Taking one for the Team

Alright, so I'm not much of a blogger - in fact I',m out right against it - since it is one of the main factors in the demise of the major I spent $165,000 to claim my degree in.

But for this time, I'll take one for the team.

I am highly impressed with the VIS students. It is not easy to transplant yourself into another country - away from home and all that you thought you knew - let alone in a place that challenges the mind, body and all of the senses in such unprecedented ways. They are holding up their end of the bargain however, I would even go as far as saying they're "trucking right along".

Secmol has opened their door to us, after quite an adventure: rafting the Ganges, becoming novice Buddhists and getting stuck in Delhi for a couple days too long. We made it however, and have kicked off the semester in the right fashion, jumping right in (after a few days to acclimate) and "startin' the learnin'".

Teaching Buddhism to the students has opened my eyes into what is a great group of highly intelligent and introspective beings, that without even any introduction, one can tell these students have all been delving deep into what it means to be a part of this giant globe - perhaps even the much larger and more complex thing we call, the universe.

It's cold in Ladakh, but at least we can see the stars at night and breathe the fresh air that emanates from the bountiful mountains that encompass us.

Orion is just as visible as in my small wood-locked hometown in Maine...something that brings a little home to a land so far away.

De yak po duk.

Jullay,

Nicholas