Write Abroad in the High Himalaya, 2007

Dear Everyone-

I just wanted to wish you well as you grab your bags and make your way to the airport, on the way across the world to here the Subcontinent.

As of this afternoon I am back in Delhi, where the temperatures dropped into the 90s today, and am eagerly anticipating your arrival.

As I mentioned to Kate late last week, I will be awaiting you all at Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport on 6:15 AM Wednesday morning, just outside the customs clearance. I'll see you before you see me, but just in case, be on the lookout for a red-head with a blue shirt and baseball hat with the Tibetan flag on it.

We'll get into things as energy allows for on Wednesday, and will then be on the move right through the 25th of May. I know you can't wait, and neither can I.

Take care, drink water on the plane, see you soon, and kale pep ah (Tibetan: 'go well').

-Galen

Posted by Global LAB at 03:41 PM | Permalink

Namaste-

The group arrived right on time at the airport, and after traditional greetings with katak and mallas with Peter and Amit we transfered here to the Likir House.

Everyone is in high spirits and more energetic than I had anticipated. After breakfast folks are freshening up, and following an orientation here at Likir we'll head out to Old Delhi and perhaps some of New Delhi and Connaught Place as well.

Tomorrow we have an afternoon event planned with Sunandan Roy Chaudury of Sampark Press in celebration of the launching of Pam's new book, Without the Comfort of Stars. We look forward to this time spent with local authors and publishers, as well as student members of the Indian literary community.

Updates and photos to follow as soon as possible.

-Galen

Posted by Global LAB at 12:15 PM | Permalink

After orientation here at Likir this morning, we chose not to venture out to Old Delhi in the afternoon based on energy and temperature levels. Instead, we explored the Janpath and Connaught Place areas (having gone there to change money) before retiring for an afternoon nap here at Likir. Evening was dinner in the neighborhood and we've reserved the entire morning for Old Delhi's sites before our afternoon function at Sampark Press.

Galen

Posted by Global LAB at 06:07 PM | Permalink

Visiting the Sis Ganj Sahib Gurudwara Sikh Temple in Old Delhi

We had a great day yesterday with a morning visit to Old Delhi and many of the historical centers of worship there, including the Jama Masjid and the Sis Ganj Sahib Gurudwara Sikh Temple. We walked through the bustling bazaar of Chadni Chowk between these destinations, as well as to the Jain Temple (which closed early due to celebrations at the Red Fort commemorating the May 11, 1857 Indian mutiny-uprising against British Rule in Delhi. The afternoon featured a dynamic round-table discussion at the American Center, hosted and facilitated by Sunandan Roy Chowdhury, Editor and Publisher of Sampark Press. At this event, our Fort Lewis students discussed contemporary perspectives on gender issues with fellow Indian students as well as heard articulate thoughts and selected readings by critically acclaimed poets of India's women's writing movement. Moreover, this function was the formal book launch of Pam Uschuk's newest publication, 'Without the Comfort of Stars' as well as 'I am not your woman and other poems' by Delhi's Rita Malhotra. Following our period at the American Center, we reconvened with a number of local authors at the Panch Sheel Club for a continuation of the previous discussion and look into publishing in India.

This morning we departed the Likir House at 4:00 AM for our sunrise flight to Leh, Ladakh. Following a welcome from Namgial and Rigzin over tea at the Chube Guest House, the group retired until lunch. We spent the afternoon at the Ladakh Women's Alliance discussing the modern issues of development and transition which Ladakhis presently face as well as the manifestations of this struggle vis a vis family farming and agricultural practices in the United States (with all students sharing unique and profound experiences of their own). After a stroll through Sankar village and a tukpa dinner back at the Chube, the group has initiated an open reading of writings which they have been working on over the past few days.

Health and spirits are high, and everyone is looking forward to tomorrow orning's visit to the Sabu Oracle and afternoon discussion with local short-story writer, Abdul Ghani Sheikh.

More to follow, with photos I hope, as soon as I have the chance.

Jullay-

Galen

Posted by Global LAB at 03:16 PM | Permalink

Molly above Leh town and the Indus Valley as seen from Tse Mo Monastery

Namgial and Ellie at Tikse Monastery

The Decker sisters, Sarah and Linnea, at Tikse Monastery

Jullay-

Things here in Ladakh continue to be fantastic. Yesterday we paid a morning visit to the legendary (and massive) Tikse Monastery, after our audience with the Sabu Oracle was postponed. We had a dynamic afternoon discussion with local, Muslim author, Abdul Ghani Sheikh, and shared perspectives on literature here in the Subcontinent as well as in the US, Central Asia, and elsewhere. Late afternoons and evenings continue to provide inspiring periods for personal writings as well as time for group readings and critiques.

