still the youngest sibling of 3

i have been in my homestay since friday, and am beginning to adjust. i must admit that it has been a challenge for me... if i could have requested, i would have asked for a large family, a family with children, a family that is more traditional and religious. so i suppose this is how the universe constantly challenges me and my desires because i am the only student in my group who has no ammala (mother), no pala (father), no popola or momola (grandparents), and no younger siblings. my homestay is with two sisters, ages 26 and 27, who dress more western than i do. my emotions were difficult at first, thinking this would be a chance for me to finally feel a real whole family unit (mother, father, children) and to dive into the culture. i am accepting what i have been given, because i know there is a reason.
aside from the slight dissapointment, i love my sister [i have only met one, as the other has been visiting with her parents for the weekend and will be returning home today]. she is an amazing cook and is helping me very much with language. we live in a box of a room, smaller than any college dorm room you could imagine. there is a small kitchen annexed off of the main room, and we share a toilet with 5 surrounding families. (i am mastering the art of squatting holes for toilets, bucket showers, and eating with no utensils!) :-)
much of the romantic preconceived notions of tibetan culture and religion are being dissolved during my stay here (through class lectures, homestay, and general observation/interaction). as it dissolves, a REAL tibetan exile community is being shown to us. i am learing a LOT during my stay and studies here.
i am still fascinated every day by the people, smells, sights, and sounds that i swim through in this place. i was joking with a friend that if i was superimposed back into america right now, seated next to family or friends, you might gag and insist i take a 5 hour long shower before you'd be able to talk to me... but in the context of india, none of us really smell bad at all, haha!
i'll leave you with a positive little story...
on saturday, my achala (sister) and i went with Tessa and her pala to the temple for blessings. he guided us through everything so that we were no longer like the many tourists that swarm through this area (new agers and hippies seeking some mystical enlightenment or social credibility). we did prostrations to the buddha, filled butter lamps, spun the prayer wheels of om mani padme hum, and circumambulated the temple complex 3 times. upon completion of our prayers and blessings, we sat on a bench in front of the temple and watched the rain fall on the metal rooftops. i suppose that was the tibet i was seeking, in that moment. ...i found that and so much more, destroying all expectaions i had and replacing them with a reality that is just as splendid (if not more!).

tashideleg!