Manali Phesant

Women washing cloths in the river on the way to cummer camp

Not to eventful so far. Camp went excellently. Kevin (an obscenely rich and endearingly nice fellow who’s family owns dairy queen or some such company) gave the kids an "Earth Day" in an attempt to make them more aware of the environment. The children picked up garbage, had an environmental poster contest and listened to a lecture about the importance of keeping our communities clean. One of the oldest girls taught me a clapping game which was a blast. They tried to confiscate one of my attempts at art, which resulted in me lurching about the schoolyard and looking like of the Red Sox, sliding into third base at about 100 miles per hour and taking several children with me into the mud. With all that effort they managed to steal my poster anyways, uh.... kids can make you feel old can't that? I cam back and went to my new found haven.... a soft blanket I bought from a monk/sales man in McLeod Ganj for 200 rupees. I never thought a blanket could bring so much happiness but man, it sure is satisfying to pull it over my head and drift off into nothingness for a while. Next week is an unknown. I do not feel like dieing now but the temptation of going to Kashmir is definitely alluring. Perhaps Ameritsar, but the Pakistani border is not exactly the neutral zone either. Hmm. I could always go with Benji to West Bengal but from what I have heard, it is a lawless, impoverished and corrupt state and some how it seems like a place to miss. LATER Just finished watching a really sweet skit done by the older kids from evening group about trash and the need to protect the environment. It was a definite step toward awareness and some of the children’s parents came which was really exciting. It makes me think there might be some small hope for these kids. If they can understand and continue what they have learned here...they may just make an impact on India as adults. How exciting is that! Benjamin sure can be a prick. It is nice to have someone I know here but god he is hard to be patient with. Ahhh my legs are having some problems. They seem to fall asleep a lot and one went completely dead for about 5 minutes today at the Manali Phesant that resulted in a lurching exit and a near fall on the street. Another troubling thing is my lungs, I can't seem to breath anymore without putting conscious effort into the task. India sure is hard on the body.