june 12, 2009... yak butter tea... well... yuk...

started the morning with a visit to jokhang temple… my, such a refreshing experience.. different than 2006, but amazing just the same… interesting going with a different guide at a different time… and, with saga dawa still going, the pilgrimages are still under way, bringing people from all over the region… really, very… VERY cool…

had a HUGE lunch at a real tibetan restaurant… WAY too much food… momos… yak tongue (no, I did not partake of the tongue.. i know i’m a wuss)… but, I did finally try yak butter tea… it was better than I’d anticipated, but – seriously – it’s kind of like eating a melted stick of slightly sour butter… i suppose it’s an acquired taste… one that i’m pretty sure i can live without… but I’m glad I tried it anyway :)

no near-death experiences involving motorized vehicles but we’re off to namtso lake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namtso) for an overnight with my new friends tomorrow… five hours each way… so one never knows! (kidding)… looking forward to getting some great pics of the waning full moon over the lake…

ok… outta here until sunday afternoon tibet-time…

p.s. beds in tibet are the most uncomfortable on earth... period!

june 11, 2009... insanity behind the wheel...

ok... if you've never been to asia... the driving is INSANE! absolute friggin' chaos... now... take the drivers to 13,000 feet above sea level, and it's like a whole new flavor of crazy-licious... lanes? ha! traffic lights? if they even exist, they're more like "guidelines"... so... after the craziest cab ride EVER! (imagine a driver going a bazillion miles an hour through town, honking his horn as if it’ll run out of steam… a dog crossing the street… and three americans cowering... covering their eyes and screaming, “OH GOD!!! OH GOOOODDDD!!!! DON’T HIT THE DOG!!!!” (we're pretty sure we missed it)…. yeah… my morning was something like that…

had another great day at the school… a few kids have become almost fully attached themselves to my hips, but that’s ok… they need attention and affection as much as education… probably more… and i can’t deny that hearing “teacher! teacher!” and seeing the rush of kids when we walk into the courtyard isn’t the coolest thing… really, words can’t describe how amazing this whole experience has been so far…

anyhoo, learning my way around the city and picking up the odd tibetan phrase here and there… (and horribly mis-pronouncing everything, much to the locals’ entertainment)... headed to the jokhang temple today (friday, my time)... then to class for the afternoon... tomorrow (saturday here), we're off to namtso lake, one of tibet's holiest lakes and the highest saltwater lake in the world... staying overnight in a tent and freezing our asses off... yay! SO excited!

june 10, 2009... foot reflexology rocks!

another great day… the children have fully warmed up to my presence… and run up in the courtyard, asking when their next english class is… sweet… and one of the littlest girls in class I sneaked through the crowd in front of me and slid a little ring on my finger… with two little hearts entwined… she scurried away, blushing… and i just welled up… these kids have nothing, yet share so much… wouldn’t it be great if we could all be so generous?

was with class III, “the performers”, in the afternoon… after going over some basic verb usage and feeling a little bored with it myself… so i started asking them about sports (most of the olympic sports) and giving them the english names… it was awesome… everything from volleyball and tennis… to boxing and… yes, bullfighting… watching them act out the sport they wanted to know was hysterical…

after school, we went to the foot reflexology place next to the school ... and OMG… it was AMAZING… (imagine having your feet put into increasingly hotter... and hotter water... and then someone beating the crap out of em... in a good way... )painful, but amazing… i swear, i’m going back at least one more time! shhhhhhhh….

ended with another night of silliness at dunya… glad tomorrow is a late class day ;)

june 9, 2009 ... phew!

busy, busy day… five classes… finally got to meet classes II and IV… another adventure in class I (and more drawings… yay!)… this time solo… and on my own with class III, with various goofy performances by the students… (they wanted me to sing... oh, lordie... but diverted them by asking them to sing for me... close one!)

i’m really enjoying the off-time with the kids… trying to pick up a few words in tibetan… listening to “teacher! teacher!… head, shoulders, knees and toes… knees and toes”… over and over… learning their version of jacks… but played with rocks… and, of course, the usual young girls clap games… i’m truly appreciative at how they’ve warmed up to me… i had expected at least a few days of distance… but it’s all hugs all the time… and, yes, I’m going through purell like a madwoman…

and the school just built two GREAT greenhouses... diggin' that sustainability thing...

