Saturday, March 28, 2009
Assigned seats
Very few of the daily life activities that occur in this country do so with any perceivable sense of order or premeditated intent. Imagine my surprise when buying a bus ticket for Delhi (10 hours before departure) I was late and got the last seat in the back of the bus. Truly I didn’t anticipate assigned seating on the local bus, or that anyone besides me would be buying a ticket in advance—just when I think I have the game figured out...c'est la vie, tonight at 6 pm I am headed to Delhi, on Hymachl bus, seat 31. I am packing my knitting needles--and trying not let on that I am just chick from the sticks.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
sleep, eat, work
I mashed some potatoes with a water bottle in a wok, while listening to Tibetan music, and wearing a yak hair blanket--- oh life is good. I am working on getting some more photos loaded, but aside from official work photos I have been slacking off in the photo department. When mom and dad arrive in two weeks I have promised myself I am going to turn into a gadfly shutter bug.
I have been at the office almost constantly and in the last month have had two days off, it is really crazy to be as busy as I am here considering D/shala is one of the hippy capitals of the world and “chilling” is so highly valued.
Yesterday I spent 6 hours with my roommates registering them for their English language exams in June, it really should have only taken 30 min. India is fun like that. But, we got it done finally. Now they are all studying diligently to prepare, and I am doing the best I can to teach them.
onwards and upwards
love
rah
I have been at the office almost constantly and in the last month have had two days off, it is really crazy to be as busy as I am here considering D/shala is one of the hippy capitals of the world and “chilling” is so highly valued.
Yesterday I spent 6 hours with my roommates registering them for their English language exams in June, it really should have only taken 30 min. India is fun like that. But, we got it done finally. Now they are all studying diligently to prepare, and I am doing the best I can to teach them.
onwards and upwards
love
rah
Monday, March 23, 2009
the run down
It has been a while since I last “updated”, so I will summarize the last two weeks with bullet points.
-discovered that there is an entire “Tin Tin in Tibet” cartoon and have become completely engrossed by a comics at age 23.
-Invited to visit rural Nepal with two high Lamas, (if anyone can think of a reason why I should not jump at this opportunity right away please tell me)
-Learning to cook for my roommates, I think because they are 5 hungry guys my gastronomic experiments are more successful.
-Sent on my first “special assignment” i.e. hopped three busses and a cab to a Tibetan settlement 50km south of here to meet/interview Robert Thurman. On the way I learned several valuable lessons. 1. Knitting nettles come in handy for things other than knit goods, an older Indian women setting next to me on the bus used them to ward off interloping (intergroping) guys, when I caught on to what she was doing she thought it was hilariously funny.2. India is an insiders club and they keep it that way but not having a clear distinction between nodding yes and shaking no, basically when you ask a question simply proceed with what you wanted the answer to be--- you may be wrong but there was no way of knowing from the onset. 3. The more gods displayed on the dashboard of the bus; the graver the danger.
-March was busy but I survived, just barely. Two hours before a press conference with HHDL began, I was in my seat, determined not to loose out to the AP-pushy-French-woman (Katie you know my policy about being left behind, and jumping into cars ready-or-not). While my boss went to get lunch, and chat with friends, I saved seats (easier said than done), two hours later when HHDL entered the room I was front and center, and he answered my question. Although when he was addressing me I think I blacked out, I kept the recorder running, it was a pretty good start for my first press conference. I am counting it as a point.
-Mom sent me a package and it arrived at the central Dharamshala post office in no less than 6 weeks. M&Ms were a big hit with my roommates. thanks mom!
- I almost forgot, it rained so there have been plenty of showers recently
All and all it has been a pretty productive, eventful, thrilling two weeks. I think of you guys often, and as always----Love hearing from you!
Lots of Love
rah
-
Current score FL 3: India about one million
-discovered that there is an entire “Tin Tin in Tibet” cartoon and have become completely engrossed by a comics at age 23.
-Invited to visit rural Nepal with two high Lamas, (if anyone can think of a reason why I should not jump at this opportunity right away please tell me)
-Learning to cook for my roommates, I think because they are 5 hungry guys my gastronomic experiments are more successful.
-Sent on my first “special assignment” i.e. hopped three busses and a cab to a Tibetan settlement 50km south of here to meet/interview Robert Thurman. On the way I learned several valuable lessons. 1. Knitting nettles come in handy for things other than knit goods, an older Indian women setting next to me on the bus used them to ward off interloping (intergroping) guys, when I caught on to what she was doing she thought it was hilariously funny.2. India is an insiders club and they keep it that way but not having a clear distinction between nodding yes and shaking no, basically when you ask a question simply proceed with what you wanted the answer to be--- you may be wrong but there was no way of knowing from the onset. 3. The more gods displayed on the dashboard of the bus; the graver the danger.
