Luptin, and the Sherpa relationship with food

"Shei, shei, shei!" It's the national cry of the Sherpani: "Eat, eat, eat!!"

Sapana just returned from her farewell breakfast with Luptin, the bearded monk who hosted us at saano gumba during the festival.  She walks into our room and empties her pockets, removing handfuls of chapati - flat, round, thick, and filling Tibetan bread.
"I just couldn't eat it all!" she cries, "but I didn't want to waste it."  She packs the chapati into a plastic bag for an afternoon snack and turns to show me the immense feast Luptin prepared her for breakfast: Chapati filled with veggie omelette, served quesadilla style with a yak cheese and red chili sauce, a hard boiled egg, a huge bowl of boiled carrots and bok choi and a glass mug of bottomless black apple tea. It looked genuinely delicious, and once again my heart was melted by the incredible generosity of a people who have nothing, yet give continuously of their very best. Cheese and eggs are such a luxury here!  Even vegetables demand a special occasion in order to make an appearance.

During the week we slept at saano gumba, Luptin brought us a thermos of hot water every night before bed.  If we seemed awake he insisted we follow him up to his small room above the monastery to sit on the floor together and share mugs of instant vita-drink that tasted like milky oatmeal and a tin of butter cookies.  After a half hour spent looking through the Chinese photo book of his Tibetan homeland and the various postcards and photos of Natur Rimpoche and other Buddhist leaders and incarnations, he'd send us back to our rooms laden with fresh tea bags and a box of unopened chocolate covered wafer cookies.

Though 60-year-old Luptin speaks no more than 20 words of English, we communicate effectively through smiles and gestures.  I've come to learn that silence is not awkward for Nepalis, especially during meal time, as they believe talking while eating is not good for digestion.  I enjoy the peaceful quiet of tea times with Luptin and the awareness that it brings out in me as my tongue stops and my other senses become more acute. But I also enjoy the fun challenge of communicating with him.  We learn that he is a devoted servant to Zatur Rimpoche (brother of Natur Rimpoche, who is currently residing at saano gumba) because Luptin's teacher - the one who raised him in the monastery - was the former Zatur Rimpoche. After Zatur's death, it was Luptin's responsibility to find the reincarnation of Zatur Rimpoche, and then raise the boy.  After the current Zatur Rimpoche was recognized as a reincarnation of a high lama, his two brothers were also recognized as incarnations: Datur Rimpoche and Natur Rimpoche.  We're told that this is very rare for so many siblings to be recognized as incarnations; this is perhaps the only family with three boys in such high positions.

Luptin conveys that Natur Rimpoche has been traveling in Russia, Europe, and America. He cannot accompany, however, because he doesn't have a passport.  Putting together the pieces of his life puzzle, we surmise that Luptin is a Tibetan refugee and without documents; a citizen of no land. I look to his laughing eyes, dancing as always, and I wonder what pain, what stories lie in his past. I understand how the Buddhist teachings of non-attachment and ideal of freeing oneself from desire help the Tibetan people cope with their political and physically impoverished circumstances.  Of the many peoples I've encountered throughout my travels, the Tibetans and Sherpa are among the poorest in material possessions yet among the richest in spirit.  I leave Luptin's room with my belly full, my mind joyful, my heart humbled, and my spirit renewed.  I snuggle into my sleeping bag and smile myself to sleep; I marvel at how sometimes the most meaningful communication takes place in spite of a language barrier.  Through the sharing of his food, Luptin reaches out, ministers to us and shares much more.

For Buddhists, "to prepare food for others is equal to preparing food for a shrine. If you feed others, you honor them."* To feed is to nurture; to satisfy another's hunger is to show compassion; to promote compassion is to build karma; to acquire good karma is to ensure rebirth into a higher realm of samsara and brings one nearer to enlightenment. During Dumzi, I told an old trekking guide that I was interested in the overlap of Sherpa culture and Buddhist culture. "They are one and the same," Dorje told me, drawing his two index fingers together as if to illustrate their synonymie. No wonder Sherpa people insist on feeding you till you can't quite possibly handle another bite. Though filling up on the carb-centric Sherpa diet might not honor your digestive system, it does honor your soul.

