Just an Average SKIRT

I can’t believe its Saturday, we’re heading home tomorrow.  Of course I’m excited to see my family but it is hard to leave when I know it will be a while before I get back.  2 years, 10 years, I don’t know when I’ll be back but I will be back.  I am not done here. I’m sure of only one thing at this point, I’m going to miss it here.

One thing that Ellish at Passport Health told me before coming here is that just because it’s a Tuesday it doesn’t mean that the banks and post office will be open.  There is absolutely no schedule here and most days are holidays - seriously, there is always a celebration going on in this culture.

So I was elated when on the way to Lha this afternoon the walk past an ‘open for business’ post office.  As everything is an event here, getting stamps and mailing the postcards took about 20 minutes (there was no line).  I high tailed it to class but arrived to an empty room.  I walked down the hallway only to peer into more empty rooms.  Where was everyone?

I heard voices and laughs coming from above; I headed to the roof.  I could smell the milk tea from the stairs.  I was immediately emotional, there was a graduation ceremony going on.  Our students, the beautiful people that believed in us, were receiving their certificates of completion.  It was very emotional, it was beautiful, it was a ceremony filled with joy and hope.

This is when I knew that we had made an impact.

I mingled, laughed, received gifts of appreciation, took photos, gave hugs and cried.  My inner voice just kept reminding that these moments were once in a lifetime and to remember how it felt so that I would never forget.

One student who had just touched my heart from the first day as I shook his hand was Shatkay.  I had heard a bit about his story from Gaye and Jack,  about his escape from Tibet and his ultimate survival.   Throughout the week, whenever he saw me he would greet me with a huge smile and hug.  There was goodness about him, a goodness I had never seen in another human being.

As he walked over to me today, his smile pierced through the fog, he was visibly moved by his achievement.  I said, ‘Shatkay, I’m so proud of you.  I’m so happy for you, what a wonderful….’  Before I could finish he put his hands on my shoulders then threw both arms into the air holding his certificate, looking up at the sky, he shouted ‘Best thing in my life Jessica, best thing in my life.’

This is when I knew that we changed lives.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 7:43 pm and is filed under Triathlon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.