Group at Sabu Oracle

This morning we returned to the Sabu Lhamo Oracle, and it was a busy day for her. In addition to the twelve of us, she received more than two dozen local members of the community, from Buddhist, Muslim, and Hindu families. Many individuals received healing treatments, while others, including a good number of our group, had questions of a personal nature answered by her specially inspired perspective. Afterwards, we made a walking tour of Leh's Old Town and the Polo Ground (where a cricket tournament was underway) and this afternoon we will take a hike up to the 16th Century Tse-Mo Monastery and former Royal Palace of Ladakh. Finally, this evening we have scheduled a performance of traditional Ladakhi song and dance at our Chube Guest House, where we will be joined by the Global LAB Brahma to Buddha semester group, which just today returned from their ten-day trek in the Markha Valley.

Tomorrow morning we will drive a couple hours down the Indus valley to the ancient Alchi Monastery. After a tour of the temples and the exquisite artwork there, we will continue up to Mangyu Village. We will stay overnight in Mangyu for two days, assisting with a local service project and taking an afternoon hike into the hills above town. We will then return to Leh on Wednesday afternoon, and have a couple more days here before returning to Delhi and the plains of India.

Health and spirits continue to be excellent and we'll be in touch again soon once we return from Alchi.

-Galen

Posted by Global LAB at 02:50 PM | Permalink

Ben, Ellie, Jamie, and Molly atop the Mangyu La

Hello-
Wanted to send out word that we've arrived safely back here in Leh after a couple of fantastic days in Mangyu Village. Students will have much to share about their experiences in this small, traditional Ladakhi village, where we: lived with local families; taught English, sketched wall-drawings, sang and danced, and played volleyball at the local school; hiked to ridge-tops above town; tried our hands at local farming techniques; and simply enjoyed a spectacularly beautiful place where the Mangyu Monastery has stood since the 11th Century.

Galen making the return on the volleyball court at Mangyu School

Traveling along the deep Indus gorge going to and from Mangyu, we made visits to Alchi and Likir Monasteries, respectively, both of which are also approaching their 1,000th birthdates. Tomorrow we will conduct a morning writing workshop at the Siddhartha School, and in the afternoon will have a talk with local author and Buddhist Scholar, Tashi Rabgyas.

All is well-

Galen

Posted by Global LAB at 05:19 PM | Permalink

Things here in Utter Pradesh have been good but challenging, due primarily to the heat and crowds. Yesterday we made it easily from Leh to Delhi, dropped off some belongings at the Likir House, and proceeded to the Bahai Lotus Temple for an hour's tour. We then set out for Agra, a drive which we made in the reasonably good time of 5 hours. A stop at Akbar's Tomb, the gardens of which are home to deer, peacocks, monkeys, and parakeets, made for a needed respite from the road. We then had a slow and dissapointing dinner at a restaurant near our hotel here, and retired, exhausted, for the night. This morning we were up before the heat became too oppressive in order to visit the Taj, reaching the gates by 6 AM. A couple hours there was pleasant, after which we had breakfast and returned to the hotel for a morning siesta.

Now it's noon and we're getting back in the vans for the return to Delhi. Time permitting, we'll spend a couple of hours in Majnukatilla before hopping on the bus for Dharamsala at 8 PM. We should reach McLeod Ganj by tomorrow morning, when we'll rest up a bit before proceeding with a day's tour of the Tibet Museum, Namgyal Monastery, as well as our scheduled discussion with writer/activist/freedom fighter Lhasang Tsering and a screening of 'Tibet:Cry of the Snow Lion.'

Folks are hanging in there-hot and occasionally irritated by all that is Agra, and eager to get back into the hills. We'll be tired when we get there, but look forward to some great days starting tomorrow.

Also, HH Dalai Lama is giving public teachings this week and Peter has not only confirmed space for us to attend, but is awaiting a response on his request for an audience.

More to come from Dhasa.