Following my three day fast due to food poisoning (or rather, water poisoning resulting from an improperly washed cup), Sapana and I were both lacking in appetite and asked for very small lunch portions as Pasang ladled dal into our bowls.  Though we lifted our hands palms up as if to cover our bowls - the polite way to refuse food or drink - and serenaded him with a chorus of "tuche, tuche, tuche" - no thankyou! - he stopped just briefly and then poured in a little more. We gave him a look of joking disdain, as if to say, "Come on, we don't want to waste it!"
He snickered, "It's the rule, we have to give twice."  Sherpa protocol demands two scoops of food be put on a plate (I demand two small scoops) and for alcohol or ceremonial drink, the one pouring the drink will not leave until the recipient of the cup first chugs at least half of the full cup, takes a big gulp after is it refilled, and again one more after it is filled a third time.  All the while, the Sherpani with the pitcher hovers with one palm under the mug, tipping it steeply to ensure the drinker drinks.  I've gently but steadfastly refused all alcohol except one cup of chhang (Sherpa millet wine, which I forced myself to drink for the full cultural experience) so as to avoid alcohol poisoning, or even worse, drowning at the hands of an eager and generous Sherpani with a pitcher.


* An excerpt from "I Taste Fire, Earth, Rain: Elements of a Life with a Sherpa" by Caryl Sherpa.

Trekking to Everest

Dipak convinced me that it would be crazy to go up to Lukla for 11 weeks and not trek to Everest Base Camp. "You're halfway there!  This is once lifetime opportunity - you must do it."

He was so excited about it himself, and I had such a good time listening to his stories of the Sherpas that I just couldn't resist.  Most people pay upwards of $1,300 for the trip, but since I'll already be on the road from Lukla (where the trek starts) to Base Camp, and since I already have all the gear needed for the summertime trek and will be acclimatized to the altitude, and since I have such good connections with Nepali people, the price of the 10-day trek is only $479 for me.  There are four of us going together - all volunteers with RCDP* who I've met in the hostel here in Kathmandu. We've spent the week together in intensive language courses.  On Monday I'll be flying with Joanna from Singapore, Nate from Minnesota, and Emma from Hong Kong to Lukla. From there Joanna, Nate and I will walk an hour and a half uphill to the monastery, and Emma will walk downhill a half hour to her host family and the school in which she'll be teaching.

After about four weeks, Emma will have finished her project and Dawa, the RCDP Coordinator in Lukla, will walk with her up to the monastery, where we'll join them to continue up the mountain.  Dawa will be our guide all the way to Base Camp.  Having summited Mt Everest before and guided many other groups up to Base Camp, he's well qualified to do so.  We'll also have two porters - Sherpas who will carry our baggage.  All we'll carry is a day pack with water, snacks and a camera. Along the way we'll sleep and take meals in tea houses scattered all the way up to Base Camp 3 (we're only going to Base Camp 1).  This lessens the burden on our porters, who won't have to carry tents and cooking equipment.  Nevertheless, I'll still be bringing a sleeping bag because the temperature inside the tea houses is the temperature outside. There are no heating systems, besides perhaps the cooking fire.  What the tea house does offer is a shelter from the wind.  Even so, it only gets down to just above freezing in the summer - even at 6,000 meters (about 19,700 feet) - the approximate altitude of Base Camp 1.

I've really enjoyed listening to stories of the Sherpa people, and I'm looking forward to living with them for the next 11 weeks.  Though I haven't read any of the books published by Americans, Germans, Canadians and others who've summited Everest, I've certainly seen and heard of them.  I always imagined these had to be some of the toughest individuals on earth.  And no doubt they're fit.  But what I didn't know is that for every individual who writes a book about getting to the top, there's a team of guides and porters behind him or her who did the real work - carrying all the gear, setting up camp and navigating the route.  Most of these Sherpas have summited Everest 17, 18, 20 times. They bound up and down the mountain like gazelles - even when carrying three people's baggage - and porters are constantly going up ahead and then coming back down to check on the foreigners, then moving on up ahead, coming back down to see if anyone needs anything out of the bags. (The guide stays with the group the whole time.) One of the volunteers here is a French Canadian in med school and told me that Sherpas actually have more red blood cells than we do and are therefore able to take in more oxygen with each breath.  She said even after a week or two up there I'd start to produce more red blood cells, too!  

I'm glad I'll be spending about 4 weeks at 10,000 ft before moving up to 19,000 ft.  Hopefully my red blood cell count will increase sufficiently to ease the trek, and lower my chance of getting altitude sickness, which is really a serious concern as you can die if you don't descend to a safe altitude immediately.

