Goodbye Dharamsala

This was our last day at placement and so we leave tomorrow to fly back to Delhi. We savored our day and enjoyed the last treasures this wonderful place had in store for us. Every day that has passed has brought more comfort, more ease and further understanding of the people and culture here. Our mornings have become as routine as a day at home, passing the same shops, people and animals along the way like clockwork. As Lily and I rambled through our day, we said bittersweet goodbyes to Mala, Rama and the children at the daycare. I was not expecting to be sad to leave them, but their hugs squeezed the tears right out of me. We said goodbye to Tony The Pony, Frimpy The Chicken and Rob The Rooster as we took one last walk up to Kotwali Bazaar. We said goodbye to the tailor, the fabric shop owner, the cobbler, the soda man and the chocolate man. We took tea with the tailor while we waited for his workers to finish a piece and enjoyed lovely conversation. Children and townspeople recognized us as we walked home...such a nice feeling...all asking when we would return. Someday I hope.

Much of the afternoon was spent getting henna tattooed...and henna tattooing other people..as we all chatted about how fun our time was here. Rakesh made a special late day snack of spicy potato samosas and my brain reminded that I can get my hands on something similar at the Dorset Farmer's Market this Sunday! YAY! Thoughts turned to home and how I look forward to making the long journey safely. We fly to Delhi tomorrow (Thursday) and spend an overnight there wrapping up our volunteer work with the home base. Friday we will take a car to Agra and check into a fancy hotel for one night...hopefully have a real bath and some room service...(woohoo!) before waking at sunrise to visit the Taj Mahal on Saturday. Our flight to JFK is at midnight on Saturday/Sunday. I am not sure what my wifi access will be..so this may be my last India based blog post. If I get wifi, I will write more...stay tuned.

As I reflect on my time here, I am filled with gratitude...it's kind of been my unofficial theme I guess. It's the feeling I keep getting when I think of this place. Aside from utililizing our stores of Pepto Bismol, Immodium, one round of antibiotics, countless power bars and energy chews, we have come out relatively unscathed. We have eaten more rice...and dal...than I have in my entire life. MOST importantly, I have learned humility and patience. I have witnessed grace, optimism and the power of the human spirit a thousand times over. I have risen with the sun every day listening to prayers and drumming before yoga. I have laughed and played with children and strangers. I have seen my daughter rise to each challenge placed before her when I know it hasn't always been easy. I have felt the power of all of your thoughts and prayers and cannot put in to words how full I feel. Thank you for your comments and notes... we would read them and instantly feel comfort. Lily and I truly felt accompanied by you all on this journey. Please pray for safe travel for us in the next few days. Until then...XO

God's work

Lily and I went to a school today for handicapped children called Harmony School. It was suggested to us that we pay a visit there once while we are here by the director..who is also the co-founder of this school. A past volunteer of CCS at Dharamsala exclusively funded the start up of Harmony about 5 years ago. I would say that I have not been so moved by a moment since we arrived here in India. I witnessed miracles today. The school consists of two classrooms, a kitchen and small dining area, a meditation/yoga room and a large yard. If you get any ideas of anything fancy, scrap them immediately...it is bare bones. All 18 students who attend are poor and either mentally or physically challenged although all of them can walk and use some speech...ranging in age from 6-22 years. The teachers (4 in all plus volunteers) lead marching, exercises and prayers in the yard accompanied by a loud drum beat (military style) and the children line up in askew rows in their blue uniforms. (Long sleeves and long pants...ugh so hot!). When the prayers are recited, some just yell out, others make gutteral noises...but they all try and most of them are smiling form ear to ear. They are happy to be in this place. Happy to be at school. We joined one classroom and the teacher proceeded to lead yoga and meditation..how brilliant to start the school day like that! But...I could not relax...I saw the biggest spider I have ever seen in the wild..in the corner on someone's yoga mat. Since the teacher was leading in a very Hitler-esque way (not so gentle)..I was even afraid to say anything about the spider...but I finally caved in...spider removed and meditation continued. Who can meditate after that? My mind wandered from thought to thought like I was jumping across a raging river from stone to stone trying not to fall in. My thoughts were: I am so lucky/Lily is so lucky/I am scared of spiders/stop it/concentrate/I am sad for these children/I am happy for these children they have this place/What can I do to help in this world/I am so lucky/Lily is so lucky/I am afraid of spiders/what is that on my hand?/I am sad/I am happy/I am grateful/Why are we here?/Lord, make me an instrument of your grace/Is there a God?/ Who is it?/What was that on my leg?/I am happy to be here now/Boy, are we lucky/then... time to open your eyes. I opened my eyes and saw the children staring at us...and smiling. "Ok" I thought..."I can never take anything for granted ever again". God was present. Whoever, whatever God is...he/she was there at that moment. Maybe for me, maybe for the kids and I had no doubt that we were exactly where we needed to be right then and there. The next thing I knew, the teacher asked Lily and I to sing some songs for the children...so we stood up and sung all the songs we could think of...mostly from the Sound of Music and Laurie Berkner. They thought Lily was pretty cool..because she was their size. We would finish a song and they would ask for another. We are getting so good with these songs, we could practically go on tour! (of course I wanted to be a rock star..well, I am finally getting my audience!) Is this why we are here? To do show tunes?.. I wondered. We all stopped for tea and a break for 30 minutes...and the children enjoyed hot milk and biscuits, then went outside on the porch. There was a sweet girl who wanted to just play with Lily's hair and one boy who only wanted to touch my braces. They all look at my teeth like...what the hell? The children just showered us with love, hugs, affection, pinching...whatever they could do to communicate without words...and wow, they are good at it. They were pure joy, pure emotion...and what a gift they were to us today.

