Life in Mcleod

Having a tough time with picture uploads, so bear with me and check back later!

Last week was our first week at our new homes in Mcleod Ganj. The night before we left, on the 16th all of the Tibetan roommates put together a farewell party for us. They bought loads of cookies and soda, and invited us all to the third floor classroom after dinner. We shuffled in and proceeded to indulge in sweets, games, and good times. Everyone played classic camp games such as the human knot and duck duck goose, and all had a wonderful time. I took a break halfway through to have a Tibetan language tutor session with my teacher, Karma-la, and for a solid hour could hear the sounds of cheers, clapping, laughter, and the occasional fall of someone who tried to take those turns during duck, duck, goose a little too tightly.

The next morning some were milling about while others were packing and saying goodbyes. We rode up to Mcleod ganj, taking the now familiar roads to our new homes. Situated all throughout Mcleod the residences vary from two room apartments to two floor houses. Some have hot water, others only cold. Some have cable TV, others conversation. Some speak English well, some are learning Tibetan. Some have a private bathroom, others have to walk down the hall!!! Whatever the arrangements one thing remains the same -- nobody is underfed. It is Tibetan custom to offer food until one firmly refuses to eat anymore. This custom stems from the urge to make one’s guest feel at home, and to show that they don’t have to be shy about asking for anything, especially seconds during mealtime!

Classes are located at the Institute for Buddhist Dialectics at the bottom of Temple road. Each student walks to class every day, the furthest being about fifteen minutes away. Class times have been rearranged so that nobody has to walk home late at night, and so that the students have the afternoons mostly free. Buddhist Philosophy and Peoples and Cultures of Southeast Asia continue in a small, traditional Tibetan classroom, with pads on the floors and low tables for taking notes on. Dr. Sidky looks especially distinguished teaching behind a golden Khata on a padded throne-like chair. The applied anthropology guest lecture series continues as well from the library of the Institute, Our most recent lectures there have been from the health department and the institute itself.

Despite being spread out all over town the students meet regularly for classes, and get together to socialize afterwards. Some miss their roommates at the Sarah Institute and have made the trip once or twice back down the hill to visit with them. One of the favorite local hotspots is the Tibetan-run Coffee Talk Café, where one can order a macchiato complete with a portrait of the customer’s face drawn in chocolate syrup on the foam. Another is the Norling Restaurant, which serves a fantastic bowl of the traditional Tibetan noodle soup, thentuk. Hotel Tibet has a great rooftop dining room and serves everything from peanut masala to thentuk, to meat and veggie momos, and other traditional Indian/Tibetan cuisine. If you are going for a trek then Osha’s breadshop is a great place to stock up on bread, cheese, nuts, and other nutritional snacks like hummus and raisins. They also sell some good dietary supplements and vitamin C tablets. It is owned by a middle-aged Indian man, and the bread is baked daily on Bagsu road. Better get there early or it might be sold out!

One can sit at any one of these places, plug into the Internet, watch the eagles and Himalayan Griffons fly by, do homework, listen to the multi-ethnic conversations that are constantly brewing around us, etc.. I’ve personally heard dialogue in Hindi, Tibetan, German, English, Gaddi, French, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, and those are just the few that I can recognize. I was told by my host mother that during the 1960s there were only one or two westerners that came here for tourism or to study Buddhist philosophy. Now Dharamsala and Mcleod are a melting pot for cultural seekers, scholars, students, travelers, tourists, vagabonds, philosophers, and adventure addicts from around the world. It makes for quite an interesting place.

According to recent news sources four Tibetans were executed last Tuesday for their involvement in the March riots of 2008. There have been candlelight vigils nightly, and a rolling twelve hour hunger strike is in progress. This is a heart-breaking tragedy to many here, and has worsened opinions that peace talks will resume positively in the near future. See the New York Times report here.

Tomorrow is a big day. We have an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Norbulingka Institute (linked on the right). We will have the chance to ask two questions to him, so we’d better make them good! What would you ask if you had the chance?

Thanks for reading!
Zack