Well, I think I'm in love with little Dharamsala. There's really not much to do here, and at times the traveler in me gets a little restless, but mostly it's been nice to just do nothing. I've just been spending my days roaming up and down the three streets that comprise McLeod Ganj. The shop owners and street vendors already know my face, I'm sure -- and some even know my name. I've developed a bit of a habit of disappearing into one shop for an hour or so, chatting and drinking tea with the shop owner...and then, of course, buying something. It's been fun to have a little local interaction. They have some interesting stories.
It has rained -- poured, actually, for about two hours straight -- the last couple days. It's pouring outside now. You have to kind of plan your day around it, to make sure you're somewhere you can wait it out for a good hour or so. I've done a decent job. The day before yesterday, I was sitting at a rooftop restaurant, eating the most disappointing grilled cheese and tomato sandwich ever, during the downpour. It was next to a muddy cliff and I watched with the restaurant staff as mini mudslides tumbled down into the street below. It did make me a little nervous, but I figured being on top of the mudslide would probably be better than being on the bottom. The roar of the rain was almost deafening. Just when you thought it couldn't possibly rain any harder, the sound would get even louder. It was pretty impressive. So, this is what a real monsoon looks like...
Yesterday, I made it to the Tibet museum. The Tibetans have really endured a lot. It was really sad to read the accounts of former prisoners and those who risked their lives fleeing their own country. And it's even sadder to hear how the Tibetan traditions, language, and culture are being lost -- systematically destroyed and phased out by the Chinese. The 14th Dalai Lama has been living in exile here for 50 years now. Can you imagine being kept from your home, culture, and people for 50 years? At least he's safe here, though. The poor Panchen Lama is still missing, kidnapped by the Chinese in the 1990s. There are missing posters all over town with his young face on it, and stickers and funds asking for help in getting him released from Chinese custody. How awful, when you represent such an important part of a culture and a belief system, to be kept from your education and your religious duties to your people. It's interesting, though -- apparently, the 13th Dalai Lama foretold all of this before he died, warning that if the Tibetans didn't fight for their land, it would be lost and so would their way of life and the religious leaders that hold it all together.
I was chatting with my buddy at the shop yesterday a little about religion. He was showing me dozens of amazing paintings done by local monks of mandalas, pictures of the Buddha's life story, and various deities. He's a Hindu, I believe, but he knew so much about Buddhism -- he explained the symbolism of every painting to me like it was his own religion. He asked me if I was Buddhist (first time I've ever gotten that one), and I told him no, though I find it a very interesting and appealing religion. "I'm not really anything," I told him. And he shook his head and said, "No, you're everything." I really liked that. Usually I think of agnosticism as not being part of anything, but I like his perspective much better. I believe in something, so I suppose that makes me a little bit of everything. There are things I like about most religions, and they often do have a common theme, and I suppose if you took all those things and put them together, that's my religion right there. I'm not nothing; I'm a little bit of everything.
I'm planning to finally get some yoga in this afternoon, so if I have any other life-defining epiphanies, I'll be sure to share them. :) That's what being alone in Dharamsala is good for: lots of thinking.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Just me, the monks, and the mountains
The bus ride to Dharamsala was not quite the relaxing start I was hoping for. It wasn't the worst overnight bus ride I've taken -- nothing will ever beat out Kampala to Nairobi -- but it was almost as sleepless. You hear overnight bus, you think great, I can sleep the whole way and then I'm there. One less night to pay for a hotel. And from Delhi to Dharamsala, that's all that is offered. It is difficult to sleep, however, when the driver is constantly blasting the horn and you're being jostled around, at higher than reasonable speeds, up a mountain. The road was like most mountain roads, narrow and windy, but then you also have dogs, cows, monkeys, and falling rocks on one side, and a huge cliff on the other. And these drivers don't take those turns delicately -- they attack them. There was a sign on the road just outside Dharamsala that read, "Dashing Means Death." Needless to say, I was relieved to arrive safely.
Dharamsala itself isn't much -- most of the action, and the Dalai Lama's monastery and residence, are up the road in McLeod Ganj. The taxi drive up the hill is quite a memorable ride. The road is hardly a road at all...I'm kind of amazed cars can get up it. But I tried to concentrate instead on the beautiful view and trust that my driver knew what he was doing.
I had arrived in McLeod Ganj by 7am and the town was just waking up. That's my favorite time to be out...I wish I could always get myself up that early. I found a room without much trouble -- it was the last one available at the first place I went. I may try to find a better one later on, but at the time, I just wanted my own bathroom and to be settled. I had a brief run-in with a large 5-legged spider in that bathroom, but I emerged victorious (though a little ashamed) and went about my first day.
