Arrival at Sarah

This place is incredible. It was really strange at first and I was feeling pretty sick (sore throat) but now that I've begun to adjust and settle in, I'm really enjoying it! We had half a week and a weekend to get settled and get to know the area, buy any last things we needed, etc. My schedule for the next 6 weeks will be as follows:

6:30am: optional temple
7am: optional meditation with just our program in our lounge or tea & bread with our roomies.
7:30: breakfast
9-10: Tibetan language class MTWTh
10-10:30: tea break for whole campus.
10:30-12: MWF Buddhist Philosophy class, TTh Tibetan Culture & Community class
on Fridays after class we'll have a field trip for C&C class.
12:30-1:30: lunch break.
1:30-2:30: language partner work and/or practice work in class.
2:30 till dinner = free time.
Usually 7:30 dinner with just us.
We're also starting an optional yoga class for an hour or so on the roof of the "guest house" (which is where we eat and have most of our classes and where the "American style" toilet is! yay!) in the afternoons. And soon there'll also be an optional meditation before dinner with our philosophy teacher who's a Buddhist nun from Germany. Then Friday nights we have our roommates join us for dinner and then tea and movie night.

SOOO MUCH TEA! It's amazing! And it's always what we'd call a "Chai tea latte" in America--very sweet and made with milk. Addictive as heck too.

So on our first day on campus we took a walk around, through the 3 story guest house and the large classroom building which has ping-pong tables downstairs in the lobby. We walked past the boys' dorm (strictly forbidden for we girls) and around to the girls' dorm and into the temple which is BEAUTIFUL. The buildings are pretty tall (girls' dorm is 5 stories) and have many balconies and windows that have laundry hanging all over them. There are friendly and well-loved dogs and cats, and kids of staff running around everywhere. The student population is about 250 students. You can walk across campus in a good 5 or 10 minutes. There's a basketball court in the middle which is well-used and a large field where we had tea with our roomies and professor the second day.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We thought we'd be assigned roommates, but instead they decided we should all meet and choose for ourselves. We nervously approached an even more nervous-looking group of nuns and lay-women. We stood in a little cluster and Tawni, our lovely, glowing assistant-director (who was actually an Emory student in the first program here in 2001) introduced each of us Tibetan in turn by saying what we're all considering doing for our research projects and a little about us. She told them I was interested in doing something creative and possibly researching in the Tibetan Childrens' Village, and that I enjoy singing and dancing and entertaining everyone. (This is due to the bus ride out here which featured me wailing on my new jimbe while all of us re-mixed our favorite Beatles' and Disney songs). I didn't honestly know we were choosing roommates right then, but before I had a moment to think, a little grinning nun ran up to me and grabbed my hand and laughed nervously. I laughed too and we introduced ourselves while other people mingled and took their time choosing. Her name is Kalsang Wangmo and she's lovely. She's 22 years old and has been a nun since she was 16. She's here (like most students at the Sarah campus) to become a teacher and is from Spiti which, from the pictures, looks gorgeous--way high in the mountains.

And speaking of mountains, they're RIGHT HERE! We're basically in the foothills of the Himalayas, and every time we glance out the windows we're still in awe.

Hmm, what else can I tell you about campus? There are cows that punctuate the auditory sphere quite regularly, and the rooftops are definitely implemented as a regular chill spot. People often take walks after dinner. Showers consist of filling up a bucket from the "hot" water tap which basically secretes water that is a few degrees warmer than the rest of the icey taps, and taking it into a little stall that has one of those cold water taps in it. I myself usually bring in a bowl or pitcher for pouring and sing loudly to make use of my wow-that's-cold noises. And most toilets are little porcelain potties in the middle of a damp square of concrete with two raised blocks where you put your feet. Oh, and instead of toilet paper there's a little water tap and a small bucket. People told me I'd get used to it and I didn't believe them but honestly, it's not so bad. Especially since the program provides us with our own toilet paper (though we do have to throw it out instead of tossing it down the toilet...). The bad ones are in town where we're charged extra rupees (the "foreigner" price we call it--our pale faces earn us a higher price for everything) and there's usually no soap and the walls are really extra gross.

