a city for everyone

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September 7th 2008

Published: September 7th 2008

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seesomethingnew

lucy and taylorla on the train

dharamsala, day...3?

after a 12 hour train ride, a four hour jeep ride (one hour spent stalled on the side of the road in an indian village waiting for women protesting against not being paid for 10 months to clear the streets) we arrived in dharamsala a few days ago. our first meal that day was dinner, at the momo cafe across the street from our hotel which is right in the middle of town. in the middle of the meal it started pouring and the electricity went out all over the city (this is a frequent occurance). water was rushing through the streets like a river, and even came in through the door of the restaraunt.

the past few days we've spent finishing up orientaion; language classes take place in the local kindergarden which i think is quite ironic considering we are learning the tibetan alphabet. our academic directors have greatly encouraged us to venture out and explore the small and charming city by ourselves.

this is a lively place. this weekend, because (hopefully) the monsoon is over, the people of dharamsala are having a festival. this means more tourists and more vendors. the already narrow streets

my space for 12 hours

are packed full of people that rush out of the way as a motorcycle or taxi flies by them.
we are surrounded by lush, green hills and the snow-capped peaks of the foothills of the himalayas. when the clouds roll away, the view is astounding.

by myself yesterday i headed away from town and to the temple of h.h. the dalai lama. it was nice to find a place where no one attempted to sell me anything (not even religion), a place where one could simply rest without question or disturbance. amidst the hustle and bustle that is my indian experience thus far, i greatly appreciated it. while there, my friend courtney and i befriended a few tibetans, one of them a nun, who are studying english at a local school. when we told them we were here studying tibetan they started helping us with the alphabet (which is based a lot on tones, and so many of the letters seem to sound the same to me). courtney and i made plans to meet them later this evening, realizing that we can all be teachers and students to one another.

this city is filled with some many different

protest in rando village

faces. tibetans, indians, israelis, americans, europeans, and the list goes on i'm sure. we all call this place home (for a little while at least). people have come here from all over the world, and i can see why. there is a certain charm about it's cracked cement, winding, uphill roads. though it's crowded and busy, the moment you feel frazzled by it all, you can just head away from the market, up the hill and towards the mountain. they are my saving grace, for sure.

tomorrow yoga classes begin! 645am, twice a week for 2 hours. we will also meet our homestay families tomorrow, and begin our month at home with them. i am eager to meet my new pala and amala, and wonder if i will have any siblings. classes officially begin on wednesday; 3 hours of tibetan in the morning, then two lectures on tibetan culture/history/buddhism in the afternoon. we've been warned how much work we will have and the difficulties most students face trying to balance the workload, their new familes, and themselves.

deep breath. try to take it all in, while remembering i can only take it step by step.
well, it's time