*Real Community Development Projects

Hatching Student Businesses Across the Globe

I've just come across a really neat program providing mentoring and business incubation for researchers and budding entrepreneurs in Russia (called StartUp Life).  Then, I found out that the program was started by Aalto University Center for Entrepreneurship....the very same university to which I've applied for a Masters Programme (hopefully starting Fall 2012!). 

THEN, I realized what an INCREDIBLE place their Center has for student entrepreneurs.  It's called Aalto Venture Garage and has to be one of the coolest student centers I've seen!  How come I didn't see this when I toured the campus last spring?

Empty Me

"...of the selfishness inside, every vain ambition, and the poison of my pride..."

Jackie Evancho

Everyone knows I have a soft spot for child prodigies.  The raw talent of these individuals blows my mind on a regular basis.  This little girl simply takes my breathe away!

Miniature opera sensation Jackie Evancho was discovered on America's Got Talent a few years ago. Here's her latest performance - at the Wall Street Journal's Christmas Party. Here's the catch: She's 11 years old!

Want to see more?  Google "Jackie Evancho" - and prepare to be amazed :)

A Fairytale Come True

You can't imagine all the fun I've had at work this week – I really do have the best job in the world! The U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg is a major sponsor of the International Dance Open Ballet Festival, and this year was the 10th anniversary of the festival. Our Consul General gave two speeches – at the opening press conference and the awards ceremony – and I went along as a Consulate representative in support of her. Of course, we had fantastic seats for all the performances! There were several American dancers who had come to compete in the festival, and one group, called “The Bad Boys of Dance” came as crowd energizers. The first night we were in the Alexandrinsky Theater, a very famous one built in the 1800s. Everything seems to be covered in either gold or red velvet; I felt like a queen! We were sitting front and center, with the jury who was judging the festival! I got to sit next to the Artistic Director of the American Ballet Theater in New York; that alone was amazing! The best part about sitting with the jury is watching and listening to their responses to the dancers. One poor ballerina slipped on something that was on the floor right as she was landing a jump, and ended up flat on her back. She was okay, fortunately, and kept dancing. But it was interesting because the jury gasped before anyone else knew anything was wrong. They know ballet so well that even the slightest deviation from proper form immediately allows them to project what's going to happen next.  The next night we had equally great seats for the gala concert, this time at the Oktyabrysky, a brand new theater that seats 4,000 people.  The entire place was packed! I really appreciated being able to drive up in the official car, complete with the diplomatic American flags. Everyone got out of the way and we just got to zoom on in – no waiting in lines! But the real highlight of the night was the awards ceremony afterward. Only about 100-150 people were invited: the dancers, trainers, judges, and sponsors of the festival. The ceremony was held in The Marble Palace and it was truly incredible, right out of a fairytale!  The Marble Palace

Orphanage No. 9

I wake up every day with an incredible sense of anticipation for what the day holds. No two days have been alike since I've been here, and every day has brought at least one new experience that I never thought I'd have. Honestly, this is the most amazing internship in the world. I can't think of anywhere else in the world I'd rather be right now.

The band: Brian, John Forté, Patrick, and Ryan

Today I accompanied our Public Affairs Officer to St. Petersburg's Orphanage No. 9, where the Consulate hosted and provided translation for John Forté and his band.  John has an amazing story. Having grown up in a rough, what he calls "not very affluent" neighborhood, he knew his only chance to step out of that community was academics, and so after committing himself to his studies he received a full-ride scholarship to the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy and then continued at New York University. He made some great connections early on, and his music career exploded. He told the kids at the orphanage today that "sometimes when you get what you think you want early on, at a young age, you don't know how to handle the pressure."  His music had taken him all over the world, but when his new album was "met with critical acclaim yet experienced commercial failure," he says he blamed everyone but himself.  He was then released from his contract with Atlantic Records, and decided to pursue a solo career as an independent singer-songwriter. Just one problem, though: by that time he had spent all the money he had earned.  He was approached by some people who said they could help him get the money he needed, and unfortunately he joined an illegal enterprise - something having to do with cocaine - and that one bad choice landed him with a 14-year prison sentence when he was caught.  The room full of 100+ chatty kids fell silent upon hearing these words from the humble, gifted musician before them. 

A Night at the St. Petersburg Grand Philharmonic

One of the really neat things about working at the Consulate in Public Affairs is the opportunity to get out and about around the city for all sorts of events.  Last night I was given a ticket to the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, and it was amazing!  Not only was this a first-class, world renowned group of musicians, but to listen to them play on the very stage from which Tchaikovsky often conducted was an all-around spectacular experience. 