There's a bird nest above the sink in our bathroom so tooth-brushing is usually interesting in the morning: it's graced with bird song but plagued with fear of poop. Oh, and we brush our teeth with the water from our water bottles, and the water we wash our faces with is usually freezing since the "warm" water is only available during daylight hours since it's solar.

It might sound like I'm complaining, but honestly the whole there's-no-hot-water-or-sit-toilets thing is not only kind of adventurous and not so bad, it's also a great bonding experience for everyone on the program. We keep it light and end up laughing a lot. We're already way too comfortable talking about the bathroom and it usually comes up every meal.

So the first few days on campus I spent recovering from my illness and orienting myself. Then we had a talent show in honor of our arrival. We watched oodles of performances that ranged from traditional Tibetan song and dance to a guy liquidating to a modern mix. We were also expected to perform which was STRESSFUL! We pulled it off though. First we did a stomp while I sang a Tibetan song I'd learned when I was young. It was great. Then we all sang a modified version of "Let it be" with "His Holiness" instead of "Mother Mary," while I played the Jimbe. And finally we sang Kevin's "The 12 days of teaching": a spin off of the 12 days of Christmas. The whole cafeteria was cleared of chairs and 3 tables were set out in a "u" shape, behind which we were seated as well as the fac/staff, and then behind that were all the students, about 60 percent of which are in robes. It was dusty and noisy and lasted hours. We had a ball. We're still getting used to being treated like honored guests: it's insane! This program is really well respected, and a lot is expected of us.

We went to McLeod Ganj and...wow. We were escorted to the temple that's part of the monastery and the upper IBD campus. Room after room of sacred Tibetan art and meditation space left me speechless. When I placed my forehead to the Dalai Lama's seat (he wasn't there. every monastery has a special decorated seat reserved for his visits, whether or not they occur only...here they definitely do) I was filled with the most powerful energy. The tension that had been building within me the whole time since we started climbing the mountain in jeeps came out in tears and I walked around for about a half an hour crying in awe and ...I don't know what else. It was a lot of things. Part of me, I think, was amazed at the reality of my present state. I felt like my life had come full-circle. All the imagery that I had been surrounded by since childhood, all the things I'd looked to as a far-away place, was surrounding me and suddenly so tangible. I wasn't in Tibet, but I was pretty darn close. And also: I've known in theory for a long time about all the destruction that has come to Tibet and the religious places there. But here I was in a temple that was created for those in exile--it was easy here to imagine that which had been burned and shot and torn down right over the mountains. And also--I think I let go of a lot. I realized while standing there that the plan I had been formulating for my life had to change. I know that this place is part of my future. I don't know how. But everything in me was trembling as I looked out over the mountain-side city where people did laundry on rooftops and egrets circled. I don't know what my connection to this place is, but it's profound.

Well I bought a yoga mat and some comfy pants and ! a cell phone in town. My number is 9805693452. The country code (I think?) is 91. And I'm 12.5 hours ahead of NM time. Feel free to call! I called my Mum first, and she was heading for my Grandpapa's memorial. I still can't believe I'm the only grandchild that wasn't there. I missed not only the service but everyone being together in one place, including my new baby cousin! Sad, but at least I'm here and able to have deep meditation and connect with him and them that way.

Well today was the first day of classes and we have discovered that yep: Tibetan language is HARD! We've been practicing the alphabet and basic phrases since Delhi and are way ahead of schedule, but it's still a crazy language. I mean, there's a difference between the letter "cha," and "chha." Not to mention "dza," "sha," "shha," "tsha," and "tsa." *raises eyebrows* Class is fun though. Imagine a room full of us diligently repeating "Kha Kee-ku khee. Kha Shabqu khu!" time and time again after a lovely and patient monk who must think we're all impaired for not being able to say "nga" which is their word for I/me. whew!

So I'm going to read some of the 140 pages due tomorrow before yoga. Sending love and blessings.

xoxo
L

P.S. many pictures already taken, but I'll need to put 'em on a flash drive to upload them. stay tuned.