The Ramblings of a Curious Young Mind

The end of one thing, the beginning of another: Thoughts from bin Laden's death

2011-05-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

I originally started a blog to keep people posted on my travels. Traveling is interesting and it’s a way to keep everyone updated at the same time. But let’s face it, my life just isn’t as interesting when I’m not traveling, so I stopped pretty quickly after returning home. However, after several requests for me to keep posting on my blog, tonight, after an interesting evening, I decided I could try for a little while to get back into it.

So tonight, my brother and I are watching a Sunday night movie, a pretty regular tradition for him and me. We are watching are a good, intense one and are quite into it when my sister, who bless her heart has probably never watched the news nor read a newspaper a day in her life, comes out and announces that bin Laden is dead. “What? Where did you hear that?” I ask. “On facebook,” she replies. Fun implication number one: even the avid current events follower can sometimes hear news from facebook before the news. My sister’s word of mouth from her checking facebook statuses updated me before the breaking news app on my phone did. This also briefly reminded me of how strong and fast the word of mouth can spread (as this was the number one way news spread in Dharamsala, much faster than newspapers or fliers).

But beyond the implications of social media and current events, the next few days and weeks will prove to bring about some interesting new implications. Now, I want to start with the disclaimer that I am not one to try and predict what will happen, and in this particular case, I doubt many others will attempt to make predictions either. All of this could go so many different directions… But I do want to mention just a few (and a very few) of the possible implications it could have.

First, if he really was found not too far from Islamabad, Pakistan (capital), this will probably add even more tension to the already deteriorating relations between the US and Pakistan. For those of you who don’t know much about US-Pakistani relations, lots of recent events have added to the tension, particularly the growing number of civilian deaths by drone attacks (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13167425; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13179763), the trial of a CIA worker for killing two Pakistanis (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12729849), which culminated in Pakistan asking the US to minimize its CIA numbers and influence in Pakistan (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13046012). Finding him so close to the capital, will no doubt have tension-filled implications.

Second, what does this mean to the military and intelligence efforts in Afghanistan? We entered Afghanistan in October 2001, shortly after September 11^th. While various reasons were listed, one of the reasons that President Bush gave at the time was for “justice” for what had been done on September 11^th. If the admitted head and creator of the attacks is now dead, we may find out just how much that justice means to the US and just how much a part of that was the real motivation for going into Afghanistan. I’m not saying we’ll pull out or anything as drastic as that, but we may discover more about the nation’s motivations for being in Afghanistan. Are we more about “bringing justice” for September 11^th? About getting rid or terrorism and al-Qaeda? And what about the Taliban and their role? Or do our efforts about for stabilizing Afghanistan have anything to do with it? Or is it more about attempting to get rid of terrorism as a whole, not just bin Laden? Or pieces of all of the above? I’m not predicting or claiming one or the other. But I think this event may reveal more about these issues.

And the third thing, at least for this evening and at this moment in my head, is what it means to his followers. Was bin Laden really an effective terrorist leader? Was he inspiring thousands? And will the numbers dwindle now without his efforts? Or what about his current followers? Will they lose hope and drop some of their efforts? Or will it only further enrage them, make them want revenge for his death? Many experts have talked about how one of the major characteristics of this kind of terrorism (and in particular al-Qaeda’s movement) is that it is essentially without a center, a main head, so it can spread and have many small acts by individuals that are not linked to the center. Will his death change much in the overall al-Qaeda movement? Many, many more questions can be asked. And most have no current answers.

But I suppose this is what makes life, the world, and particularly current events so interesting. Human behavior and the chain of events that can spread from one event, are far too complicated for predictions. This is particularly the case when it comes from the ideas of a young mind still grasping to understand the world. But even with my little knowledge, I know that these events, if they unfold to be as true as these initial reports are telling us, will surely affect the way certain events unfold for quite some time.

Amritsar, Part I

2010-07-26T01:31:00.000-07:00

We travelled to Amritsar for a week. Amritsar is the capitol of the state of Punjab and also the main pilgrimage site and “capitol” of the Sikh religion. The Sikh religion is a cross between Hinduism and Islam, but is very different than both. Sikhism came about around 500 years ago, and many Sikhs told us they are a “young religion” because of this. And compared to the other religions in India, they are young. For those of you that are LDS, there are surprisingly a lot of parallels between our religion and Sikhism. Someone once told me that the Sikhs are the “Mormons of the Middle East.” I’ll talk more about the religion in my next post, but for now I want to talk somewhat about the culture and people in Amritsar.

We stayed with a friend of a friend of one of the group members. He took us to his farm house, just outside of the city. It is a 250 year old fort, which is now a string of rooms (and nice rooms). We joked about how this building is older than our country. This “fortress” is a little outside of Amritsar, located in the middle of farm land. It was a beautiful place to be located! Surrounded by rice patties, fruit trees, and maize fields.

We spent part of a day following a local villager around the village. As we left the “fortress” area and walked down one of the dirt roads, suddenly a horde of people came out. The children ran to us and greeted us first, shaking all of our hands and saying “Hello, how are you?” As we got closer there was a large group of adults there as well. One man began playing a Punjabi drum and everyone started dancing. They pulled us in and got us a dance a little too. Welcome to Punjab!

Our village friend then took us to probably half a dozen different homes. Not many spoke English, but all welcomed us in, offered us drinks or food, and would communicate with us in whatever ways possible, usually just exchanging a few words. All the homes were simple- small, but clean, with beds, chairs, and usually a tv. Based on some other places I’ve seen in India, and based on the clothing of those in the village, this was a fairly well off village, though still a simple village.

The last house we visited had a couple English speakers. We stayed a bit longer there and learned more about the area and their family. The family was all smiles as we conversed. As we were leaving one of the young women said that her family was very happy we came. I couldn’t help but think really? Just from this motley crew? How different they must look at life, that when uninvited guests who can’t speak your language, show up at your house and you are able to find happiness in this? And I could tell she genuinely meant it, that her family really did enjoy our visit. It was a really neat experience and left me with a lot of thoughts.

My Tibetan Family

2010-07-26T01:30:00.000-07:00

I woke up not feeling well at all one morning. After spending a little extra time in the bathroom and eating nothing at breakfast, my family knew I wasn’t feeling well. They gave me blankets and told me to rest. It sounded great to me. After sleeping a little I felt somewhat better and sat up. I realized the only ones left were my Tibetan sister (in her early 30s) and her daughter, age 11. I knew that the girl loved princess stories so I thought to myself, if I can’t go out now, how about watching a princess movie with the other two girls in the house? I couldn’t think of a better way for us to bond as we were stuck inside for the day. I whipped out Enchanted, which I had brought along for just this kind of moment.

After just a few minutes, I realized this was going to be so much fun! Both the mother and daughter laughed and laughed at certain parts. The mother no doubt could not understand much of the movie, but she laughed and laughed at moments and based on her facial expressions, had no problems understanding enough to enjoy it.

I also couldn’t help but think what a unique situation I am in. Here I am, with native nomads. This family I am sitting with and watching this Disney princess movie with, under other circumstances would never be in India, never live in this house, and would have probably never been around many Americans, if any. They would not have had a tv in their home (which would be a large tent), and there’s a good chance they would never have seen a Disney movie. But circumstances being what they are, this nomad family is now at least temporarily in India. If you had asked them 10 years ago, I’m sure none of them would have imagined this would have been their life. They probably would have never guessed that they’d later have an American girl living with them, nor that they would know enough English to be able to communicate with her. Life is certainly full of surprises.

I also want to say that communicating with my family has become quite the adventure. Only one of the brothers speaks English fairly well. The other brother and his wife are just learning. They know quite a bit now, but sometimes we are totally guessing when we communicate. But we have come up with quite the system. When the brother who speaks English is not there, the three of us have become quite the communicating team. One evening, the brother who speaks English was gone and it was just the three of us, me and the two that are learning English. We were talking and the brother was trying to tell me the story of how he got the scar on his arm. His vocabularly is way too limited for this kind story so he got up and started acting it out. I then would make motions and facial expressions with a few random words to make sure I was understanding. The English speaking brother then got home and saw us and laughed and asked me if I understood the story. I could honestly say yes, I understood! We used hardly any language, but I knew we had communicated. The English brother laughed and said we had become quite the communicating team. He pointed out that the other brother, Lhamo would act things out and I would use body language and facial expressions. Tam Kho, the wife is great at reading all the cues and serves as the “middleman” and can tell when we understand and when we don’t. So between the acting, body language, facial expressions, and interpreting, we almost always find some way to communicate!

Obviously, I’ve learned that words are not the only way to communicate. And they are not the most important either. I realized the other day when I was with my family at a party that I truly adore this family. Sure, we’ve struggled to communicate, but I feel so close to them. We may have had less talking than a “normal family” would, but I still feel incredibly close to this family! I trust them completely and know that they would do anything to help me. They have been so giving, open, and welcoming. I’ve learned to read their body language and facial expressions (as they have mine) more than many people I’ve known for years. We can communicate so much without words! And we have communicated so much without words that I don’t feel like we’ve been at a loss because of the communication barrier. I don’t think I could have gotten any closer to them, had we been able to communicate with words.

The other night, while we were at a party, I sat across from Tam Kho, my Tibetan sister. We would catch each other’s eyes once in a while and make facial expressions, clearly exchanging thoughts. It was so much fun! And made me realize that they really have become my Tibetan family.

Miss Tibet

2010-07-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

I’ve never had a real interest in the Miss America pageant. For those of you that know me, I’m sure that’s not too surprising. I did however find myself one weekend attending the Miss Tibet pageant. I’m not exactly sure why I was so intrigued with the idea and why I thought it would be interesting to attend. I do however know that when my family said they were going, it was incredibly easy for me to decide that I wanted to go along.

The Miss Tibet contest has been going on in India since 2002. This year there were four contestants. My Tibetan brother later told me that sometimes there is only one contestant. Not much of a competition, but they still go on with it because they want to make sure to have it every year. There has been a lot of controversy on the whole issue. Many Tibetans do not like the idea of it. Also not many girls are willing to compete in it.

Again, I’ve never seen the Miss America pageant- my only exposure would be Miss Congeniality or the short clip of the Miss South Carolina blooper from a few years ago, and I just don’t think that either counts. So I’m not really sure how different this is than the Miss America pageant. But here is what happened at Miss Tibet 2010.

There was a long introduction and then the girls came out, in jeans and t-shirts to introduce themselves (in English, except one who used a translator). Then there were three rounds, with “entertainment” (dancing, singing, etc) in between each round. The first round was the gown round. The girls came out in western style gowns. A little more modest than ones back in the states usually are, but nonetheless, still western style gowns. The second round was the traditional Tibetan costumes round, followed by a Q&A round.

As I sat there watching these Tibetan young women “strutting their stuff” down the walkway, I couldn’t help but think about how shy Tibetan girls and women usually are. I thought back to just the weekend before at the Amdo Party I attended and how each of the females struggled with their shyness to perform in front of everyone. Each and everyone one of them. How much harder would it be for a Tibetan young woman to wear “revealing” clothing and “strut” in front of hundreds (if not maybe thousands?) of people?

Anyway, here are a few other things that Miss America probably doesn’t have:

- English, Hindi and Tibetan languages being used

- A Tibetan man in a bright, metallically light blue suit, with long flowing hair, coming out and doing a jump-kick center stage (at least I’d never seen that before, that’s for sure)

- Monks in the audience

- The audience reciting the “Om Mani Padme Hum” prayer before we officially began

- Young Indian girls performing an interpretive dance of the story of Buddha’s life

- A dog making his way through the audience and reaching the front stage

Hiking in the Mountains

2010-06-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

I so often wish I had the words to describe the scenes that I behold here. Some of them are so serene, so amazing that I just wish I had the ability to paint them, to capture the scene for a moment. But I am neither a poet nor a painter, so I suppose these feeble words will have to suffice.

