We left Sarah on Saturday. Sonam actually left on friday night, so I had the room to myself to pack. Conclusion: I overpacked and will probably send stuff home so I can buy myself a Tibetan/Indian wardrobe.
When we got up to McLeod, we dropped some stuff off at the guest house that will serve as the library up here. It is way up the hill. Then we came back down the hill (I will eventually draw a map) and stephen and I set off with our backpacks, buckets, and computer bags (I left my big bag at the library.)
Stephen and I got lost on the way to out houses so he had to call his pala (father). His pala found us, and they dropped me off at my home.
I have a pala, an amala (mother), and a 23 year old host brother named Dawa. Dawa means moon. I had met all of them on friday when we came up to have tea. Amala doesn't speak much english, but pala and Dawa do, so we had tea and pala began teaching me more Tibetan words. Tibetan seems a lot more fun now that there is a reason to speak it, because I want to be able to tell my amala where I'm going and when i'll be back.
Pala is very outgoing and loves to talk about Tibetan politics and Buddhism. He believes Tibet should be autonomous, but under chinese rule, since Tibetans are often more focused on spirituality than modernization.
Stephen came over because I had called, so I showed him around and he drank Cha, then we went over the his house, where his family was making capse. His house and mine are similar: kitchen, main room, and bedroom. He and I helped for a while, and I drank Cha (common theme).
I left to recharge my phone (put more rupees on it) and redo our international plans (so it shouldn't run out until march 26...the middle of spbreak 11....where I will hopefully be on a beach...win/fail...I am losing command of english).
Anyway, Stephen 's amala gave me directions to the road, but I failed and ended up in the middle of the woods. Thankfully, some monks let me climb down into a monastery, and then I could get to a road. I recharged my phone, and then met up with Nellie, Claudia, and craig at a teashop. We saw Craig's apartment, which is really big and very cold, and then we all walked to our respective homes.
I made craig walk me home because I didn't have a flashlight. I also didn't kn ow how to get home (typical. The two sure things in america: death and taxes. The two sure things in india: tea and Michelle gets lost). We walked back to the temple, and walked up the road to my house. Then you turn off the road and go through the concrete jungle to make it home (there is no way to describe this, especially in the dark. Details later). I hit a point where I didn't know where my house was, because I identify it as the pink one, and it was dark. Things that mark my way home: barbed wire, a pipe that sticks up at an odd angle, rock formations.
I decided to call my pala, but he didn't pick up the phone, so I called Stephen. After putting his brother on to try to talk me through it, they came to get me. My pala called back, but I said I would be home soon. Stephen and his brother found me and Craig two minutes from home, and then I left Craig to find his own way home. He went all the way back to the temple, up and around to his house, but we figured out today that he lives literally twenty yards in the other direction.
For dinner amala made thoukpa, or noodle soup. She made the noodles by hand and put in carrots and meat. The carrots in india are red, or sometimes white, and I had to explain that in america the carrots are orange. We had a really fun conversation at dinner, and my family is really fun and interested in things I'm interested in too. Topics include the differences and similarities in different religions, Tibetan politics, how Tibetans are like Jews (I will devote a whole post to this later), the Kalon Tripa election (Tibetan prime minister), Buddhist values, Obama, how Tibetan history compares to american history.
After dinner Dawa and I watched a violent movie, and I asked if he liked that kind of movie. He said yes, but he had to "put away his spirituality to really enjoy it because it doesn't have Buddhist values." I have never thought about that. Then he showed me some pictures of a hike he went on (I think I'm going to go with him and his friend on the hike soon) and his family. He also showed me some of his schoolwork. He studied graphic design and 3d animation, and now designs websites and teaches a computer class. He told me this morning that he wants to use his skills to promote more uprisings in Tibet and get it out from under china's control, which is such an awesome career path. When I think of 3d animation, I think of video games.
Amala and pala sleep in the bedroom, and Dawa and I sleep in the main room. I slept in my sleeping bag under a blanket, and my wrists were cold. When a part of you gets cold that you normally never think about, you know it's really cold. You can see your breath inside here. I bought myself gloves today because I borrowed Dawa's last night. Thankfully I have a hat and a scarf from other people's abroad experiences that are super warm.
I have more adventures from today, but I would rather write postcards. Also, I may actually write the next post on an actual computer on the actual internet! Which means pictures! Or coherent sentences! Probably neither, but one can hope.
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