Conquered by my even more INCREDIBLE MOM!!!
My mom and I on Stok La, 4900 M (16,076 FT)
- My beautiful mother!
I had the pleasure of backpacking through India for the past four weeks with my rock star mother. There are very few 72-year-old woman trekking around India, actually…come to think of it… there may have been only one. Needless to say my mom is quite incredible – from the overflowing streets of sweltering Delhi to the solitude of Himalayan passes in Ladakh; from world-renowned Muslim relics, like the Taj Mahal, to small sheltered villages that hug the Pakistan border; from relaxing on raj-era houseboats in Kashmir to playing with children in the slums of Himachal Pradesh – we packed my mom’s 4 weeks full of adventure.
My mom and I at Khardung La (highest motorable pass in the world, 18,380 FT)
Spending the past 1o months in India, surrounded by Tibetan friends who have been separated from their parents by impenetrable borders, has made me realize just how lucky I am. I made an effort to appreciate every moment with my mother, taking nothing for granted. Of coarse, just before she left I began planning her next visit! 
My mom in Ladakhi dress
Mom mom and Emily riding on camels in the Nubra Valley, Ladakh
My mom in Turtuk, small village on the Indo-Pakistan border
My mom with prayer wheels, Alchi Monastery Ladakh
My mom at Khardung La (highest motorable pass in the world, 18,380 FT)
After my mom’s departure I moved into a Buddhist nunnery, part of the Ladakh Nun’s Association, just outside Leh. The nunnery will serve as a perfect home this summer. During my first day I mentioned to one of the young nuns that my mother had just left, explaining that I had been sad to see her go. The nun immediately assured me that I didn’t need to feel lonely as I had many (new) ‘sisters’ now. :)
I am once again teaching English at the nunnery. I have small conversation based classes with the school girls in the morning and evenings. However, the bulk of the day is spent with a group of 5 nuns (age 19 and 20) who have completed their formal schooling and are preparing to move to Mcleod Ganj (my home for the first 9 months in India) where they will begin studying Tibetan medicine in the fall in their pursuit to become both nuns and nurses – busy ladies! Unfortunately, despite completing high school, many of the schools in Ladakh (particularly government-funded schools) are a bit below par. Therefore the girls’ English leaves a bit to be desired, especially when it comes to the daily and functional applications of the language, such as…SPEAKING! Aside from these aspects we are also working on confidence and women’s empowerment with the ladies as they are extremely (to a detrimental extent) timid.
Finally, the nunnery is a perfect and very conducive environment for my own studies. With little in the way of distractions I have plenty of time to study language (Hindi and Tibetan), study more Buddhism, complete some writing, and read a handful of books.
I am preparing to watch the summer fly by, with a schedule full of teaching, studying, hiking and exploring!
I will leave Ladakh and head south at the end of August, arriving in Delhi just in time to greet Marski and Jessie at the airport!
That’s all for now, stay tuned for more updates.