4 am is an interesting time to be up. I have to admit right away that I had never seen McLeod at this hour before. The sky was full of stars, the moon casting a low, glowing light upon the road before me and the sky had cleared up from the storm the night before. Once again I was embarking on a journey, unsure of exactly where I was going. All I knew was that my family said we were going to a beautiful place and we had to leave at 4 in the morning.

After about a 5 hour trek I wondered where in the world we were going. There was nine of us (my two brothers, sister, the three kids, a cousin and a monk) and we’d been slowing climbing and climbing the whole time. We could see the buildings of McLeod, Dharamsala, and Bhagsu in the distance. I remember thinking, man this better be worth it. And as the pictures will hopefully show, it totally was.

Not only was the green, green land and rock around us just stunning, but the glorious, thundering mountains still covered in snow just a short distance away really made the sight worth it. The not so distant mountains are so high that clouds would often pass by and cover them for a time.

When we arrived, my family immediately began setting up a fire. It really is amazing how we as kids will try to learn how to build fires. My family did it with such ease and so quickly… Our ways of life have produced such different abilities. As the fire was going I whipped out my Frisbee. The young 10 year old boy immediately jumped up, as well as several other members of the family and we began to toss it around. Now I’ve played Frisbee I don’t know how many times, but I don’t know that I’ve ever laughed just so much. Watching a grown man in monk’s clothing try to learn how to throw the Frisbee, watching the 10 year old just laugh and laugh as he made fun of the older guys. We tossed it around, trying to avoid the sheep and goats parading around. How unique and enjoyable these simple moments are- the collision of our two cultures, our two very differing worlds!

Amdo Party

2010-06-22T05:48:00.000-07:00

So I often don’t really know what I’m getting myself into when I agree to go to something with someone, particularly when I agree to go to some event with a Tibetan who only speaks limited English. Often I think I know what I am agreeing to, but I am learning quickly that I often really don’t. However, it has so far always been not only an adventure, but a fun adventure to have such “miscommunications.”

So I knew I was going to an “Amdo Party,” but I really had no idea what that meant. I knew that it was down the mountain a ways, but had no idea how far or where. So I really had no idea what else either of those details meant. After an interesting taxi ride, we ended up in a “valley” of sorts that looked like the pictures of the Amdo region of Tibet (which was fitting for the “Amdo Party”). As we get closer I could see a huge tent and I assumed that’s where we were going. As we got closer the whole thing collapsed from the wind and rain. We quickly joined the huddle of people under rocks and blankets. People were shouting woohoo! Yippee! And all other kinds of encouraging phrases at the rain, including one particular man who shouted, “Come on! Is that all you’ve got?!” People were just laughing and having a great time huddled together, a few even running through the rain shouting praises. As the rain died down I realized there were still people in the tent. A small child, who looked Tibetan from where I sat, popped out and said, “Mummy, do you think it’s going to stop now?” with a perfect English accent I might add. When all of this occurred within the first ten minutes and I knew I was in for a treat.

So let’s start at the beginning with what an “Amdo Party” entailed, at least an “Amdo Party” in India, which included a few other guests not from Amdo. This party was almost all Tibetans from the Amdo region. The only exceptions seemed to be myself, an English woman (who married a Tibetan man more than 15 years ago, whom she had met in McLeod Ganj, India), and her two sons who were born in England (although they have half Amdo blood, so even they could in some ways). The place was chosen because it could at least remind them of aspects of Amdo. The party consisted of things we would often find at parties at home: tons of food, some alcohol, games being played, swimming, and lots and lots of chatting. But two particular moments were quite different, at least for me.

The first was the “talent game?” I’m not really sure what to call it, but the point of it was that eventually everyone had to embarrass themselves in front of everyone else. One man started by putting a kahta (white scarf, stole, shawl… whatever you choose to call it) around his neck and then he began to sing a traditional Tibetan song. After he finished he said a few things in Tibetan and then put the kahta around someone else’s neck. That person got a little shy and everyone clapped, cheered and seemed to be giving this new “kahta wearing” the encouragement (or pressure, depending on the way you look at it) to do as the previous man had and perform. It was quite a fun game to watch. Most people sang, and some for quite a bit, a few played instruments or danced, etc, but pretty much everyone sang. Many people, especially the women were very hesitant to go. The normal “name cheer,” or yelling the person’s name over and over (Tashi, Tashi, Tashi!), happened often, and persisted until the person finally got up the courage to go. Eventually, even I had to… and don’t ask how long it took to coax me into singing a song in front of everyone…

The second part was the water part. It’s normal to have swimming at parties right? And it’s even normal to have people thrown into the water. But what about EVERY single person at the party? And even if they had to chase them down through fields to get them in the water? Literally, and I mean literally, every single person at the party (and we’re talking probably at least… 50 people?) was caught, dragged, and thrown into the small body of water we had (which by the way, was some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen in India). It was an absolute ball watching grown men sneak around to capture those who were dry. They would get this sly smile on their face and they were running around just like the little kids. They even got the monk, who avoided them for quite a long time, into the water.

After they dunked the “inji” (foreigner in Tibetan) a Tibetan laughed and said, “Now you’ve been Christened!” I’m not exactly sure what he meant, but I almost felt like I could feel like I’d been “Christened a Tibetan partier” after these two party events took place.

Oh, and just in case we forgot we were in India, there was the giant water container? with Hindi script on it.

My name is Khan, my name is Rita, my name is Tenzin

2010-06-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

I sit on my balcony looking out over the town with my brother and sister with a soap opera in the background, as I realize how content I am with my day, which consisted of teaching, reading, writing, studying, eating at a restaurant, going to class, and watching a movie at a cinema. Sounds like a fairly typical day. But when the finer details are filled in, a much different picture comes into view.

I sit on a tiled balcony looking out over the town (that we share with our neighbors, which overlooks the mountains of McLeod Ganj and the Kangra Valley) with my Tibetan brother and sister with a Chinese soap opera dubbed in Tibetan in the background, as I realize how content I am with my day, which consisted of teaching English to my Tibetan brother and sister, reading, writing, studying, eating at a Tibetan restaurant playing American pop music, going to a Hindi language class taught by a native speaker, and watching a Hindi movie (about a Hindu woman who marries a Muslim man and the problems they have in post 9/11 America) at a homemade cinema which consisted of about 20 elevated chairs and a projector on a wall. Maybe this sounds a little less typical, but it really isn’t that uncommon to have such a day in my current place of residence, McLeod Ganj, India.

The US has been called a multicultural melting pot. I would not disagree and I’m very proud to come from that multicultural melting pot. But McLeod Ganj is also a multicultural melting pot, though one that is so different than what most people think of as a “melting pot.” I wish I could describe just how multicultural this place is. But no matter how hard I tried, I know I could never do the description justice.

By first glance, you’ll notice there are three “major groups” of people- Indian, Tibetan, and Western. But upon further investigation you find out that these are not the only “groups” that live in this community. You find native Indians and displaced Indians (many coming from other regions of India where droughts and famines have hit the people hard); you’ll also find 2nd generation Indian-born Tibetans and Tibetans freshly arrived from the Himalayas just mere weeks ago; throw some western tourists, backpackers, yoga instructors, Buddhist practitioners, and yes, even a few students, and you may be able to have a small vision of what McLeod looks like. While walking down one of the roads you could hear a Bob Marley song coming from one of the restaurants, walk a bit further ahead and hear a Bollywood soundtrack, to which a young Indian and/or Tibetan may be singing along to; and walk just a bit further and you may hear the monks performing a pooja ceremony down at the temple, or an elderly Tibetan chanting “Om Mani Padme Hum.” You can see the prayer beads of a praying Buddhist, the cap of a devout Muslim, the bindi on the forehead of a devote Hindu, or the cross of a Christian, all within minutes of each other.

The world has often looked to the US to see a multicultural society in action. But after seeing Tibetan and Indian children playing on the road together, after hearing Hindi, Tibetan, and English all being used for one market transaction, after hearing Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Christian prayers all come from the same small area, I can’t help but wonder if there are other places to look to understand multicultural societies.

The beginning of a new adventure in McLeod

2010-05-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

We officially made it back to mountains early Monday (17th) morning. We moved in with families that morning, each with a different family and a different set-up. Last time I was in a well off family- I even had my own room and bathroom upstairs. The family had four generations in the house- a grandmother, the parents, three kids, and two grandkids. This time, I am in a smaller house with only two generations, two brothers, one’s wife, and their five year old son. The family is so welcoming and are constantly saying, “Melissa, this is your house, anything you need, you ask brother or sister.” They are SO quick to laugh and it’s been so much fun. The five year old has so much energy and although he and I can’t communicate verbally he uses his hands, arms, and whole body to make movements and many times I think I understand what he is saying.

It’s been fascinating to me to be in a small house. The front room is used as the entertainment room (with the tv), the reading room, the dining room, the bedroom, the conversation room, and even a classroom. It is a universal room and I never realized just how much use can come from such a small area. It makes sense that so many Tibetans find this easy, as many were nomads who lived in large tents. My family has shown me pictures of their land and village in Amdo (north east region of Tibet). You can see forever! They said it’s nice to be able to look and look and only see nature, not houses and people all over.

Some of my favorite moments so far with my family have been working on their English. One of the brothers speaks English really well and the first day he was translating back and forth for the other two and me. He told me they were learning English. One of the mornings the wife was practicing quietly to herself and I said, “Practicing English? Sounds very good.” She motioned for me to come over and when I did she sat right next to me and we started reading her book together. Her pronunciation was fantastic! I realized that even though they had said their English was not good, it was actually quite good, they were just too shy to speak. We started practicing and now every morning the husband, wife and I practice every morning. It has been so much fun, as even when we can’t understand we just end up laughing.

It has been really fascinating for me to read along in their book, see what phrases and words have been deemed “most important” for Tibetans to learn in English. There are three phrases that one of the brothers has been practicing that I think reveal not only a lot about him, but about Tibetan culture in general. For those of you back home, if you had to learn important phrases in another language, what ones would you find most important, or most useful? What phrases do you use most often in English? Now, I am not saying that these particular phrases are the most important phrases in Tibetan, nor that every Tibetan would find these phrases to be the most important. But I think they do say something about the situation I am currently living in. The three phrases my brother has been practicing: “It’s up to you.” “I don’t mind.” “I’m just kidding.” Very interesting, at least to me with my experiences with Tibetans. Their hospitality, their emphasis on others, and their easiness to laugh are three of the traits that have stuck out the most to me and each is embedded in one of these phrases.

This week I also couldn’t help but think about the simplicity of life. I never have to set an alarm here. I go to bed earlier (around ten) and then as the sun comes up I just wake up on my own. People here live more naturally and by default I think it’s more natural to go to bed earlier and wake up with the sun. No need for alarm clocks. Also, with simpler, smaller houses, there just isn’t much clutter, if any at all. It seems like it is a symbol not only for their material, physical lives, but also for their personal, inside lives. They just don’t seem to let as many things clutter their lives. They do not get as bothered. The idea of a gym has always made me think about how silly this concept would have seemed to our ancestors. “You mean you have to go here to push iron and run in place? Why would you do that?” Hard, manual labor used to be the way things were done. Man sowed and man reaped in the fields. Nowadays, this is not the case, so we have to create seemingly “unnatural” things, such as gyms, in order to stay in shape. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that I do not like going to the gym, or that I am not attached to my material possessions, nor am I saying that I have the intention of giving them up. But it just makes sense that the more natural and simple you live, the easier and simpler life can be.

Well, that sums up a few of my thoughts for this week. Hopefully I’ll get some pictures for the next one.

