I am a washing machine

swish swash splash
I am a washing machine.
I don't wash my clothes very often but when I do it is quite the experience.
I throw my podunk jeans, Harley Davidson t-shirt and darn tough socks into a bucket that has earlier in the trip been a puke bucket. Then I lug them from my room down the stairs, out the door and into the bathroom. The bathroom is a room with a bunch of sinks. I turn the faucet on and fill up my bucket.
The icy glacier water turns my dry, cracked hands and arms numb and pink. I toss in a packet of "Henko" detergent when suddenly, without warning, my hands turn into the thing in the middle of the washing machine that thumps the dirt and grime out of your poly-cotton blend t-shirts.
I don't really dread this spectacle.
It is simply part of life here.
The rhythm that grabs my arms and sways my feet, is merely the rhythm of SECMOL.
I am a washing machine.

Trekking

We went on our first trek this past week. The first day was exhausting but soon I started to be able to look around me as we walked and appreciate this amazing place where we have the opportunity to be living. walking from village to village and staying with people in there homes gave me an opportunity to see Ladakh in a way that we don't while at SECMOL. Although most of the families we stayed with spoke limited english and our Ladakhi still has a long way to go before we can communicate more than the very basics, I always felt amazingly welcomed and at ease when spending time in their homes. The second day, after a shorter but steeper hike, a group of us was resting in the guest room, most were asleep, and Matt and I were reading and playing with the five year old boy who lived there. After a little while, he beckoned us into the kitchen, turned on some music and started dancing. The rest of the group soon came and joined in, and he wouldn't let us stop for maybe two hours. The wonderful thing is, that although this would be a bit unusual in the US, here it seems to happen quite often.

Morgan Mahdavi

I have been waiting to come to Ladakh for almost two years; I first heard of VIS when my friend came here in the spring semester of 2007. As a sophomore, I knew that this was something I wanted to do. Now, two years later, I am finally here; two years of saving and waiting and now, I am here. And even after those two years of waiting, preparing, now that I am here, I realize that there is no way I could ever have been ready for the wonderful place that awaited me. Ladakh is unlike anything I have ever known, so much so, that I don't know what to compare it to so that you reading this at home can understand what I mean.
Ladakh is new. Ladakh is a new meaning to the word comfort. It is a new bed, new faces, new food, new family. Ladakh means frostbite on my toes and sunburn on my face. Ladakh means mountains, towering above me all the time, holding up the sky. Ladakh is smiling face, hugs and handshakes. Ladakh is SECMOL, my new home.
In Ladakh, I feel like a different person. Everyone and everything here is so genuine that it is impossible to feel sad. Even though we have been gone for over a month now, I can honestly say that I have hardly gotten homesick. How can I miss home when I am here? Here, I am surrounded by friends all the time. Here, I am learning by doing, learning by exploring and trying new things. And how can anyone be upset around the beautiful Ladakhi people? These people, students and teachers a like, are the most happy and carefree people I have ever met. Nothing phases them. Take, for example, my friend Jigdol. For the first couple weeks, my daily responsibilty was "electricity" which meant three times a day, Jigdol and I would go down to the power house, rotate the solar panels and check the batteries. It was a pretty easy job and it took about 5 minutes each time. One day, Jigdol left early and asked me to turn the last panel by myself. I agreed and as he disappeared out of sight, I went to work on the final panel, which is above the Indus, on a sharpely sloping hill. As I started to turn the panel for the next morning, it started to pick up speed and soon went past it's set place. I screamed as the panel came to rest in a position I'd never seen before. Though still attached, it was definately not in a natural spot. I had broken the solar panel. Fighting back tears, I ran to find James, or Amy, or Jigdol, anyone who could help me. Jigdol was the first one I found and I franticly told him what happened. We broke into a run. As he surveyed the sad sight, which to me looked like a broken corpse, he turned to me and smiled a smile, trying to cover his distress. "It's ok, don't have tension." He hugged me and went to work securing the panel, so the wind wouldn't blow into the Indus. As we walked back to the kitchen, he took my hand and smiled, telling me all was ok, that it would be taken care of tomorrow.
Everyday since then, I have checked on the solar panel, which was taken apart and still has not been put together and everyday I ask Jigdol whats going on. He always smiles and tells me not to worry. And it's worked. I have stopped being concerned. It turns out that there was an old bolt and that it happened to give way when i was changing it. It would have happened to anyone. But I don't think I will ever forget that feeling of utter fear and horror as I watched that solar panel fall, nor will I ever forget Jigdol's smiling face, as he comforted me, assuring me that everything be alright.

buteifull Ladakh

man Ladakh is amazing i don't think i could have asked for a better place to spend a semester. the land scape here is the most incredible thing i have ever seen and every one here is super nice. it's defiantly true what people have been telling me, that once you come here once you will be back again and again.

Songstam Library

We're staying this week at Songstam Library, a researh center for Tibetan and Buddist scholars, taking a short course in Tibetan Script and another in Buddism Concepts. The campus is beautiful, the library hushed and we sit interspersed with monks in the red and gold robes. I'll let the students post more later, but we are all healthy and enjoying the library here. We fly to Delhi on Friday, after students conclude their presentations on Buddism concepts.
-Amy

Newark News

Here's a video link, thanks to the VIS parents for finding it! Our group at the Newark airport: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=6631807

Airports, or On our Way, part 2

James, Holly and I met the VIS Spring Semester '09 students in the airport in Burlington yesterday. It was a good day for skiing but not for flying, it was just pouring snow. Our first flight was delayed to Newark because of the snow, and then we just barely missed our flight to Delhi by minutes. Luckily, the Continental customer service team was great and set up all 15 of us in a hotel for the night and found 15 seats on the next flight to Delhi. So after one more night of hot showers and all the comforts of home, we are on our way, waiting in the Newark airport for our flight to board. Here is a group photo that Matt's parents took, not sure if this will upload on the first try, but we'll see.

-Amy