I look like a dirty hippie :)

                Today was the rainiest day I’ve experienced during my monsoon season stay in Dharamsala. It rained all night and I woke up torrential down pouring. Everything is so damp and humid here. It’s not very hot, especially compared to Delhi. The girls that came with me here to Dharamsala and I always joke about how hot the “Delhi girls” must be right now. Today we were reminiscing on our week in Delhi and concluded that it was a little bit traumatic- to the mind, body, and spirit. It’s not like trauma is necessarily bad, right? It pushes us along down our path. It helps you grow and serves as a reality check. I wouldn’t trade my experience in Delhi for anything and I also wouldn’t choose to relive it….

                Ellen and I took a cab to lower Dharamsala where the kids were anxiously waiting for us. Luckily, I had thrown a few supplies in my suitcase before coming to India so we had some crayons, markers, and coloring books to work with. IVHQ gave our coordinator money for a little notebook and pencil for all of the kids. So we practiced writing sentences as a group and then I took some of the older ones into a group with me. I gave them little writing prompts that when put together made a story and we sat in a circle and read them out loud. They stayed engaged the whole time and seemed to have fun with the creativity I tried to pull out of them. After that we played a handful of games before it was time for us to leave.

                Feeling a little homesick for some reason. I embrace my homesickness because it makes me realize how much love I have waiting for me in the states. I find myself longing to have iced tea on my Mom’s deck, to be hiking with Shane, to be watching Burn Notice with Jack, to be out to dinner and drinks with my sisters. The opposite of love is indifference and I’m far from feeling indifferent about anything right now. So, I’ll take it. And I’ll say thank you, thank you, thank you world for the wonderful people that I have in my life… I decided to call and wake Shane up at two in the morning his time and he so graciously got up and facebook chatted with me for an hour until I had to go to the monastery. Homesickness was a quick spurt, easily cured by time spent with Dhondulp and baked goods. Surprisingly, Dharamsala has some of the best baked goods I’ve ever had in my life. There is something I’ve discovered called the “Tibetan Special.” This delicate goodness comes in bar form on pie crust. The filling is chocolate, coconut, peanuts, and honey. Wow. I ate one on my way to the monastery and brought one for Dhondulp. He said it was “yummy.” The first time he ever heard the word “yummy” was from me so he keeps using it in sentences for me.

                Today Dhondulp and I chatted a lot about the Dalai Lama. It sounds like I will miss my chance to see him speak by a matter of days. Dhondulp also told me more about his home monastery in South India and what a day in the life of a monk consists of. Lots of debating, which sounds fun to watch! Dhondulp said he’ll make sure I get to watch monks debate before I have to leave. Dhondulp does a lot of studying and since he has his PHD, studying consists of whatever he desires. For now, he has an Enlgish teacher (me) and a Chinese teacher every day. Every night he writes in two diaries. One in which he records every detail of what happened in his day, in case he needs to ever refer back. He said he’s been doing this since he learned to write. The other, he writes about his impressions, thoughts, and people encounters in Dharamsala. After writing in his diaries, Dholdulp told me that he studies his English and Chinese for hours. This is his vacation schedule, don’t forget.

                I asked Dhondulp if he was sure he wanted homework and he said “that’s right.” He always uses the phrase “that’s right” instead of “yes.” I love it.  I assigned him a page in his grammar book and then I also assigned him to write a paragraph about his favorite memory. He repeatedly thanked me for giving him homework. He then asked me to write an example about my favorite memory. Being put on the spot, I jotted down four quick sentences about the time my mom set up a Winnie the Pooh train on the kitchen table so that I’d find it on the morning of my fifth birthday. He said “oh, that is such a beautiful paragraph, thank you so much.” I just love how eager and appreciative Dhondulp is when it comes to learning English. It’s so very refreshing and good for my soul.

                On my way home from the monastery, I caught a full bodied glimpse of myself in a shop window. Um, family and friends at home might not recognize me. I’ve found it’s easiest in this humidity to keep my hair in braids. I don’t even have a hair dryer with me so my hair frizzes a bit around my face. And make up, no way man. The pants that everyone wears here are funky, flowy and so very light. I want the whole experience so yes I was wearing crazy pants and a t shirt. I saw my reflection and laughed.  A lot of people are used to Kristen with blow dried hair, make up, and outfits that have at least a little thought put into them. Yeah, that Kristen definitely got left back in Colorado and I’m loving this escape from vanity. Honestly, this may be a permanent change…. And no, I’m not coming home with dreads in my hair, India can’t change me that much…….

                After spending some refreshing time with Dhondulp, I went home and changed and headed with some of the girls to yoga. I can’t believe that I’ve gone two weeks without yoga in my life! At home it keeps me so centered. The class was 100 rupees  (two dollars) for a two hour class. The yoga at my studio at home is 15 dollars…. The class was mind blowing. I loved the flow (though the teacher was a little hard to understand) and then we did more paranayamic (Barbara I don’t know how to spell this word, help!)  breathing exercises than I have ever done in my life. The last 20 minutes of class the teacher did some sort of chant and I don’t know where Kristen went off to in those last 20 minutes. I wouldn’t’ call it asleep.  All I know is that I left that yoga studio feeling completely stoned…

                Dinner was more veggies and rice. Is it bad that I’m already excited to never have veggies and rice again? Followed by another evening at one of the many roof top bars here. I felt sort of old tonight. I know that 26 is far from old but I found myself observing the bar scene instead of partaking in it. The whole time I was there I just wanted to be back at my room writing my blog and reading my book. Maybe it’s not old maybe my introverted self just needed some alone time? All I know is I smell like cigarette smoke and I want something other than Kingfisher beer. Missing Boulders fabulous breweries right about now…

                Other than being full of Tibetan and Indian boys, the bar scene is exactly the same as the one back home. As the night progresses, girls get louder and boys become more abrupt. A little later dancing breaks out. People smoke cigarettes who normally wouldn’t if they weren’t buzzed. Conversations get deeper to the drunks and the sober ones laugh at the heartfelt shallowness. I guess I just wasn’t feeling it tonight. I’m not one of the most social creatures and honestly tend to often enjoy the company of my thoughts more than other people. I used to try to force a little more social behavior out of myself but now I just kind of go with it and bask in my alone time J