other than that, kathy – the teacher from boston arrived today… so it was nice meeting and getting acquainted with her…

seem to be dealing with the altitude just fine… and i’ve decided that whoever created purell is a genius and that lhasa boogers are camp boogers on steroids…

BTW... I took the bus home all by my lonesome today... like a big kid!!!! and i didn't get lost... yay!

june 8, 2009... teacher lady...

so today was my first day teaching at jatson chumig… only two classes, with brian taking the lead so I could get a feel for each class’ general level of knowledge… class I (the youngest… and rowdiest : ) and class III a bunch of

smart, SMART kids… classes aren’t arranged by age, really… but, for the most part, by ability level….

and, man, class I (ages ranging from 5 to 9), while short-attention-span-theater central, are about the most endearing group of kids you could hope to meet… from strong, silent and sometimes frustrated sonam sangpo (wish I’d kept up better on my signing)… to helpful tenzin norbu… mischief-filled karma (yeah, funny, eh?) and my new appendage, beautiful tenzin dolkar… they’re all amazing… a little tiring, too… but in a good way! and, so cute… after class, about five or six brought me notes… pictures or simple phrases in tibetan… but … blllluuuuhhhh… heart totally mushed…

class III (somewhere in the 9-13 age range)… wow! you SO wouldn’t know they hadn’t had any english lessons in the six months… these kids are sharp, sharp sharp… some of them incredibly witty, too… if they can find a way to give you a bit of a hard time, they will… all in good fun, of course… but they’re old enough to push a few boundaries… and they want to make sure you can laugh at yourself…

BTW... the soccer ball is a HUGE hit (thanks, David!)... the basketballs need to wait until some sort of fence can be built to protect the greenhouses... but the anticipation is definitely there... :)

after school, i met some friends of brian’s who are studying english… lovely young ladies with some real ambitions… some want to become teachers… some tour guides… some of them simply want to return to their home villages and bring the english language back to help their families… all of them come from other parts of tibet lhasa to study… all of them were incredibly impressive… and, in one of life’s most touching and significant moments, brian and I were given the amazing and humbling honor of bestowing one beautiful young woman’s (an amazing gal... a nomad.. who trekked to lhasa to learn english... )... english name… "catherine"... :)

cool... cool day...

june 7, 2009... ack! everything i have already reeks of yak butter!

first full day in lhasa… gorgeous and HOT… weird, eh? anyhoo, brian and i circumnabulated the bakhor a few times again throughout the day with all the pilgrims here for saga dawa… the crowds were amazing… young and old, alike… prostrating around the jokhang and the potala… families having picnics in the park around the potala… so nice (even though... well... we're weren't really ummmm... "supposed" be walking in the gardens behind the potala... we kinda did anyway... and, yes, it was noticed... whups!…)

also wandered round a few rather questionable corners near the barkhor (won't know if you don't go!)... and came across a small temple amid a lama blessing, which was just pretty dang cool… we also went over to the school so i could get my bearings for my first day of teaching… i’m excited! a little nervous, too… so are the kids, i think, as there haven’t been any volunteers here for about eight months… they were shy at first… but giving hugs within a few hours… the school is amazing… needs a lot of work, but brian and tenzin are tackling projects head-on…

really, it’s one thing hear about the work under way… a completely different thing to see it happening and realizing that these kids are sleeping two or three to a bed because the dormitories are in such a state of disrepair…

but these children are so happy… so kind… so helpful… really, it’s amazing…

there’s more to say about my day, but some stories can only be told in person…besides, pictures can tell some stories so much better...

hope everyone is well...

june 6, 2009 ... to the roof, with ya’

flight to lhasa pretty uneventful… was really feeling out of it in the a.m…. like i could fall asleep at any moment… was nervous for a bit until i realized that instead of taking my altitude sickness med, I’d popped an ambian… whups!…

anyhoo… lines, line, lines… no extra charge for second bag… on the domestic flight… yay... sleep… and... as we were coming in for the landing and watching these amazing peaks envelope us, three really cool songs hit my ipod in a row… "happiness," blue nice; "jig of life," kate bush; and "when I’m gone," ani defranco… i was probably the only one in tears upon touchdown… so happy to be back!!!