Galen

Posted by Global LAB at 02:28 PM | Permalink

We arrived here in McLeod Ganj this morning, tired but in high spirits, and feeling like seasoned Indian travelers (which the group did indeed become this weekend). We had downtime this morning after our 8 AM arrival, followed by a dynamic as always discussion and poetry reading with Lhasang Tsering. Evening had the group working on collaborative journey-genre poetry, the finished product of which Pam will post to the blog tomorrow. The group just retired to the Ladies Venture Guest House after a group screening of 'Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion,' which was provocative if not painful for many to watch, yet inspired some serious discussions over momos and fried rice. Tomorrow morning it's to Namgyal Monastery and then an afternoon talk with Ama Adhe. All's well, and other than some general fatigue and minor stomach issues, all health is better than ever.

More tomorrow-

Galen

Posted by Global LAB at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

by Jen, Ben, Ellie, Jamie, Kate, Bill, Linnea, Sara, Lauren, Molly and Pam

A truck passes me, squeaky-loud like a kicked dog
Urine spreading under every foot like liquid democracy
Puzzles of lepers missing pieces
My feet are a boil of itchy poison
A milion particles of a million people blowing everywhere
People of dust in mountains of peace
and the scent of open sewers follow from Agra to Dharamsala
like a blooming fever
Her young malnurished hair spotted copper like the orange-leafed Goldmore
tree
Roads, in every place, confused as to where they are going
Your heart is a fist of cows and garbage, love at first light, a dismal sun
Brahma bulls doze garbage, vehement and greedy as multinational CEOs
Every request agreed to, and so often, never comes true
Gods of a sort, neglected, worshipped by congregations of flies & mosquitoes
and every delay met with a friendly sharptoothed ju leh!
Confused, yet directed, a place of patterned order out of colored chaos
Fork-tailed kites survey their kingdom of taxis and buses farting
The Roof of the World & a shattered basement flooded with prayer
Circus colors among the backbone of half-erected visions
Ladakhi birds whistle out of univson like the conversation of horns in New
Delhi
Fuzzy puppies in the streets "like a Rez dog: if you pet it, it's yours,"
Linnea says
Solitary broken smiled woman circling prayerflags like trapped cars on a
Delhi round-about
Pink plastic bag tied with scavenged string catching the hopes of a
desperate child
Flirting with boys, then a leper pops into view
The fizz looks like rainbow bubbles overflowing my heart
My stomach tries to escape through my mouth
as I put the sour yogurt on my tongue

Posted by Global LAB at 05:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

the land puckers its rocky lips
to kiss the moon's eyes
to connect sky, are all mountains colorful
as red rock spines, demanding a vouyers view?

still a child, i beg
to be lifted, to cling
to your old volcanic breasts
a rock climber conquering past self.

- d. linnea decker

Posted by Global LAB at 05:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The view from my window
is threaded by spider silk -
thin weaves capturing
sun, shouldering the risen rock.
Crumbling years of aged scree
slope in long tones of red green and grey.
Jagged bits layering patterns
like the delicate application of mandala sand.

The light inside is aching,
spirit blocked by my boulder chest.
Time working its wear
to chistle the powder down.

-SM Decker

Posted by Global LAB at 05:30 PM | Permalink

By Ben Tyson

Temporary insanity, hah! Try permanent insanity. What a warped and twisted way to run a city -- run humanity! People stacked on top of each other -- fitting together like lincoln logs (by the way did you find that last piece for my reconstruction of George Wilhelm's manor house? I thought not). Whose sadistic and denigrated mind conceived of this? People shoving themselves, their children, their goods at your nose, into your face like a coke addict burying themselves in a new batch of their favorite remedy. Pure madness! Unable to take even a baby step without stepping on some poor wretch's leg -- real or not -- trodding with every movement on the dignity of these people, this city.
Indeed this city seems to be nothing but this heaving wave of people. Never-ending like an ocean, rolling over the poverty, the destitution breaks upon the shore of our wealth and Americanism. Stand up you sods! Salute the flag! Ten four and ten heel! Go on! Rape this world you sorry sons of bitches! Take this un-ending and unyielding populace, put it in a cage and bring your children to gawk and wonder in mild amusement. Ha ha! That's it, don't feed the beasts, that'll just tame and encourage them. We want them feral and wild to perform for our demented pleasures.
Dance monkey dance, squeal and yelp as I apply what pressure that I may -- crushing you under my thumb. Take this head, unscrew it from my neck and put it on backwards so I can count you with horror in your eyes until my cerebrum explodes with exhaustion.
God watches with waiting eyes, laughing at our foolish endeavours, striving for meaning out of this grand futility. Oh you sad people, oh you destitute, you over-acheiving, over-flowing every imaginable limit -- why have you forsaken me? This broken man sitting here against a rough polluted tree gasping for a drop of shade, a dollop of anything; he, this man with no teeth or fingers or hope, this man shall inherit the earth?
Insanity indeed.

