Hey, people are waiting (as usual) so I'm forced to keep it brief. First, I'm alive! I'm coming to the end of the trip, and since I last made a comment I have been having an indescribably good time. We had some time off this past week, so I got to go back to Varanasi and spend the day in the city shopping, walking around and absorbing India. It was good timing, since I was starting to get worn down by our overly-structured days and uncomfortable housing. It was reviving, really, and I felt like I could actually spend a significant amount of time in India with my own schedule.
We have just finished the science and Buddhism conference, which was extremely impressive and intellectually intimidating. It was also a good way to leave our studies, since it brought us back to how we can apply what we have learned about Buddhism to our western conditioning (or perhaps more accurately stated, how we CANNOT apply the two to each other). I feel really inspired by the brilliance from both sides, and it makes me wish that I could just go back and do undergrad all over again.
We met the Dalai Lama yesterday. It was incredible, but rather than describing it on the blog if you're interested just ask me to talk about it when I get back and I see you next. I don't think I could really do the interaction justice in writing.
The rest of our time here will be taken up by the exam, and when we're not doing the exam we have free time. This means I will be spending most of my time cramming the exam into a day and then trying to get back to the city to see more sights, spend time with new friends who I will soon never see again and shop for everyone, so I might not be back here. I'll try to update once more before I go, but we leave on Thursday afternoon (on an overnight train to Delhi--so excited) and then after that I won't have access to a computer until I get back to the states.
I am dreading the realization that I don't know the next time I'll be back here, but to make you all know that I haven't abandoned my culture, this is what I'm looking forward to:
a hot shower
my bathrobe
my comforter
tap water+ice
perfume
being able to pet the animals
the absence of deet on my lips
(maybe) a juicy hamburger
the food network channel in the womb with a big coffee in my hands
of course, my dear friends and family
I really admire people who can move to a place like this, giving up their modern lifestyles to gain what unique qualities India has to offer. I'm not sure I could go for months more. But then again, if Spain taught me anything it's that given enough time, we can be surprised at how adaptable we can be.
Talk to you all soon! And dammit, who will be back when I get home (at around 5 in the afternoon, I think)?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
agreed that the comments are the best part of this blog.
i'm at an internet cafe, and there are monks and nuns waiting to use the computer so i feel too guilty to sit here writing a lot. just wanted you to know that i'm alive, much better than i was but still unable to stomach a lot of food. the dalai lama got here today so the town is the definition of chaos. i've been going on a lot of walks with newly-made friends. still haven't gone shopping seriously yet, but once i feel 100% i will go back to varanasi and get some great presents. the silk merchant who is friends with jay was the guy whose family took such great care of me at the peak of my illness, so i have a lot to repay him and his family for. dalai lama's teachings start tomorrow.
okay! i'm alive! sorry so short again. i don't know if that is going to change.
BYE!
i'm at an internet cafe, and there are monks and nuns waiting to use the computer so i feel too guilty to sit here writing a lot. just wanted you to know that i'm alive, much better than i was but still unable to stomach a lot of food. the dalai lama got here today so the town is the definition of chaos. i've been going on a lot of walks with newly-made friends. still haven't gone shopping seriously yet, but once i feel 100% i will go back to varanasi and get some great presents. the silk merchant who is friends with jay was the guy whose family took such great care of me at the peak of my illness, so i have a lot to repay him and his family for. dalai lama's teachings start tomorrow.
okay! i'm alive! sorry so short again. i don't know if that is going to change.
BYE!
Friday, January 2, 2009
I have a little time...
Hello! I had some time, so I thought I'd give a little more information about what has been going on with me.
Still in India (hah), still healthy and happy. The program is really great. I spend most of my time in really heavy Buddhist philosophy classes, trying to keep up with the philosophy majors from Australia. I'm learning a lot, though because there is so much information coming at me every day I am a little anxious about how to digest all of the information. I'm just lucky I took a course this semester, otherwise I'd be really lost. It's really fascinating, though. The more I learn about Buddhism, the more I like it. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out a way to seperate it from the superstition that every aspect of its philosophy leads to, making it a theology, and therefore I cannot actually accept it as a way of life. Others have converted already, though, and it's only day 4. Hah, I don't really understand.
The people on the program are really wonderful. Especially on the American side, I think I like everyone we're with. The person I'm rooming with, Lela, is this sophomore from Amherst. I'm lucky to be rooming with her, she's really into what we're learning and knew a lot about it coming in. As a result, I go to her whenever I need someone to fill in the gaps, and it works out really well for me.
Ummmm, speaking of rooms! The guest house we've been living in is really nice. The rooms are large, and we have western toilets (we can even use toilet paper). The showers took a second to get used to, but they aren't terrible. We don't use a shower head, instead we fill a bucket with warm water and pour it over ourselves. It's a little less relaxing and warm, so we don't end up taking very long showers, which I guess is...good. All of this will be a little irrelevant to me in 24 hours, though, since we're moving into the girls hostel. That experience will be a little rougher, though I found out today that they are giving us bucket water heaters, so we'll essentially be showering in the same conditions. The toilets will be a different story. ... .... as I said, we'll see how well I adapt.