St. Petersburg Philharmonic Grand Hall

This is what the hall looks like today.  I was sitting in the center left section, eighth row back, and it was both a nice view as well as good acoustics. I borrowed this snippet about the history of the hall from the philharmonic website:


"This Hall, where today is the Philharmonic, was built in 1839 by the architect P. Jacot (the facade designed by C. Rossi) for the Noble Assembly of St. Petersburg.
The first-class acoustics hall, built to hold more than 1,500 people,  became a center of musical life in St. Petersburg since the late 1840's. There were well-known musicians of the nineteenth century: Liszt, H. Berlioz, Wagner, G. Mahler, A. Rubinstein, K. Schumann, Pauline Viardot, P. Sarasate and others. Here we first heard many of the writings of the classics of Russian music by Borodin, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov, and more."

A person may plan his own journey, but the Lord directs his steps - Proverbs 16:9

And how true this has been for me!

So often it seems that God says to me, I like where you're going with that idea, but on the way, let's stop to....help someone out, bring someone along, rest in a certain place, or wait for the right time.  

Life is a journey, and as much as I try to anticipate, plan, and dream, I'm just along for the ride.  People do all sorts of things to try to relieve stress -- yoga, massages, vacations, medication, you name it.  I certainly enjoy a relaxing yoga session on occasion, but nothing takes stress away more than remembering this proverb.

Sure, this is my journey....but I'm just reading the map.    

Onion Church

One of my earliest memories is of sitting in the playroom among stacks of old National Geographic magazines.  A friend of my mom's had had a subscription for over 20 years and had kept every issue.  When boxes full of them showed up in our extra room, it was like I had struck gold. 

I remember reading articles about shirtless, tribal African women, fact sheets about how Indian elephants differ from African elephants, and an exposé on the great number of people who are buried in the Great Wall of China because they died on the job and were left there to become part of the wall, among other things.  But do you know what has for years been my most vivid memory of these adventures in National Geographic?  It was a feature-length article on Russia, complete with several photographs and a map with a big red star on Moscow.  

The first photograph was in black and white.  It had a flap that, when flipped out, showed a landscape view of a group of children.  I had only to read the caption to discover that these sandy-haired, fair-skinned kids were orphans .  On the following page was a beautiful, full-color photo of a matryoshka, a Russian nesting doll.  It was painted to look like a babushka, a typical Russian grandmother in a flowery-print dress with a mismatching flowery-print scarf pulled over her hair and tied under her chin.  My favorite picture was a glimmering sunrise shot of a beautifully colored Orthodox church.  The one in the photograph was decked out in gold, greens, blues, red, and yellow.  The recognizable rooftop ornaments reminded me of onions, and so I dubbed all churches of that style "onion churches."  

I can't wait to visit my first onion church!

One Step Closer

An email I received this morning brings me one step closer to my life-long dream of working for the U.S. Department of State.

Earlier this summer I applied for an internship in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs for Spring 2011.  I was feeling good about my application until I realized that the Statement of Interest I had spent so much time developing exceeded the word limit by more than 200%.  I had to cut it down from 3 pages to about 3/4 of a page.  I was extraordinarily disappointed; I felt that the full version of my interest statement perfectly expressed my goals, skills, and personality.  After hastily deleting over two-thirds of the document in an attempt to submit my painstakingly prepared application before the deadline, my confidence in my chances of being selected for the program was depleted considerably.

Fast forward two months: It's August and I'm thinking about the school year ahead.  Just two days ago, I was mulling over my options for Russia next spring and feeling stressed by my situation.  It's somewhat of a Catch-22.  I simply don't have the funds to pay the travel and tuition expenses for a semester of studying abroad; I have been unsuccessful at obtaining an internship that might cover those costs; I have relentlessly applied for scholarships but have not been awarded a single cent; and yet I must study abroad during Spring 2011 in order to complete my thesis so that I can return to Belmont and complete certain classes that are only offered in a certain sequence and during certain semesters.  If one little piece of this complex puzzle goes array, I will fail to graduate on time.  It would be an understatement to say that this has been a slightly stressful process.

I finally came to the conclusion that I cannot do this alone.  I told God that if he wants me to go to Russia, then he will have to provide me a means of getting there because as of right now all I have are dead ends.