anyhow, more forehead scanning… driver there… yay… pretty quite ride (found the tibetan mastiff puppy farm! no, meg, i won’t buy one there!).. passed about a bazillion... ummmm... big green trucks... (you people are smart)... and then onto the hotel…

yes… the cool yak… ha! funny place… find the teensiest, odor-filled alley you can find… turn left… and the cool yak is straight ahead… and it’s this little oasis… just newly opened… no wi-fi (wah) but there’s a café across the street that has it… so that’ll work! really, the cool yak is nice… clean… like every other hotel in Tibet, the beds are like rock (and my flat iron still won’t heat up… i think it might be dead... waaaaaahhhh! ) other than that, great… my new friend brian… and the school asst. director, tenzin, met me there, which was really nice…

no way i was going "rest"... too dang excited... so brian and i went out for a few laps around the barkhor… and talking with people… we’re in the middle of the holy time of saga dawa (the birth, enlightenment and death of buddha all rolled into one)... so there are many pilgrims in tibet… prostrating praying… amazing…

then dinner/drinks at dunya, which is run by a great couple from Holland… rather odd feeling sitting in a restaurant/bar steps from jokhang palace with zepplin and pink floyd blaring… overall a good night…gorgeous moon! brian is a wealth of information about the school…

we’re going to over tomorrow to check it out.. and i start work there on Monday…

i know why i’m here… and that’s a good thing…

June 5, 2009 (continued) ... fine, quick shower, and it’s time to explore…

after going to three different stores to buy water because NO ONE want to make change for 100 yuan (the monetary equivalent of about $13… seriously!)… i wander my way toward wenshu monastery… which, on the handy dandy pocket map i’ve got, looks to be about a half-mile away… but, in reality, is about three miles away… alas… it was good to walk… check out the local color… earn my first vaca blisters... you know... the good stuff!

chengdu, by china standards, is not a huge city (which means it is STILL huge but its nowhere near shanghai or beijing uber-gigantor… surprisingly, i was one of about two white faces… and certainly the only woman strolling alone… so i did the only thing i could… walked like i owned the place (humbly, of course :)….

the gardens were beautiful (and there’s a great big pond where all discarded red-eared sliders go to live out there days… oh... flash... java... here, turtle, turtle, turtle..!)… and the crowds sparse… i just perused the grounds, where dozens of older chinese congregated to talk, play games and practice their instruments…. all of them friendly and inviting… really, it was quite peaceful… until…

i get waved over by a young man… not attractive.. but not unattractive… who wants to practice his english… he’s sitting with a bunch of older people who are playing cards so… ok… why not (and, maybe, i can get a pic, right? wrong!)… starts out ok enough… makes some small talk… and then says he works for “lonely planet” (hmmmmm... oookkkkk)… and is writing about the best places backpackers like to see in chegndu… ummmm… ok… he then declares that he must take me out to dinner the next night to see the chengdu opera…

argh! i silently beg him to see that... 1) i’m married… see the ring (why don’t men ever see the ring?)… 2) even if i weren’t, there’s not one ounce of interest… and 3) if i want to spend an evening listening to cats in heat, all i have to do is jump the fence to el dorado park when the season is right… bleh… no thanks… and when he “insisted” we go tonight… i just said a polite "no, thank you"... and walked away with him yelling after me… in a monastery… weird..

as i was nearing the end, i found the monastery's much-touted veggie restaurant … damn, i wish I’d even been remotely hungry…

on the trek back, i recalled passing an open-air market among the hutongs and thought… "oh yeah… this i gotta see"… i’m sure i was a strange site wandering the back alleys, but everyone was friendly and showed off their wares… fruits, vegs, whole chickens and TONS of meat… i SO wanted to take pics of it all but was respectful, asked... and put the camera down when they said "no" (poop!)… anyhoo, very cool to see how food is supposed to be bought… food that is grown or raised by your neighbor… fresh… simplicity is exquisite …

hoofed it back for my hotel… and headed down to the bar with my laptop in one arm and tony in another… had dinner… a few beers… and wrote and read… ended up in a card game with a few kids from the uk who’d been traveling the world for nearly five months… lucky! nice enough kids… and i sort of learned the game sh*thead… mmmmmkkkk…

june 5, 2009... i’m here! whoot!