Football match

2010-05-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so enough philosophizing for now. Let’s talk about something more of the folks back home will care about- sporting events! I attended my first football match in India on Saturday evening. It was a match between the “Tibetan National Team” (not sure exactly what that means though… exile national team?) and “an Indian Football Club.” It was a walk from the main area to the “field” (a big dirt arena looking space at the biggest school in the area, TCV), but hundreds, if not thousands had turned up for the match. Now most events that go on in McLeod are often full of westerners and tourists. I don’t know if the locals just aren’t as interested in the events going on as foreigners or if they don’t have time, etc, but again, many of the events are crawling with foreigners. But, for this event, there were hardly any westerners present- the stadium was loaded with locals, mostly Tibetans.

The match was a charity match (as indicated by the chalked circle in the center of the field, reading “Yushu Charity Match”) and all the entry donations made were doing to help the victims of the earthquake in the Tibetan area of China just a short time ago (see this http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8619135.stm for more information). With all the people attending, they must have made a lot of money, money that was all going to the victims of the earthquake. Very cool. And really says something about these people I am living amongst.

So I’m sure people would wonder, what is a football match like in India? How is it different? I hate to be disappointing, but any words that I will use to describe the match could probably be used to describe almost any other sporting event. The crowd cheered with gusto as players made great plays, booed at the errors and faulty plays, made noises to distract the other team, and laughed at the silly errors of both times (although I think laughter comes much easier and louder for Tibetans). Some things, including crowd reactions at sporting events, seem to be universal, and the same everywhere. Little kids mimicked the cool moves the players did, people yelled out at the players, gave side commentaries like “nice play!” people ate snacks, and did many of the exact same things I have done at sporting events. I think one of the only moments that I was aware that I was in India was when a cow made an entrance onto the field in the middle of the match. The crowd roared with laughter as the cow ran through the stadium. I never have seen something like that in the states.

Goal! And the crowd goes wild!

At the end, the players from both teams gathered in the center and appeared to shake hands (much like our “high five” “good game” huddles). Then all the players made a big circle and waved to the crowd, maybe as if to say thanks for coming and goodbye (I’m not sure).

A quirky moment happened right after. A man who I had noticed before (he had a big shaggy beard, not common among Tibetans, and a big pair of sunglasses) ran down to the field and started dancing. People watched and laughed loudly at him. As he continued, a crowd of young kids came down to watch him and gathered around him.

He even climbed the goal post and goofed around. It just made me stop and wonder, would we have the same reaction to a goofy man at the end of a match? Would have the same reaction, just watch and laugh? Or just think man, that guy had way too much to drink during the match?

(He's the man to the far right, in the green shirt with sunglasses)

And yes, even monks enjoying watching the football match!

“Excuse me, first time to India?”

2010-05-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

This was a question my driver asked me on the drive from the airport to the guest house I was staying at. I don’t know why, but the question struck me in a peculiar way. I answered with the answer he was looking for, “No, second time. I came a few years ago.” But as for the answer to myself, I was not satisfied. In the physical sense yes, I have been to India before. But even in those first few hours in my return to India I already felt so differently about this country that I was in less than two years ago. How could I feel so differently?

In many ways, I feel like it is my first time seeing so many things in India. I feel different here this time. Maybe it is because it seems familiar in some ways. I feel confident enough to walk around and see new things, to talk to people I’ve never meet, to bargain for a ride or something in a shop. This was far from the truth until the very end of my trip last time. But I’m also noticing different things. I know how some things work in India… but I also am fully aware that I don’t know how most other things work in India. I studied more about India and Indian culture before coming this time. I am here to study not only the Tibetan population and culture here, but the Indian population and culture as well. I also know enough to know that to even say “Indian population” or “Indian culture” is such a loaded statement (for how do you use two words to describe one nation with over 20 national languages; with over 20 states each with very distinct cultures; with five religions that have had a heavy influence on the nation; and not only thousands of years of history, but thousands of years of history that has left vivid imprints that still exist in the land today?).

I truly feel like my eyes are more open this time, more open to the real “India,” the India that is not just a young American’s first experience abroad, but a real, breathing, moving country with so much history, depth, and experience.

The Good and the Bad

2009-05-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

My lingering cold has left me with less energy than normal so I decided to take it easy the other night. I stayed in and watched a movie and flipped through some pictures from India. I looked at the pictures of India that some of my fellow group members had posted. I saw still images of a few things I have not forgotten, for I don’t think I ever could. But I also saw a few things that I guess I just haven’t really thought about since starting a job and trying “move on” with life. These images really hit me. They took me back to those moments and experiences, almost instantaneously.

It’s been the weirdest thing coming back from the India experience. I knew it was going to be a life changing experience. But no matter how we try to prepare for these experiences, no matter how much we know it will change our lives, we can never comprehend the affects of these experiences until after. Even now, months after, I’m still not sure I really comprehend just how much the experience has changed it.

So back to the pictures, looking at some of these pictures I was reminded of some of the hard things in India. Some of the pictures of beggars made me think about the constant, daily turmoil I had with facing them. It made me think of the two beggar women that I passed every day on my walk from my host family’s house to the market. One of the beggars was always kinda grumpy, sometimes rude. The other always with a bright beautiful smile, always saying good morning, some mornings even asking other questions and talking with me. This second woman actually never asked for money. I wrote about her at one point, even in this blog. I had always meant to sit down and talk with her, spend more time with her, but I never did. By the time I finally meant to sit down with her, she had moved some where else.

A lot of people talk about how they have no regrets. I don’t think I really believe that, at least not in the way I look at the word regret. To me, regret means you wish you had done something different. I think because we are human, we will make mistakes. I think because we are human we feel bad about those mistakes. I guess this idea of “having no regrets” doesn’t mean that you don’t wish you’d done something different or that you don’t feel bad, but simply that you have accepted the mistakes and moved on. If nothing else you learned the lessons from those moments and choices and have bettered yourself because of it.

In thinking about the beggars, I wish I had done a few things differently. I wish I had taken better advantage of talking to some people. I wish I had handled some situations better. I wish I understood the things I do now about the experience. But the fact that I made mistakes doesn’t mean I have regrets. I learned so much about myself, so much about the world, so much about life. I have pondered a lot on the mistakes and glories and I am learning to face them all at the same time, to see them work together to create a beautiful picture. When people ask me questions about India, I’m trying to paint them that picture, the ones of my hopes and disappointments, the one of my best and not so best moments, the dark and the light, the good and the bad. This picture itself is like a metaphor of India, a country that doesn’t hide its garbage, that doesn’t hid its poor, that’s doesn’t hid its decaying buildings, that doesn’t even hid the dead. But it also doesn’t hide its good, it doesn’t hide its beauty, it doesn’t hide its history, its friendliness, its curiosity, its traditions, its culture. These pictures remind me of this, of this lesson I learned in India, that sometimes the most beautiful things show the good and the bad, all at the same time.

I had been warned that coming home sometimes the culture shock of coming back home is worse than in the field. I wouldn’t say that mine was worse, but I can definitely say that there was some reentering shock. I was coming back to a world I knew and loved and feel so comfortable in. While my country hadn’t changed, I had. The first few weeks, and maybe even months I struggled with where I fit into the world. I am still an American, and still grateful for all the things that are mine because I am American. But after seeing the things I did, after experiencing the things I did, I don’t completely see things the way many other Americans do, the way that I saw things before. I have learned to come to terms with that good and bad, of myself, of the world, of life. I feel like I see things differently and although it was hard at first, I’m now seeing the beauty and wonders it can bring to see both the good and bad at the same time.

Graduation

2009-05-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

My mom, brother and I went up to Provo for the graduation ceremony a few weeks ago. It was quite the interesting experience. Partly due to the fact that I haven't sat in a classroom at BYU in almost a year. My traditional education ended last summer so it seemed strange to be on campus again. But it was also great closure, a great wrap up to 4 years of my life. I feel like it really did end, like my experience came to a proper end.

I posted pictures on facebook, where more people look than here. But I'm putting a few on here as well, as I make a few comments about the experience. Because it is BYU, there was of course a different atmosphere especially with the speakers being Pres. Uchtdorf and Elder Nelson. Pres. Uchtdorf received an honorary degree. When he spoke he laughed and said he felt to blessed and lucky to receive such an honor without going through the hours and hours of work, testing, etc and without having to face a panel of professors whose sole purpose it was to prove he didn’t know something. Unfortunately I did not have a pen to take notes with (which is very unlike me), but I do want to mention a few things I remember. First, all speakers, including Pres. Samuelson, the student speaker, etc. , talked about how at BYU we have gained both a secular and spiritual knowledge. This is something that as students at BYU we realize, but I guess having not taken classes in a year, it was something that reminded me. Elder Nelson shared a story that particularly stressed this point.

Elder Nelson told us a story about when he was in South America. He said they were a big group of doctors out in a mountainous village when one of the other doctors started bleeding from the stomach. He said here we were, a huge group of doctors, who had spent our life studying this, yet there was nothing any of us could do, because we were over a hundred miles from a hospital with the equipment we needed. It seemed as though he would die. The man was LDS and asked for a blessing. Elder Nelson gave the blessing and said when he blessed him he felt to bless him to live. Right after the blessing the man stopped bleeding, and of course, did live. Elder Nelson went on to say that knowledge is good and wonderful, but it can only go so far. Sometimes knowledge alone will not get us through certain experiences.

Also, most alluded to the fact that these are trying economic times. I remember thinking, gee, thanks for the reminder, but I suppose its important to mention as we will all probably get discouraged as we hunt for jobs and what not. I don’t remember who, but someone also said that it’s not about what we majored in or what we learned, but what we become in this life. What that knowledge, what that career does to help us become something. I really enjoyed that, and felt it to be of particular importance since I’m still trying to decide where to go from here.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

"Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said, “I will not leave you comfortless. [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].”20 (John 14:18, 23.)

My other plea at Easter time is that these scenes of Christ’s lonely sacrifice, laced with moments of denial and abandonment and, at least once, outright betrayal, must never be reenacted by us. He has walked alone once. Now, may I ask that never again will He have to confront sin without our aid and assistance, that never again will He find only unresponsive onlookers when He sees you and me along His Via Dolorosa in our present day. As we approach this holy week—Passover Thursday with its Paschal Lamb, atoning Friday with its cross, Resurrection Sunday with its empty tomb—may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,”21 (Mosiah 18:9.) for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFhS0dAduc
Text: http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1032-27,00.html

Spring has arrived!

2009-04-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Spring has fianlly arrived! Two experiences have brought this beautiful phrase into full force in my little universe. First, baseball season has begun! Ever since I was six years old, not a spring goes by that I do not start to get excited for the impending season. Even the years where I don't have the time to watch the games I'd like or play like I want, just knowing that the games are going on and that the sport is being played by someone somewhere in the world makes me smile. Baseball helps to make the world go round in my universe. In honor of this start, my little brother and I went and played catch and hit the ball around at the park. What a glorious feeling i could not even begin to describe. And I won't, for I might be thought to need some serious help with my love of baseball. But a fun side note, as we're fielding for each other, another player steps onto our "field." A big black and white collie of sorts comes running onto our "field" and starts fielding with my brother. This particular dog was a stunningly gorgeous collie AND was an excellent fieldsman. It was fabulous to have a third player that LOVED to chase the ball.

The second experience came when I was on a drive earlier this week. The blue, blue sky was showing, with just a few hints of white, fluffly clouds. A nice cool breeze (not the whipping, freezing ones we've experienced off and on lately) blew through my hair as I drove with the window rolled down. I wore sunglasses and flip flops in a combo I have so sorely missed. To top it off I listened to Colbie Caillat (and don't say a thing- it is my female prerogative to listen to a few songs like this from time to time), with the image of the beach rolling through my mind. Despite all my frustration with the job hunt and lack of progress in my world, I felt like the world was set aright at that moment. Spring is finally here!

