could words ever even describe this??
i could write a novel or two on all of the experiences of the past week of my life, and yet words would fail to ever come anywhere near describing this so that you all could fully understand. this internet cafe is the last place i should be when so much is waiting for me to immerse myself in, but i realized i've been too in the moment to let you all know i am alive.
the truth is: i am more alive than i have ever felt, and i've found myself pinching my arm consistently and thinking "i can't believe this is real!!"
all of this is like nothing i ever could have imagined. the smells, the people, the culture, the behavior, the everything....
in the past week i have been to Taipei, Singapore, Delhi, Pinjore, Mcleod Ganj (Dharamsala)!
i have a million stories to tell already and it has only just begun.
tonight i had tea with a tibetan man i met while walking through the bazaar. he complimented me on my chuba (traditional tibetan clothing; with the apron that only married women wear -because otherwise i would get far too many propositions!) and as we walked along and talked he matter-of-factly said "shall we get tea?". i knew to be cautious, but also felt that this situation was perfectly safe and comfortable. we went up to a rooftop cafe where many monks and tibetans were having tea and conversing. the view of the mountains around us was fascinating! we talked a lot about his life... he came to India in 1992, from Tibet; was educated in Chinese schools (as Tibetans are now -if they can afford to have any schooling at all) and has the scar to prove it, as they are very harsh -he was beaten with a thorny branch for not completing an assignment on time; his family is all still in Tibet because they are too old or poor to make it over the border and to sneak past chinese customs; he works for His Holiness (the Dalai Lama), and explained how meeting him gave him a feeling like nothing in this world ever has before; he learned english from watching american movies;... we talked about many many things... he was an amazing person to have tea with.
the rest you will have to hear about later... there is so much.
i am surrounded by such a sensory overload. walking past cows in the streets, monkeys in the trees, dogs everywhere, beautiful people (Indian and Tibetan), monks, nuns, lepers (who i still find beautiful as well, despite their misfortune), the mountains!!, temples, Indian food, smiles, respect, ....everything makes me speechless! i feel like i am in my personal little heaven, for now, and i am so content and at home in this space. (don't worry, i still miss you all!)
i'm off to soak it all in some more, because as Dhondop (the man i had tea with tonight) reminded me "home is wherever you are, as long as you are happy. if you are in a place and you are happy then you are home." and so: i am home.
tashidelek.
the truth is: i am more alive than i have ever felt, and i've found myself pinching my arm consistently and thinking "i can't believe this is real!!"
all of this is like nothing i ever could have imagined. the smells, the people, the culture, the behavior, the everything....
in the past week i have been to Taipei, Singapore, Delhi, Pinjore, Mcleod Ganj (Dharamsala)!
i have a million stories to tell already and it has only just begun.
tonight i had tea with a tibetan man i met while walking through the bazaar. he complimented me on my chuba (traditional tibetan clothing; with the apron that only married women wear -because otherwise i would get far too many propositions!) and as we walked along and talked he matter-of-factly said "shall we get tea?". i knew to be cautious, but also felt that this situation was perfectly safe and comfortable. we went up to a rooftop cafe where many monks and tibetans were having tea and conversing. the view of the mountains around us was fascinating! we talked a lot about his life... he came to India in 1992, from Tibet; was educated in Chinese schools (as Tibetans are now -if they can afford to have any schooling at all) and has the scar to prove it, as they are very harsh -he was beaten with a thorny branch for not completing an assignment on time; his family is all still in Tibet because they are too old or poor to make it over the border and to sneak past chinese customs; he works for His Holiness (the Dalai Lama), and explained how meeting him gave him a feeling like nothing in this world ever has before; he learned english from watching american movies;... we talked about many many things... he was an amazing person to have tea with.
the rest you will have to hear about later... there is so much.
i am surrounded by such a sensory overload. walking past cows in the streets, monkeys in the trees, dogs everywhere, beautiful people (Indian and Tibetan), monks, nuns, lepers (who i still find beautiful as well, despite their misfortune), the mountains!!, temples, Indian food, smiles, respect, ....everything makes me speechless! i feel like i am in my personal little heaven, for now, and i am so content and at home in this space. (don't worry, i still miss you all!)
i'm off to soak it all in some more, because as Dhondop (the man i had tea with tonight) reminded me "home is wherever you are, as long as you are happy. if you are in a place and you are happy then you are home." and so: i am home.
tashidelek.
posted by jac at 9:52 AM
1 Comments:
Time flies. I was just asking Gloria when Marge had scheduled your embarkation party, and she looked at me kind of funny. We are the couple on Denison who blog sometimes.
If I can recommend anything to you at this point, it's to make sure you reserve at least an hour of quiet time each day to reflect and keep your journal up to speed. This will be a time of rapid mental expansion, and writing every day helps the process along.
Good luck; God speed.
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