It all moves quickly now. The teaching is over and the staff invites us to the Korean restaurant for one final meal.
So much has happened in such a short time. When we arrived, the building next door was a foundation and some concrete stairs—now it’s practically finished. The monkeys have gradually left. Lobsang talked about what it was like when he first arrived in Dharamsala. So quiet. This area was nothing but a lonely forest, too scary to walk around at night. Now, we hear the trees being cut down in the dark, making way for more and more buildings. How far up the hill will they go? What will things be like a decade from now?
Lobsang told the story of the gold and turquoise. It was his father’s and he has been wearing it since he passed away. Once, in Tibet, they had lost this turquoise stone, and hunted all around the house for hours. Eventually, someone saw the end of the red string sticking out of a crack between the wall and the floor—a mouse hole—and it was found.
Chemey, Phuntsok, and Passang each gave us gifts, including traditional Tibetan shirts.
