Finally in Dharamsala!

                Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I’m finally in Dharamsala. Parts of it feel too good to be true. Two girls from London (Katy and Jenny) and me left the hostel eagerly yesterday morning to catch a flight. Delhi was scorching and Dharamsalas cool mountains were calling us. Two other girls from the hostel (Ellie and Ellen) had left earlier in the morning because they decided to travel by bus for affordability reasons. I just couldn’t justify a 12 hour bus ride when I could take a 1 hour plane ride for under 100 dollars. I really like Indira Gandhi Airport, it’s the main airport in the area and it’s full of places to eat and shop. While waiting for our flight I enjoyed a McSpicy paneer. They have McDonalds here and it’s primarily vegetarian. It’s not what I would call healthy and I don’t plan to eat it again but I was too curious to not partake in that experience!

The flight was super smooth and went by really quickly and we found ourselves at a tiny airport about 20 minutes outside of Dharamsala. IVHQ had arranged for a driver to meet us there and he was holding a sign with our names on it. As we started ascending toward Dharamasala, the temperature instantly dropped. Everything was suddenly lush and green around us and we couldn’t stop smiling and giggling about the beautiful contrast we had entered upon by leaving Delhi. We kept composing fake emails out loud in the car to the girls who were stuck in stifling Delhi.  There was no rain but the fog lingered over the emerald green mountains making Dharamsala look like a city in the clouds. I kept hoarding breaths of clean air and I wondered what those mountains had in store for me. On the way up, our driver stopped at a mango tree and we picked mangoes. A little farther up the road was a tea field and we took pictures and looked around a bit. When we finally got to Upper Dharamsala aka Mcleod Ganj, there were suddenly monks, shops, cafes, jewelry, and hippies everywhere. So many stimuli in such a short amount of time!

                The house I was taken to is in the heart of the town. There are a ton of internet cafes, little restaurants, shops, etc all within a short walking distance. The coordinator for IVHQ’s Dharamsala program is a lovely Tibetan man named Dowa. He chatted with me for a bit and gave me dinner while we waited for Ellie and Ellen to arrive via their bus. Three other IVHQ girls who live in the house came home from visiting a temple for the weekend and they were very friendly and filled me in on our programs and the town. It is so much safer than Delhi. It’s primarily full of Tibetans who seem to be sweet and gentle people. They don’t stare and take pictures when I walk by. The town is also full of a lot of white hippies so the town seems to be a little more used to foreigners compared to where I was staying last week.

                So, the room and bathroom situation. Well, it will take some getting used to. Those who know me know that I am stressed when my surroundings are not clean and organized. I think this is good for me, a little dirt and germs won’t kill me I hope. We have the famous squat toilet and the bathrooms cleanliness leaves a little to be desired. It’s just Ellie and I to an upstairs room and we have our own bathroom. Yes there is electricity and running water here but not hot water. The rest of the girls are downstairs and they share a bathroom with a western toilet. Yup, I’m jealous. But it’s part of the experience. The room is clean enough, very basic. We were warned to keep it locked up really well so monkeys don’t steal our food and trash our room. Ha! I’m living among monkeys!

                The house is situated up the hill from the main street snuggled with other houses. You have to take a variety of mud paths to reach our house. It’s interesting how the houses are all laid out here, just put wherever they fit and very close together. The houses on the hill (about 100) give the feel that it’s just all one big house with how close they are together and there is no such thing as a yard. There are always people standing outside my window talking. Monks mostly. It reminds me of when I’ve toured Mesa Verde or other old Indian ruins (haha American Indians) and the whole village lived in one massive structure.

                I didn’t get the greatest night sleep as I’m in a brand new place but I was pleased to need to use a quilt last night! This morning the cook made us eggs and toast and we met Dowa for our orientation. Dowa is such a kind and helpful man. He spent the whole morning helping us get Indian sim cards for our phones because it’s so much cheaper to have an Indian number. Now I can call my family and Shane and not pay $2 a minute! I’m so excited to call and hear their voices when they wake up on the other side of the world today… Anyway, we walked all around town and after a cup of coffee at a roof top café, we went to see where the Dalai Lama lives and his temple. What an experience! There were hundreds of monks chanting mantras out into the universe. It was so beautiful to watch. I’m sure I will go up there often just to be in their presence. I also got to spin the prayer wheels which apparently gave me a lot of good karma. Go me!

                After the Dalai Lama temple, we went to a nonprofit Japanese restaurant. The fact that there is a nonprofit restaurant describes the vibe and philosophy in this town. There is just so much peacefulness and a sense that people actually take care of each other here. I’ve only been here for about 24 hours and already can’t get enough of the vibe. There are so many yoga classes that I’m eager to take and there sound like there are some pretty cool hikes around here too.

                Tomorrow I start my project which is a childcare center down the hill. I will volunteer there from 9-12:30 Monday through Friday. Later in the week, I’m going to start teaching monks English. Probably at the Dalai Lama temple! Other than missing the ones I love, life feels really good right now.