phew! what a ride so far…

ok.. to try to keep this in some kind of nutshell… first off, business class totally rocks my socks… breeeeeezed through check-in… had a whole separate line for security… sat in a nifty lounge and sashayed my way to my gate round about 1:20 a.m. PDT… taken to a kick-butt little cube that was all my own… fully reclining chair… immediately handed a glass of cool, crisp… and referred to by name instantly… ROCK STAR.. (go ahead, all of you who are used to this treatment, chuckle away… pbbbhhhttt… all i can i say is… you had a first time, too! ;)

anyhoo, for a pretty decent meal (although, really people… there are ways to include SOME sort of protein on a vegetarian meal… ) … another glass or so… my friend, ambian and i had a little chat… tilted my seat back… started “frost vs. nixon” on my personal screen… aaaaannnnndddd… woke up approximately 9 hours later, realizing i had only made it through about 20 minutes of the flick… yay!

so i finished the movie… and dug into “fight club”… and, voila! i'm in hong kong…

jumped off the plane and immediately started looking for the “i’m in business class and my poop don’t stink” lounge… little problem.. there are three of them in HK airport… and every person i asked not only pointed me in a different direction, but NONE of them mentioned i had to go through transfer security before i could get to any of them… really, my bad, having been through this airport twice before, i really should have remembered this… alas…

anyway, after working my way through the line (no special treatment this time.. boo!)… i found my way across the MILES of terminals known as HK airport and found the SWEET lounge… with some seriously tasty noodles (and some protein.. hazzah!)…

flight to chengdu was relatively uneventful… although biz class wasn’t quite a neat on dragon air… still, not bad, either… great service, esp. as there were two stewardesses (is that the PC term these days?) serving three of us… the crisp, clear was flowing… yes, i actually had to say “no, thank you”… weird… anyhoo, finished “fight club”… picked up “kitchen confidential”… and we landed… then, it got weird…

so the Chinese gov’t is ALL paranoid about this swine flu thing, right? (but thanks for SARS, really!)… seriously, people in masks come onto the plane and stick this laser gun thingy to everyone’s head to see if you have pretty much any sort of fever… if you do, BOOM three day’s quarantine… not kidding… so all i’m doing is sitting there, thinking “igloo,” “ice cream,” “arctic circle”… brrrrrrr…! anyhoo, it was fine, but then i had to fill out a form telling them where i’d be for the next seven days… OK, no, i don’t like lying… esp. to people who can kick my butt out their country with a pound of a stamp… but i also couldn’t say, “well, i’m headed to tibet in the a.m.”… so, i put down the number of the hostel i’m staying at tonight and kept my fingers crossed… OMG! the cross-examination… the guy asks me to lists my cell phone… “ummmm… i don’t have one… that’s the number of my hotel”… “WHAT?!”… three supervisors and a new pair of panties later, and i’m practically running for baggage claim… phew!

a few miscommunications with the gal who met me outside of the gate, and i’m on the way to my hostel… the driver speaks no english… fine… ok… we’re five minutes in the ride, and the driver pulls over… and my “greeter” jumps out of the car… and waves good-bye as the driver hits the gas… WTF????? great, i’m going to end up in some chengdu back alley… right? so, trying to not hyperventilate, i just sit there and smile… and smile.. and smile… and watch the road signs… 3^rd ring road… 2^nd ring road… 1^st ring road… again, phew… i’m at sims cozy guest hostel! (btw... if you're ever in chengdu... it's quiet, clean... and you can get your own room w/pretty damn comfy bed and private bathroom for about $20/night... whoot!)

ok… this entry has gone on long enough… so i’ll save the rest of chengdu for tomorrow… up next… a freaky, american redhead wanders the streets of chengdu alone… and gets asked out while visiting a monastery… hahahahaha!!!!!

tick... tock...

“listen very closely, there’s nothing worth having that comes without a risk... sometimes, it’s not important which way you jump... just that you jump!” — ida j. mancini


t-minus 48 hours and i’ll be on my way to lax... the packing is (nearly) done...


teaching materials? check!


far too many books? ding!


more nutrition bars and granola than i can realistically eat? yup!


laminated picture of my cat for HI-larious photo opps? oh, yeah!


a pharmacy full of meds? booyah!


enough purell to last me at least three years? check-a-roonie!


and, of course, my beloved moxy... ? abso-flippin-loutely!



