Just another quick update:
First, the Shar Gaden Pen-Pal Club has become a huge success! Right now there are 106 monks and 97 friends from abroad participating. There is even one senior Geshe who wanted to try the pen-pal club to help him practice his English.
What started out as a small idea has grown into a very large project. The monks love it. The friends from abroad love it as well. It is a win-win situation. The monks get to practice writing in English and thereby improve their skills, and the friends from abroad get to make a friend here at the monastery and learn a little about life here in the process.
Most of the people in the pen-pal club have received their first reply from their pen-pal monk. The monks here get so excited when we meet every day to pass out the messages. Many have never had a friend from outside of their country before. Although in the bigger picture this pen-pal club is not very important, this is making a big impact for the individual monks here.
Most of my freetime is now spent on pen-pal related activities... answering emails, sending messages, scanning letters, helping the monks with the replies etc.
I have less thasn 3 months left here, but I am trying to make the most of it while I can. My visa expires in late September, but I am already working on plans to come back here as soon as I am able. I might be able to get back here in January.
This morning I had a video interview with Zawa Tulku Rinpoche. He is making a short video about the educational program here at Shar Gaden and wanted me to give a brief overview of the activities involved. The video should be completed soon.
Well, that is all I have at the moment.
Until next time...
Much love from Shar Gaden,
Tenzin Sungrab