Shermaine Kho
Trip Leader, Project Love Sikkim 2019
Ever since my first visit to Padma Odzer Choeling School (POC) in Gangtok, Sikkim, in Northeast India for Project Love Sikkim 2018, POC has left an indelible impression on me which has been etched in my memory since. This return trip to Sikkim as team leader was akin to taking a trip down memory lane. The familiar sights and sounds evoked a shared memory of a once-in-a-lifetime experience we all hold close to our hearts.
The implicit acts of generosity and loving kindness by our Sikkimese friends, from the students offering their personal items of sentimental value to us as keepsake, to the school staff always making sure we felt comfortable during our stay, rendered immense warmth amidst the freezing environment in the high altitude.
It was the same for our visit to Khangchendzonga Conservation Committee (KCC) in Yuksam, India. KCC’s passion for environmental conservation inspires and propels us to do more for green awareness and the promotion of social responsibility for a greener global society. Our interactions with the founders of KCC and locals in the community, were nothing short of an insightful, eye-opening and humbling experience.
Even as we are separated by thousands of kilometers from our Sikkimese friends, Sikkim will forever remain “our home in the valley”.
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