This morning I sat down to check my email after a dentist appointment that went surprisingly well. (Apparently I have good tooth genes, who knew!?)  I had one new message.  The subject line read: Spring 2011 Russia Internship.  I've applied to hundreds of companies, agencies, and organizations, so emails like this are common and rarely fruitful.  I opened it without a second thought.  It wasn't until my eyes landed on "possible spring 2011 internship with the State Department Mission Russia" that I became riveted to the screen. My jaw dropped and I thought, IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?

Apparently it is. I have a phone interview tomorrow and I am thoroughly excited, to say the least.
Nervous? Perhaps a little. But I know that as soon as I have a chance to talk with the interviewer, the passion that I have for discovering new languages and cultures, for facilitating youth exchange programs, for fighting poverty through small business, for learning about foreign policy and foreign governments....my passion for these issues will come through in my voice and they'll know they picked the right person.

So here I am, one step closer to living the dream of a little 14-year-old girl that decided she would work as a Foreign Service Officer one day. Some dreams do come true, I hope.

Charmed

Charmed from Chris Light on Vimeo.

...and charmed I was.  

This is a beautiful expression of Chris' daughter, Eden, riding her bike for the first time.  

From a reader's perspective...

"Books are the treasured 
wealth of the world
and the fit inheritance
of generations and nations."


Henry David Thoreau   1817-1862

4th Day in Beijing - 9 June 2008

**This is a never-before-published journal entry from June 2008.


Hi mom! I'm exhausted already- we've done so much! Yesterday I went on a rickshaw ride and visited an older man and his wife in their home in Hu Tong, the old downtown.  He is a painter and I got a beautiful rice paper painting that I will frame and give to Vaughn and Whitney for a wedding present.  

Lara, my Icelandic friend, and I sharing a rickshaw

This painting is now framed above my good friends' fireplace. I love seeing it when I visit!

The painter's kitchen

We visited a tea house where I got some great jasmine tea, the traditional tea that's drunk in Beijing, and a tea cup that changes colours when you put hot water in it.  

Courtyard at the traditional tea house

The day before I stocked up on souvenir gifts for family at the silk factory, where they unwind the silk worms' cocoon and smash the pubras (little worms) into face cream and stuff.  A little too natural for me.

special machines help unwind the truly homespun thread of a silk worm's cocoon 

another method is to stretch out the fibers of the cocoon to be used for filling in silk comforters

this stuff can reallllllly stretch!!  It takes hundreds of silk cocoons to fill one comforter.

the factory's show room was magnificent.  every single item was pure silk!

we were even treated to a private fashion show in the adjoining press room.

Last night I had a huge meal w/ drinks for $1.50 USD.  

All 11 of us ate and had several drinks for about USD $25 in this little restaurant in one of Beijing's backstreets.  It only took 45 minutes to find an interpreter and order. We never did figure out the menu.

We went to a Kung Fu show and it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!  We weren't allowed to take pictures but I snuck a few w/o flash.  

We have tons of free time and I've made really good friends with a group of students from Iceland.  I'm learning lots of Icelandic- I think that'll be my next exchange destination.  We're now on our way to Tien'anmen square and the Forbidden City (where the emperor lived).  This afternoon we'll be at the Great Wall!  I've already filled up one memory card w/ photos.

Wanderlust

So there IS a name for my condition....

TED: Ideas worth spreading

This site is by far my biggest weakness on the internet.  I could spend hours listening to truly mind-blowing and inspiring lectures and performances on everything from technology to entertainment, design, business, science, culture, arts, and global issues.  Most sessions are under 10 minutes, and the rest seem to be about 20.  Just the right amount of time for the inventor/scientist/genius to make a few concise points and keep the audience engaged.  It's one of the best ways to stay up on current developments in a whole range of industries, even if you have just a few minutes to spare. 

My favorite thing about the organization is that you can go to your iTunes Store and download the talks for free.  I listen to them while I'm at the gym; it makes an hour workout go by in a flash! And when I drive to Portland this weekend, you can bet I'll plug my iPod in for a marathon of exciting, informative TED speeches. 

I highly recommend TED to anyone who likes to feel productive while relaxing.  If you're a parent, I suggest you browse the site and search for some topics that your kids have learned about in school or have taken an interest to.  The videos will really engage them and it will be a fun way to keep their growing brains stimulated throughout the summer break. 

Just click the logo below to visit the site....Happy TED-ing!

