(continued)
Fall began in spectacular Ladakh, India. There, our sponsors, the dZi Foundation and the Ladakhi Lion’s Club put the final touches on our new work location -- a building with large windows and a clean, central location. At clinic, dental volunteers treated 500 kids, including populations returning after two years for their second check-ups. We were heartened to see marked changes in these kids, both in tooth brushing and dental health.
One teacher told me only half his school came the first time for care. But after two years, everyone wanted to come – the result, he said, of watching the first group live free of dental pain. Hard to imagine living with dental pain – yikes! - but it is a common condition for much of the world.
The time in Nepal has also been fabulous. The country is peaceful, with the contentious parties now fight things out in Parliament. Business is booming, although the ubiquitous strikes continue – they are a way of life here.
Our Nepal clinics pulsate with excited kids – often over 100 a day. This fall we treated lots of monks – little monklets – as they were the only ones available during the important October Hindu festivals. We also treated several children’s homes, a government school sponsored by Denver’s Montview Presbyterian Church, a charity school for children whose parents are in jail, and a slew of nuns from a local Buddhist nunnery.
A special feature this year is the circus act in the waiting room. A volunteer, formerly from Cirque du Soleil, comes almost daily to juggle, do magic and generally thrill the huge group of children waiting their turn for care. As part of the act, Steve selects a child volunteer, hoists them on his shoulders, and then gets on his unicycle and rides the length of the waiting room – to the delight of all involved.
This sight is all the more startling when viewed from inside the clinic -- since the clinic and waiting room are partitioned by a six-foot high curtain. The curtain blocks the unicycle, revealing only the view of a disembodied child, madly grinning as they pass flying by. On monk days, the smallest monk is selected for this honor -- the sight of a grinning (yet serene) little monk flying through the air truly boggles the mind.
Last week we had a clinic full of children, the circus act underway, seven dental chairs operating, and the school founder and very venerated high Lama, Thrangu Rinpoche, stopping by to walk through the clinic. As I looked around, I felt thankful for the bounty in my life, even while realizing my plate was a bit full at the moment. That is truly the theme of this fall – great, amazing bounty and the corresponding challenges of an overflowing plate!
On that Thanksgiving theme, know I am grateful to all of you for your support, hard work, and friendship. This is important work, made possible only because so many people give what they can.
I return to the US December 3rd and hope to see many of you then. For now, lots of hugs and thanks!
Laurie
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