Today's post is by Daniel Newman and Trevor Russo: 

Today the group enjoyed a variety of activities from visiting a monastery to playing games with local children. After a nice American breakfast, our group set out by meeting Bob, an ordained Tibetan monk from Chicago to learn about the basic principles of Tibetan Buddhism. We later traveled to the Norbulingka Institute to watch skilled Tibetan craftsmen who follow their traditional methods rather than machines. The visit was followed by a nice lunch and a trip to a nunnery. Our final destination was to the Nishtha Rural Health Education and Environment Center, which focused on teaching local Tibetans to more efficiently manage their garbage and giving young children life skills that they wouldn't learn normally from school. We then played outside with the children, before departing for some pumpkin soup, french fries and pizza to conclude the day.

Buddhist Monastery Outside of our Guest House

A Golden Statue of the Buddha behind a throne with a picture of the Dalai Lama

Dalai and Lama, two puppies we found outside our hotel (I want to keep them)

The three representations of the Buddha

Bob the Monk (from Illinois) explains the "ultimate" representation of reality

Our guide Philippa explains the meaning of Buddhist symbols on the ground

Gabby, Marissa and Gianna smile for a picture on the way to the Norbulingka Institute

Mr. Nicholson enjoys a walk to the Institute

Sarah, Sophie and a donkey share a moment

Gabby smiles for a close-up

An artist at the Norbulingka Institute creates a masterful scroll

A Tibetan artist creates an applique