First day in Bylakuppe

Although my last blog entry was probably not quite up to par, now that we are entering the cultural part and not traveling as much, I think I’ll really be able to give you guys a better picture of India and what we are experiencing here.
Yesterday (Sunday) we finally made it into Bylakuppe. First, let me tell you about ricksaw rides. Hopefully I’ll get some pictures on here soon to show you what they look like. They are three wheeled little vehicles with a driver and then a long seat in the back. They are like cheap taxis if you will that can go like 30 mph. What an experience! They weave in and out of all kinds of situations- including a herd of cows in the middle of the road. It’s almost like a mini Indiana Jones adventure.
For that first day in Bylakuppe we were in Sera. Bylakuppe is broken into four camps of laypeople (non monks) and then Sera is where the monks live. I didn’t catch an exact number (and it may not be known), but I know there are thousands of monks that live there. It was an amazing site! Walking through this little section of the town I saw hundreds of monks dressed in their red robes. There are young boys who are training as well. They are adorable! They would often keep watching and looking at you, but were quick to smile as well, something the Indians are not quick to do.
We met a man there named Chongi who is actually an American monk. He’s been a Buddhist monk for I think he said 7 years. He was fabulous! He gave us a bunch of tips about where to eat safe food, where to find water, where a reliable doctor was, how to interact with the people. He also has tons of connections to the people. He introduced us to one of the monks that lives in his house. I can’t remember his name, but he was one of the sweetest people. He just has a kind face and when he talked we knew he was interested. He spoke in Tibetan and the American monk who has been learning Tibetan translated for us. He discussed a lot of things… but one that hit me the most was when they asked what we were trying to study there. Spencer and I are both studying the nationalist movement. The Tibetan monk asked what we hoped to do with it and I said that we hoped to learn about the movement and then go home and teach others about it. Even though it was in Tibetan, I could tell he sincerely meant it when he said that it would help, that doing that would help. I was quite touched.
For that first day we stayed in Sera and only interacted with the monks. They are a wonderful and very peaceful people, quick to smile and very loving. Chongi said we will only continue to see this. A Buddhist monk’s job is to learn to live a life of love and service. Many of them are already getting there.
Because it was Sunday we had the chance to have the sacrament in our little group. It was a whole new experience this time because in the background we had the Muslim call to prayer. For those of you who have never heard it, you should look some up online. They are beautiful. They happen about five times a day, the one we heard was the last one for the night. For now, we aren’t able to stay in Bylakuppe because we don’t have our PAPs (protected area permits). You need those to stay overnight in a Tibetan settlement. We are staying in the Indian village Kushonlagar and in it there is a mosque not too far- hence hearing the calls to prayer. Anyway though, it was just a neat experience to hear that contrast, hearing those prayers in the background. Hearing a call to prayer was one of the experiences I hoped to have some day- and now I’ve gotten it.

Few days of a few firsts

I made it to India! So this first draft from India I decided should list a few of my firsts that I have had over the last three days. The first would be my first international flight. Even though it was almost 15 hours I was able to watch 3 movies, a couple episodes of the Office, play tetris, and take several naps with the provided blanket and pillow. I was very pleased. Upon our arrival into New Dehli it was not too big of a shock I suppose, but something completely different. No matter what people would have said I don’t think we’d be prepared. All three of us that came together had never been in a new country… SO it was quite the interesting sight. We had a driver who picked us up and took us to a nice place to stay.

The first drive down the street my eyes could not move fast enough! There are paved roads in cities, but not really any lanes. And even when there are lanes, people don’t really pay attention to them anyway. Cars almost never stop, the just swerve in and out constantly. Horns are going all the time. The first night we also noticed that the streets are mostly covered in men. There are a few women, and more during the day, but streets are predominantly men. Also in the streets are dogs everywhere and cows. That’s right, just random cows eating whatever and hanging out.

The second day we flew down toe Bangalore, where we met up with Mark, the only one with India experience. We were very please to see him! We then had a gret Indian meal which gave me another first- eating with my hand. I am quickly learning why the left hand and right hand are used for different things. There are many things I will no longer touch with my right hand, knowing I will be picking up food with it soon. Fortunately all the places we’ve stayed at so far have had real toilets. Only one didn’t have toilet paper- so that was another first!

We rode a train about four hours yesterday to a city called Mysore. Through the drive some of the sights were gorgeous. It looks a lot like how I’ve pictured Africa based on movie clips. Very green. Lots of plants, reddish dirt. But most of the buildings are very middle eastern. Some of the balcaonies are just gorgeous. So many different colors and plants all decorating them.

It’s a first to be one of only a few as well. We definitely stand out… But so far it has not been too unpleasant at all. We have met some very nice people and I am learning that that is one of the most comforting things! To have someone just be friendly, helpful and sincere… not much else could make your day.

That is all for now folks! But please send any questions you have. I have so many things I could talk about… so let me know what you’d like to hear about. Today we will hopefully travel to the Tibetan village- and I couldn’t be more stoked!

8 days out...

Among the list of things to do before I leave for India in just over a week, I decided that because of the need to share my tales of India with a wide range of people, a blog might be the best place to put those tales. I intend to get my writing and pictures up here to make it easier on everyone.

So for all of those who I have yet to give an adequate explanation of what I will be doing in India, I am going on a field study through BYU. A field study is a chance for undergrads to design their own research project and then carry it out in their chosen country. My group will consists of six (hereafter referred to as the "Bylakuppe Six"), all with different majors and different projects.

My project will be revolving around the Tibetan independence movement among the Tibetan exiles in India. For those that don't know much about the Tibetan independence movement, to put it simply (which it is very far from anything simple) it is the group of Tibetans that hope to win Tibet back from the Chinese government, who currently owns Tibet. (For a map: http://www.nj.org/tv/tibet_map.china.tibet.gif). What I hope to do is learn why young adults (ages 18-30) choose to be involved in the movement, who they are and what they hope to gain from the movement.