Last week's adventure

2009-04-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

The last few months my family has been talking about how we really need to go on a cruise some day. And last week, we got our chance! I have always loved the ocean and it's beautiful underwater life. Here are a few of the underwater pictures I snagged.

A starfish. Who doesn't love a starfish? (And if you don't love it, don't tell me)

Second, we have the sea enenimies. Aren't they so bright and colorful?

Sorry this one is a bit blurry, but look at that pearl!

So a confession here, I got so distracted by the gorgeously colored plant life that I almost missed the Aztec ruins here. And I call myself a history major... Maybe I picked the wrong major (as if the current job hunt hadn't already told me that).

Did I have anyone fooled at all? No really, my family really has talked about going on a cruise some day, but for now we have to be content with the 15 minute Finding Nemo submarine voyage at Disneyland. And for those of your who have not ridden, it is actually quite nice.

A few stories to mention about our trip. During our first couple hours we walked down to Splash Mountain. We've ridden the ride and know that you can come off the ride anywhere from amazingly, desert-like dry to looking like you just stepped out of rainforest. We saw some people getting off and several groups seemed to be pretty dry. It was also a particularly nice day so we found no reason not to take the chance. I volunteered for the front for two reasons. First, you can put your feet up on a little bump at the front. Wet shoes are the worst so I was willing to get wet if I could save my shoes. Second, I am now the shortest in the family, and as I like the visual beauties that the ride contains, sitting in the front is the best view. So off we go to get on the ride. For those of you that have ridden it, you know the first drop inside, right by where Briar Bear is showing off his hinny? Well as we come down that drop, guess what happened? Again, we've ridden this ride before and been soaked before. But this was a whole new experience. The water literally formed a wave wall that came over the top of the log and landed in my lap. It was hilarious, particularly for my siblings right behind me. I too couldn't help but laugh (at least until my pants were still wet hours later...)

A second story actually has nothing to do with the park. We ran to the store to pick up a few things. I don't know how I manage to do it, but on like every other trip I manage to leave my toothbrush at home. Shelby and I are looking at toothbrushes when I hear "senorita, senorita." I turn around and there is this little old lady in a wheelchair pointing up to one of the top shelves. She clearly needed help reaching one of the items. She said "blue" and then a few phrases in Spanish and after a confusing moment, I grabbed the item she wanted and handed it to her. Although it would seem to be quite the minor shopping moment, it reminded me of being in India, of trying to buy things from little street shops without knowing the local dialect at all. Pointing, numbers, and shaking heads yes and no became the key forms of communication. I felt an instant connection with this woman for that small moment simply because I understood what it was like to have that experience, to be somewhere without knowing the local tongue. Although I could not communicate that shared moment to her, I nonetheless left with a pensive spirit.

Ok, just one more moment to share. At California Adventures there is an Aladdin show. It is a fantastic 45 minute mini Broadway musical version of the movie. We've seen it a couple times so we are starting to notice side things you wouldn't notice the first time you see a performance. In Prince Ali's entrance, there was a "camel" from the entourage that was trying to win the attention of a young boy in the front row. Despite the "camel's" efforts, it didn't work. I laughed to myself about this and didn't think much of it. Later that night as we were discussing activities of the day, I realized I wasn't the only one in the family who had noticed this. We were laughing about it and then probably stretched it a bit too far. The following will probably reveal too much about my family's sense of humor, but alas, here I share it anyway. My mom made the comment that the "camel rider" was moving the "camel's" head so much she was afraid it would fall off. I made the comment that it was in the efforts of trying to entertain the sole kid in the front row... We continued down this path and it ended with the question: if camel's head had fallen off into the boy's lap would that child be scared for life? The best part was we laughed the entire journey to this final question.

Anyway, this is far too long, but nonetheless a few moments on the Cowles' family vacation.

A New Day

2009-03-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything since my time in India because I feel like anything I could write now would pale in comparison. After I'll, I'm a currently unemployed, non-student living back at home in Vegas. But my mind is always circling in thoughts so I thought for now I could at least post some of my swirling thoughts.

As always, movies are one of the most thought provoking experiences to me. I'll share movie thoughts from two movies I saw a couple weeks ago.

Doubt Feb. 14th, 2009

Doubt: the enemy of all religions; the enemy of faith, hope, human relationships. The beginning sermon that the Father in this movie gives opens the world of doubt and allows the audience to begin on the quest of considering doubt’s place in both religion and life.

I really enjoyed the film, and I’ll tell you why. The entire movie is embedded with symbolism. From the red meat the father eats, to the picture of the pope Sister Aloysius hangs up, to the timing of wind and the sound of thunder each and every time it appears, to the light in the office that goes out, to all the little habits of the father to the red door… It seems as though nothing in the movie is there merely for the sake of being there. Everything can be used as a source of doubt to the audience, everything can be used as a source in deciding which side you will be put on, to point to one direction of doubt or the other.

Although the main line of the story follows Sister Aloysius as she tries to prove her suspicions of the father, there is clearly a much deeper question of doubt to the movie, as both the opening and closing scenes make the reader realize the story is about so much more than doubt in this single priest. It brings up a doubt in a man, a doubt in a religion, a doubt in one’s instincts.

The movie does a beautiful job of bringing to life the issues of the day. You see the presence of the 1960s views on women, race, modernity, and religion. Any movie that can successful attempt to incorporate such heavy themes in any amount of accuracy deserves some amount of praise.

It is always interesting when a title consists of a sole word. The good ones, the good titles and movies, clearly have a much deeper meaning than just the one word alone. The title is a place to attract the reader’s attention to finding out what a film is about. If an author chooses to use one word, you can imagine there must be a deeper meaning if only one word can do justice.

SPOILER: If you had any doubts yourself about the layers of the film, about what the real story line is really about, the last scene between Sister Aloysius and Sister James steadies your doubts. If any one saw it, PLEASE tell me what your thoughts on the last scene were!
While the script dragged at parts, the acting was stunning. I did not see Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Viola Davis on the screen; but merely Sister Aloysius, Sister James, Father ____ and a mother.

Slumdog Millionaire Feb. 14th, 2009

A story of life in the slums of Mumbai, but of more than that the story of the lessons life can teach, even in the slums (or maybe especially in the slums). I personally enjoyed the movie as a movie a lot and would recommend it most. But I’m writing this not as a review, but more because I feel like a few things need to be clarified about India. A few comments I’ve heard from people who have seem the movie have me worried that they are getting the wrong impression of India through the movie.

This movie is about the slums in Mumbai. It probably is typical of the slums of Mumbai, just as certain American films are typical representations of the ghettos of NY. But would you want the rest of the world to think that America is like the ghettos of NY, as depicted in some film? I would hope not. So don’t judge all of India based on the depiction of the slums of Mumbai.

What you should get from the film is the idea that India is changing. The host of the show said that he grew up in the slums and was able to rise to be rich. The boy himself wins the money and changes his life, both financially and romantically. India’s new emerging middle class is growing and is depicted in the film. While approximately a third of the country still lies below the poverty line (dollar a day) according to the World Bank, that number is going down each year. Many are predicting the growth of India will only continue to get better. The middle class is growing and that middle class lives like many of us.

The film also briefly shows the violence between Hindus and Muslims, as the riots depicted. According to the World Book (on the CIA website) about 80% of the country is Hindu, 13% Muslim. Although Britain tried to separate the secular and Muslim governments (by creating the two separate nations of Pakistan and India), it has by no means dispelled the violence. During the partition, hundreds of thousands of Hindus and Muslims were killed in the transitioning/moving between India and Pakistan, not to mention leaving millions homeless. There have been three wars between Pakistan and India since. But the tension between Muslims and Hindus within India alone is huge. I heard several people in India mention that the tension between the major Muslim party and Hindu party keeps a lot of political progress from taking place, and also frequently leads to violence. The recent Mumbai attacks in November 2008 were just another example of the already high tension between the two religions and between the two countries. As I watched the news reports as the events of the attacks unfolded, many of the comments Indians were making sounded quite similar to the comments Americans were making after 9/11. If nothing else, imagine the tension we had after 9/11 and multiply that by a much longer history of tension, and you may slightly begin to understand the tension there.

Beyond the main character, many of the Indians in the film (his brother, the gangsters, etc) are depicted as sneaky, conniving and only looking out for number one. There are two points I wish to address here. First, we need to remember that they are a new democracy, with a new open market system. It takes a while for a strong middle class to arise, and while it’s arising the system can seem quite greedy and oftentimes cruel. If you look to our beginnings though, you will see many, many similar things. Many of the same behaviors and accusations were made about Americans in the beginning. The lesson should not be that most Indians are corrupt, but that it takes time for democracy and an open market system to work and spread through the population. They are adjusting to a system where they can finally move within the class structure. Second, while in India there were times were I would feel like the system is so corrupt and people were always looking for a way to take advantage. It would get really, really frustrating some times. But I also meet many, many Indians who were so helpful, and helped just to help. They gained nothing from it. From helping us learn how to use the money, to giving us directions, to translating for us when we couldn’t read things in Hindi, to simply just being friendly to some foreigners. Some of them were the friendliest people I’ve ever met. After a simple conversation they would consider you a friend and invite you to their home. I came across many wonderful and pleasant Indians. Do not think that all Indians are the way many are depicted in the film.

I think I’ve said enough here. But just remember that a movie is still just a movie. It may be the only impression or glimpse of Indian (or any place, topic for that matter) you have so far, but realize that’s all it is, is just an impression or glimpse.

Thanksgiving in India

2008-11-29T20:56:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving the four of us ate at a fancy restaurant that sold good chicken, mashed potatoes, bread and green beans! Marc and I ordered “crispy chicken” that we thought was the fried chicken, but turned out to be a Chinese saucy chicken- quite good, but not quite like Thanksgiving turkey. We realized we were eating Chinese chicken, Indian bread, green beans, and mashed potatoes, topped off with the an American Pepsi. What a Thanksgiving! The group also humored me by watching White Christmas, a tradition I’ve had for three years now. We also played Frisbee! What is Thanksgiving without some kind of sport? Overall, we were pretty pleased with our Thanksgiving in India experience.

While in India I’ve been making a list of things I’m thankful for. I started it back in October and made sure to write at least one thing down from Halloween until Thanksgiving. This is the result:

Thankful List

- Dreams. They can bring relief from stresses, help ease what I’ve missed while in India, make me laugh or smile, and fulfill my "wants" from home when I can’t have them- like restaurants where I can drink the water, food that tastes like what I expect, and of course, my family and friends.

- Christmas and pudding

- Music

- Friendly people who just start talking to you

- Sidewalks

- Drinking fountains and clean water- oh how I miss clean water!

- Clean bathrooms with toilet paper and soap

- Actually, just toilets and not squatters…

- Seemingly minor events- such as candle light vigils

- Just candles in general, especially when the power goes out

- Sunrises and sunsets

- Gorgeous visuals that give us the same promise of a new day no matter where we are

- And the are amazing from my balcony!

- good friends, who send emails just when I seem to need them

- coke, to keep the “beasties” away and calm the unsettled stomach, and bring a smile as we toast “to diabetes” with every drink

- Desserts

- Clean clothe, Just that feeling of putting on clean clothes- esp. after you haven’t for like a week… And fabric softener! I miss that so much…

- American democracy and the American dream

- Laughter, Tibetans love to laugh, and I have laughed a ton w/ my family and friends here. It can break barriers and lighten moods like no other.

- Newspapers, to commemorate big events and keep us informed

- Little things people do, such as giving you their newspaper when they are done.

- Good movies, all good movies that make you feel like a little kid again, or make you laugh, or fall in love, or believe in the good in people, or just allow you to escape for a few hours. The world tends to be much simplier in a movie, and reminds us that life can be so much more.

