We’re finished with our first two weeks of class now. It’s strange to think both that I’ve only been here that long and also that I have been here that long. Weekdays are starting to feel pretty routine now, but weekends are still different. This morning I went to morning prayers as usual. Then I went for a walk down across the stream that runs next to the campus. I saw a girl walking three goats, which amused me because at first I thought they were dogs. After breakfast we talked about the party tomorrow. So about the party tomorrow…some of us in the group wanted to have some sort of get together for our group and the students here, because we (well I feel this way anyway) felt like we weren’t really meeting that many students here. I talk to my roommate some, and I sit with students here at lunch, but aside from that I don’t think I really interact with many of the students here, which I think is really sad, because I didn’t come to India to just hang out with the American students. I know I could just try harder, but I’m afraid of committing all sort of faux pas or something. So anyway, we’re having a party, but it’s going to be totally different than any college party at home. Dancing isn’t allowed on campus, so we’re going to play games. They’re mostly the kind of games I think of as playing at orientation or maybe camp. I hope it’s fun though. If all else fails, at least there will be tea and biscuits.
After we talked about the party, I went to talk to my roommate, because one of our assignments is to write a life history about our roommates. She’s pretty amazing. I can’t imagine being away from my whole family for as long as she’s been, but she came here to get an education, because she couldn’t get one back in Tibet.
In the afternoon, I walked up to lower Dharamsala with Will. It took us about three hours, it was uphill, and we got slightly lost a few times, but we made it, and it was actually kind of fun. All in all, I’d say it was worth it. There were some pretty nice views along the way, we both bought what we needed, and Will got to play with a cow along the way. We didn’t walk back though (we wouldn’t have been back in time for dinner if we had). We made it back in time for dinner, and now here I am in the computer lab.