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Between Monks and Monkeys
Dharamshala in the foothills of the Himalayas is home to the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans in exile. English teacher Gill Winter was drawn to the fascinating life of 'Little Lhasa.' Join the adventure - meet Tibetan monks singing reggae, mongooses, donkeys and monkeys, Dharma bums and hermits - and drink your cappuccino with a bold sprinkling of FREE TIBET! In this engaging community of constant surprises the author discusses penguins with her Tibetan teacher, struggles to fathom the intricacies of Buddhism, learns the touching and inspiring stories of her Tibetan refugee students' journeys to freedom, and discovers the power of " May all sentient beings be happy!" A touching, lively and enjoyable personal journey into Tibet in exile.
150 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 6, 2011
15 people want to read
About the author
Gill Winter
3 books10 followersGill Winter spent eleven years working as publicist and public programmes organiser at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, one of New Zealand’s premier contemporary art museums. She left the art world in 1999 to create Flying Piglets, a touring agency for folk and blues musicians. During the next few years she also worked as marketing manager for two arts festivals, helped on the family pig farm and was a regular volunteer for Trade Aid, New Zealand’s largest Fair Trade organisation.
In 2009, she wound up Flying Piglets and completed a CELTA course in teaching English as a second language. In 2010, she answered an advertisement for volunteer teachers to work in Dharamshala, India. After three fascinating months at Tibet Charity, (www.tibetcharity.in) she returned home and wrote her first book, "Between Monkeys and Monkeys", about her experiences in India.
After a second stint of teaching at Tibet Charity in early 2012, Gill wrote "The Yeti in the Library". The book deals partly with the effects of the events of 2012, when scores of Tibetans self-immolated in a desperate protest at the ongoing situation in their occupied country. So far, sadly, these sacrifices have brought no meaningful change in Tibet; in fact life has become more restricted and repressive in areas where the protests have occurred.
Gill returned to Dharamshala in 2013 to teach at Tibet Charity once again, and in 2015 she spent three and a half months teaching English conversation to the nuns at Jamyang Choling nunnery near Dharamshala, returning again in 2016.
In 2018 she published her first novel "Before the Magic Fades", an adventure story loosely based on the invasion and occupation of Tibet. She returned to Tibet Charity to teach once more in 2019.
Gill is married with two adult children, and lives in New Zealand.
SAVE TIBET! May it be free in the Dalai Lama's
current lifetime.
In 2009, she wound up Flying Piglets and completed a CELTA course in teaching English as a second language. In 2010, she answered an advertisement for volunteer teachers to work in Dharamshala, India. After three fascinating months at Tibet Charity, (www.tibetcharity.in) she returned home and wrote her first book, "Between Monkeys and Monkeys", about her experiences in India.
After a second stint of teaching at Tibet Charity in early 2012, Gill wrote "The Yeti in the Library". The book deals partly with the effects of the events of 2012, when scores of Tibetans self-immolated in a desperate protest at the ongoing situation in their occupied country. So far, sadly, these sacrifices have brought no meaningful change in Tibet; in fact life has become more restricted and repressive in areas where the protests have occurred.
Gill returned to Dharamshala in 2013 to teach at Tibet Charity once again, and in 2015 she spent three and a half months teaching English conversation to the nuns at Jamyang Choling nunnery near Dharamshala, returning again in 2016.
In 2018 she published her first novel "Before the Magic Fades", an adventure story loosely based on the invasion and occupation of Tibet. She returned to Tibet Charity to teach once more in 2019.
Gill is married with two adult children, and lives in New Zealand.
SAVE TIBET! May it be free in the Dalai Lama's
current lifetime.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 6, 2023
The city of Dharamshala in Himal Pradesh, has been the adoptive home of the Dalai Lama since 1959 when he went into exile from Tibet. The Tibetan community is established some 10km from the city in upper Dharamshala, or McLeod Ganj and it was to here that Gil Winter came for three months to teach English to Tibetan refugees.
In this book she explains her preparation, part of her travel to and from India, and generally the happenings of her time in McLeod Ganj. There are short chapters covering each topic - such things as the charity school where she worked, festivals, the Dalai Lama, the Western Buddhists who frequent the town, the local monkeys, her fellow teachers, and her students etc.