Posted by Global LAB at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Take this drink pretty girl, take it.
You are a blooming desert flower thirsting for satisfaction.

I cannot take this drink, I must not
It is mysterious like the sandy path of a nomadic tribe.

No, no take this drink to forget
The tracks of your mind will be swept clean like footprints in the sand.

I will not take this drink, I will not forget.
My memory will keep me wise and protected as an owl hidden in an ancient cactus.

You must take this pina colada
Only then will you be free as a wily coyote choosing his prey.

I will not take this pina colada
That would be more dangerous than a sidewinder slithering to strike.

Drink, drink, drink the pina colada
Even the fierce hawk cannot fly free without confronting great danger

Very well, I will drink this pina colada
The delicate desert flower is fleeting and must enjoy the soothing nectar of life when it can.

Posted by Global LAB at 05:38 PM | Permalink

Himalaya Homestay

Sloping cliff faces bump-up
against the sky, azure
as temple prayer flags
at Ahmelee's house
The Himalayas sprawl for me
They're almost crude, pronouncing
their presence

I lather sun screen on my white skin,
put sunglasses over my blue eyes
not made for this light.
Ahmelee's sienna skin is dark
as woodland bark hues of Mongyu.
I hide behind what must seem fragile.
This sun is mine.

By: Jennifer Maples

Impermanence
-A song about Chang

If you encur, you might get a slur
or your head will spin like the merry-go-round

I don't want to spin I want
to be like the mountain

Mountains change too
They just have a higher tolerance for the
disruptive intoxication

Why be disrupted? Buddha says
"Be present, life is impermanent."

If life is impermanent, then why not partake?
Drink, drink while you can.

By: Elizabeth Duke and Jennifer Maples

I am incredibly, undoubtedly, unfathomably lucky, blessed and thankful.
To be here, to see these amazing places and people.

Thanks for your smile stranger, letting me take your photo, it is not just my souvenir you live in my mind and I in yours, do not be mistaken. Perhaps this memory, this image lives in his mind too, of me, the white-haired American girl who took his picture, shook his tiny hand, thanked him and will never, ever forget him.

Thanks for making this trip possible mom! I love you.
Jen Maples

Posted by Global LAB at 06:00 PM | Permalink

By Ellie Duke

Naked feet and heads to ground
a geometric design leaves room for truth in prayer.
A tall dark staircase gives birth to eyes in search of the next step.
Cement hot as fiery coals, burns the soul as the pace quickens.
Cries for chipati fill the smog dense as desperation that enters
our lungs in deep heavy breaths.
Hidden in chaos is a hope for peace.
Spaubbling hands reach out for help
while women in a flurry of elegance bright pink as desire pass by.
Old women with tales told by wise wrinkles observe Delhi streets.
Like wondering mummies dogs leave questions of whether they are dead or
alive.
Are they breathing?
Children crippled by the hands of their fathers prove
human evil is passed down like a family name.
Toxic urine evaporates streets and
blue eyes are out numbered one to a million.

Posted by Global LAB at 06:02 PM | Permalink

Her hand was surprisingly soft. It any culture it would have been true, but surprising because of the field and house work she had participated in, dawn to dusk, everyday for all of the twenty years of her life. My hand by comparison felt like the equivalent of a cobblestone alleyway as she grabbed it to lead me in the dark two-story white plaster house. I ducked through the door she easily walked under and my eyes were suddenly no longer useful. She pulled my hand forward then up, and I did my best to follow, tripping over the stairs and hitting my backpack on the ceiling. It was strange the trust I felt through that bond. Moving uncordinatedly up the stairs through the dark there was only her and I, in that moment, one step at a time, her hand and mine. It was a closeness that evaporated the second we topped the last stair and she flicked on a light, but in that moment we communicated more fully than if we had spoke the same language. We communicated in the language of the body and that is a language all people share.

--Jamie Johnson

Posted by Global LAB at 06:04 PM | Permalink

Sun bright as snow shines
In my window waking me
I look out the window to see
Rugged mountains greet me
Like open arms welcome me to life

As my vision wanders like a dzo
On the steep path above Mangyu
I think of obstacles, peaks, mountains that block me
When will I learn to live, like a tattered prayer flag
In the moment?

--Lauren Mann

Posted by Global LAB at 04:02 PM | Permalink

Group with Ama Adhe atop the Reception Center for newly arrived Tibetan refugees, McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala

Things here in Dharamsala over the past few days have been fantastic and dynamic.

