Singing Up the Sun

So, I lied about putting pictures up today. The internet in the computer lab is attrocious. I literally started the dial-up, left to eat lunch, started to load a page, left for a meditation session with Geshe-la, came back to the page still loading, signed on to my mail, threw a tantrum when the internet connection was "interrupted" and couldn't load, tried again, and two hours later, here I am. I'll have to wait until I have the time to get up to Lower Dharamsala and get back to a high-speed internet cafe, if such a thing exists. We're all getting pretty frustrated so maybe we'll make the time tomorrow.

Today after lunch Ani-la and I were chillin' in the room when she asked me what a eukaryote was. I got SOOO excited! She's learning Biology in her science class. Finally, something I can help HER with!

Classes started officially today. It has the potential to be a pretty intense semester. Typical day looks a little like this:

6:00AM Jump out of bed to a bell that someone rings 108 times (a very auspicious number, for whatever reason) with a big smile on my face (no, I'm not kidding. That actually happens here. Yesterday morning Ani-la woke up actually laughing. How amazing is that?!)

6:30AM Prayers in the monastery next to my dorm (pictured below, this is the view of the monastery from my dorm room balcony). Today was the first time I went. Usually Ani-la sleeps through them so neither of us go. But they are very interesting and provide great people-watching opportunities. Monks and men on one side, nuns and women facing them on the other. Everyone sits on cushions cross-legged without shoes and chants together. I have yet to be fluent in Tibetan (maybe that'll happen tomorrow) so I have no idea what they are saying but its a very pretty droning song-like chant. But my favorite part about the whole thing was that the sun came up as everyone was chanting. As prayers went on the monastery got brighter and brighter and as the dawn broke I got this very strange feeling the they themselves were actually singing up the sun. It was so cool.

7AM Morning tea with Ani-la and everyone directly after prayers, morning meditation with Courtney-la, breakfast, skipping. Ok, so there is no scheduled skipping time, but sometimes I just want to skip around! This is also time to read the readings due for class as fast as possible because I probably will never do them when I'm supposed to. We have about 300-400 pages of reading due a week, not including other assignments and language practice.

9-10AM Language Class

10:30-12ish Mid-morning tea, Tibetan Culture class or Buddhist Philosophy class

12:30 Scarf down lunch of bread and dall (a lentil soup kind of thing, varies everyday). Meals here are not the same kind of pomp and circumstance that they are in America. It is not considered a social time, it lasts as long as it takes to eat your food and not much longer, and if you eat alone, you don't feel like a loner. Meals are taken at face value - it's a time to become un-hungry and get back to your life. I rather like it like this. If you want to be social, you offer tea.

1:30-2:30 Language class again with language partners (usually IBD students studying to become teachers)

2:30-5:30 Afternoon tea (I told you we drink about 900 cups a day), free time with scheduled yoga and afternoon meditation sessions on the roof

5:30 Scarf down dinner and go for a walk. Yes, a walk. Here, everyone eats dinner as fast as they can and the entire campus gets up and walks around together until dusk. What a beautiful practice!

6:30-9:30PM Free time when we are supposed to do work... 9:30 is when the curfew bell rings. Oh yeah, we have a "curfew." But I'm pretty sure the American students are excempt because no one seemed to care last night when we stayed up late in our lounge watching Planet Earth with some monk friends. The monks LOVE Planet Earth. We brought a bunch of Planet Earth DVD's as gifts for the monks because they aren't supposed to form attachments to things, it doesnt count against their vows of poverty, they are super earthy and scholarly anyway, and well...everyone is fascinated by Planet Earth. I think that's a pretty legit assumption to make.

K, well its 4PM now, which means yoga time! Bet you're all jealous!