Monday, September 7, 2009

What a beautiful Sunday in Tisla


It has been a rainy week in Chamba. It is sunday and it is beautiful, today we have driven for 2 hours from the city of Chamba to the small remote village of Tisla, we came across a great group of girls living in the local orphanage. As we walked into the building and seemed to have put a stop to their movie, a group of 27 girls sat in a small room enjoying their Sunday matinee. It was a great sight, 27 different girls, all with different stories, different experiences, all together as one. As we talked to them, we gained great compassion for them, it was very interesting to hear their desires, they want to learn, they want to have opportunities to further their education, I thought about all the opportunities that I have had in my life, and I am sure grateful for every single one of them.

As we talked I began to think how challenging it must be to live under those circumstances, their stories are not fairy tales, they have had major struggles. On this day I carried my video camera, as I kept my eye underneath the viewfinder, I could not help to think of their situation, every shot I took, every close up, had me thinking and reflecting about their stories. I was able to see their stories from a different lens, my eyes were opened, the camera stayed the same, but my vision changed. As we left, the girls had genuine smiles on their faces, they were truly happy, every single one of them had a look of appreciation, they all gathered around, and sent us off with big greetings, as we went down the stairs, all I could see was the smiles on their faces. Happiness is found even under the most difficult circumstances. We hope to be able to work together with them in their education, something that will truly be beneficial to them. I don’t know if the girls ever got to finish their Sunday movie, but whether they did or not, I know they are truly happy.

Nefi Alarcon

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