- Atonement, the peace that believing in another perfect world, and the comfort a Savior can bring to you, the perspective it can bring.

- Christmas songs and movies, those ongs that get stuck in your head and make you happy all day. Movies that make you think of your traditions and your family.

-Beautiful buildings and nature

- Hard work

- Intricate, detailed things

- Exercise!

- Makes me feel so good! And relieves stress so well!

- Good transportation

- Universality of being human, the things we all have in common simply because we are human

- Pictures, the keep sakes of all those moments you hope not to forget.

- Good authentic Indian and Tibetan food

- Ice cream!

- Movie theatres, particularly ones where the power doesn’t go out in the middle… Although it does make things more exciting and create more suspense…

- Alone time, the time to ponder in quiet space, rejuvenate.

- Passions/interests, that make life more exciting. I suppose they aren’t necessary, but make life so much better, worth living.

- Good books!

- Technology; computers, emails, phone calls, DVDs, news on the internet and tv… I have been so spoiled!

- Fall; the colors, cool breeze that zips through, wanting to be tucked under blankets by a fireplace.

- Heaters

- Fireplaces; nostalgic, romantic, cute and cozy, and completely warm. Plus, I really just like watching fire…

- Singing out loud

- Understanding of others

- Stars, gazing at them every night while out here- there is a calmness and sereneness in the skies at night.

- Freedom, gratitude that I’m not confined to a prison with no options, that I can work, go to school, make decisions, move to another place, have a social life and surround myself with those I love… and just the pursuit of happiness

- Classy things; black and white pictures, fancy dining tables, tuxs and dresses

- Babies and children, the awe, the wonder, the trust, the faith, the smiles.

- Difference architecture, art, designs; I really like Asian architecture, fabrics, etc

- Cologne and perfume! Oh how I miss getting wiffs of good smelling people everywhere I go! Its only a rare occurence here

- Holidays/special days, they get us to celebrate, make the most of life for at least one day. We should see every day as a gift and reason to celebrate, but we are forgetful creatures and in the hustle and bustle of the “everydayness” we forget what it means to live to the fullest. We need reminders- and these days provide just that. Reminds us that life is worth living, put the fight and zest back into us. A renewal of energy, faith, excitement, hope, and happiness.

- good food, good traditions, good family and friends, and the holiday season!

Norbulingka, Amritsar

2008-11-29T20:28:00.000-08:00

So much to catch up on! The first place to tell you about is Norbulingka. It’s the Tibetan Art Institute. It’s secluded and tucked behind some Indian villages about 30 minutes from Dharamsala. It’s completely quiet and secluded, which almost seems like a novelty in India. We were given a tour of the art studio full of thangka paintings. No mess ups are allowed mind you, and they usually take at least a month to finish one painting. Next we saw the fabric thangkas that Buddhists hang from the walls. The work is done at different stations with groups of people working on individual pieces. Next was the woodwork shop. They draw detailed, intricate designs on the wood, then carve them out.

Last was the cooper molding/statues, some of which can take a year and half to do. As we walked through these different workshops, I realized it had never hit me just how much time it takes to make these beautiful objects. All of these projects are so time consuming, so intricate. I can never look at any of these objects the same again. Last we visited the Doll Museum. It shows the history, culture, traditions, of Tibetans all through these little puppets.

Two weeks ago we went to Amritsar, the famous Sikh site.

First, it was a huge shock to get back into Indian culture. For almost two months we’ve been around Tibetans. Loads of people, rickshaws, lots of noise and horns, people staring and gawking, and lots of pollution! Every Indian state is so different- in language, in looks, in behavior, etc. Punjabis for instance are exptrememly tall. Even some women are above six feet (vs. the south where not even the men are that tall). Punjabis are also much lighter in skin color- many look almost like a tanned Caucasion, while the southern Indians can be almost as dark as Africans. The Punjabis we found to be more friendly as well. They were always asking to shake our hands and introduce themselves, even if that was the only English they knew. They also loved to take pictures of us, and would ask if they could take pictures with us quite frequently.

But the big site there is the Golden Temple. It is the most beautiful building we’ve been to so far. As you walk into the square, you check your shoes in and walk barefoot all around the building. You walk through water on the way in to clean your feet as well because it is holy ground. You also have to have your head covered (as you can see from out pirate looking bandanas. The Golden Temple is in the center of a giant pool/lake. All around the square is tiled floor with a red carpet in the center.The big white buildings surround the square. The only way I can describe the feeling is by comparing it to what I think a big Muslim mosque would feel like. The loudspeakers around the square play prayers being read from their sacred book. Oh, and the kitchen there feeds anyone who comes through, which is an average of 30,000 people a day! I expected the food to be not so great, being made in the mass like that. But it was delicious! Especially the rice pudding… yum!

A little that I learned about the Sikhs, they are like a fusion of Hinduism and Islam. They have 5 symbols they wear on them at all times- a turban/head covering, a dagger, an under garment, a bracelet… and I forgot the last one. They have a long history of war and have been persecuted by many different groups. For those of you that are LDS, an LDS guy who studied Sikhs called them the “Mormons of the Middle East,” for a few of the reasons you can guess from above, but also because of their history being quite similar to the history in the Book of Mormon, particularly some of the war stories.

The Indo-Pakistan border is a little over an hour ride from Amritsar so we went to the changing of the guard ceremony. I have no idea what to say about it because I have no idea what I witnessed and what exactly happened. I’m sure it was full of symbols that were lost on me. But the guards had these amazing peacock looking hats. The march with huge arm swings and big high kicks. There was lots of yelling on both sides, lots of chanting and cheering. It was interesting to see the Sanskrit Indian language and the Arabic Pakistani language, one on each end. I also couldn’t help but realize that the land looked exactly the same on both sides of the fence. No rivers, no mountains, no land differences at all. The only thing that separated “India” from “Pakistan” was the fence and the soldiers.

We also experiences our first Bollywood movie in an Indian movie theatre. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see the one I was hoping to see, from all the previews. We saw one called Fashion- which right away we knew probably wasn’t going to be a big it with any of us. But it was playing so we saw it. First I need to fill you in on a few things about Bollywood movies. There is always music, dancing, colorful clothes. There is also never any kissing on the lips- that is not appropriate in Indian culture, although the new trend is to show kissing on the neck, etc, there is still no kissing on the lips. Also, there has never been a movie about extramarital affairs- until last year when one came out. It was a huge controversy and many said such movies should not be made. But it was actually quite successful from what I understand. This new one had an affair in it- of course they don’t show anything in Indian movies, but you know its going on. There was also no dancing and no singing by the characters. It completely baffled us! This was not a normal Bollywood in any sense of the term. I think the only things that were traditional “Bollywood” were that that it was in Hindi (although quite a bit of it was in English), almost 4 hours long and the over dramatic acting. If it weren’t for those three things and for the power going out in the middle of the movie, we wouldn’t have realized it was a Bollywood movie.

The last part of our trip to mention is that I finally got sick! After almost three months of not having more than an occasional upset stomach or diahrria, I finally got sick like almost every student of India. And let me tell you, it was a great joy spending half the night by the toilet. At least it was a real toilet though, and not a sqatter like many places here in India.

Mumbai attacks

2008-11-27T21:08:00.000-08:00

I have fallen way behind in writing in here- almost a month behind! ANd although I have much to catch up on, for the moment I just wanted to post a blog about the recent Mumbai attacks. I don't know the mileage to Mumbai, but it is probably at least 1,000 miles away from where I am at. We are just fine where we are now, so no one worry about that.

To give a little bit of information though, although this is a huge terrorist ploy here, it isn't the first one since we've been here. THe biggest and the most damage to be sure. But violence, especially around the time of elections in India, is not rare. There are huge tensions between the Muslim and Hindu groups here and they often turn violent. It's actually ironic because I had just mentioned to someone it had been a few weeks since something happened. I spoke too soon.

I'm sure I'll comment more later as the rest of the story unfolds, but for now know that we are safe in the mountains...

Festival, Celebration, Meeting, and Candle Light

2008-10-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

This week I have so much to write about! I don’t know how I’ll get through it, but here we go.

Saturday was a big celebration for the founding of TCV- Tibetan’s Children Village, one of the big schools. There were seriously hundreds of people- maybe thousands, at this ceremony. It started with the marching in of the different houses. There are four houses in this school- and yes, just like Harry Potter. It struck me as funny, watching them march in. Marching is a huge part of every culture. Why is that? But it was quite fun to watch these kids come march in, proud and excited.

The motto of the school is “Come to learn, Go to Serve.” Those of you at BYU, isn’t that quite funny? I thought it was, and if you don’t think its funny, you need to learn BYU’s motto. After the marching in there were speeches, including one by the Dalai Lama. For those of you that follow the China/Tibet thing at all, you may have heard remanants on the news about this speech, because in it he said he’s starting to think nothing will come of these talks with China. He’s starting to think maybe the Middle Way won’t work- which is HUGE. The people here, as mentioned before, adore him and seem to be willing to do whatever he thinks is best. There will be a meeting here in November, where Tibetans will all get together and discuss what they want to do. The Dalai Lama is now trying to get the people to decide, because he is tired of the situation. He is not giving up on Tibet, like many news sources were quoting. He’s simply trying to get the people to decide, not just follow his way. But anyway, I was there when he announced it, and although it was in Tibetan, so I didn’t understand, it’s still fun to say, “I was there!” It may not seem like a big deal, but this was a huge announcement.

After the speeches they did song and dance performances and a kinesthtics performance. As odd as it may sound, it reminded me of the opening ceremonies to the Olympics. Just the sheer numbers of people, all moving and performing as one… It is amazing to see. It’s something that we don’t do often in the west and just I don’t know…. Leaves me in awe. We in the west just don’t’ tend to work like that, so to see a culture where sheer numbers can move as one, it’s quite the site.

On Monday they had a big celebration at the other school, the one my “nephew” goes to. They played all kinds of games- 3 legged race, relays, musical chairs, alaphbet and number races, etc. Many of the same things you’d see at school activities at home! But the funnest one to watch was where they had bread tied to a string and the kids had to eat it without using their hands. Absolutely adorable! Oh, and bragging rights, my “nephew” got second place on the number race.

So those were the two schools celebrations. This week I also attended two political events as well. The first was a Rangzen meeting. Rangzen is the Tibetan word for independence, so this is a group of people who want full independence for Tibet. The meeting was quite interesting: 4 ½ hours of a couple 100 Tibetans speaking about an issue that they all care about. The sheer passion and intensity that was so often displayed in people’s faces and voices as they spoke about what they wanted for Tibet… I could never begin to describe to you, at least not to do it justice. You would have to see if for yourself, hear it straight from their mouth. Even with a translator sitting behind me, and not understanding the words directly from their mouths, I still could not miss the intensity. At one point, the man right in from of us spoke, and as he did he was just shaking with intensity. I have been here over a month now, and it wasn’t until then that I think I even began to grasp just want this means to some of these people.

I still don’t know what I think is best for the Tibetans. I’ve been fighting with myself since I got here. For those of you that know my more recent love of Chinese history and culture, you know it must be hard for me. I still don’t’ know what I tink should happen, what would be best for China and for Tibet. There is no easy answer. But the thought that I had was that when challenges come, people become so much more through those challenges. I’m really beginning to see that it is our challenges, and what we choose to do with them that define us.

Ok, so last experience to add to this everlastingly long blog. The second event was a candle light vigil. I don’t know what it is about these… but I actually really enjoy them. The idea of a group of people coming together, lighting candles and discussing things in a peaceful way… its just really claming and yet endearing. It’s only my second one, and first one in India though, so maybe I’m still romancing with the idea of it. But there were at least twice the number of people at this candle light vigil, in favor of the Middle Way, an autonomous region. And even though it was "calm and peaceful," they still seemed to have a deeper fervor than those at the Rangzen meeting...