This short book is is a fairly simple presentation, and gives a realistic portrayal of teaching English in a foreign country, some of the pitfalls, the ups and downs. The uncertainties and the rewards; friendships and satisfactions. There are amusements, and nothing beyond the vanilla in this honest summary of three months. A good read for anyone heading off to do something similar. There are also four pages of photos in the middle of the book to illustrate some of the narrative.
Most of all, however, it was nice to read a self published book completely free from the plague of typos and grammatical errors - but we should expect no less from an English teacher, I would hope.
3 stars
In this book she explains her preparation, part of her travel to and from India, and generally the happenings of her time in McLeod Ganj. There are short chapters covering each topic - such things as the charity school where she worked, festivals, the Dalai Lama, the Western Buddhists who frequent the town, the local monkeys, her fellow teachers, and her students etc.
This short book is is a fairly simple presentation, and gives a realistic portrayal of teaching English in a foreign country, some of the pitfalls, the ups and downs. The uncertainties and the rewards; friendships and satisfactions. There are amusements, and nothing beyond the vanilla in this honest summary of three months. A good read for anyone heading off to do something similar. There are also four pages of photos in the middle of the book to illustrate some of the narrative.
Most of all, however, it was nice to read a self published book completely free from the plague of typos and grammatical errors - but we should expect no less from an English teacher, I would hope.
3 stars
July 19, 2012
Gill’s well-crafted writing taught me a lot about the life of Tibetan refugees in India. In comparison with other invaded and oppressed people Tibetans have a positive non-violent approach to life, and she emphasises their friendliness, kindness, and humour, exemplified by the Dalai Lama. I was interested in her description of how Tibetan Buddhists circle stupas, temples, and other sacred places in a clockwise direction, saying prayers for the cessation of suffering and the happiness of all living beings. How wonderful if a similar ritual could be implemented around one or more of our ruined Christchurch churches. Gill talks of this walk as being a very practical everyday sort of devotion. I was reminded of how I used to walk meditatively around the pre-earthquake Loop in the early morning, and wonder how I might reinstate something similar. This book and other recent readings have inspired me to review and reconsider my personal spiritual practice.
I loved the explanation of how Gill’s mantra changed as “the implications of reincarnation started to sink in”, and her relating of how the Dalai Lama’s teachings have changed her behaviour and changed lives. This is a travel book with extra depths. For me, it stirred many thoughts and I found it inspiring. It’s self-published, so if you want to read it, contact gillwinter.nz@gmail.com and/or ask your library to buy a copy.
I loved the explanation of how Gill’s mantra changed as “the implications of reincarnation started to sink in”, and her relating of how the Dalai Lama’s teachings have changed her behaviour and changed lives. This is a travel book with extra depths. For me, it stirred many thoughts and I found it inspiring. It’s self-published, so if you want to read it, contact gillwinter.nz@gmail.com and/or ask your library to buy a copy.
August 9, 2012
I was very excited to find this book shortly before I set off for Dharamshala myself. It's full of essential information that I couldn't find anywhere else. I even contacted the author, Gill, prior to my trip to ask some specific questions about the journey from New Delhi to McLeod Ganj. (She posts an email address in the book where you can contact her). She not only responded to my questions, but invited me to contact her when I got there, as she was on her way back herself to teach for another three months! I met Gill and some of her friends in McLo and they were such a great help to me while I was in town, answering questions from "Where can I buy a teapot?" to "How do I get a local phone?".
Gill's book really gave me a great sense of what it's like to be in McLo, and I highly recommend it to anyone planning to go there. I also recommend the book to anyone who's interested in the Tibetan people, as it really gives you a good, true picture of what the Tibetan refugees in India are like. They are an amazing people, and the book will give you insight into their culture, struggles, and triumphs. Happy reading!
Gill's book really gave me a great sense of what it's like to be in McLo, and I highly recommend it to anyone planning to go there. I also recommend the book to anyone who's interested in the Tibetan people, as it really gives you a good, true picture of what the Tibetan refugees in India are like. They are an amazing people, and the book will give you insight into their culture, struggles, and triumphs. Happy reading!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews