Happy Losar!

Well, tomorrow is Losar, the Tibetan New Year, and it looks like I’ll be spending it up on the mountain with the cave yogis, nuns, etc…I went up yesterday to deliver Lena’s Losar gifts to the community, and wound up getting invited to stay over. So I ran down, got my pack, and am headed back up there.

I wrote up a longer description earlier today, but it got axed when the power went out abruptly (it has a tendency to do that around here), so I’ll write more on my return.

Lena: I arranged things with Karma Phuntsok, but since I didn’t have a translator, I had to just give him the list–I’ve gotten better at pantomime, but “…and anyone else he thinks is appropriate” is beyond my skills at charades. If I get a chance, I’ll communicate it.

Also everyone says thank you very much, and you have (in proxy, via me) been taken around to visit everyone, and fed Tibetan milk tea and cookies until thoroughly stuffed. 🙂

I also got a fortune for you last night in the dough balls (I got two, one for me and one for you), but since the only translator was a ten-year-old girl with about eighty words of English, I have no idea what it said. I’m assured it was good, though. 😉

(The kid apparently drew one that said “You have horns on your butt” (at least, I *think* that’s what she said it said)…I’m not sure exactly what kind of fortune that is, but everyone fell over laughing. )

I have to admit, it’s interesting hanging around with people who don’t speak any English. It’s amazing what you can “read” through context and body language.

once more unto the caves…

Tien