The Advanced English class is really getting interested and writing surprisingly good poetry. I also enjoy individual tutoring and the Conversation class, where I sit with 4-6 students, pose a question, and listen as each student develops conversational skills as we discuss current issues. The School is a registered Nonprofit and benefits a variety of locals, including Indians, monks, and Tibetan refugees.
Lha has to revolve how to establish continuity in the midst of change: continuity of teaching with steady volunteer turnover, and continuity of electricity amongst power cuts. City power is unreliable, so we try to have as many PCs as possible on battery backup. This both avoids loss of work, and also helps the computers last longer, since every surprise shutdown risks damaging the OS.
The volunteers are learning Tibetan songs, accompanied by guitar – a really a wonderful experience. I see a concerted effort among Tibetans to preserve their culture, with a wonderful, humble enthusiasm. Conditions here are similar to my home in Denver, Colorado (Elevation, Weather, Mountains, Crows) yet exotic in many others. Denver is a city in the central western United States, semi-arid, with 300 days of sun a year, where it snows 3-4 times a month from November through April. I work there at a large telecom corporation developing computer business systems.
If you would like to help, Lha desperately needs Windows 7 licenses!
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