Hello from Dharamsala!

Greetings from the internet cafe here in the market of Dharamsala. I don't know how exactly to describe the beauty here, but it is unlike anything i have ever seen before! It is very hilly and mountainous, and from our beautiful flat you can see the first snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas. They are quite large! Much larger than anything we have in New Hampshire. The people here are also very friendly, and greet us with "Namaste" every time we pass. But let me give some history first: we flew here on Friday after about 4 hours of delay in the airport. The plane was tiny, tiny, tiny, and I think most of us were pleased to finally land in Dharamsala. We had to trek about 5 or 10 minutes up a hillside after about a 40 minute ride up the mountain to get to our flat ,which is beautiful. On the front porch you can see both high peaks and deep valleys... The food is of course excellent, mostly traditional Indian food, and the staff is also very kind and friendly. They really take good care of us - hot chai always, laundry and housekeeping, and plenty of good advice and information. One thing I was very surprised to learn of was the apparent animosity between the Indian and Tibetan population here. Because the situation in Tibet is a popular cause in the Western world, most refugees have received much money, making them some of the most wealthy citizens in the area. Because of this, they are essentially corrupted by the money and lose all efforts to fight for the cause of Tibetan independence. Not only this, but their bountiful supply of money has tampered with the traditional Indian feel to the area here, which creates much disagreement between the two cultures. It is very easy, just in walking around the area, to tell who is Tibetan - generally, they are dressed very well, and usually travel in large groups. Just the other day we saw a group of monks wearing their traditional robes, and they were all using cellphones or blackberry's.....rather shocking. I was really surprised to hear this, but in spending only a few days here I can understand it well.
I have been to my volunteer placement, at the Anganwadi Upper Barol daycare, for about two days. Mostly, our biggest challenge is the language barrier. The teacher at the daycare, and the helpers speak no English, and we as volunteers speak only very little Hindi. The teacher spends little time with the kids, and leaves most of the work to us. Usually, we spend our time teaching the kids songs, reading them stories, playing with blocks, and coloring. They generally are able to do all of these things well, although they sometimes have trouble repeating English words. We have quickly learned how to say things like "don't bite", "don't hit", "no", "stop", "good job" , etc. in Hindi, as these words are very valuable when working with children. I wish I was able to post pictures here, you would all agree with me in saying that the children are adorable! Even thought the task of occupying 15 or 20 toddler's time every day can be daunting, it makes it all worth while when they smile or laugh, or have a good time. They absolutely looooove having their picture taken, and being held or swung around. They can sing their ABC's, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
And let's not forget the jet lag! I have managed to be fully awake by about 6 am everyday...I don't think my body has been very happy with me lately, but we won't go into the yucky details. I was feeling very tired and stressed the first few days, and even having thoughts of going home. But no worries! I am a trooper, and things have been getting much better in the past few days. I am looking forward to doing some shopping and stuff in the near future...maybe get some hiking in as well. There are beautiful mountains and trails all around us....I can't believe I have been here for nearly a week!
Also, another odd/cool thing: animals sort of roam the streets here. Its not uncommon for 5 or 6 cars to be backed up on the road because of a cow, goat, donkey, or even monkey, that is standing in the middle of the street. Most people use their animals like this to carry things from their homes to/from the market because most roads are very steep and rocky. Another nice thing is that everything is so cheap! Even using the internet, for one hour, is 30 rupees which is less than a dollar! And this applies to all goods: you can eat at a restaurant in town here for about 4 dollars. A full hand-made outfit with your choice of fabric is about 4 dollars as well.
Namaste ya'all!