Tuesday, June 23, 2009

A day in the life of a guy named Christian in a Buddhist Studies program


4:56 AM Nepalese Standard Time (which is something like 9 hours and 45 minutes ahead of EDT):  Wake up.  Usually to the sound of either dogs fighting in the alley or the 120 decible gongs ringing out monastic orders.  
5:00: Open the door to my room to let the light and cool breeze pass through.  Stand on the balcony looking out over a monastery (see photo) and reflect a wee bit.
5:01:  Read a little Forward Movement to set the tone for the day.
5:05:  Push ups and sit ups to get the blood pumping.  It is also the only time I allow myself a little Ipod action.
5:10:  Read a little.  Currently reading the Life of Milarepa for class or the Brothers Karamazov for pleasure.  I just sit out on my balcony and watch the day break, pretty sweet.
6:00 Head for the shower.  The bathroom is shared and about 4'x8'.  The shower is a faucet opposite the sink.  However, there is hot water so life is still pretty good.  Shower time is no longer an automatic function though.  Teeth need to be brushed with bottled water and TP needs to be thrown in a basket not the commode.  Interesting note, most guesthouses don't provide toilet paper, each person carries their own "important papers."
6:20 Head back and read a little more or if I'm feeling really industrious, translate a little Greek New Testament.
6:50 Gather Dave the Danish Public Affairs Officer and Zeid the British Boy genius and head for breakfast at another guest house.
7:00 Meet the breakfast crew: Julia from Chatanooga, Zain from Berkley, Elaine from the States along with Karen from Frankfurt and Nicki from Texas.  Breakfast is around 200 rupees (77 rupees to the dollar).  I have had banana/coconut/cinnamon porridge and a banana/apple pancake so far and both have been some of the best ever.  It also included a small pot of Nepali coffee which is also very good.  Discussions range from classroom review to breakdancing exhibitions in Thamel.
8:00 Meditation starts with Lama Gerry.  Thankfully we are moving slowly and don't do more than 15 or 20 minutes per session.  I am not limber, and even with my extra big cushion my feet go numb at about the 15 minute mark.  The meditations are open eyed which, surprisingly, I find really enjoying.  
9:00 Stretch like I'm about to run a marathon.
9:15 Class on the 37 practices of the Bodhisattva (more to come later)
10:45:  Stand up tentatively and let my feet and legs regain feeling, then stretch like I'm going to run another marathon.
11:00: Tibetan Buddhism overview (Lots more to come here.)
12:00 pm: Stretch and take and advil before heading to lunch.  Lunch is provided at the school's own restaurant and has been delicious.  Today was Momos but yesterday was rice and beans with Nepali cornbread...delicious.  
1:00: Review session with translator.  The poor guy gets bombarded with questions.  There are 14 of us in the class and we are all in way over our heads.
2:00: Read some more.  The monsoon season still hasn't set in, so the afternoons are almost intolerable due to dust and heat.  Catching up on the internet has also become an afternoon pastime.  
5:00: Run the neighborhood or work out a little in the room.  Lots of strange looks from people on the streets as the Westerner in shorts goes jogging by.  Tomorrow we're headed to a movie at this time and I imagine in the future this will be a timeframe for city exploration.
7:00: Head to dinner.  Usually something light and vegetarian (meats are a bit suspect around here).  I've taken to having a Carlsberg with dinner which is a nice way to round out the day.  My favorite restaurant is the Garden Kitchen which is very reasonable and has a secluded outdoor patio.  The place is usually crawling with students so this is where I catch up with all those folks in the Tibetan and Sanskrit language classes, pretty cool stories.  
8:30:  Head to house.  This usually consists of a bunch of westerners wandering the streets dropping each other off at varying guesthouses.  There are rolling blackouts every evening usually from 8-10 pm.  
9:00:  Read, reflect, pray and head to bed, the gongs come early! 
 

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