August 2: Day 4
We're famous (well at least in Providence)! Today's issue of the Providence Journal featured two photos of our group, in two separate sections, taken yesterday at the farmer's market at the end of our day's walk. When we left at 8 a.m. to buy newspapers, the sun's rays were already intense... we knew a hot one was in store for us. The 19 of us walkers gathered on the front steps of the Beneficent Congregational Church, and we were pleasantly surprised to see three individuals who had joined us for the potluck the night before. We (now 22 in all) started walking at 9 a.m. water bottles, signs, and sunscreen in tow. Our friends departed once we reached the city limits, and we pushed into the heat of the day.
On our way to lunch at Jersey Mike's Subs, a local TV reporter filmed our weary crew as we marched (and melted) down Route 1 at the hottest part (95+ degrees inland and over 100 degrees on the blacktop we were walking on) of the day. We reached the quaint town of East Greenwich at 2:30 p.m. and received much support not only from drivers, but also from those we met on the street. We even had many people remark that they had seen us on the evening news and walking through Providence. One woman was so overjoyed to see us that she gave us a $15 donation to help us buy more water! (Thank you!!)
Though the end of our route seemed to be a distant reality, we arrived at our destination, 175 water bottles later, at 4:10 p.m. ready for the luxury of air conditioning in the van. We had walked 15 miles in total! After arriving at the Westminster Unitarian Church in East Greenwich, we had a picnic on the lawn. By 5:30 p.m., the audience began arriving with dishes for the potluck, and once again we were more than satisfied with our meal. Palden la gave a passionate speech about his experience in prison to an audience of 35 parishiners and local activists.
Jigme followed with a brief history of Tibet's occupation and our current campaigns. We were all moved by the speeches by Mingmar, Ngawang, and Karma. All three of these young Tibetans spoke straight from their hearts, despite their anxiety in speaking to a crowd for the first time, and their message no doubt left a lasting impression. We returned to the Beneficent Congregational Church at 10:30 pm. At the end of the day, all of us were inspired by the outpouring of support we had received today. We will carry this with us as we face the sun tomorrow.