A few experiences

2008-10-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Yet another week has flown by here in Dharamsala. I am spending my days eating delicious Tibetan food and watching the news and Hindi and American movies with my family; interviewing different people organizations; talking with other young adults; helping some learn English; attending Buddhist teachings and discussions; and of course, the one guarantee for any college student- reading loads!

There are so many things I could talk about… so I’ll just pick a few experiences from this last week. Spencer came across this place that serves fabulous falafal- an Israeli food. There are Israelis all over here! I have no idea why, but they are seriously like half the tourist population here. So anyway, I enjoyed it so much when we ate it as a group that I went back a few days later to get some more. While there I began chatting with this guy from Israel. It was quite entertaining as I realized what an interesting “cultural” experience I was having: eating Israeli food in a Tibetan community in India. But despite the oddity of the situation, he found it fascinating that an American was eating falafal and we had a nice chat about Israel, the US, traveling, and taxes. You never know who you will meet right?

Monday the Dalai Lama was coming back into town after being at the hospital for a few days. The sister in my family had gone the day before to help clean the street. She and a big group were out there cleaning from 9-4:30. The street was lined with gorgeous flags. Monday afternoon pretty much all of town shut down and everyone flocked to the street. Marc and I were later at getting on the street and we still waited over an hour, just chatting and waiting. Probably one in 10 were waving Tibetan flags. Many were burning incense. When the time finally arrived, everyone was silent. As the cars drove by most bowed forward, in what can only be described as a deep reverence. It was an incredible thing to witness. The street was seriously packed like it would be for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, all to see the Dalai Lama drive by, and pretty quickly too. The cars didn’t really slow down, he didn’t get out and wave. The whole thing lasted about 30 seconds as he drove by. Many didn’t even see him in the car. Yet they all lined up, some waiting hours. It shows something about the awe and reverence Tibetans hold for their leader. They weren’t there to see his face so they could brag about it to their friends. Many didn’t even see his face. They were there for him- to welcome him home and show their love and support to him.

Another funny moment occurred the other day while I was reading in the park. I was writing in my journal some of my thoughts about nonviolence in political struggles. As I’m writing my thoughts about nonviolence, some of the monkeys wanted to show me that violence will never disappear- half the pack started yelling and jumping all over each other! Can you say ironic? Seriously though, monkeys are all over the place. And don’t be fooled by their cuteness. They wake me up running across my roof at 5 am, or steal food and clothes off the line, fight with each other, and charge humans like they are the defensive tackle on a football team. They are not as cute and cuddle as they appear.

I definitely had to include some photos of my fabulous balcony view. Yes, I get to see this view every time I step outside of my room.

The weather is gorgeous- only slightly chilly at night and in the mornings, but bright and sunny throughout the day.With all of these experiences and with all the information I’m collecting for my project, I am quite content here in Dharamsala. Lol now that’s not to say that at least once a day I don’t miss something from home. Because I sure do! But this experience is great and all these other things outweigh those thoughts in the end.

Hope everyone back home is doing well!

Oh, and P.S. it’s funny how many people here know about the U.S. Presidential elections. It seems like most people watch the news here, and it is certainly on BBC and CNN here. Sometimes I almost wonder if more people here don’t know more about the candidates than people at home…

Moving in with Families

2008-10-14T01:34:00.000-07:00

October 14^th, 2008

We have been back in Dharamsala for a week now and I couldn’t be more content with my life for the time being. I am decidedly not a big fan of Delhi and have sworn to not go back until it is time to leave. I much prefer the Tibetan northern mountains.

With that said there are two quick note to make about Delhi to those of you who are LDS. First, I got to listen to general conference live for an hour. Can I just say how utterly amazing it was that I got to sit on a Saturday night in an internet café and listen to the words of the apostles live, from the other side of the world. Second, that Sunday we got to attend the branch in Delhi. We’ve been told since we were little that the church is the same everywhere, that every member in the world is taught the same lessons every Sunday. But even knowing this does not take away the awe completely when you sit down with a group of Indians and discuss the gospel in the same way you would back home. It was truly a neat, neat experience. And they were of course, completely friendly and just really sweet to us.

The day after we arrived back in Dharamsala we moved in with Tibetan families here. Now I think I’ve made it fairly obvious that I have loved being around the Tibetans. But moving in with a family has only made me respect and love Tibetans even more. It makes my days seem more real too, having people that I interact with twice a day. Even when I don’t want to venture too far that day, I get part of a “cultural experience” every morning and night.

So each of us moved in with a different family. I seriously have like the most ideal set up I could ask for. MY room is actually separate from the family’s- it’s an upstairs room with my own bathroom. They said they like to put the students there so they can study in peace without the young boys around. But, they told me to come down any time I want to talk and watch tv or what ever. I can be with them when I want and then retire to my room to study or just relax alone.

MY family consists of the grandmother who is bed ridden, the parents (Amula and Pala are what they are called here), their three adult children and then the two grandchildren, ages 3 and 4. One boy is the eldest son’s, the other the daughter’s. All of the kids speak English really well, particularly the boys, one of which works for the government so he speaks English frequently, and the other attended an Indian University. They all know Tibetan, Hindi, and English.

I have breakfast and dinner with them. Breakfast I just go down when I’m ready and dinner is around 8. After dinner we hang out and talk and watch tv. Sometimes Hindi or American movies, sometimes tv shows or music stations, some times the news or sports (much to my delight). I had a great experience with one of the sons the other morning. We were watching the Red Soxes play Tampa Bay and flipping between that a a cricket match, with me explaining baseball to him and him explaining cricket to me. I had a ball!

Anyway, that is all for now, but ask whatever questions you want. Now that I am pretty immersed in things and see them every day there are probably a lot of things I forget to mention… so ask whatever you want to know.

A quick note on my research- without boring all of you with the political details I’m reading and finding here, it completely intrigues me to see how different cultures and groups of people choose to handle different problems. Tibetans choose to handle their situation peacefully, while other groups who have lost their homeland have chosen to react violently, such as Palestinians. It is becoming more and more fascinating to me how these Tibetans have chosen to deal with their situation…

Beauty and the beast

2008-10-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

I sat on the most comfortable couch I’ve sat on in five weeks- possibly one of the most comfortable couches I’ve sat on ever. The AC was pumping high and I don’t think I could have felt cooler- while outside was devastating hot and completely humid. Light jazz music was playing in the background. People were walking around cleaning and polishing the already clean floors, walls, etc. When the two people got up from the couch across from me, someone came and refluffed the pillows. A waterfall outside with doorman waiting to open the door to all who came up.

I wish I could say that I stayed the night at this place. It was just a temporary waiting area as we waited in Delhi to meet the faculty for the visit. But just being there made my mind flow in so many different directions. I know those of you that are reading this are probably more interested in the things I’ve seeing, hearing, doing, etc. but for this one I can’t help but just right about some of the thoughts I had as I sat in the most luxurious place I’ve been in five weeks. We have been so lucky really- we always have had beds, usually a toilet, decent food, and none of us have been sick, expect minor stomach irritation or headaches. Other groups sleep on concrete floors, get sick so much, don’t always have decent food, rarely have toilets, etc. We really have had it nice. But being in a place like this... it just reminded me what plush and luxurious things are like. The longer I am out here the more I am beginning to realize that in order to really enjoy the good things in life we really do have to see the bad and not so good things. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at a nice place like that. Even in the Bellagio and the Venetian and other gorgeous hotels, I don’t think I’ve ever looked at them and felt so much comfort, peace, and tranquility and sheer awe as I did at that hotel- only because I’ve seen so much poverty, so much garbage, and so many just sad and dirty things. The contrast in life is what really allows us to see life for what it is. It really is the only way, at least I think, for us to really understand what is truly in front of us.

I’ll talk a minute about the beggars. I don’t think I’ve said much about them. IN order to try to make those of you in the states understand, we aren’t talking about bums- people who sit on the side of the street with a sign asking for money. Those are bums in my book now, but not beggars. Beggars sometimes sit, but they will always talk to you and try to get your attention. Most of them will walk with you and follow you for a bit. Often they will touch your arm. Many of them will carry babies and children with them and ask you to just buy food. They are not passive in the least. And they are everywhere- all up and down the streets. Today we heard from Marc who was down in the south for a bit, that in the local paper they actually had an article asking people to stop giving money to the beggars. They found out that people would rent their children out to beggars for the day so they could make more money. This seems completely absurd! But things like that happen all the time. It’s so hard to see it, and every day. But like I said before, seeing these things, although not easy, allows me to see the good things in an even better light. I think I’ll come home with quite the purified and grateful heart.

Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

2008-09-27T03:49:00.000-07:00

We got what will probably be a once in a lifetime opportunity yesterday- to hear the Dalai Lama teach! We had heard he was coming to Dhar to present some teachings. We went and got our id badges earlier in the week and then went down at 7:30 in the morning for the teachings at 9. We ran into a student we’ve worked with at the English conversations class and he invited us to come sit with him on his mat. Tibetans don’t think its good for you to sit on the floor- they think it makes you sick, so they all offer bags, jackets, mats, cushions or anything else they have to make sure you don’t have to sit on the floor. Yet another fine example of their amazing hospitality. Another fine example happened on the temple grounds. IN the middle of the teachings monks get up and pass around Tibetan bread (kind of like big English muffins, or at least the taste) and butter tea. They literally served thousands of people that were there. The Dalai Lama drank tea and the middle and laughed and said, we have to take care of the physical body too, not just the mind. His laugh is adorable and he laughed so often. He’s so quick to laugh and also so down to earth.

The Dalai Lama teaches at his temple here. Everyone gathers all around on the different floors around the temple and they have tvs set up for everyone to watched. He usually teaches in Tibetan of course and they have translators for many different languages- English, Korean, Chinese, etc, which they broadcast on different radio stations. It is also for those that can’t make it to the temple, so they can listen to him also from their shops and what not.

As he started talking he was asking who spoke what languages. When he asked who spoke English he realized much of the group spoke English, as a huge number had come from Singapore, which speaks English. When he realized this he then said he would try to teach in English, that way more of us could understand him directly and so he could work on his English he said as he laughed playfully. Not only did we have the honor of hearing him teach, but we got to hear him teach in our own language!

His teachings were wonderful! He started the first session with some simple ideas of love and compassion. Although I could never rehearse to you his teachings in the way that he did, I do want to share a few of the things that struck me while I was listening. Two of my favorite Buddhist teachings so far have been their thoughts concerning compassion and happiness. He taught that happiness is created from our intelligence- much like the common phrase we have that attitude is everything kind of. He said that material things are important, but that our happiness comes from our emotions as well. He said that although many are wealthy, educated and good people, they are not happy because they worry so much. He said that often we take too short of a perspective, that we short sight things and then see obstacles to be much bigger than they really are, so much that they seem unbearable. He said when we step back, take the wider perspective and different angle, we can see things as they really are. Buddhists are very much about trying to see reality as it really is- and not as it “appears” or sometimes seems to be. There is a gap between “appearances” and reality- and our job is to explore these differences and try to come to reality as best we can.

Like I said, I also love their ideas on compassion. He talked about some of his early memories with his mother and how she provided the best example of love and compassion, as most mothers do for their children. Lol, it was quite funny when he said that he used to bully his mother. It’s hard to picture him as a little child bullying his mother. They are also very science oriented, and he mentioned a study that shows that children who get their mother’s touch their first few weeks of life develop so much better. Those who grow up with full affection and care are often more intelligence and are able to show compassion and care to others more easily. To Buddhists it is also very important to have both a healthy mind and body, for this leads to a freshness and self confidence, which allows us to face all the challenges that come our way, and allows us to love and show compassion to all despite how things may be.

