India. A place of serenity, peace, and culture. For a week, I will embrace this culture by visiting a Tibetan Refugee monastery, and will visit a young novice monk named Orgyen.
Entry 1
4:00 PM. No, this was not when I departed (duh). This was when I landed. I had to leave at 7:20 PM at night to drive to LAX, and then at 9:00 PM, I departed for Himachal Pradesh. At 3:50 PM, I woke up to a beautiful blood orange sun, and the vast, open Himalaya Mountains below me. We landed, and I was jet lagged the heck out of my body, mind, and soul. I fetched a taxi, and I was off to the monastery. When we arrived at the monastery, I was amazed at the beautiful site in front of me.
Entry 2
Orgyen. After I arrived at the monastery, I met a novice monk named Orgyen. He is small, young, and a large handful to deal with. He doesn't pay much attention during sessions, but he's trying to get better at doing so. He likes origami and paper art. But one thing he likes the most is soccer. He and his monk friends all play soccer, and they sometimes break the rules, and sneak off in the middle of the night to a building to watch soccer games. He also keeps soccer magazines in his room. Every single one of these monks has been through a lot. They had to come from Tibet, hike over the Himalayas, and come all the way over to India. What a journey.
Entry 3
At the monastery, I was introduced to many different things. I was taught some sand mandalas, prayers, and important parts of their religion. I also learned about a Tibetan monks diet. This was good, and also not very pleasant. Such as the yak butter tea. This, I found, tasted like crap (pardon my French). Orgyen introduced me to this "yak butter tea" as a prank. Later on that day, I got to play soccer with Orgyen and some other monks. it was exciting, and I had a great time. Orgyen also taught me about the daily life of a Tibetan monk, and how much studying and memorization is involved. I then realized why Orgyen screws around so much.
Entry 4
I came to the monastery at a great time. It was that part of the year when the soccer world cup was raging across the world. Orgyen had told me that every year, they rent a tv and a satellite dish to watch the world cup, and they all gather in the center of the monastery. The games each night were amazing. I had never put any thought in how great watching soccer could be, but it was exhilarating. Orgyen and I were cheering for our favorite teams, and each time our team scored, we would go crazy. At home, we could just turn on the tv and watch the world cup easily. But here, it means so much more to all of the monks.
Entry 5
It
was the last game before the semi-finals. Orgyen and I were practically
standing up and cheering the whole time. I couldn't exactly recognize the
teams, but the game was tied 8-8. Number 7 had the ball for the home team, and
was sprinting up the field on the left side. 7 passed the ball to 5, and 5
fired a corner shot at the goal. The goalie blocked the shot, and made a
blazing kick directly to the center of the field. Five minutes later, 5 made a
flaming shot into the goal, and the game was done. 11-10 was the final score. Orgyen
and I screamed and jumped up and down. Our team was going to the semi-finals.
Entry 6
5-4.
Our team was losing. 9 on the other team blazed a fiery shot for a goal, and it
was now 6-4. Orgyen and I were furious. It was a major upset. Next it was 7-4,
8-4, 9-4, and then 10-4! Orgyen and I were throwing stuff at the tv and acting
like witches and cursing the other team. I almost broke the ceiling when I saw
that a ball flamed into the opposing teams goal. 10-5. It was a heated match.
10-10. Orgyen and I were bowing in our knees at the tv. Time was running out.
5, 4, 3, 2, it was a slow-motion moment. 10 was taking the ball down the field,
passing it to 7, who then dodged an oncoming wave of players, and then passing
it to 3, who drew his weapon back and fired. The ball was on fire. The crowd
was screaming. Orgyen and I were almost having a seizure. Then we did. The ball
broke the wall that was standing in between winning the game. Foam was coming
out of me and Orgyen's mouths, and our eyes were rolled back into our heads.
What a game.
Entry 7
15-13.
Our team had done it. They won the cup. The day after the finals was the day I
was coming home. I thanked everyone at the monastery for a great experience.
Especially Orgyen for showing me so much. My journey had ended, and as I left,
I took one last look at the yak butter tea and shuddered. What a great time. A
journey is not what you experience during, but what you learn and how you grow,
and how you use that knowledge in the future. And a journey it was.