-March was busy but I survived, just barely. Two hours before a press conference with HHDL began, I was in my seat, determined not to loose out to the AP-pushy-French-woman (Katie you know my policy about being left behind, and jumping into cars ready-or-not). While my boss went to get lunch, and chat with friends, I saved seats (easier said than done), two hours later when HHDL entered the room I was front and center, and he answered my question. Although when he was addressing me I think I blacked out, I kept the recorder running, it was a pretty good start for my first press conference. I am counting it as a point.
-Mom sent me a package and it arrived at the central Dharamshala post office in no less than 6 weeks. M&Ms were a big hit with my roommates. thanks mom!
- I almost forgot, it rained so there have been plenty of showers recently
All and all it has been a pretty productive, eventful, thrilling two weeks. I think of you guys often, and as always----Love hearing from you!
Lots of Love
rah
-
Current score FL 3: India about one million
Monday, March 9, 2009
You’re a journalist? “Sure!”
I am not sure what the deal is but I am owning this idea of “India time”, the problem seems to be that “Tibetan time” is more exact. It is fine I am usually just means that I have to run places. Yesterday I am late….again, and this time it is for His Holiness. Charging through the metal detector (pvc piping that sometimes beeps) I am ushered into bag/pat down room where they try to take my cell phone and camera from me. I explain that I have this card and the security guard asks me , “ you are a journalist, you should have told me that first.” I thought, well maybe I cold have told you if it had occurred to me, but instead said “sure, next time” and took the promotion.
Inside the temple I walked right up the main stairs to where all the camera jockeys were standing and pulled out my very mini point and shoot. From behind there foot long lenses I knew what the other journalists were thinking, but whatever, must start somewhere; so I snapped away and got some decent enough shots.
After the prays HHDL walks right past me, such a thrill then I get pushed from behind by this Associated Press (AP) Bit** and the action continued (journalism I am learning is a lot like water polo, pushing and pinching are allowed as long as the ref. doesn’t see). Following His Holiness through the crowd I look to my left and I am walking beside my student Rinpoche, he is so happy to see me “hard at work” he says. He asks if I will be coming into the palace for the religious conference, I say that I don’t think I have the clearance and go to get in the “press” line, just in case. They have my name on the list and I am correspondent #75, sweet! I go through an even more extensive pat down and bag check and line up against the wall with the other members of the press.
They are all in a bit of a GRUMP-- I decide that I should share some gum and make some small talk, they are mildly amused. Rinpoche walks by and gives me a huge smile and a high five, he said “Yeah you are here, you made it in.” Instantly I have some more street cred. They have telephoto lenses and cigarettes, I have a high fiving Rinpoche pall and bubble gum.
The rest of the day continues, in the usual manor, I stand 20 feet from HHDL as he addresses the high reincarnations and religious leaders---ya know.
I have changed houses, I moved down the hill into my friends apartment. I was sad to leave the family but living with my 6 friends, (all sleeping on one giant mattress) is too much fun to pass up, it is as we say “a sweet sweet time in our lives.”
That’s all from D/shala, I am healthy, not at all wealthy, and getting wiser day by day.
Love
Rah
Inside the temple I walked right up the main stairs to where all the camera jockeys were standing and pulled out my very mini point and shoot. From behind there foot long lenses I knew what the other journalists were thinking, but whatever, must start somewhere; so I snapped away and got some decent enough shots.
After the prays HHDL walks right past me, such a thrill then I get pushed from behind by this Associated Press (AP) Bit** and the action continued (journalism I am learning is a lot like water polo, pushing and pinching are allowed as long as the ref. doesn’t see). Following His Holiness through the crowd I look to my left and I am walking beside my student Rinpoche, he is so happy to see me “hard at work” he says. He asks if I will be coming into the palace for the religious conference, I say that I don’t think I have the clearance and go to get in the “press” line, just in case. They have my name on the list and I am correspondent #75, sweet! I go through an even more extensive pat down and bag check and line up against the wall with the other members of the press.
They are all in a bit of a GRUMP-- I decide that I should share some gum and make some small talk, they are mildly amused. Rinpoche walks by and gives me a huge smile and a high five, he said “Yeah you are here, you made it in.” Instantly I have some more street cred. They have telephoto lenses and cigarettes, I have a high fiving Rinpoche pall and bubble gum.
The rest of the day continues, in the usual manor, I stand 20 feet from HHDL as he addresses the high reincarnations and religious leaders---ya know.