...and, oh, yeah... clothes... i managed to fit those in there somewhere, too... :)


now, if i can just shake off the terror my mom put in my head about having even the slightest fever and being thrown in chinese quarantine for three days (thanks, mommy! ;)... i’ll be peachy...


closing my eyes... crossing my fingers... and jumping...

having a "moment"

ahhhh.... so the “real” countdown begins... and, to be honest, i’m feeling a bit overwhelmed... like there is so much i need to do but — i’m kinda floundering... i’m so disorganized (which is incredibly inconvenient for the perpetually anal-retentive, like myself)... the suitcase is out with piles of clothes (most of which i’ll probably ditch) and other crap strewn across my living room (books, gizmos, adapters/converters, meds, blah, blah, blah)... ack! how many pairs of pants? how many shoes? do i bring the heavy jacket? where are my lesson plans? who am i? :)

this adventure has been a looooooong time in the making... so why am i, the super-planning queen of A-R, procrastinating? it’s just not me...

taking an honest gander, it’s a combination of things... concerns that something will happen and i’ll, once again, be delayed... trepidation about what’s in store... and, well, dang near paralysis after a year of a butt-kicking economy... getting back to school and them heavy things that can only be put upon oneself... my energy level just isn’t at its typical, high-octane norm...

fact is, i’m beat.

across the board... it’s been a bumpy year... i entered a whole new, rather painful demographic... threw my butt back into the world of academia (which i so adore... really, it’s been such a blessing).... lost people i love (one of whom i especially miss every damn day)... questioned my place in this world... lost copious amounts of sleep regarding the professional ramifications of this whacked economy... dealt with some big family history issues... and attempted to juggle it all and keep a smile on my face (most likely, unsuccessfully)... phew... it’s been trying... and it’s taken its toll... i’m really... REALLY worn (yet canNOT sleep)...

yes, i'm tired... BUT there’s one thing i know — i’m sure as heck am not down for the count...

i’m not a believer in the notion of “things happen for a reason”... and, certainly, don’t buy into the “there’s a plan” idea... but, truth be told, this trip is coming at the perfect time, personally (professionally? not so much... NOW i’m busy! :)... some sorting out is in order... sacrifice... introspection (e.g.., “getting real with my bad self”... thanks, jp)... finding clarity and joy in simplicity... and, maybe, just giving myself a flippin’ break...

so that’s that... it’s the right trip... the right cause... the right time... mid-life crisis...? i’ve been accused of that before... and, shoot, if i live to see 80, i’d be shocked... but it is something... an evolution... a commitment to growing... learning... and trying to be better is how i prefer to see it...

ok... now, where the hell are my lesson plans?

i learned something today...

so... was up at the fair-to-middlin' buttcrack o'dawn... and headed to lovely downtown la to the chinese consulate to apply for my travel visa (why i still never remember how to get there, despite this being my third trip, is somewhat beyond me)...

it's strange but (other than the actual hassle of getting there) i completely dig going to the consulate... not sure why... it just kind of makes me giggle... the oddly efficient, yet wholly inefficient, system... the bureaucratic paperwork (after bringing the competely filled-out app with you, you're told to fill out another form, giving them much of the same info)... the mixture of cultures all from one country... the complete and utter absence of "personal space"... the hacking, spitting, coughing and other bodily... ummm... functions that, here in the west, are generally suppressed out of our filtered sense of "good taste"... the screaming (and subsequent security-escorted exits) when things don't go one's way (to quote the hitchiker's guide, "resistence is useless!"... it's a brilliant reminder of (and preparation for) the country and culture i'm about to walk back into... no matter how many times you go, it's a culture shock...

anyone who says visiting china is not a wake-up call to the western psyche either didn't pay attention or "viewed" this country and its people from the physically and emotionally sterile environment of an air-conditioned bus with 60 other foreigners looking to tick another item off the "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" checklist"... they didn't walk through the streets at night, unescorted... only ate at their hotel (or the wherever their tourguide took them)... and spent little to no time even attempting to talk to anyone who actually lives there...

they saw landmarks, not a country... which is a damn shame, as there is so much more... but that's another entry... and i digress (not so shocking :)