Anyway, I’m still just learning the basics of Buddhism- and His Holiness went much deeper than that. If you have any basic questions, I might be able to try to answer them, or ask someone, so please ask if you have any questions.

To try to describe the setting and feeling of the teachings a little more, I can tell those of you of the LDS faith that it is much like the feeling of general conference- in fact very, very similar. Watching him walk though the crowd reminded me of President Hinckley so much! As he walked by smiling, and waving I saw the faces of those looking up at him, full of complete admiration, love and respect. There is something so unique in the eyes of individuals looking up at their cherished leaders... There is also something to be said about these old, spiritual leaders. There is just something about them. They are so full of love, easy to laugh, and are just so warm and happy.

Life is Beautiful

2008-09-22T22:46:00.001-07:00

In Dharamsala they advertise for almost everything by fliers posted all over. They are quite helpful in finding things to do, places to find classes, volunteer, etc. Saturday afternoon I saw an advertisement for Talk Tibet, where they watch movies and have discussions on Saturdays and Sundays, alternating between movies and discussions. I thought hey, this could be cool! I’d love to hear some of their thoughts in discussions.

Cinema 59 is a list of international movies that show different groups struggling through freedoms. This Talk Tibet group are showing these every other Saturday now to help Tibetans to see other groups who have struggled for freedom. This time they showed “Life is Beautiful.” First, I love this movie and was excited to watch it. But more than that, the idea of these Tibetans, gathering in a classroom with pads on the floor and watching Life is Beautiful projected onto a sheet… just all the intricacies of the situation… I mean many of them don’t know English all that well, yet here they are watching and sympathizing with these Jews from more than 60 years ago. They could sympathize with them maybe not by words and language, but by feeling and circumstances. Freedom needs no translation. It was quite the experience! And I just couldn’t help but think the title of the movie was so appropriate for this evening. Life is beautiful.

Specncer, Kerri and I had gone to an organization called LHA to volunteer on Friday. They said to come back at three on Monday to help with an English class. When we got there today the teacher of the 2:00 teacher began explaining her program. I thought, this is great, they are really trying to get us involved. As the conversation continued she said she was leaving for a hike. I asked when and she said tomorrow. As the conversation and instruction continued I realized she was leaving, and we were taking over the class. They weren’t having us help, but having us teach the class! I made sure they realized we had no teaching experience whatsoever… they said, oh you’ll be great! You are a native English speaker and as long as you can talk to them it will be so helpful. So, starting today we are teaching an English class to intermediate level students. Lol we’ll see what tales I can tell in the next few weeks on that…

After being introduced to that we went to the advanced English class. What they do for this is just have English speakers come in. Everyone grabs a cushion and forms little groups on the floor, one native English speaker with any where from about 3-5 students. We just talk together and practice their English. It was a ball! They are all so energetic and excited! I’ve never had so much fun trying to understand English with a thick accent. And their English is very good! Most of them have only been learning for a few months. Besides a few words where the accent is extremely thick, I understand them really well. It was an absolute ball! These Tibetans are so happy, energetic and excited to learn English.

The first few days in Dharamsala were a little tough, but now it seems like things are falling into place nicely. Most mornings are gorgeous, the sun shinning brightly. Then the clouds move in and it gets windy and rains for a bit most afternoons, at least so far. They say the rainy season is almost over though. Then we hope to go on a day hike. I cannot begin to describe the beauty here! It is absolutely gorgeous. I ran into a lady from Scotland and said she must feel at home her then, at least scenery wise. She laughed and said this area is called the “Scotland of India.”

Oh, and a funny thing that came across in a conversation the other day! With talking with an Indian man who runs a shop here he told me that India is famous for three things: PPCG- pollution, people, corruption, and garbage. I laughed full heartedly because we have seen each of these as problems in this country. It’s always funny to hear locals express thoughts you have had.

The Weary Traveler

2008-09-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

It was about 6:30 as the sun was rising over the mountains. I’d been trying to sleep for hours on the bus, but finally gave up. When I opened my eyes the picture I saw almost made the last 12 hours of the worst bus ride of my life worth it. The bright orange sun began putting off it’s orange glaze over the most lushus green covered mountains. As the sun rose further it drifted over more green until it hit the river just below. It was a true masterpiece.

So to be quite honest, our journey from Kushalnagar to Dharamsala was long, completely tiring, and really not that pleasant. We left last Friday and took what should have been a 5 ½ hour bus ride up to Bangalore. The bus got a flat tire though… and my impression after waiting for an hour and a half for them to change it was that they really didn't know how to change the tire. I’m no expert, but there was a lot of banging… I didnt think that was typical of changing a tire… But eventually we did make it Bangalore.

IN Bangalore we stayed one night while waiting for our train to leave Saturday night. Banglore guys… it felt just like any big city in the US. I’m putting a few pictures on. For those of you from Vegas, it felt a lot like the strip shopping ways, maybe a lot like down by the M&M factory. It serious is just like downtowns in America, full of shops, etc. We even caved and bought ice cream sundaes at the McDonald’s. It felt like home- and there were quite a few other white people too. Remember, we only saw two in Kushalnagar for the week and a half we were there.
Saturday night we went to board our train. The train left at 7:20 Saturday night was was suppose to arrive in Dehli on Monday morning at 10. It was quite the experience! We went pretty much over almost all the country, seeing all the green. There were some beautiful places we passed to be certain! But there were also some destitute places along the way. It’s interesting because here I’ve noticed that poverty is not hidden away. In the states, we have the ghettos, where most of the “poor” congregate. Then as you get to other parts you have nice houses, etc. Here, they have the most beautiful buildings… right next to run down shacks. The most beautiful next to the complete destitute… It's interesting to see. Startling in many ways.

But back to the train ride, we met some interesting people. Lots of people just see the white kids and want to know where they are from, what they are doing, etc. Lol although I think the funniest thing to watch was the last night we cracked out the cards and started playing hearts. By the end we had a small crowd gathered around watching… Lol Americans playing cards, go figure right? Oh, but that reminds me. One, these trains are cheap- so they are dirty to be certain. The bathrooms… you def try to avoid. But also on these sleeper trains you have 6 in each compartment. When its night time you put the seats up and it forms 6 beds. Perfect number right? 6 for 6. But the problem is they also let people get tickets to board the train without sleeping places. So at night you end up having a lot of extra people without beds… It just made me think because we would never do that in the states. But here they crowd as many people as possible…

After the train ride we stayed in Delhi that night and then boarded the overnight bus ride that I mentioned at the beginning. 13 hours, from 630pm-8am up to Dharamsala. The experience is so hard to describe… I think the closest thing I could compare to in my mind is what I thought a bus ride in Africa would be like. Now what that means, I don’t know because I’ve never been to Africa nor ridden a bus there. But its what I pictured it would be like. Now don’t get me wrong- I never feared for my life. But we went on some crazy roads where I thought we’d lose a tire. It was overnight… but not a one of us sleep a wink. At one point we even forded a river… yes, we drove over a small river in a bus… I literally laughed outloud and said where are we? But we made it up to Dharamsala.

It is beautiful up here guys! It's just tucked away at the foothills of the Himilayas and it is astoundingly beautiful. The most shocking thing though is just how many westerners there are here…. They are everywhere! There are Italain, French, American, Israeli, etc food everywhere. You can’t walk down the street without running into more westerners. It was a huge shock since for the first 3 weeks we hardly saw any…

Anyway, I think that is all for now. It was a long journey up here… But we are finally here in this beautiful place.

Food and questions

2008-09-15T04:04:00.000-07:00

So I've had a lot ofquestions about food. So far we have mostly had Indian food, so I'll share a bit about that for now. For breakfast we usually just have fruit, usually bananas because they are very sweet, and they have them still on the stalks, they just rip them off right there when you buy them; but we also have oranges and pomegranates sometimes too. Grapes, apples, etc are around, but we are discouraged from eating them because they were probably washed with the water, which would thus give us the bacteria anyway. We were given a piece of guava from our train mates yesterday too. Fresh guava is great! So we eat things with a peel. Sometimes we get rolls at the bakery, or eat biscuits (kind of like cookies, the only similar thing I can think of are they are kidn of like graham crackers?). We’ve had eggs and this bread thing, kind of like a pancake only way greasy- hence we only had it once, too much for our stomachs. So that’s breakfast.

For lunch and dinner we usually have similar things. In Indian restaurants we eat rice or various breads (paraotta, roti, nan, etc- parota is my favorite) with the different gravies, which are just like things from the Bombay House. They all have different things in them, such as potatoes, cauliflower, peas, carrots, spinach, meats (which we try to stay away from because meats often aren’t cooked well enough), coconut, and other similar things. My favorite so far was this coconut (kurma here) dish- it was wonderful! Some are great, some WAY too spicy (even when we ask for no spice, its still way hot). Tibetan food though, is a lot like Chinese food- lots of fried rices and chow mein type dishes. My favorite thing is the momos- Kind of like a pasta type shell thing with either meat or vegs in them (Tibetans love beef- so that’s usually what they make). They are wonderful! I’m going to try to learn how to make them I think… That is something I would really miss. We filter our water and drink that- never drinking water from anything but our bottles or bottles we buy. Filtering water makes it safe, but doesn't help the taste. We drink usually a soda a day too- because its one of the only cold things we drink ever. They also have these drinks called lassi- a milk/curd type drink. It is sweet and actually really good. For the malaria pills everyone else is drinking they have to eat curd every day, so we usually get those b/c they are WAY better than curd by itself (which they often eat with rice- and unless you add sugar, the curd really isn’t that enjoyable… at least not to our mouths). They actually do have chocolate, although it is different. Actually, sodas are slightly different too. They are the same "brands" but they must be slightly different mixtures because they do taste different. But we all love the munch bars- which are a lot like kit kats, just not quite as good of chocolate. But they def hit the spot. And many of the baked goods are pretty good too. One cookie thing tastes a lot like a lemon cookie from the states.

So there is food for you. Also I've been asked questions about Tibet. I'll give brief answers fior now. The situation is so complex from all angles... so bare with me here. Did Tibet start out as part of China? Well that depends on who you talk to. As a historian we always joke about how history is only the story of the winners- the losers' stories are usually destroyed or tainted by the victor. With the current China/Tibet situation there is no winner yet, hence the "history" is not completely decided yet. Culturally, religiously, and by language, the Tibetans were their own people before Mao came to power. He went into Tibet and claimed it as part of the "old CHina" that he was trying to restore right after taking over in 1949. He made an agreement with the Dalai Lama (who was a child then, and is still the cuurent Dalai Lama), called the seventeen point agreement (I'm sure you can look this up on wikipedia, though I haven't tried). IN it he claimed Tibet would stay religiously free and be autonomous essential. But in 1959 things were bad enough that the Dalia Lama and tens of thousands of Tibetans fled for their lives. They fled to India, and since then have been in various settlements INdia set up for them here. We were in Bylakuppe in the south and now will be in Dharamasala, the capitol of the Tibetan government in exile. So in the end, CHina claims Tibet has always been a part of China and Tibet says no we have not.

As for the Dalai Lama, he is only important to Tibetan Buddhism. Buddhism has so many different sects... which at the end of this trip we are visiting Bodh Gaya (sp?), where all the major sects are. ONce there I will share some of the differences. But the Dalai Lama is only big in Tibetan Buddhism, at least a sfar as I understand right now. But he is an amazing man! HE's doing all kinds of things and is huge all over the world.

Sorry all of this is scatter-brained and not completely helpful. At the end of this I will have a big paper to write... and then I'll be able to answer all of your questions completely accurately :) THanks for reading guys and thanks for the questions! Keep firing away!