I spent the day wandering around town, getting a feel for it and doing some shopping (the jewelry here is awesome and I'm in big trouble...there's no one to stop me). I'm in love with it already. Tibetans are gorgeous, warm, and peaceful people. Monks cover the streets in vivid color, and their quiet sanguinity brings a sense of calm and safety to the whole place, even as mopeds and taxis go screaming through the streets. The food is simple and comforting. And the weather is amazing! It rained off and on all day, and it felt great to walk around in it. The sun would come out for a bit, illuminating the stunning view of lush hills spotted with houses and temples, their prayer flags waving in the breeze. Then the mist would roll back in, shrouding it again, and it would rain. It can do this all week, and I won't mind. It's such a relief from the hot stickiness of Delhi. I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to be comfortable outside.
I have to admit, it's a little lonely. I think that after 2 months of constantly being with people, I'm just not used to being alone. It's probably going to take a day or so to adjust and appreciate the solitude. It is nice, though, to be free to do whatever I want and go at my own pace.
This morning, I visited the Dalai Lama's temple and residence. The Tibet museum was closed, so I'll have to try that again another day. There's a meditation class tomorrow I might try, I might go see a movie at the local theater, I might try to find a yoga class, or maybe I'll just hang out with the monks. It's currently pouring rain outside, so I might just find a nice cafe to hang out in and wait until it lets up. A nice cup of chai and my book are calling my name. It's so nice not to have anything that I need to do...
Dharamsala itself isn't much -- most of the action, and the Dalai Lama's monastery and residence, are up the road in McLeod Ganj. The taxi drive up the hill is quite a memorable ride. The road is hardly a road at all...I'm kind of amazed cars can get up it. But I tried to concentrate instead on the beautiful view and trust that my driver knew what he was doing.
I had arrived in McLeod Ganj by 7am and the town was just waking up. That's my favorite time to be out...I wish I could always get myself up that early. I found a room without much trouble -- it was the last one available at the first place I went. I may try to find a better one later on, but at the time, I just wanted my own bathroom and to be settled. I had a brief run-in with a large 5-legged spider in that bathroom, but I emerged victorious (though a little ashamed) and went about my first day.
I spent the day wandering around town, getting a feel for it and doing some shopping (the jewelry here is awesome and I'm in big trouble...there's no one to stop me). I'm in love with it already. Tibetans are gorgeous, warm, and peaceful people. Monks cover the streets in vivid color, and their quiet sanguinity brings a sense of calm and safety to the whole place, even as mopeds and taxis go screaming through the streets. The food is simple and comforting. And the weather is amazing! It rained off and on all day, and it felt great to walk around in it. The sun would come out for a bit, illuminating the stunning view of lush hills spotted with houses and temples, their prayer flags waving in the breeze. Then the mist would roll back in, shrouding it again, and it would rain. It can do this all week, and I won't mind. It's such a relief from the hot stickiness of Delhi. I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to be comfortable outside.
I have to admit, it's a little lonely. I think that after 2 months of constantly being with people, I'm just not used to being alone. It's probably going to take a day or so to adjust and appreciate the solitude. It is nice, though, to be free to do whatever I want and go at my own pace.
This morning, I visited the Dalai Lama's temple and residence. The Tibet museum was closed, so I'll have to try that again another day. There's a meditation class tomorrow I might try, I might go see a movie at the local theater, I might try to find a yoga class, or maybe I'll just hang out with the monks. It's currently pouring rain outside, so I might just find a nice cafe to hang out in and wait until it lets up. A nice cup of chai and my book are calling my name. It's so nice not to have anything that I need to do...
Thursday, August 6, 2009
And then there was one...
The other girls left Wednesday night, embarking on their respective adventures before heading back to the States. My adventure begins tonight – I’ll be taking the 8pm bus to Dharamsala, home to the Dalai Lama and his government-in-exile. I’m looking forward to it. It will be one week of relaxing in the peace and coolness of the Himalayas, reading, writing, and enjoying some much-needed time to just think, reflect, and process the whirlwind of the past two months. We’ll see how long it takes to get lonely, but for now, it sounds like bliss.
The past few days have been great, just making our rounds to say goodbye and hit up all of our favorite spots one last time. Tuesday, we stopped by the JMC to say goodbye – and thank you – to Vimala, Antra, Uma, and the others. It really has been an incredible opportunity to have worked with them. We learned so much.
