Coherence... well kind of.

What a surprise! I have internet today! Mondays and Wednesdays! Sweet.

So, I skimmed my last few entries and I realize how ignorant some of my comments sound... the problem is that I am still in "America mode"... that is, I think in America terms... so when I ask "how do these people shower in the winter?" or "how do their homes not have windows? Don't they get cold in the winter?"... I am answering them in my head with "they must have come up with some brilliant design for a sweater or socks or a heating system that keeps them warm"... and I haven't trained myself to STOP and realize that the whole concept of body comfort is a "western" thing. Showers are cold. Why? Because it is winter... get over it. (ehhhhh... fortunately the weather has been beautiful here... and even so, i have NOT been showering often). Ok, another example of me thinking in American terms... my friend was born in Bir, but she is Tibetan because her parents fled from Tibet when they were about 15 years old. So, I said " so, you are Indian because you were born in Bir, India" and she looked at me in shock and said "No, I am Tibetan"... so I said that because she was born in India she has an Indian passport .... not so much... I forget that America is the only country in the world that has the natural citizenship if born in the country rule.... So i asked her if she has a passport and she does... she has a refugee passport- and she has to reregister it every year. I forget how easy life is for me!! So, when I tell my friends they should come visit me in New York I don't realize how hard that is, and in some cases that that is impossible.

Ariele asked me what i wear and what I do every day so here is my schedule...
6:15 wake up (brush teeth in the sink that is beautifully placed under a birds nest... so brushing teeth is like a game of dodging shit.. which could be funny but i was shat on in Delhi so its not that funny)
6:30 prayer (they read it too quickly and so I think i am going to stop going until my Tibetan improves... tomorrow i am going to start doing yoga on the roof... watch the sunrise... wooo)
7:00 tea and bread and a 20 minute meditation session
7:30 American breakfast/ pick up an egg so that I don't die of lack of protein
9-10 Tibetan language class
10 tea (the tea is chi with milk and sugar sugar sugar sugar)
10:30- 12 Tibetan culture and civilizations class or Philosophy class... every other day
12:30 lunch (in between class and lunch i have to go to my room to pick up my bowl and spoon) Lunch is usually rice and some soup or bread and a soupy thing...
1:30-2:30 Tibetan language class
5-6 yoga
6:30 dinner
9:30 curfew
10:30 sleep

I wear baggy clothes and my bum is always covered... I sometimes wear a corta (which is the Indian style long shirt ... you know what i am talking about) and I have yet to buy chupas (Tibetan dresses... they are BEAUTIFUL and form fitting... It is amazing how much i actually miss feeling like a woman).

We also went to Mcleod Ganj a few days ago and went to HHDL's temple... i mean my soon to be school... what? I know. IDB is IN the Dalai Lama's temple... so you walk into this gated area and there is a Tibetan History museum, the Dalai Lama's home, his temple, and my school. That is like going to a political science college IN the White House.
While we were waiting outside we saw Palden Gyatso walking!! He is a Tibetan monk who was held as a prisoner and brutally tortured under the Chinese government for 30 years and since he got out he has been touring the world with the tools that he was tortured with (he snuck them out with him) and he goes around the world talking about what happened to him and is trying to show the world the reality of what has happened and does happen to Tibetans in China.

We had tea with our geshe-la... Sorry, I call him our geshe-la because he was with us for the few days in Delhi and we got to know him... but a geshe is ordained as a monk... its like having a PhD in the Dharma... My Geshe-la (Geshe Kelsang Damdul-la) is the director of IBD.. pretty cool.. he blessed my prayer beads which is quite an honor. He studied under the Dalai Lama... so his final debate was WITH HHDL. Ok... I have to talk about debating... I am going to try to film it and put it online... hmmm maybe you can youtube it but basically the debate is a test of one's dharma-knowledge... SO one guy will sit down with his legs crossed with a straight face on and another guy will be standing and clapping his hands at the one sitting (the one sitting is the one who is being tested) and the one standing will ask for example "What is emptiness?" And the guy has to answer is and then another question will come "If that is what emptiness is then how do you define the mind?"... it is absolutely fascinating to watch though because the guy standing is YELLING and clapping and the guy sitting is just chilling.. and answering everything like its obvious. It is amazing to see how chill some of these Tibetans are... they are really just like us but they are always laughing and smiling and even their traditional dances are just chill... Movies will come soon so you know what i am talking about.

I haven't started my philosophy class yet (which will be taught by Ani Kelsang Wangmo-la... 'ani' is a nun and 'la' is what you add to the end of a title to denote respect anyways, next year she will be ordained by HH and will be the FIRST ordained nun!!!!... she will be the first female geshe-la! This is a big deal...she is in her 30s and is from Germany).

My Tibetan culture and civilization class started already and it is brilliant- we will be learning a lot about the history of Tibet and such but they opened the course with a lot of readings that discuss the concept of orientalism and shangri-la ... so the way we subconsciously view "the west" from "the east" and how many westerners (including myself at times) puts Tibet on a pedestal and views it as this flawless magical land... my professors are trying to call us out on all of our biases so that we go into these studies with a clean slate... it will be hard but I am extremely excited.

I will write again soon... i apologize in advance though because i don't think my posts for the next few weeks will be about stories as much as they will be more about what i am learning- but i swear that it is interesting and the few of you that are reading this blog would have to deal with me sharing my thoughts about classes if i were home so at least now you have the choice to read them or not...

Life on this campus is fantastic we really just hang out... drink lots of tea... try to learn Tibetan from our new friends... and read. I keep forgetting some of the rules though and so sometimes i will find myself speaking to a boy alone and that is a major no-no or then people on campus will think we are dating... and i also refer to my guy friends as "friends" which is also a no-no because a "friend" is more than just a friend and so i have to call them my class mates... I will hopefully get used to that before this campus thinks I have one million boyfriends... I also forget that i am not really supposed to look at the monks when they walk by... i am supposed to look down... and also, we have to stand every time a professor or geshe walks into the room and we cannot eat until they do.. I will get used to these things soon.

PS. Emily, when I sit down to write these posts I just read through my journal and then censor my thoughts a bit... you know me too well. ;)
PPS. No one has gotten sick yet... a few kids have gotten colds but we have not yet had any of the "India sickness" that we expected... and... just because I love you I will share that it is almost comical how much Immodium i have in my bag...yet I have no fiber or laxatives which are much needed. Actually, thank god I don't because I wouldn't know how to use the toilet holes for that anyways... ok... awkward... on that note. tashi delek!

XOXO
Gossip Girl

( sorry, I had to... ;) )