Stuck in Delhi

Hello VIS friends,

We're waiting for clear weather in Leh to allow for a flight to Ladakh. In the meantime we'll be staying at Hotel USA in Paharganj (phone nos: 011-23551455, 23551448). Students remain positive despite the delay, though everyone is excited to settle down at SECMOL soon.

I've posted some photos from the first ten days (students giving presentations on Buddhist concepts at the Songtsen library, rafting near Rishekesh, and our first group breakfast on the roof of Hotel USA). All photos from this and some previous semesters can be seen here.

~James

Pre-Ladakh

Hello everyone,
Everything here has been amazing so far, we are all getting to know each other and already working very well as a group. We all loved being at the Songtsen Library. We spent a lot of time with the monks, we took two classes a day. At the end we did presentations on different parts of Buddhism, in front of our group and a few monks. We went on a hike two days ago to Mussorie. It was very far and difficult, also it was mostly uphill. We all managed to encourage each other and kept going. It was a great accomplishment I'm surprised but very happy that we all did it. I am already learning a lot about myself along this trip and its only been a week. I am learning that I can accomplish things solo, but also as a group. We have a great group and I am looking forward to getting to know these kids even more when we arrive at school. :)

Nicole

A VISpa Student Talks!

Well hello all in those good old United States of America. I am Max Hausslein, one of us students doing the India journey, reporting live from some random internet cafe in New Delhi. CURRENTLY we are stuck in the smoggy city due to foul weather up north towards Leh, but it's not that bad. It just rained, a nice cool down (kind of) from the humid heat, for the first time, although it was for only around 15 minutes. Delhi is and has been in no way the highlight of our pre-Ladakh adventures, however. Although I believe a bit of our adventures have been covered elsewhere in the blog, before we arrived here midday yesterday, we cleansed ourselves in the Ganges on some white water rafts, studied devoutly in a Buddhist library, played volleyball with some monks, and even hiked some very long distance up some very steep hills through some very remote territories, the reward being a very col place and view. All in all, good times.

So as I sit here in this alleyway (which really is quite something) I cross my fingers that we'll get a flight soon to Leh. In the meantime, I'll enjoy the unique sights of birds' nests of electricity wires, the stench of a local "public bathroom" and haggle with some nifty merchants for some nifty gifts. Even if this sounds pessimistic, it's not - it's just all very different from the little green mountain state we call home.

Over and out, Max Hausslein

Songtsen & Mussoorie

Yesterday was a long day, we hiked roughly 13 miles from outside of Dehradun to the mountain village of Mussoorie, at around 6,000 feet. It was a beautiful hike, first following a prayer flag festooned river up, then winding through villages appearing out of the greenery, little children chasing after us, peeking through fences, their giggling giving them away. Mussoorie always seemed just around the next bend, as we climbed on, heading towards the distant dots on the horizon. Finally, we could clearly see white buildings jutting out of the steep hillside, or as Tashi put it, "hanging like a beehive" off the edge of the mountain. Arriving in Mussoorie we had a hasty snack on a balcony overlooking the vast valley we had just climbed, then piled onto a bus for a long windy ride down. The past week was spent outside of Dehradun, at the Songtsen Library and Center for Tibetan studies, learning the Ladakhi/Tibetan alphabet, and doing a short weeklong introduction to Buddism, all taught by the Drikung Kagyu monks of Songtsen. Songtsen is an amazing place to study, beautiful library housing vast scrolls and more modern Buddism books. Students all presented a short presentation on one of three topics: The Wheel of Life, The 8 Fold Path, and the 4 Noble Truths. Keep an eye on the Songtsen Library website, they were eager to post photographs of our group and our presentations on their website.

After an early morning (3am!) start, we caught the train from Dehradun to Delhi, and arrived around 11am this morning in Delhi. Students are checking internet and calling home now, and tomorrow we fly to Ladakh, our home for the rest of the semester. After the crush and crowds of Delhi, we're all looking forward to a little space in Ladakh!
-Amy