Kathmandu Roam

Kathmandu, as the gateway to Nepal Tourism, is the nerve centre of the country’s economy. With the most advanced infrastructure among urban areas in Nepal, Kathmandu's economy is tourism centric accounting for 3.8% of the GDP in 1995–96 had declined since then due to political unrest but has picked up again. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathmandu

Our first roam to find a restaurant for dinner in Thamel, the tourist area of Kathmandu.

City sites? Infrastructure? Not to worry about going to the gym, navigating the "sidewalks" was a workout: physically, visually, and logistically. Yeah, but fun too. 
Conferred with German Honeymooners on the street and got a recommendation for Thamel House Restaurant - dinner, show and tip - 600 Nepali Rupees, (hereafter known as NR) approximately $8 American.

 

Delhi Airport

Arriving at 8:15 at night, our 14.5 hour flight was smooth and uneventful. Although the Delhi International Airport terminal is only 1 year old, if one is traveling into and out of Delhi on different carriers, there is no baggage transfer service. So to the luggage carousels we went, through immigration and then a walk about for several  hours. Sat some, ate some, and rested some. Two AM India time, 12:30PM body clock time, we purchased 2 hours of luxury sit-down in a lounge with WiFi, peace & quiet and a relaxing cup of tea.

Sitting in Lounge

 Sleeping in Lounge

Napping in Lounge

Coming Around Again

Nepalmonastery1 is continuing - yep part 2 is commencing even as I tick off every item needed for this tour. 
Departure is set for October 10th, Monday, with a direct flight from Newark to New Delhi where after hanging out overnight in the NEW airport we will continue on to Kathmandu for a three night stay. 
A one hour flight on Buddah Air (recently sighted for improperly calibrated scales), will set us down in Pokhara. Two nights in Lakeside, the tourist area of Pokhara, with time to purchase supplies in Mahandrepul, we will arrive on Monday at the Monastery to begin teaching. (From the monastery Lakeside is one walk/bus to HariChawk, then a 20 minute taxi ride.

Lake Phewa

Espresso and Cappuccino Shop, Lakeside

So that "we" up there refers to my traveling companion, Renee, another educator with that "open schedule". It's going to be a first for me,  not having to carry all that luggage into the squat! :-) Oh happy day!

Renee's Favorite Pastime

Renee has been diligently preparing a science curriculum with hands on activities, while I have been sorting and selecting materials to introduce to the Shedra monks, while modeling for them the aspects of an organized lesson plan. As the college monks move toward graduation, they will begin to be the teachers of the younger students. Presently the monastery hires teachers from outside the monastery and the teaching is textbook/rote/testing style. Renee and I hope to open some doors/minds revealing to the monks other approaches to sharing information.
I met with Lama Pema, oops, now Kenpo Pema and he acknowledged that even he himself is a "rambling" teacher. (My adjective, not his) For those of you unfamiliar with Kenpo Pema Wangdak, he is the co-founder and supporter of the Monastery, Recipient of the 2009 Ellis Island Medal of Honor (http://www.pr.com/press-release/151102), teacher and guide of the Sakya sect of Buddhism, residing in NYC. 

Kenpo Pema's Talk on Enthusiasm 
I find him to be a very comfortable, easy to listen to, interesting teacher. 

                                                             



I have been writing, emailing, sending books and magazines to the monks. This past Christmas I was flooded with joyful messages and photos from the monastery.

But in person is way better.

Washing Machines and Bose Sound Systems

As I hear the washing machine in the background and listen to Enya on the Bose, I realize just how far away I was. Much farther than miles. Washing my clothes by hand in a bucket of cold water was partly doable because I only had to wash 2-3 times a week as I wore my clothes for at least three days. Less hot water meant fewer hair washes and virtually no time spent on my "toilette".

There was so much less to maintain in Nepal. So much less to take care of. Much more time was available even without the accoutrements of my western life.

Owning less, thus cleaning less, straightening less, managing less gave space for more.

Can I live within the more and keep the less, which was truly more?

Two Days, Four Airports, Three Flights ...

and already 6 emails from my monks.

Home again.

There are so many things that I did not have time to write about. So many pictures that did not make it to the blog. So many tears shed on the last days.

On my next to last night I bundled all my stuff into 22 packages, and had a Chinese auction with my Shedra guys. I haven't laughed and screamed that much in ages. They really know how to pray, live and play!

 Chinese Auction

Better yet check out a video moment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtKwAZb-rWk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sgom-bPq_A 

Morning Assembly

I never go away with expectations,

I always come home filled with gratitude.

Thanks for coming along

Pema Ts'al Monastic Institute, Pohkara, Nepal

Last Shedra Class

In a week of many lasts, this one was the deepest last. Having taught the Shedra college class for an hour every day, which sometimes stretched into another half an hour, for 2 and a half months, many exchanges occurred. Threats for tardiness, teasing interactions, nicknames created, scored papers returned, a sea of 22 faces distinctly intent on listening and learning, and a final class average of 91; could a teacher ever be any happier?

So for our final class, the top three students were recognized. First place with a 100 average Jampa Dkakpa, also renamed Double One Hundred, second honors to Ngawang Rigzen, with an average of 100, just less of them then Jampa. The third place student, Pemsi Lhundrup with an average of 99 and I had to make a fourth for Sam's 98 average. Small gifts of some NRupees and the joy from their Ms. Foster in presenting their due finished the final class. 

 Double One Hundred

Ngawang Rigzen

  Pemsi Lhundrup

 Sam - Kunga Sangpo

Shedra Class with Kenpo (Abbot)

Tibetan Year 2137

It is the Gregorian year 2010, but the Tibetan year is 2137, and it is the year of the male iron tiger. The days preceding the new year are spent in puja as our monks are now doing. Traveling several hours away to another monastery, the monks performed a puja on Saturday and Sunday. Yesterday and today they were in puja from 6:00 AM till 5:00 PM, with breaks for tea and food. (Sometimes tea is brought into the worship hall for them.)

The tailor is busy making final preparations on the lama dance costumes and the masks are all laid out on the tables for rehearsals. 

Known in Tibetan as Cham, "lama dance" refers to a specific form of dance performed in the context of meditative rituals and ceremonies in the monasteries. Generally, these dances represent an enactment of certain sacred rites pertaining to the countering of obstructive forces that hinder the life and well-being of the community...The symbolic clearing away of all the negativities and obstructive forces accumulated over the passing year sets the tone for the coming year to begin anew - with purity, auspiciousness and joy. (http://www.tibetanknowledge.org/provisional/more_3.html)

 

  

 

 Yesterday for tea there were pakoras, rather hot ones, but a very special snack indeed. They were delicious, albeit deep fried. Today there was another special snack, some dough cookie that also looked like it had been fried. The pre-holiday energy is bubbling over.