"In Search of Beautiful"

A recent article in Sunset Magazine reminded me of all the fun I had decorating my dorm this past year, and has got me eagerly anticipating the day I have my own home to decorate (and re-decorate).  I love the whole process....assessing the space....deciding on appropriate sizes and styles of furnishings....picking the colours....arranging and rearranging to get the perfect combination of elegance, whimsy and practicality.  Even the before and after shots are thrilling to me.  


It's the process of making things beautiful that keeps me coming back for more.  I thought today...Maybe I should have named my blog "In Search of Beautiful," because that's what I love to do.  I look for beauty in people, actions, things, and situations.  And even more so, I love to watch things become beautiful.  A messy room getting organized.  White walls being decorated.  A bad attitude turning to a thankful one.  These things all bring me so much joy!


So, back to the article....They showed several different themed dining setups for outdoor spaces.  On a warm, sunny day there's nowhere I'd rather dine than en jardin.  It reminds me of blissful lunches with my host family in our back garden in Brussels.  Here are some of my favorites from Sunset's exposé....

Tuscan Dining: the Plan

Tuscan Dining: The Courtyard

I would be a little concerned about getting splinters from the furniture in this last setting, but the rustic yellow is such a beautiful accent colour!

Dinner on the Deck: Concrete Side Table

I love the idea of that green slate slab as a smooth, level, elegantly shiny countertop that's easy to keep clean.  The pullout drawers underneath add valuable outside storage that's also fashionable.  And the striking blue barbecue tops it all off!

Mediterranean Patio

Isn't the multi-coloured tile gorgeous?!  This setup would work well for those less apt to "eat in the dirt."  The ultra-clean low-walled patio makes for a relaxing setting without compromising a beautiful backdrop.

Social Backyard

This arrangement would be great for a modern, young couple who entertain mostly young people  sans back problems.  Otherwise I'd consider investing in some more chairs offering comfortable back support for the older crowd.   But you can't deny, the corn-cob candles are pretty cute! 

Floating Paradise...on a houseboat!

The couch complete with pillows really does it for me.  Very zen, and very comfy-looking.  Imagine sitting in this little houseboat garden and looking out over a lake (this is a real photo of some lucky guy's houseboat).

Mission Magic

I've fallen in love with the mosaic table shown here.  I actually found an almost identical one in TJ Maxx last year and instantly knew I had to have it.  It was a great deal....$150 for the table and two chairs!  And thus my little dorm room was turned into a garden cafe :)  




Just the way I like it.

A touching moment

About eight other students at Belmont and myself have been awarded the Henry Horrell Scholarship, sponsored by Steve Horrell, an active and generous Nashvillian and Belmont alumnus, who supports students like me in honor of his father, Henry.  


Henry Horrell was pulled out of school during the depression to help work and support his family.  He was only in 9th grade.  But he would become a successful businessman, meet the President of then-struggling Belmont College, get involved there, and send both his sons to Belmont to receive the first college degrees on either side of the family.  Henry Horrell, with only a 9th grade education, was eventually serving on the Belmont Board of Trustees.  Now Henry is 95 years old, and he still goes into work five days a week.  Admittedly, he spends much time napping is his chair, says his son Steve, but he watches CNN religiously and keeps up with the stocks, and just enjoys being a part of something.  


Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet Steve Horrell and the other students he sponsors.  Together we sat down, heard Mr. Horrell's story and involvement with Belmont, the Rotary, and YouthAct, and each had the opportunity to share our story with him -- how we came to Belmont, what we're studying now, our future plans...and most of all we had the opportunity to thank the man who's caring generosity has made it increasingly possible for us to study at this marvelous institution.  I was really touched by the stories of my peers; one girl's dad has MS and hasn't been able to work for years, a few of the young men's fathers had lost their job and weren't able to make tuition payments, some students had twins or siblings that were also going to Belmont or in law school or medical school, a few were the first ones in their family to ever step foot onto a university campus.  I left there feeling really lucky, and just overwhelmed by the positive support of the administration and donors to Belmont.  They really care about students here, and it makes this a very rewarding university experience.  

Belmont is an expensive school, and a lot of students gripe about the landscaping budget (you have to admit, it's gorgeous) and Sodexo's cafeteria food which is at the same benchmark quality as the California's prison system (hey, the prisoners eat well!), but what most students don't know is that our tuition is subsidized by a whopping twenty percent due to donations by philanthropists and alumni.  We only pay eighty percent of what it really costs for us to live and study here each year.  

It really puts things in perspective.