The afternoon included a rainy trip as a group to the Norbulinka Institute of Tibetan Art and Culture. Unfortunately, my camera was not cooperating..I may have dropped it..and the pix did not turn out so well...and I am bummed because the place was AMAZING! Peaceful, decorative, water flowing everywhere in shallow, gurgling streams fashioned from slate and pebbles...each stone deliberately placed, wet foliage and contrasting textures and colors..a paradise for one who is visually stimulated! So many references and ideas to capture in my mind...it was overload. A place that can combine Buddhism and landscape architecture with art and culture in a beautiful setting is a place that I could hang out! There were craftsmen all around hammering copper statues of Buddha, painting scenes, weaving, sewing, carving, reading and writing. As I write this..I am just thinking...did I really see all of this today? Is all of this even possible in one place? I guess it is possible...a vision realized by the Tibetan people of an ideal place in which to live, create and prosper. Lily and I plucked some treasures from the gift shop of handmade items before our departure...and more than anything, I hope to hang on to the positive, creative energy that emanated from that place.

Dinner was rice and dal...the first week, rice and dal was great...but now I am over rice and dal. Rice and dal has made me realize that I do not need to eat very much to be sustained and that simplicity IS possible for my palate..but I would be lying if I told you I wasn't dying for a burger and a martini. Soon enough I suppose. For tonight I am grateful that there was rice and dal and that I am not going to bed hungry. I am grateful that I have a healthy mind and body. I am grateful that Lily has a healthy mind and body. I am grateful for my vision to see the things I saw today. I am grateful for friends. I am grateful for the abundant love I felt.

XO

Today was a stunning day, 85 degrees, sunny and full of great energy. We spent our time at the daycare playing games, puzzles and singing songs. I brought some paint and newspaper and despite getting my new outfit stained, it was a huge success. After Lily and I set it all up the supplies,the room went quiet and all of the children held focus for a record 20 minutes! The plan was to paint a face with a body...but I soon realized that idea was over ambitious and the kids wanted simply to hold a brush in their hands, paint in big swaths of color and water all over the huge mat of paper we

had taped to the floor. So..I just let it go...and let them go. The moment was so sweet. Their creative energy and contentment was tangible...I felt like it was a moment of growth for me too..to just let it BE. Let it be. So, I let that be my mantra for the duration of the day. I think it worked well enough to re-use!

When we returned, we ate lunch and spent the rest of the day drawing on the porch and watching movies. CCS hosted an hour session on the current social, economic and education systems..complete with a short Indian wedding skit! Fun and very interesting. Whoever wanted to, was able to try on "the dot". The red dot on the forehead..which signifies a married person. Dinner was spaghetti and garlic bread (TGFI again)..after dinner we played card games and ate chocolate. Lily tried to teach a group "texas hold 'em" which was so funny just because there she was...wearing her "cool just got awesome" t-shirt and sporting a red dot on her head from earlier in the day. A 9 year old married gambler hedging her bets with the only tokens we could find...corn flakes! Bathed in laughter and chocolate highs, we are ending the day on a "sweet" note. Sending you all love and laughter. XO

Leisurely Sunday to Palampur. Our driver arrived this morning at 8 to take us to Palampur..about and hour's drive. We visited the tea gardens..acres and acres of tea plants. In all of my years of drinking tea..I have never seen a tea plant. It looks very much like a short boxwood bush with larger leaves. Although the factory where they dry, crush, sort and pack the tea was closed...there were some workers there doing odd jobs and they saw us peering in and without hesitation invited us in for a tour. The process is simple..pick the leaves, lay them to dry on racks for 24 hours and then put them in a hopper where they are dried further and fluffed. Next, they are sorted for quality and packed to be sold. That's it! I bought one precious box that was packed just last week and I look forward to serving it at home.

By 10 am we had arrived at a church of note..St John in the Wilderness, an Episcopal church left from the days of British occupation. As we approached, I could hear a familiar tune coming from inside and as I got closer realized it was "How Great Thou Art"..but sung in Hindi! That was cool! The congregation was barefooted...all of their shoes left outside...we were invited to come in, but decided to continue on our journey instead. Our driver was very thoughtful and planned to take us to all of these obscure little places, so we drove back roads and visited pottery studios and small art museums while seeing the beautiful countryside. Lily and I were told to go the "The Lounge" for lunch..a very nice restaurant...but our driver insisted that we go to "the hotel..the hotel have very nice restaurant"...ugh..I thought..he's not playing along. What hotel anyway? Bummed... until we reached the hotel...ahhh, ok, I see! A gorgeous hotel set on manicured grounds, the road leading in paved with handmade bricks. Down a path, up some marble stairs, we were led to a dining room and for a moment was unsure if we were even dressed appropriately for this finery! When we entered the dining room, Buddhist monks were enjoying lunch and the cool air from the whirring ceiling fans felt like heaven. For a moment I felt like it might even be heaven! White tablecloths, hotel silver and fine china. No, not necessary but delightful nonetheless. Our Sunday lunch consisted of butter chicken, cold drinks, handmade chicken fingers, spring rolls and cabbage salad, finished with big bowls of chocolate ice cream. We luxuriated in the moment and savored our food and the impeccable service. After leaving the restaurant, we traveled to the zoo to see lions, leopards and bears...it was pouring rain and hailing so we donned our rain coats (no one there was even wearing a jacket...they were getting soaked, but they did not care!)...so we made our visit there brief.

We arrived home and spent some time drawing and reading. The crew from Amritsar arrived back home safely and we are now heading into our final 3 days here. There is a soft rain falling outside and Lil is enjoying her leftovers from lunch. Good-Sunday-ness.

Saddle Sore!

Today was a "10" in all ways.

We woke to sunny and cool weather..perfect for our ride. We met Jugindra and his son at 8 am and he had the ponies ready for us. "Nilly" and "Gahza" were saddled with old wood and metal saddles complete with a thin piece of leather to cushion our tushies. Their halters were made of rope...and no bit. No bit?!! How were we supposed to steer these noble steeds? By porter of course...ah, right. I should have known. Despite the fact that Jugindra and his son walked their ponies from where they live one hour from our meeting point, they were not only on time, but walked the entire way while "Queen Me" and "Princess Lily" rode...or rather were led. I have to say..it was a bit awkward. I kept thinking of the antiquated saddles..and literally the wood was broken in places...and the switch they used to keep the poor things on track. I am too sensitive for these things anymore I guess...not to mention my seat was just a bit uncomfortable. Multiply that with rugged terrain and 3 hours in the saddle...well, the price you pay for horseback riding in the Himalayas. Thankfully the scenery was breathtaking and the trail quiet lest the prayer bells tied to Ghaza's neck. The thick forest smelled of pine and dirt...not like the Vermont forest smell..but almost more mineral smelling. We reached the Galu Temple and "took rest" where we managed to have a cold orange soda and sat and talked to some nice folks who were trekking through. People from Arizona, California, Israel and other parts of India. Everybody was friendly. The point is remote enough that no cars can pass through and all supplies are packed in on the backs of mules. I still can't believe this still goes on in the world! The views are difficult to absorb they are so BIG. Golden eagles were soaring below us...how can that get any better?

The ride back to the stable was all downhill and the pony I was riding, Nilly, tripped a few times and almost fell. I asked Jugindra if it was because I was too fat for this pony! He assured me it was not because I was fat..just that Nilly was not paying good enough attention and of course I spent the rest of the ride thinking about all of the rice and bread I have been eating..poor Nilly! The relief I felt when we dismounted and was able to give that pony a big fat "thank you for not tripping over the edge of the cliff and killing us both" hug.

Bhagsu was next on the list..Bhagsu is a town within walkable distance to McLeoud Gange and it took us about half and hour to get there. It is a very popular tourist town and being that it is Saturday here, the roads were maxed with people, cars and livestock. I learned upon entering Bhagsu that if you are a hippie, you will like this town very much. Why? you ask...well, the dreads, yoga classes, lack of deoderant, and I am highly confident there were copious amounts of drugs being done here. The path through town leads up a hill dotted with yoga studios and tea stalls, music ashrams and book shops. The road dwindles into a skinny, rock lined pathway and that is where the crowds decide to turn around, but not us...we headed on as the road less traveled took us back to McLeoud the long way. On our route we came upon a shack that was bursting with music..when we looked in, all we saw were about 20 young women learning how to belly dance...it took all my self control not to throw off my Tevas and get right in there! Next time. The long way was the peaceful way, through a valley where people planted their gardens right to the edge of the path. No space was wasted and it was pure bliss walking in the mountains.

Upon return to McLeoud, we shopped and shopped until we nearly dropped. There are so many things to buy here...but nothing I need. Jewelry, shawls, rugs, art. Fun to look and soak in all the goings on....the weird eyeball looking things being deep fried on the road, chopati and curries being stirred, momos..of course.., fruit stands,chai being served at every corner. We were hungry and tired, so we headed to Nick's Italian Kitchen. TGFI. Thank God for Italians! Homemade fettucine alfredo, spinach and cheese ravioli, hand cut french fries, cappucino, coke, bottled water and lemon cheescake...all for 480 rupees = $10.80 . Amazing. We rode home in the taxi watching the full moon catch our eye over and over again. What a moon!!! The pictures I took do not work. Mother Nature is reminding me to just enjoy this moon NOW and not worry about taking a picture of it...it will never be the same as looking at it in real life. So, I'm off to sit on the porch and enjoy the first full moon of summer. You should too when it comes around your way. We will send it with blessings. Thank you for the prayers and comments. Lil and I feel so loved. XO

TGIF! Our kids at the center were CRAZY today..maybe because we are about to have a full moon?...not sure. They were not listening and some of them were very knowingly naughty and loving it. Lily looked at me and asked.."Mom, how much time left?"..with still 30 minutes to go before our driver arrived. We had exhausted all of our activities, songs, books and games..but we pulled through. Rest for the next two days and aahhh Friday is here. After lunch, most of the group traveled to Amritsar for the weekend which is the site of the Golden Temple...a very famous and important place. We opted out of the journey because it is a 5 hour drive from here and as much as we are fond of everyone, I needed a break from the group dynamic. The house here is left with just Lily and I in it and you can hear a pin drop. Lovely.

We hired a driver for the afternoon to take us to Moorpur...a rural town about one hour's drive from here, to see the Rock Cut Temple. It is exactly as its name suggests...a temple carved purely out of the sandstone..rock...in the hills. It is over 1,200 years old, however the Archeological Society of India knows very little about the details regarding who built it, lived there and what type of society it held. The temple itself was beautiful and serene, set in a very rural area..the roads leading to it were very skinny and switchback style dotted with eucalyptus and mango trees. The refreshingly sweet, earthy smell was a welcome change from the dusty and incense laced air of Kotwali Bazar. Interestingly...around one curve, the taxi lost it's side mirror on a cow's horn who was standing in the middle of the road! Aye! Rounding the bend enjoying the scenery..praying of course..because there are cliffs on one side always..the brakes screech and the sound of broken glass shatters our rhythm. We stop..look back...hearts are beating..did we kill the cow?...the cow shakes it off and continues on it's path. Ok then! Moving on..the taxi ride back was a little bit more placid. The bends were heeded with caution and the cows given ample room to move. God is with us. Here you say "Jiyo". Ji-freaking-yo!