ANYHOO... back to the consulate... while happily bobbing along, i realized the true reason i like being there was during a conversation i had with an older gentleman sitting next to me who is going back to his hometown outside of guangzhou. he hasn't been there in nearly 10 years... has grandchildren he's never met... and can't wait to go back to what remains for him, even after 25 years in the u.s., "normal life"... and it was in that moment that it became so ridiculously obvious... simply enough, i love the hope... the excitement of those who have dealt with culture shocks of their own, preparing to go back to their roots... to the familiar... friends, family, traditions... and food... (really, he spent 20 minutes telling me all about what he couldn't wait to eat when he got there... which rocked)...

i realized that, when it comes down to it... it's about home... no matter where one wanders, it always call...

hmmmm... as different as we all are, we're so much the same...

k



oh, and, brian... i should have my visa next friday :)

so the official countdown begins...

yup... five weeks until i haul my rear to jatson chumig... and, yes, ms. anal-retentive is totally behind... ack and a half!

ok... so, my flights are booked... i have my hotels... i even have some friends who i can't wait to finally meet face to face (hi, brian and kathy!!!!) ... what i don't have is my chinese visa (whups!)... i promise, it's on my to-do list for early next week... and, annoyingly enough, what i DO have is a box of stuff to ship out... but even that is woefully lacking in what i actually need... which are appropriate lessons... i mean, it's tough to predict how much these kids have/have not already learned, right? sooooo... my solution? laptop, baby!

after incessant internal debate, i've decided to drag one with me... not only can i keep and print out useful worksheets (as needed), but it'll allow me to annoy the heck out of all of you with daily blog entries and pics... at least that's the intent... (i know... i know... you just can't wait.... ;) ... and, yes, it's HI-larious that a region that seems to have nearly NO elevators offers wi-fi... (ain't irony a kick?)

anyhoo, it's with an ideal blend of anticipation and, well, fear that i face this challenge... i'm excited about the work with these children and new experiences... thrilled with the idea of returning to one of the most beautiful lands and people i've ever had the fortune to come across... and, yes, a little scared... not of anything bad, of course... just about missing those closest to me... about moving out of my comfort zone... yet... i know i've never gone wrong doing so before (kananaskis, baby!)... still, it's been a long time since i truly challenged myself to venture forth...and i've never traveled so far to do something that totally scares the crap out of me... but i made a promise to come back and help... i'm nowhere near perfect (NOWHERE), but there's nothing that would stop me from keeping this particular promise...

and for those who know what i'm talking about, i've come to realize i chose exactly the right gold (yeller.. ha!) challenge... i believe that my understanding and caring of others will increase exponentially with this experience... at base, i'm totally aware that this will be worth the wait .. in fact, it may turn out to be even better than if i'd gone last year, as originally planned... (and, yes, tibet will see a ragger's point... and not just the one on my back :).

i would be brave...

alrighty then!

ok... so... yay! yay! yay! yay! yay! tibet did, in fact, reopen april 5... so we're all systems go! actually, it's just kind of hitting me that this is really *finally* going to happen... i think i so had this overplanned last year and then was so disappointed, that i didn't want to get all a-twitter and then have to cancel again... anyhoo, water - bridge... :)

NOW, i've got to get off my duff and get my chinese visa next week... and book my hotel...

sadly, the lhasa rumor mill ;) is reporting that my intended lodgings, the kirey hotel, may be no more... so, it's looking like the yak hotel will be my home for two-plus weeks...


the *real* tragedy is that tashi II, the yummiest place in town, might also be gone... WHAT? you mean i have to go to the other side of town to tashi I for dinner? harrumph! ;)

and, bonus, my oft-emailed but never actually met friend, brian (who does some *really* great work for the jatson chumig school, where i'll be volunteering for two weeks), will be in lhasa around the same time so it looks like i've got a rambling around buddy... cool...

excited!

like deja vu all over again...

you know, one would think i'd be much better at this whole "waiting" thing after what happened with last year's trip...

but i'm not.

once again, TAR is closed to foreigners... and, here i am, waiting to find out, well, if i'm going to have to cancel this trip... again... i'll be honest and say i feel more optimistic about this than last time... BUT... there's still that part of me that's thinking, "dagnabit... maybe i'm just NOT meant to do this... at least not at this point in my life..." i don't like to think negatively, but i can't help but wonder if there's something else i'm supposed to be doing... somewhere else i'm supposed to go to help...