From there, we popped over to the GRC, hoping Usha (the GRC's caretaker) would be there with her daughters Puja and Aarti. Puja is 3 years old and we have all fallen head over heels in love with her. It took her a very long time to warm up to us, and it was hard to know whether she liked us or not until very recently. Usha said she's been asking where we've been, though, and lately when she sees us, she's all smiles - and she rarely smiles. Usha was there yesterday, but she pantomimed that the girls were at home and Aarti was sick. I think Usha could see how disappointed we were – we had come mostly to see them – and when we took out the gifts for her to give them, she said, “Challo” (“Let’s go”), and motioned for us to follow her home.
We woke Puja up, but she didn’t stay grumpy for long after we gave her the candy. We stayed and played with her for a bit…and graciously declined Usha’s request to take her with us back to America (not the first time she’s asked). Aarti seemed to be doing better – I guess Usha took her to the hospital yesterday. Usha explained the situation – she speaks Hindi to us like we understand what she’s saying – but none of us could quite figure out what happened. Aarti’s an amazing big sister. She’s so patient, even when Puja’s throwing a fit because she has to share her candy. Puja was hording the suckers, hiding them away in her backpack, and would throw a mini tantrum if you even teased her about taking one, but Aarti would just smile at her. Puja has quite a lot of ‘tude, as well, with the neighbor kids. A few of them came around to see what the white girls were doing there, and Puja would literally run them off, her tiny fists all balled up and her face in a scornful pout – like, “These are my white girls. Scram!” We’d never seen that side of her before! It was pretty funny to watch. She’s gonna be somethin’ else, that one…a whole lotta trouble.
The rickshaw ride home was extraordinarily annoying, but we just kept reminding ourselves that it was the last time. It took forever to get one, as it usually does from Jasola, and an amazing amount of arguing before the guy finally broke down and accepted our price…as it usually does from anywhere. Then, not a mile down the road, he pulled into the gas station where there was a HUGE line and left us in the rickshaw while he went to buy some paan (Indian chewing tobacco) – also, not an unusual occurrence. He, evidently, forgot to put the break on, so we started rolling back into traffic and I had to jump out and physically stop the rickshaw! Then we had to stand outside the rickshaw for 10 minutes while he got gas. Last time, last time...
Wednesday was Rakhi – the holiday for siblings! We were supposed to go to Charu’s to celebrate with her family, but she called the other day to tell us they were going to have to leave town because her husband’s father is really ill and wanted to see Viddhi. She invited Colette and me over after we get back, before we leave again, so hopefully we’ll get to say goodbye. It was sweet, though, to see all the men today - from little kids to old men - wearing their red bracelets given to them by their sisters. The idea is that the sister buys a bracelet for her brother and ties it on his wrist as a blessing, and at the same time it is kind of a pledge between brother and sister that he will watch over and protect her. Then they eat sweets and spend time together. It's a pretty darling holiday. There was an article in the paper on it today, and it was saying how excited families get for Rakhi, to spend time with their siblings, and honor the bond between brothers and sisters – one guy said, “Every guy wants to be with his sister on Rakhi.” We should have a holiday like this in our culture, don't you think? I'm just going to start adopting holidays and traditions from other cultures and make my family celebrate them.
We spent the rest of the afternoon getting packed up, chilled for a little bit, and then it was time for the girls to leave me. And now, for the next six days, I am on my own.
The past few days have been great, just making our rounds to say goodbye and hit up all of our favorite spots one last time. Tuesday, we stopped by the JMC to say goodbye – and thank you – to Vimala, Antra, Uma, and the others. It really has been an incredible opportunity to have worked with them. We learned so much.
From there, we popped over to the GRC, hoping Usha (the GRC's caretaker) would be there with her daughters Puja and Aarti. Puja is 3 years old and we have all fallen head over heels in love with her. It took her a very long time to warm up to us, and it was hard to know whether she liked us or not until very recently. Usha said she's been asking where we've been, though, and lately when she sees us, she's all smiles - and she rarely smiles. Usha was there yesterday, but she pantomimed that the girls were at home and Aarti was sick. I think Usha could see how disappointed we were – we had come mostly to see them – and when we took out the gifts for her to give them, she said, “Challo” (“Let’s go”), and motioned for us to follow her home.
We woke Puja up, but she didn’t stay grumpy for long after we gave her the candy. We stayed and played with her for a bit…and graciously declined Usha’s request to take her with us back to America (not the first time she’s asked). Aarti seemed to be doing better – I guess Usha took her to the hospital yesterday. Usha explained the situation – she speaks Hindi to us like we understand what she’s saying – but none of us could quite figure out what happened. Aarti’s an amazing big sister. She’s so patient, even when Puja’s throwing a fit because she has to share her candy. Puja was hording the suckers, hiding them away in her backpack, and would throw a mini tantrum if you even teased her about taking one, but Aarti would just smile at her. Puja has quite a lot of ‘tude, as well, with the neighbor kids. A few of them came around to see what the white girls were doing there, and Puja would literally run them off, her tiny fists all balled up and her face in a scornful pout – like, “These are my white girls. Scram!” We’d never seen that side of her before! It was pretty funny to watch. She’s gonna be somethin’ else, that one…a whole lotta trouble.