McLeod Ganj has been abuzz with His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teachings, which are being offered primarily for the monastic community on the vinaya traditions of the Buddhist order. Their Holinesses the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa and Sakya Trizen are also in town for this event, which makes for some truly powerful people in the neighborhood.

We had the good fortune of attending an afternoon teaching and reception with HH the Gyalwa Karmapa yesterday afternoon, which was an excellent introduction to the traditional style of Tibetan Buddhist public teaching as well as the protocol of meeting rinpoches and high lamas. Before this, we spent the morning and early afternoon at the tranquil Norbulinka Institute, visiting the artistic workshops and galleries which produce and preserve such exceptionally fine Tibetan works of art.

This afternoon we will visit the Tibet Museum before having an afternoon discussion with Tenzin Choeying, President of Students for a Free Tibet, India. This will make a fitting conclusion to our guest speaker series here in Dharamsala, learning how, once back home, we can act on all that we have learned here in India about the Tibet and China political situation and independence movement. Previous discussions with local and prominent authors, activists, and former political prisoners, including Lhasang Tsering, Tenzin Tsundue, and Ama Adhe have provided an exceptional foundation for our new understanding of this complex situation.

Other activities here in McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala have included: visits to the Men Tse Khang Tibetan Medical and Astrological Center (for the new experience, a number of students and teachers had consultations with doctors and astrologers as well); a talk with Geshe Lhabdrak, Director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives; morning attendance at Namgyal Monastery, where we were able to see Their Holinesses the Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Karmapa, and Sakya Trizen on a couple of occasions; and ample time to explore McLeod’s many bookstores, clothing shops, and cafes.

Students returned from their homestays this morning, having again connected quickly and closely with these wonderful and welcoming families. Final writing assignments are being completed today, before group presentations commence this evening. After dinner we’ll then be driving to Pathankot, from where we’ll take an overnight A/C train back to Delhi. One more day for all the last minute things tomorrow, and then we go our separate ways.

It’s been a terrific time here in McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala and we’ll be in touch again from Delhi once we’re back down south in the heat.

-Galen

Posted by Global LAB at 12:45 PM | Permalink

Ellie, Ben, and Jenn chat inside Akbar's tomb as Sarah snaps a photo

I've just returned here to the Likir House after seeing the group off at the airport, where their flight was scheduled to take off on-time.

We had a nice and low-key final day in Delhi yesterday. After arriving from Pathankot on the overnight train Shalimar Express, we returned to the guest house for some mid-day rest and relaxation. Final shopping excursions and trips to the post office took place in between wrapping up writing assignments and the packing of bags. Before our excellent dinner at Park Balochi, a decidedly non-vegatarian restaurant set amidst a zoo/arboretum park in South Delhi, the group had an afternoon reading here at Likir House over tea, biscuits, and lychees. All members shared a favorite poem or prose piece which they'd composed over the past two weeks. These literary works were absolutely amazing, and not only did each individual articulate her or his experiences in a profound way, but demonstrated a new way of seeing and thinking about our places in the world, influenced by all that we have encountered here in Ladakh, Dharamsala, and Hindustan. I look forward to reading and hearing more from everyone as time for further reflection presents itself.

Molly and I will be here in Delhi for the rest of the day, trying to stay cool under the A/C, and other than some final programmatic details to attend to and a visit to the dentist, it will be nice and quiet here in the neighborhood.

That's all for now-

Galen

Posted by Global LAB at 04:45 PM | Permalink

Molly with her homestay family, McLeod Ganj Dharamsala

Old Woman at Likir Monastary

A face like clothing worn long and worked hard in,
threadbare, dark, and familiar
wrinkles like radiant star beams,
teeth gone on to make more room for smiling.
Om mani padme hum!
Emphasis on the last syllable,
Walking clockwise around prayer wheels and westerners,
looking us straight in the eye
and teaching us how to be compassionate.

El Cockroachie

We stay in an El Cockroachie Inn,
Indian style, air conditioner growling
so loud I can't hear myself
sweat.

So it won't be until after Agra
that I remember the way
my dad laughs,
mustache bristling,
when he tells stories
about old Forest Service buddies,
homebrew in hand--

and the way my mom
takes just a taste of beer
and tells Dad to chop less peppers
for the stir fry tonight
while Garrison Keilor shares
the news from Lake Wobegon--

and the way they keep their eyes open
for travel-stained lodgings,
keep them open
(like my roommate in Agra does)
for cockroaches in the shower.