the rumor mill is saying that foreigners will be permitted back as of april 1... if so, great... all sytems go... even may 1 would be peachy... but i AM going to have to figure out a hardstop... at what point to i pull my ducks and make other arrangements...? oh... yes... no matter what, i'm headed somewhere to volunteer on june 4...

any backup suggestions?

booked!

whoot! got my flights all booked... had enough miles for first class... unfortunately, no seats, dagnabit... it's ok, i'll survive in biz class (ahhhhh... business class...) actually, the flights are FAR less chaotic than those i'd booked last year...

anyhoo, i'm leaving lax at about 2 a.m. (ugh!) on june 4, have three-hour layover in hong kong... and end up in chengdu around 1 p.m. on the 5th.. i'll have about 24 hours in chengdu... will be interesting to see the recovery after last year's earthquake... i'm hoping to get over to the panda preserve but i'm not holding my breath about it... and, as much as i wanted to see the massive leshan buddha, it just 'aint gonna happen... next time! :) i WILL, though, have plenty of time to check out wen shu temple and eat obscene quantities of mapo dofu.... which, according legend, has its roots in chengdu.... mmmmmm... spicy!

i head off to Lhasa at about 1 p.m. on the 6th... and will most likely make the kirey hotel my home for the subsequent 15 days... i know. you're jealous... actually, you should be because the tashi II restaurant is right next door and it serves up some seriously tasty curry! rumor has it that it offers a fairly reliable internet, too, which is great, as i'm seriously considering taking a laptop with me. I'll have a day or so to get acclimated to lhasa's 13,000-foot elevation (waaaalllkkk sloooowwwww), before i begin my two-week (m-f) stint at jatson chumig school and orphanage, which is a short busride from the kirey. take a moment and check out the website. there's some really amazing stuff going on.







not sure what i'll do with my free weekend in the middle... would like to get out to namtso lake, one of tibet's three holy lakes and the highest salt-water lake in the world... pretty cool, eh? didn't get the chance to see it 2006 so it's at the top of my to-do list. also want to be sure to venture out to ganden monastery, as well as meander through lhasa's muslim quarter at some point.

anyhoo, i'll be heading home june 21... exhausted, but happy, i'm sure... that's about it for now... looking forward to FINALLY embarking on this long-awaited adventure!

rescheduling

ok... welp... it looks like i've finally... sort of... picked my new dates... woohoo!

i should be finished up with school may 21 so... after a few days to let myself breathe, i'll take off round about may 27... work at jatson chumig from june 1-12... and then... ummmm... either explore for a few more days or head straight home (haven't really decided yet...)

this is a slightly different trip than originally planned, as my dad can't join me for the extended trip... nonetheless, i'm excited about this challenge... it's been a long time in the making/waiting, but i truly believe it'll be worth it!

somebody call me a waaaaahhhmmmbulance!

alright... i give up... it's not something i do easily... and, truth be told, it feels like crap... something in me is SURE that, now that i've canceled all my reservations and postponed my trip until next april, tibet will reopen to foreigners... sigh...

amazing how much work it takes to make travel arrangements, yet how quickly one can cancel em all!

some have kindly suggested i find another school... in another country... where things aren't so "unstable"... and, while i appreciate their intentions and good wishes (and i know there are children throughout this world who need help/hope/happiness), this has become a quest... so, i'm diggin' my heels in...

i guess this continues to be an exercise in patience for me... thank goodness i'm stubborn... :)

updates to resume in 2009... but feel free to visit the jatson chumig school and orphanage website and learn more about this very special place!

c'mon...

open... open... open... (face smashed up against airport glass)

ferrrrrustrerated...

in the immortal words of my daughter when she was a toddler, i'm incredibly frustrated by reports that the chinese government may have reversed its decision to allow foreigners back into the TAR may 1 (something in me kept from whooping it up when the may 1 date was thrown out there... one of the moments that being a cynic comes in handy, i suppose)... i'm still waiting for confirmation from my contacts in lhasa, but am feeling a bit low about it.

granted, it's not a deal-breaker... i'll just have to reschedule the trip for october (or, worst case next may/june)... but it's a pricey bummer, not to mention that the plans my father and i had to travel tibet together after i was done helping at jatson chumig will pretty much be doa... sigh...

back to the waiting game... final decision to pull the plug will be made the first week of may....