I'm running out of time, so I'll do bullet points:
-Last post I mentioned my buddy. Buddies are Tibetan students who we are paired up with to just be friends with to get a closer look at the culture. My buddy is Pema, she's a nun studying at the institute from Nepal. She's 20, but she looks 14. I love her.
-Sunday I'm going to Varanasi for the day, where I get to shop. The exchange rate rocks, this internet cafe is going to cost me like, five cents.
-I love monks, they make me so happy.
-The Dalai Lama gets here soon, and the town of Sarnath is buzzing. It's a really exciting time to be here.
Okay that's all. BYE!
Still in India (hah), still healthy and happy. The program is really great. I spend most of my time in really heavy Buddhist philosophy classes, trying to keep up with the philosophy majors from Australia. I'm learning a lot, though because there is so much information coming at me every day I am a little anxious about how to digest all of the information. I'm just lucky I took a course this semester, otherwise I'd be really lost. It's really fascinating, though. The more I learn about Buddhism, the more I like it. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out a way to seperate it from the superstition that every aspect of its philosophy leads to, making it a theology, and therefore I cannot actually accept it as a way of life. Others have converted already, though, and it's only day 4. Hah, I don't really understand.
The people on the program are really wonderful. Especially on the American side, I think I like everyone we're with. The person I'm rooming with, Lela, is this sophomore from Amherst. I'm lucky to be rooming with her, she's really into what we're learning and knew a lot about it coming in. As a result, I go to her whenever I need someone to fill in the gaps, and it works out really well for me.
Ummmm, speaking of rooms! The guest house we've been living in is really nice. The rooms are large, and we have western toilets (we can even use toilet paper). The showers took a second to get used to, but they aren't terrible. We don't use a shower head, instead we fill a bucket with warm water and pour it over ourselves. It's a little less relaxing and warm, so we don't end up taking very long showers, which I guess is...good. All of this will be a little irrelevant to me in 24 hours, though, since we're moving into the girls hostel. That experience will be a little rougher, though I found out today that they are giving us bucket water heaters, so we'll essentially be showering in the same conditions. The toilets will be a different story. ... .... as I said, we'll see how well I adapt.
I'm running out of time, so I'll do bullet points:
-Last post I mentioned my buddy. Buddies are Tibetan students who we are paired up with to just be friends with to get a closer look at the culture. My buddy is Pema, she's a nun studying at the institute from Nepal. She's 20, but she looks 14. I love her.
-Sunday I'm going to Varanasi for the day, where I get to shop. The exchange rate rocks, this internet cafe is going to cost me like, five cents.
-I love monks, they make me so happy.
-The Dalai Lama gets here soon, and the town of Sarnath is buzzing. It's a really exciting time to be here.
Okay that's all. BYE!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
I don't have a lot of time, but I just wanted to let you all know I've arrived safely. I'm sorry it has taken so long to hear from me, the atm in town ran out of money so I finally had to break down and borrow money from someone to pay for the internet cafe. So it goes in India it seems.
I'm having a really fantastic visit so far (day 2). I feel really healthy, moreso than ever because the diet is so great and I'm forced to fall asleep at a decent hour. (roomies, nocrackmedicine is working, too)
Ummm let's see. The living cnditions are pretty okay, though they are about to not be great in a couple of days when they move us into the girls' hostel. No hot water, practically no mattress and a 6 pm curfew (for the girls only, of course). That's okay, though. I have faith that I can be adaptable, and we're just lucky that the Dalai Lama is coming this year (which is why we're being kicked out of the nice rooms--to make room for the DL's entourage).
Okay I'm out of time. More later. I met my buddy yesterday, so I have some experiences to relate, but I have to get money from the ATM first. Sorry this post was so dry.
Love you guys!
And try not to email, it is difficult accessing it on this computer. Perhaps comments here? Whatever, if email is what you're comfortable with, I'll do my best. Don't expect an immediate reply.
PLKDASFUA OKAY BYE
I'm having a really fantastic visit so far (day 2). I feel really healthy, moreso than ever because the diet is so great and I'm forced to fall asleep at a decent hour. (roomies, nocrackmedicine is working, too)
Ummm let's see. The living cnditions are pretty okay, though they are about to not be great in a couple of days when they move us into the girls' hostel. No hot water, practically no mattress and a 6 pm curfew (for the girls only, of course). That's okay, though. I have faith that I can be adaptable, and we're just lucky that the Dalai Lama is coming this year (which is why we're being kicked out of the nice rooms--to make room for the DL's entourage).
Okay I'm out of time. More later. I met my buddy yesterday, so I have some experiences to relate, but I have to get money from the ATM first. Sorry this post was so dry.
Love you guys!
And try not to email, it is difficult accessing it on this computer. Perhaps comments here? Whatever, if email is what you're comfortable with, I'll do my best. Don't expect an immediate reply.
PLKDASFUA OKAY BYE
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