Posted by Global LAB at 04:49 PM | Permalink

Group approaching the Taj Mahal, aka 'The Resplendent Immortal Teardrop on the Cheek of Time.'

Namaste-Jullay-Tashi Delek: Ben, Bill, Ellie, Jamie, Jenn, Kate, Lauren, Linnea, Molly, Pam, and Sarah-

I hope you all have had a smooth and sleepful flight over to London by now, and that the next stage of your journey begins with a promising flourish.

Molly and I have been wrapping things up here at the Likir House today, and in between a visit to my dentist in south Delhi and a reunion with Peter and Amit tonight, I've been thinking more or less non-stop about our past two weeks together.

I've been wanting to write, but the necessities of packing bags and paying bills have thus far precluded such an opportunity. However, the pen will start soon, and just so you know, I truly meant what I said last night-in that it was inspiring, day after day, to be with the eleven of you on such a literary journey.

It was a pleasure for me to introduce you to a bit of the ways of India during the course of our time together, and on behalf of Global LAB, I’d like to sincerely thank you for being a part of our amazing group, for making it all happen.

I hope you will drop me a line now and then (I'd like to see more of your writings), send me some pictures (because I slacked with the camera), and let me know what you're up to (just because). And I, in turn, will do my best to make a public appearance out in Durango in the not too distant future.

While your travels through Europe, Central America, Oceania, the Western US, and/or simply back home will be quite a transition in itself, I think it also a great opportunity for you to process and reflect on what it all is that we were doing here for seventeen days. And being on the road allows you to continue in this liminal state, to try new things while shifting ways from the old. But, to be honest, it is also reasonably likely that you'll feel a few withdraw symptoms upon your absence from India. And though this can be hard, I think it also good, because it means we've changed.

Write about it.

Moreover, you have experienced so very much in a relatively short period of time, and have to be tired, so it may be overwhelming to explain 'India' to everyone who's interested at any one time. Now, or later, you may be bursting with stories to tell and feel like no one really wants to listen. Believe me, I've been in both of those positions many times before. So, if you ever need to talk and feel like there's no one there to listen, or no one who can understand what it means not to be eating Afghani chicken and nan or searching for a bathroom in the middle of a new city, you have my ear.

And please, let one another know how it's going. While summer vacations allow us much needed space and rest, it is also important you all continue your dynamic dialogues. All of you know each other in a way that no person at home has ever encountered. This is invaluable, and the more you can continue to share, the more you will get out of our experience.

Moreover, our Global LAB blog is a great forum to share your thoughts and photos, as it provides a digital library for posterity, and we hope to send some end-of-the-program photos there in the days to come. I continue to look back at previous programs now and then, and love that return to a time and place in the past. So, I hope you’ll take advantage of the web journal which we created together as well. Just send any- and everything to blog@global-lab.org and/or check it out at: www.global-lab.org/mt/FortLewis2007

Also, I've set up a Flikr account. Because some of us are lacking photo documentation of our great trip together, please feel free to post as many images as possible. Just go to:

www.flikr.com and 'sign in' at the top right of the page

Enter name/Yahoo ID: FortLewisIndia

Password: innovative

And there you go.

If you forget anything, the password hints are the name of Bill and Pam's dog, Happy, and the date of India's Independence, August 15, 1947. Easy enough to remember or look-up one or the other, I hope.

Also, thanks so much for taking the time to do all of those program evaluations in our last day together (I will read them tomorrow morning in the Newark airport once I've slept a bit and have some more time on my hands). We appreciate this so much, as all of us at Global LAB will benefit from your voicing particular experiences and new found wisdom and can then continue to build successful programs for new students down the road.

And finally, when you’re sitting at home or driving down the road, thinking about India but recognizing that you're not there, please think about the meaning of pilgrimage in the Tibetan tradition, and how it's really about the journey and not the destination. Some of you may recall that I mentioned the Tibetan term for pilgrimage, ne-kor, literally means ‘going around places.’ A few of us talked a bit about how in the tradition of pilgrimage the path is but a circle, and whether at the destination, somewhere along the way, or in between and within the mind, the journey is always happening and never concludes. And so I hope you recognize that the pilgrimage which you’ve just returned from is, in fact, really just beginning. For when you return home you're merely somewhere along the way--not at the end, and far beyond the beginning, en route on a circuit that need not end.

Be well, keep in touch, and thank you so much for a truly wonderful journey.

Yours-
Galen

Posted by Global LAB at 04:42 PM | Permalink