2008-09-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

September 11th, 2008

So here I am again, in much less than a week. We actually aren’t leaving until tomorrow… and I’ve had a few cool experiences since then I wanted to share before our take off to the north.
For our Buddhist studies course we have been talking with the monks about the basic ideas of Buddhism. IT has been quite the experience! There are many, many good things about Buddhism that I think everyone should learn. I am a big advocate of the world’s religions. Any religion that teaches people to do good and be better people is a great asset to mankind. I love all religions that preach to be good, regardless of anything else. Buddhism encourages this to the max. The Dalai Lama has said if you are a Muslim be the best Muslim you can, if you are Christian be the best Christian you can. They only hope that you can take whatever good you can find in Buddhism and use it to make your worship and beliefs stronger. Their techniques of meditation and the encouragement of learning to control your thoughts and mind are awesome. Any human being, religious or not can benefit from it.

It was also great discussing our different religions together. Although I don’t think any of us are going to “convert” each other to the other’s ideas, there was a mutual respect during the sharing of ideas. Just because in the end we don’t’ leave the conversation thinking and feeling exactly the same doesn’t mean that one of us is wrong. It doesn’t mean we can’t respect each other’s beliefs. What an experience it is to have two people share their differing beliefs and leave the conversation with a deep respect for them and what they are trying to do.

They are also just good people, trying to hard to do good in the world. These people have hooked us up in so many ways. When we told them we were heading up to Dharamsala they got out their contacts, told us of places to stay, looked up numbers and addresses… all because that is what they do. They help people in any way they can. We had mentioned to a friend who works in a shop. He asked how we are getting the tickets for the train and said there is a Tibetan travel agency he knows, called them and set everything up with them. Can you believe that? They are constantly looking out for how they can help others, and completely without return. Every time we have tried to buy someone lunch or done something to try to show them reciprocity they tell us no, please. We do this because we want to, not because we want something in return. Marc told us he’d experienced this before in India in his previous trip. They tried to pay someone for all the help he gave- which was days. But he refused, saying you are my friend, I do this because you are my friend. I am not doing this for pay, but because you are my friend. How I wish we could all learn to do this! What a better place the world would be… They not only say it, but mean it as well.

Also, today is September 11th, and as an American how can writing that day down not stir some thoughts. Particulalry for those of us out of the country. I won’t get to watch the news and hear some of the remembrance specials going on today (and if any of you want to share what you hear, see, etc. about those, please do ). But being away from the States makes any American grateful for their homeland. That is not to say that America does not have its problems- for it surely does. And being out here makes you realize some of the materialistic, selfish things of American society, as I jsut stated in the previous paragraph.

But at the same time, how can you not be grateful for some things? For a land advanced in many ways much further than much of the world. This is not a cocky statement in the least- travel to a third world country and you will realize just how much we have. INdia is beautiful in many ways, but also way dirty and disgusting in others. I've seen more garbage and disgusting things in the streets... For a land of order and relative peace. An example, the police system. Ok, American cops are far from perfect- but for the most part you can count on them to do their job. Here… not even close. Lol corruption is rampant. I’ll elaborate later… We have it, but not at all like this… For a land where we do feel safe (at least as much as one can in this crazy world). There are bombings in India all the time... For a land where we are free to make what we want of our lives. A young child in the ghetto can rise up and make something great of his life. Here, it really is virtually impossible with the class system. Honest and truthfully, it really is. SO although America is not perfect, we really are a blessed people, and leaving the country makes you realize that more than I think anything else will. But we have so much to be grateful for, so much to live for. So my Sept. 11th wish is not that we see America without her faults- see her with her faults and be grateful we have what we have. Here’s to hoping we take advantage of that!

2008-09-08T23:18:00.001-07:00

September 8th, 2008

Today we went up to Sera, the monasteries area, I went into the library there for a while. Most of it is in Tibetan of course, but after fishing around I found some things in English. Lots of basics on Buddhism, which will be totally helpful. But the word that caught my eye the most was Rangzen- the word that for Tibetan youth means independence. It’s a magazine/newsletter done by the Tibetan Youth Congress, the young adults/teenagers magazine for those wanting independence. Actually, I wrote down what their main motive is, “TYC has, since its inception endeavored to cherish and preserve this sacred gift of identity in its highest and most pristine form- a completely free and independent Tibet.” This magazine is written by the young adults I hope to start talking to and interviewing. Reading this made me completely excited to get to start talking to these individuals.

Also, I realize that I am ahead of myself some what here. I know there must be at least a few of you who don’t’ even know really what Tibet is. Tibet is currently a province of China. Tibetans are a minority of Chinese. Hopefully you’ll start seeing pictures on here soon. It is a province of China, but China has violated human rights in Tibet, and Tibetans want to gain some level of better independence from China. Some are calling for a complete break-off, some just for Tibet to become an autonoumous region of China. Those are the very basics… And I’ll gladly explain in more depth to whatever questions you guys send my way.

We are officially heading up north now, so the real action will begin in about a week when we get there and situated :) Take care this next week my faithful friends, and the adventures will be bigger and better soon ;)

The Karuna House

2008-09-06T01:04:00.000-07:00

September 4th, 2008

“And you find this kind of rootless existence appealing?” So said the rich, first class mother on the movie Titanic, to which Jack, the third class vagabond told her that he did, for when he woke up he didn’t know where we’d end up or who he’d met that day. This is conversation ran through my head as we pulled away in a rickshaw yesterday afternoon as we left the Karuna House after a few hours.

We’re kind of in a limbo state right now, waiting for a few things to work out so we don’t have a lot planned each day. Our only plan on Thursday was to met a contact’s brother. We showed up to his store and he greeted us and then took us to a rickshaw, haggled the price with the driver and welcomed us to get in. He said the driver would take us to his brother, but nothing else. We all got in and kind of laughed. Well, this will be an adventure. The driver drove us somewhere between Kushalnagar (where we are staying) and Bylakuppe (the Tibetan village), somewhere kind of the middle of no where except this gated area. “Here” he said. We all kind of looked at each other. Here? Marc confirmed with the guy, this is it? He said yes. We got out and walked toward the gate. What do we do, knock? So we knocked and waited. Nothing. The Indian rickshaw driver then smiled and came over and knocked harder and insistently. Well, its an adventure right?

A Tibetan man came out and waved us in. We were seated outside one of the buildings on some beautiful benches next to a built pond, surrounded by sleek tiles. In the pond were some beautiful plants and some of those Japanese fish (sorry, I don’t know the real name). A little black dog with long, shaggy fur greeted us calmly and happily. The place was clearly very well taken care of, which contrasts greatly with the buildings we are used to seeing. I don’t know how else to explain the place except serene. Completely serene.

A Tibetan man came out and greeted us. He told us he was the founder of the house, a home for disabled children and young adults. He told us about how he had started the place, what goes on, about some of the children, how the place is run. Honestly, I don’t think I could have been more impressed. He took us on a tour of the place and the whole place was beautiful. But it was so much more than just the beauty of the buildings or the quietness of being away from everything. The place itself was just serene.

The Karuna Home (Karuna is the sanscript word for compassion- completely fitting, no?) was built in 2004 by this man, Lama Khube Rinpoche. He was educated at the monastery and finished his studies (20 years of study at the monastery, yes 20) and then began traveling and teaching. He decided on this project and finally got it working in 2004. He now has 22 students living and learning there. He is hoping to take in 5 more students a year until they reach capacity. Some of the children cannot walk, some cannot see, some cannot hear, some have mental disabilities, some cannot speak. But all are treated the same and all are taken care of, go to classes to learn and improve, get the medicine and therapy they need. All at the expense of the home.

He explained to us that since Tibetans cannot have a refugee status ( because that would be admitting that Tibet is a free nation, which India cannot with the pressure from China), the government cannot grant them a lot of things, including homes for the disabled. They cannot go to Indian homes either. SO, there is no place in Tibetan society for these children, that is until this Rinpoche build this home.

There are so many things I could say about this home… but none of them would do justice. But we met some of the kids and as he talked about them, tossled their hair lovingly, you could tell how much he loved these kids, and you could see in their eyes how happy they were. All of the children were happy, vibrant. They were quite a site. A beautiful site indeed. I’ve never seen a happier bunch of children. HE said they have a set structure, they treat the children as people and they have seen much improvement in the discipline, learning, and happiness of the children. I completely believed it.

The Rinpoche took us into an office/sitting room after the tour and just chatted with us for a while about what we were studying, what we were doing, about his life, his work, about the Tibetan community, Buddhism, and many other things. It was fantastic. And to think we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we showed up…

If you want to know more about the place, check out http://www.karunahome.org/. There are pictures and better explanations. Ask questions though too, if you have them.

Oh, and just for fun, here are some pictures of the gorgeous fields that surround Bylakuppe, which we get to drive by every day we go to Bylakuppe.

Gomo the lama and the Golden Temple

2008-09-02T03:26:00.000-07:00

Monday was by far the most interesting day yet! The beginning of the day was fairly normal, and a nice heavyrain in the afternoon. We then met up with Chongi, the American monk we met Sunday. He wanted to take us to meet a friend of his, Gomo, that he said would be a good connection for us to have. He had told us that his mom lived in Utah, and that he had lived in Utah for a while as well. He said his English was fantastic and that he was a fantastic guy with a good heart. But what he said was definitely not enough to prepare us for this meeting.

We went to Gomo’s house and were immediately sat down and served water, juice, fruit and cookies. We had been told that hospitality is huge to Tibetans so we weren’t too surprised with that, but so so grateful and we loved it. It had been a long day. Then in came Gomo. He was way younger than I had expected, and as we later found out, he was only 20! Gomo is a reincarnated Lama, meaning he is very high up. For those of you that are LDS, an equivalent would probably be like a member of the Quorum of the 12 (only there are a lot more than 12 lamas- but the position is about the same I think).

Gomo was just a fun, interesting guy to talk to. He’s traveled all over the world and has connections in all kinds of places. Just while we were there we met a bunch of Italians he is friends with. His English was absolutely fantastic and even his slang was totally up to date. He loves all kinds of music, and especially hip hop (Beyonce, Jay-Z, Dub, etc). He was so down to earth and so much like us in so many ways. He actually went his senior year to high school in Bountiful. He said he really wanted to experience being around kids his age and learn from those experiences. He said it changed him a lot.

He was quite the progressive. He has all kinds of projects he’s working on to try to help the community in Sera and Bylakuppe (and the local Indian places as well) and also Buddhism as a whole. He wants to reach out to people and be down to earth with them and then help them.
But he is also very Tibetan. His title is of course very high up, but Chongi told us some stories about him. He has followers across the globe and has lifted and inspired many, many people. We talked with him for hours, talking about his life and travels, discussing Buddhism and also Christianity and Mormonism, our tastes of music, snowboarding, sports, dogs, and all kinds of things. I don’t know how many times during our conversation I was just blown away that we were talking to a Tibetan Buddhist Lama just like we would someone our own age.
While we were there I learned what true hospitality is. We were seriously offered almost everything, and many things were just brought to us. We ended up having a wonderful Tibetan meal with him. Anything under the sun is yours in a Tibetan’s home. When we were leaving he also wanted to say goodbye the American way, grabbing the guys’ hand and doing the half hug/pat thing, and giving us girls a hug. He was so about making us comfortable and showing us he wanted to help. Later he even called to make sure we got back safe. Gomo was incredible to us and really blew our minds!

We also visited the Golden Temple. I cannot begin to describe the beauty, an sheer ornate temples these Tibetan Buddhist monks have built. It was an incredible experience. I’ll post a few pictures here of it… but you’ll have to have me show you the rest when I get back. Every detail is incredible… and symbols are everywhere. We got to listen to hundreds of monks come in and chant for a while as well. The long tables with the colored books- those are the places they sat at to chant.

Hope you enjoyed this delve and the pictures! And don't make fun of me too much... its so hot and humid that my hair is crazy.

First day in Bylakuppe

2008-08-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-29T23:15:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-08-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

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.