mango cornflakes

yes, that's right: Mango Cornflakes. what will i do without them?? how many boxes do you think i can fit in my luggage?? If there isn't any other reason to stay in India and Nepal forever, this is reason enough.
ya'll are missing out on pure bliss, i'm serious.

::sigh::

;-)

Life in Boudha

I haven't posted much, as I have admittedly been settling down into my existence here in Boudha, Kathmandu. I thought that since I live around this amazing stupa which I circumambulate every day (whether willingly or not... everyone is bound to be drawn into the whirlpool of energy that moves around it) I should post a picture of it for you all to see. (Since I do not have my digital camera here with me, I pulled this picture off of google images.)

I have been working daily on my ISP (Independent Study Project), which has been evolving into a topic that I could spend years researching... 1 month is simply not enough time. It involves ritual and prayer in Tibetan Buddhism, as a comparison to the Western perspective and practice of Buddhism (as a philosophy or religion of meditation), and a lot of focus is being placed on the power of the spoken word (the Word as creative energy). The topic is nearly impossible to explain and covers so many different angles... I suppose I do always tend to choose the abstract and challenging things, always thinking they are so simple before I immerse myself in them. I am excited to see how my ISP concludes, since everyday I discover some new factor or interpretation to work into it.

Have been socializing a bit with the SIT Nepal group (same study abroad organization, different focus: Nepal instead of Tibetan Studies), but mostly keep to my individual daily routines or try conversing with locals. When I do have a meal with the Nepal students, however, we find ourselves discussing what difficulties we predict we'll face upon returning to America (especially since that time is approaching so soon!). It puts me in an interesting state of mind, as I am sad to leave here, excited to see people I've missed, worried I'll fall under a depression (and thus, preparing myself so that I will face it healthily and assertively), and generally trying to soak in each and every aspect of this existence that I adore so much so that I may carry it with me wherever I go, and never forget.

I have also been taking time out to read novels (something I haven't done for a while, as I have been sucked into the 'literature' of academia). I enjoy the south-asian (particularly Indian and Nepali) style of novel writing... and sometimes ask myself if any of it has a subconscious influence from the prominence of spirituality and meditativeness of these cultures(?). If you are looking for a good novel to read under a dim light at bedtime, I suggest The God of Small Things. I cannot remember the author's name off the top of my head, but know it is an Indian woman. I enjoyed it very much (perhaps better able to since I understood some of the subtle Indian contexts).

Eat some pumpkin pie for me today! It is the only thing associated with Thanksgiving (other than the literal giving of thanks/appreciation, of course) that I am fond of. Even more so: I am VERY fond of the fact that I do not have to be present for the day-after-thanksgiving retail rush of materialistic Americans blindly checking off christmas lists. For your own sake... hide tomorrow, or go to the park, or a homeless shelter to volunteer... we have to counteract such energy in this world.

::(stepping off my soap box now, haha!)::

Be well!

the blogging challenge

despite the magnificence of my current existence and residence, i haven't a clue what to write here. i feel a slight obligation, however, to share the experience with the friends and family that may check the site on occasion for an update.
this is the blogging challenge.... to somehow display a piece of my days here in a way that may satisfy the curiosity of people back home. the challenge exists mostly in the fact that: after being here for an extended period, the shocking and fascinating things become everyday occurrances. they won't seem so noteworthy until i return to the states and realize that i don't live around a giant stupa, that there aren't Nepalese and Tibetans everywhere i look, that monks and nuns don't make up at least 1/3 of the people i observe everyday, that Buddhism is not such a prominent religion in practice, that cows don't bump into me on the streets, that everyone doesn't greet me with a "namaste" everywhere i go. but for now... it is all so normal. it is the mundane of this existence.

damn, i am going to miss this place so much. i wish for you all to see and experience it... in this life or a next.

back on board

namaste all!

i have left Tibet and am back on board with the blog. i have no idea how to even sum up the Tibet excursion... words? photos? nothing can even come close. what an amazing experience. the altitude took quite a toll on this weak-lunged Clevander, but i pushed through. the trek was spectacular, absolutely breathtaking (literally as well... unfortunately... scratch any thought of me reaching everest because my lungs just aren't ready for that kind of pain). i'll try to scan at least one picture if i can and post it here... and you won't believe that i took it and that i was there because it will look like a postcard. i'll try, also, to catch you all up on my experiences and adventures, but to date my personal journal isn't even caught up. have patience with me.
some things you'll someday get to hear or read about are: me riding a yak, visits to meditation caves/monasteries/nunneries/palaces/tombs, stars over Tibet, extensive river crossings, accidental wanderings into Chinese brothels in Lhasa, beautiful pilgrims, mountains, changing leaves, colorful rocks, and all the beauty o the world captured in split second moments of "am i really here? i can't believe i am experiencing this!"

independent study time has begun now, and i will be living in Kathmandu, Nepal in a place called Boudha... studying prayer/recitation/mantra as meditation and the power of spoken word. i will have regular access to internet cafes; and though i don't wish to frequet my time too much in them, i will post here a bit more so you all know what is happening in my little bubble. and in a little more than a month, i will be returning to the states and probably relying on you all to soak away my tears of sadness for leaving such heartwarming and colorful cultures. this will not be the last time nepal encounters jacqueline... this place is far to wonderful.

and i still miss you! so i send you much love and light in all that you are living in this moment and always.