The rickshaw ride home was extraordinarily annoying, but we just kept reminding ourselves that it was the last time. It took forever to get one, as it usually does from Jasola, and an amazing amount of arguing before the guy finally broke down and accepted our price…as it usually does from anywhere. Then, not a mile down the road, he pulled into the gas station where there was a HUGE line and left us in the rickshaw while he went to buy some paan (Indian chewing tobacco) – also, not an unusual occurrence. He, evidently, forgot to put the break on, so we started rolling back into traffic and I had to jump out and physically stop the rickshaw! Then we had to stand outside the rickshaw for 10 minutes while he got gas. Last time, last time...
Wednesday was Rakhi – the holiday for siblings! We were supposed to go to Charu’s to celebrate with her family, but she called the other day to tell us they were going to have to leave town because her husband’s father is really ill and wanted to see Viddhi. She invited Colette and me over after we get back, before we leave again, so hopefully we’ll get to say goodbye. It was sweet, though, to see all the men today - from little kids to old men - wearing their red bracelets given to them by their sisters. The idea is that the sister buys a bracelet for her brother and ties it on his wrist as a blessing, and at the same time it is kind of a pledge between brother and sister that he will watch over and protect her. Then they eat sweets and spend time together. It's a pretty darling holiday. There was an article in the paper on it today, and it was saying how excited families get for Rakhi, to spend time with their siblings, and honor the bond between brothers and sisters – one guy said, “Every guy wants to be with his sister on Rakhi.” We should have a holiday like this in our culture, don't you think? I'm just going to start adopting holidays and traditions from other cultures and make my family celebrate them.
We spent the rest of the afternoon getting packed up, chilled for a little bit, and then it was time for the girls to leave me. And now, for the next six days, I am on my own.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The Big Day
So, I think we rocked it. It was an intimidating start – we were kept waiting in the hallway for almost an hour, then kept waiting in the lady’s office (she’s the head Officer of the Delhi Government Mission Convergence Initiative) for another 10 minutes, where we finally gave our presentation between a series of interruptions. I wasn’t sure we were going to have her full attention at first, and I was half expecting her to tell us to come back on Monday. But, she actually did listen quite closely and was very receptive to ours and Vimala’s suggestions for future programming and greater government coordination. She was impressed by all the work we did and began making plans with Vimala to set up meetings with the Health Minister and others to push this onward. I don’t really think we could have asked for much more than that. We all left satisfied with what we’ve accomplished, relieved to have it over with, and hopeful about what may come from it.
Afterward, we met up with Vimala’s son in New Friends Colony to celebrate. It was a great time. We drank plenty of beer, laughed, learned about Indian sports (Vimala finally explained Cricket to us in a way that made some sense!), ate the tastiest, greasiest, messiest chicken shwarma I’ve ever had, and followed it up with ice cream sundaes at Baskin Robbins. A perfect celebration, if you ask any of us.
Tomorrow we’re finally going to check out a Bollywood movie in the theater -- we're seeing the latest blockbuster Love Aaj Kaal (“Love Nowadays”). It looks pretty great! I only wish there were subtitles... Then we’ve been invited to join Prem and Abha for dinner, which is always a good time. I think the next few days are going to be really fun, getting in all we can of Delhi, spending quality time with people, and saying our goodbyes. I can't believe in just two weeks, I'll be leaving India. It's going to be hard to go.
Afterward, we met up with Vimala’s son in New Friends Colony to celebrate. It was a great time. We drank plenty of beer, laughed, learned about Indian sports (Vimala finally explained Cricket to us in a way that made some sense!), ate the tastiest, greasiest, messiest chicken shwarma I’ve ever had, and followed it up with ice cream sundaes at Baskin Robbins. A perfect celebration, if you ask any of us.
Tomorrow we’re finally going to check out a Bollywood movie in the theater -- we're seeing the latest blockbuster Love Aaj Kaal (“Love Nowadays”). It looks pretty great! I only wish there were subtitles... Then we’ve been invited to join Prem and Abha for dinner, which is always a good time. I think the next few days are going to be really fun, getting in all we can of Delhi, spending quality time with people, and saying our goodbyes. I can't believe in just two weeks, I'll be leaving India. It's going to be hard to go.
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