Hello from Dharamsala

So we've been in Dharamsala since Friday and it has been crazy! My new family is really cool - mom, dad and 5 year old sister - they have two other daughters but they are away at school. My amala speaks really good english so I talk to her a lot and my pala is a tibetan doctors but speaks very little english and I color a lot with my little sister. We've been going to a ton of awesome, inspiring and thought provoking lectures from people involved in Tibetan activism and government and today we all got dressed up in chubas and met the Karmapa this morning which was a BIG deal and really really cool. They said to prepare two questions but he must have liked our group because he let us ask like five and he personally shook all our hands and handed out packets with blessed string and pills. He is only like 25 years old or so so it was a really relaxed audience. And then we went to Norbulinka and saw a ton of awesome artists at work on thanka painting, metal work, wood carving and applice. And finally we went to a nunnery that is really promoting nun's education. Basically it was a really long but good day