Dear Friend,
We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. Two weeks ago, we shared the news that the children of Jhamtse Gatsal are in their villages due to the government's COVID-19 protocols. We are grateful to report that all of them are safe, healthy, and looking forward to returning to the Community, hopefully in early June. We greatly appreciate your prayers and messages of support. We will keep you posted with updates as they are available.
As we are often asked about daily life at Jhamtse Gatsal, we are pleased to share in this month's newsletter another reflection by Kunsang D., which offers unique insights. We also share another inspiring story from our ongoing series - what does Jhamtse Gatsal mean to you? This month we bring you Duncan's Jhamtse story from Switzerland.
We look forward to sharing more stories like this in the coming months. While Jhamtse Gatsal is a remote community located in northeast India, it is also a growing global community with friends, well-wishers, and supporters in more than 30 countries. We'd love to hear your Jhamtse story and share it with our global family as well as the children and staff at Jhamtse Gatsal, who are deeply moved and empowered by the knowledge that their simple way of life can be inspiring too. Click here to send us your story.
Your unwavering support throughout, and especially during these challenging times, is greatly appreciated and highly impactful. You remain in our thoughts and prayers. We hope you enjoy our May stories.
Stay well, and thanks again,
Vasudha Wanchoo
Managing Director
Jhamtse Gatsal Children's Community
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A recent picture of Tashi taken by student photographer Raju.
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Learning Time at Jhamtse Gatsal
By Kunsang D., Class 10
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After a hearty breakfast, we take some time to get our things together, and then we all gather for the school assembly. Every day in the week has a different theme around which we center our assembly. Every week a different class performs. We always make sure that all the children in the class get the opportunity to perform on stage. After the assembly, we all head to our classrooms with our teachers.
Immediately after the assembly, we have 30 minutes set aside for reflection. During this period, we reflect on the previous day using the Karmayaan practice taught by Gen Lobsang Phuntsok la* and set our intentions for the new day ahead of us. This helps us focus better on our day and learn from our past.
*Gen la: Gen la is a title of respect in the Tibetan and local Monpa culture. It is pronounced with a hard g sound, like get.
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What Jhamtse Gatsal Means To Me
by Duncan Lally, Geneva, Switzerland
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It was perhaps November 2015 when I was asked to accompany a group of IB students from the school where I teach, Institut Florimont in Geneva, Switzerland, to watch a film and attend a conference to celebrate United Nations Universal Children's Day. We filed into a conference hall at the UN and watched "Tashi and the Monk." For whatever reason, it left me sobbing.
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We'd love to hear about your Jhamtse Gatsal connection!
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Meet with Vasudha Wanchoo
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Vasudha (Vasu) Wanchoo, the Managing Director of the Jhamtse Gasal Children's Community, is in the U.S. for most of this year. With high-speed internet and closer proximity to Western time zones, Vasu would love to virtually meet with you to share stories and news from the Community and updates.
Please email hello@jhamtse.org if you are interested in meeting with Vasu. We'll facilitate the schedule and make the arrangements. Exciting developments in the Community have come to life thanks to your ongoing support. Vasu would love to share these insights with you.
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