Reflections

I haven't had the energy to deal with sorting out my pictures or to talk about my trip much, but friends have been asking me about the trip. One friend asked me if I felt as if the trip "had changed me any".

It's an interesting question. There's an awful lot of folks who go off to Tibet or Nepal or India or wherever, and they come back chanting and born again for Buddha and so forth. I'm not entirely dismissing that; I'm sure there are plenty of people who go to the Far East and do experience a spiritual awakening and find within themselves something that's been lacking at home. I wasn't one of them.

Hanging over my desk at work is a gorgeous photograph done by Lisa Kristine called 'Monastery Door, Tibet'. (On her website, it's in the image gallery > Humanity > row 8, 2nd picture). It's a picture done in rich shades of maroon, brown, gold - a shot of a monk's hands folded together next to one of the ornate door pulls you see all over Tibet. Even before I went to there, I found the picture very attractive and calming. Now it touches me directly, and speaks to me of days spent among pious Buddhist pilgrims, some of whom had walked hundreds of miles or more to come worship at a specific temple or monastery. Thankfully, I can't smell the melted yak butter in my memory, but I'd know it in an instant, anywhere.

Traveling across this stunning countryside, you see people working the land and grinding out a living. By Western standards, these people live in poverty on a level we can barely comprehend. I asked our guide one day as we drove between towns, how she felt the Chinese occupation had changed her homeland. Some things were good, she admitted, such as better access to health care, wider variety of food, more chances for education. But at the same time, she knew that the Chinese have forever changed Tibet, and not always for the better.

As a Westerner, my thoughts were often a bit odd. Our guide for the second tour pointed out to us that some of these people might never afford to buy their own home, so they have instead begun buying the symbols of Western affluence: computers, televisions, DVD players, etc. You'll see ramshackle houses that look like they'd fall over in a stiff breeze, with a satellite dish attached to the side. It made me feel a bit weird, that my country's values are starting to influence people all the way around the world - sometimes in a good way, sometimes, eh...

It was like the whole marketplace thing. You go to the local street market or shop, and you see goods that you want. By our standards, the prices are inexpensive; but we cannot simply hand over our cash, we must bargain and make it even cheaper. And if we don't, then we are influencing the local economy and setting a standard that lets other tourists down the road "get ripped off".

And when you see these weather-beaten, life-beaten people - when a pathetic looking child comes up to you on the street and begs from you, making gestures to indicate he/she is hungry - part of you feels like a big jerk as you turn away; but you, a single person, cannot possibly help every one of them. You help one, and suddenly you're surrounded by ten, by twenty.

We were out on what seemed like a fairly remote stretch of road and the drivers pulled over for a smoke break. Within minutes, we were surrounded by a dozen children, sticking their hands out, and a couple of curious farmers. As one of my group mates commented, "Just think, for them, this is a high point of entertainment of the day." The kids pressed their faces up against the truck windows, staring inside as if the Land Cruisers had contained the Magic Kingdom.

I was disorientated my first few days home. (Although admittedly, being sick didn't help that any.) I felt disconnected from the city around me. It still feels a little weird. My apartment suddenly feels huge. I walk around the supermarket in a bit of an amused way, feeling a bit dazzled by the selections and the cleanliness of it all. I spent more on a single trip to Trader Joe's than I spent in nearly 10 days in Tibet, including buying souvenirs and paying for admission prices and food and various things. (It's amazing how far $70 will go in Tibet.)

I'm not about to throw off all my worldly goods and go wandering around Asia or anything. If there's ever a trip that could change you on levels you wouldn't expect, it would have to be a trip of the scope and length that I took. How, exactly, I cannot exactly define.

But I can feel it within.

And the Sox win the Series - again!

This picture of Manny Ramirez says it perfectly:

YEAH, BABY!

Fellow BoSox fans can immerse themselves in the joyful glory of the World Series sweep at Joy of Sox, also located here on Blogger.

*does the happy dance*

PAWS Chicago

Last month, PAWS Chicago has opened their brand-new, state of the art adoption center at 1997 N. Clybourn Ave. It is open Monday and Tuesday from 11am-5pm, and Friday, Saturday and Sundays from noon-7pm.

Although you can stop by their main location for pet adoptions at any time, PAWS often has adoption events at local pet stores, malls, or events such as their "Angels With Tails" events on Michigan Avenue.

Three upcoming events:
- Sat. Nov. 3, 12-4pm, Westfield North Bridge Mall, 520 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago (dogs only)
- Fri. Nov. 16, 6pm - the 6th Annual Fur Ball benefit, the Drake Hotel, 140 E. Walton Place, Chicago
- Sun. Nov. 18, 12-3pm, Bloomingdale's, 376 Old Orchard Center, Skokie (dogs only)

PAWS Chicago accepts donations online, or you can deliver pet care goods (pet food, blankets, leashes, etc) at businesses throughout Chicago.

2008 photography calendar

For those of you who read me regularly (and I thank you for that!) and wonder why the long break in writing, well, I've been traveling - five weeks across China and Tibet, down into Nepal, and over to Bangkok and Tokyo. Whew! I didn't have access to Blogger.com for most of that time, so I unfortunately could not post here during that time.


I have put together my first calendar for 2008, Blossoms. Full-color floral photography. (Yes, I do plan to have a travel calendar this year as well, just haven't put it together yet.)

$1 from each sale will go to Shriners Hospital for Children.