I have changed houses, I moved down the hill into my friends apartment. I was sad to leave the family but living with my 6 friends, (all sleeping on one giant mattress) is too much fun to pass up, it is as we say “a sweet sweet time in our lives.”
That’s all from D/shala, I am healthy, not at all wealthy, and getting wiser day by day.
Love
Rah
Monday, March 2, 2009
One Day at a Time
Yeshe became a monk when the was 22, he has conquered
anger, memorized the Webster’s English dictionary, and
spent 17 years meditating in a cave in the Himalayas. So,
for the past three days I have set my alarm for 7:00am to go
to meditation classes, conquering anger sounds pretty good
to me. I have may learn things from him including , “ lose
your money you have lost nothing, lose your wealth you have
lost something, lose your health you have lost something
else, lose your credit card---you have lost everything!”
He laughs when he says this, he has never used or needed a
credit card in his life. Also as we are stretching and doing
yoga he tells me; “you are a traveler you have stepped in
the worlds greatest oceans and climbed to many great
heights, but you have never stepped on your face, so try
it” His laugh is wonderful and deep and sounds as if it is
echoing through a cave.
This afternoon His Holiness returned from Southern India
and I got to see him as he passed by on his way to the
temple, it was incredible to see him, but even more
incredible was the crowd. I wasn’t expecting to feel very
much of anything but, as he approached the crowd of 1000
swelled with love—truly astounding.
I am at work now and the sun is going down, the mountains
will turn pink soon. Tonight I will again set my alarm for
7:00am so tomorrow I can get up and meditate before
breakfast of tea and a boiled egg, then I will head to work
. Days are becoming routine here but, but never dull, and
just when you think you know what’s up, a monk tells you a
dirty joke!
anger, memorized the Webster’s English dictionary, and
spent 17 years meditating in a cave in the Himalayas. So,
for the past three days I have set my alarm for 7:00am to go
to meditation classes, conquering anger sounds pretty good
to me. I have may learn things from him including , “ lose
your money you have lost nothing, lose your wealth you have
lost something, lose your health you have lost something
else, lose your credit card---you have lost everything!”
He laughs when he says this, he has never used or needed a
credit card in his life. Also as we are stretching and doing
yoga he tells me; “you are a traveler you have stepped in
the worlds greatest oceans and climbed to many great
heights, but you have never stepped on your face, so try
it” His laugh is wonderful and deep and sounds as if it is
echoing through a cave.
This afternoon His Holiness returned from Southern India
and I got to see him as he passed by on his way to the
temple, it was incredible to see him, but even more
incredible was the crowd. I wasn’t expecting to feel very
much of anything but, as he approached the crowd of 1000
swelled with love—truly astounding.
I am at work now and the sun is going down, the mountains
will turn pink soon. Tonight I will again set my alarm for
7:00am so tomorrow I can get up and meditate before
breakfast of tea and a boiled egg, then I will head to work
. Days are becoming routine here but, but never dull, and
just when you think you know what’s up, a monk tells you a
dirty joke!
Burning for Freedom
Mr. Jamyang, a Tibetan student in Dharamshala, rips cardboard into squares and puts them on the bottom of candles; he explains that they are drip guards: “to keep you from burning your hands.” As the procession begins down the road to the temple his candle is extinguished by the wind a half a dozen times, but the wax never burns his hands. As the sun goes down and the candles become the main source of light in the crowd, the community and their thoughts are dominated by the flames that engulfed Tape, a young monk from Kirti monastery in Ngaba town (Chinese: Aba) eastern Tibet.
Ven. Woebar explains that while Tape was on fire the Chinese authorities fired three shots, at least one shot hit him, and he was taken from the scene and remains missing.
Ven. Woebar, led the community in the Tibetan National anthem, and thanked the community for participating in the peaceful demonstration of solidarity. He acknowledged the presence of non-Tibetans and insisted that foreign participation in demonstrations, and awareness of the Tibetan issue, is crucial to the success of the movement.
Mr. Jamyang puts his candle on the ground in front of him, looking into the flame he asks, “why did they have to shoot him, he was on fire already?” The crowd dispersed but his question hung in the air.
Ven. Woebar explains that while Tape was on fire the Chinese authorities fired three shots, at least one shot hit him, and he was taken from the scene and remains missing.
Ven. Woebar, led the community in the Tibetan National anthem, and thanked the community for participating in the peaceful demonstration of solidarity. He acknowledged the presence of non-Tibetans and insisted that foreign participation in demonstrations, and awareness of the Tibetan issue, is crucial to the success of the movement.
Mr. Jamyang puts his candle on the ground in front of him, looking into the flame he asks, “why did they have to shoot him, he was on fire already?” The crowd dispersed but his question hung in the air.
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