As we have previously expressed, the pollution in our city is thick. So thick, in fact, that on most days, we cannot see the majestic mountains emerging just beyond the hills in our city. In our valley, we reside at 5,000 feet above sea level. The hills rise up to 7,000 feet. And in March, we will finally climb those breathtaking mountains that constantly elude our sight behind the dirt and smog suspended the air we breathe. In the last photo Brian sent showing the view from our house, the hills appear to be the edge of the world. But the day before we left our valley to come south for orientation, the skies opened to reveal creation in its wonder. The picture above was taken from our rooftop; this was the only day in the 3 weeks we lived in the valley that we were able to see the mountains.
(Note: clicking on any picture will bring up a new window where the pictures can be viewed in a larger size)
This picture was taken on the same day. You can see part of the valley, the hills, and then the mountains in the distance. Living in the valley is wonderful. It is the meeting place where everyone goes in the winter because it is too cold in the mountains. We have met several people from the area we will be trekking to in March. Right now, they live with us mixed in with the other 700,000 people in our city.
However, even after all the research we've done, we are still learning new things daily. The people who live in our valley are afraid of the possibility of an earthquake. Every 75-100 years, our country has constantly been hit by major earthquakes killing a majority of the people. We are now at the 75 year mark from the last quake which was over 8. However, since we are in an under developed nation, we were most quickly informed to forget everything we know about earthquake safety. I vividly remember "bunny in the hole" drills in elementry schools in California, where we would quickly drop beneath our desks, cover our head, and hold on to the chair legs. I also remember being taught to run to a doorway if we were at home. Here, that is a request for severed limbs or instant death. Because all of the buildings are made out of concrete, an earthquake of similar magnitude causes buildings to crumble and levels just start crashing down on one another. The ground liquifies and the second floor becomes the first floor as whole levels disappear beneath the earth's surface.
Instead, we have been taught the "triangle of life." Rather than ducking for cover, here you huddle beside the furniture. This is supposed to create a triangle when the floor above you caves in of ceiling, floor, and furniture. The theory is that you will thus be trapped into a cacoon of safety for the next 72 hours until rescue workers begin looking for you.
So maybe this isn't the most optimistic outlook on life, but it's another way that we must rethink some of the things we have been taught since childhood as a part of living in a third-world country.
Another thing that is different here are the dogs. Most of them are mangy and sick. There are about a dozen sick dogs living around the stupa where the people do their kora daily. Kora is circumambulating around the stupa. (Our ESL students always want to know the English word for their practice of walking around the stupa several times in their act of worship, and all anyone has ever been able to come up with is "circumambulating." But while we walk around yarping, we often must step over these mangy mutts as they live there peacefully, living off the scraps the people drop. They do not name their dogs, but we have named our guard dog, "Jekyll and Hyde." By day, this dog is well groomed and sweet, but at night, he is chained right next to the only entrance. If we come in late, our Sherpa guard must hold his collar, and choke him while he barks and lunges visciously at us. We feel extremely safe with both our guard and his dog there to protect us.
We have been using the Story to teach English to our beginner ESL class. So far, the favorite story was Solomon's wisdom, and they were amazed that wisdom was given to him, not something he worked for. We have a monk in our class who was particularly interested in all of our stories. On one particular day, he was literally on the edge of his seat in his desk, and so engaged in the story that he leaned too far and lost his balance. He nearly tipped his desk so far it about landed on me and I had to jump back. Tibetans laugh quickly and easily at their mistakes however (and ours too) so he was good humored about it and we jumped right back into analyzing the story. He told me, "This is a very good story. It's easy to understand." However while we are away for orientation, he will be journeying back to his monestary to continue his studies. Please remember to yarp for him.
For the next week, we will be away from our home in Delhi where we are receiving orientation with the rest of the Hands On students. We're partially here for support for them, as we have already adjusted to our own place. Yesterday, we had a scavenger hunt in order to orientate the students to travelling around the city and asking for help. One of our tasks was to get Mehendhi (henna) on one hand. Another was to get a nose piercing. Don't worry, there have been no additions to my jewelry collection, though I contemplated this for the competion factor. If it were not for the fact that our PG does not pierce their nose, I may have been more willing to do so, but the Mehendhi did suffice my need for cultural extremes.
While we were waiting for 45 minutes while my hand was being decorated, we met an Indian girl who go very excited about scavenger hunts and quickly became our guide. She is a fashion designer and took me to stores to try on saris, buy kurtas, and find all kinds of various items on our list. We became friends and have planned tea for later during this stay. We have gotten to ride on bicycle rickshaws, autos (auto rickshaws), and walk through the city.
Since we are with a group, we will now be without internet until we arrive home. So the next blog may be a little while coming. We're anxious to get back to work at home with our PG, so remember to yarp for us while were in orientation away from our new friends that we want to engage in so much. We'll add more pictures in our next post.