McLeoud Gange was calling to us for dinner and so we went again to the rooftop terrace restaurant because the clouds had cleared way to the magnificent Himalayan backdrop. Good food and a cold beer. Tonight we are tucked in and looking forward to an 8 am horseback ride in the foothills. Sending jiyo your way and ours. XO

This morning brought hot sunny weather. Lily enjoyed some cold leftover pizza for both breakfast and lunch! At our placement, we took the children to a park and enjoyed a picnic with snacks, chips and cookies. They had a ball and so did we. When we returned to home base we ate lunch and watched the monsoon rain and hail roll in. I have never seen anything like it! Huge hail..and sustained heavy rains that lasted for about two hours..now current clear skies. To pass the time, we napped, played cards and watched movies. Just right.

Momos were on the menu tonight for dinner...and they are "the" thing here...sort of like dumplings and the junk food of choice for any who go out for a snack. They can be filled with chocolate, vegetables, chicken etc...and so I decided that I would partake in another cooking lesson..This time with Mukesh. The momo process is definately a labor of love. Everything is from scratch and it took about 3 hours in total to make enough for all of us...which included about 4 people in the kitchen working on this at any given time. Again..nothing is measured, but I did write down the recipe and hope it can turn out as well in the future. Mukesh is an expert momo wrapper and despite MANY tries, I was unsuccessful at getting mine to look as perfect as his..neat, little accordian folded packages of savory goodness. 3 hours to make and 10 minutes to eat! That is the way of things here. We wound down the evening with a few rounds of card games and chatting. I am getting used to the slower pace..and am still basking in the downshift that came yesterday after our visit to the Tibetan temple. Life IS this simple if you can make it so. I am learning to be still, quiet and reflective. Lily is good at this practice it seems..but most kids don't carry the same burdens we do as adults. I must confess...I do miss work some and my daily chores. I realize they bring me joy...and sometimes I get so caught in my own thinking of them as burdens I forget to enjoy the watering of the plants, feeding the dogs, weeding the garden and being productive at work. My perspective is shifting..gratefully so. Thank you for your comments..we love waking up in the morning to read them! Prayers for peace again tonight. XO

I think today was our best..day care was successful and fun...a visit to the Tibetan Library and archives complete with a talk from the Dalai Lama's translator himself (name?..) so amazing! I could actually write a thesis on his talk..so I won't bore you. In a nutshell, he spoke about the world, it's politics, the environment and religion. Is that even possible in a nutshell...from someone who is smiling and making you laugh while dressed in a burgundy robe? My worries evaporated as I listened to him, and no..I am not converting to Buddhism..I was just in awe of his truth. The power of his words and delivery was pure charisma without the politician. We followed the talk with questions from the group..one volunteer asked him.."What can we do to raise awareness in our country about the oppression of the Tibetan people?" and he answered.."Thank you for asking this question..but we must not think about your country...we must think about the entire world. We must think about what direction we are headed in as humans...what road to take...and be more concerned with the happiness of our fellow men. It matters not what money we make, but how satisfied we are with our lives. We, as Tibetans, are suffering, yes, but compared to the world we have everything. Two hands, legs, eyes, ears and mouths and minds..many people in this life do not. We must be grateful for these things and give love to those who have less.".

This is simmering in my soul like the best soup I have ever made...or eaten. It all comes down to food for me..which brings me great pleasure..as did this talk.

McLeod Gange and the temple of the Dalia Lama was next on the agenda where the group split into bits and went their own ways until dinner. The temple was fabulous..lots of monks and monkeys all practicing their meditations. Dalai Lama was not in residence so it was pretty low key. We all met up at a rooftop terrace restuarant that served, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and Indian food??! That is just wrong...although it is as strange as a NJ diner owned by a Greek family serving steaks, omelettes, pies and baklava all at the same time, right? Here we are on food again...but...I did enjoy a nice glass of red wine..first in two weeks. And of course can you guess what we ate?...pizza..yum.

Taxi ride home in time to see the soccer game and the US win..which naturally made the house vibrate with cheers. Maybe the fellow villagers thought this was some sort of new chant or prayer..let's hope.

Peace be with the world..I know it's a big prayer, but I'm going to pray it anyway. XO