A few weeks ago, I visited Norbulingka, a place where traditional Tibetan art is taught and produced. It was really amazing and beautiful and only slightly creepy how much it was oriented towards Western tourists. I say this because of my visit to the gift shop, which had real cash registers and employees specifically trained to watch out for shoplifters. This was quite different than what I've come to expect from Indian stores in McLeod, which rely on metal boxes and solar powered calculators in lieu of cash registers. But because of their thriving tourist business, the institution is completely self-sufficient, which is really cool. We got to go on a tour of the establishment and see the art production in action. We saw wood carvers that make amazing pieces of furniture, thanga painters that paint the most detailed Buddhist images, doll makers that replicate traditional Tibetan dress on a miniature scale, and metalworkers that construct giant statues with exact proportions. 
A remarkable thing about the art is the precision - because the images depicted in the statues and thangas are often used as the focal point for meditation, every figure has to be represented with exact measurements. Each image of Shakyamuni Buddha, for example, has the same proportions, whether it's a tiny detail on a mural or a gigantic statue in the temple. This continuity is necessary for the success of the practitioner uses the image for meditation. Buddhism is pretty big into this whole "unbroken lineage" thing and I have to admit that it's neat to know how much history is behind art being produced today. After our tour, we got to get our hands dirty and learn how to mix paints for the thanga canvases. We got to see each step along the way, from the raw minerals to the final product. The paints, like the images, have a particular and specific formula that must be followed. We played a little game in which the painter would make a color, say a green hue for green Tara, and we would try to make the exact same shade. 
Needless to say, I failed miserably at this challenge. But I did have a lot of fun getting my fingers dirty and seeing how many colors I could combine before I ended up with a nasty brown color. And of course I came away from the experience with an incredible appreciation for those artists that are able to mix colors to create the exact hue of green Tara.After playing with paints for a while, the group decided that we deserved a break from all the hard work and learning we had been doing. So we suited up and headed to Funky Town, a swimming pool/restaurant/bar/playground/pool hall. I had my doubts about this so-called "funky" town, but it really exceeded my expectations. And even while I was listing all of the diseases that were probably breeding in the pool, I decided that I couldn't not go swimming. So I dove in. To be honest, the water was a little funky. And it was rather strange to swim fully clothed, but inappropriate to swim otherwise, so I embraced the chlorination of my clothing. It was a really good time and no one ended up with any strange diseases! No additional strange diseases, I guess I should say. The diseases that we already had are still going strong, though. But it's India!
Since we've been living in McLeod, I've been embracing the international scene: the hippies, the sushi, the bonfires, the bootleg movie theaters, etc. I've also been developing an international collection of tablescapes. One is from McLlo's at sunset, the other from a cooking class I attended.
There are only two weeks of research left, then our program is over! Hard to believe, right? Then I'll be traveling in India at large for three weeks, followed by a quick flight to London and who knows what after that. I'll definitely be home by July 4th though because I've missed Kenan Stadium's firework display for the past three years and I'll be darned if I don't see it in 2010.Oh PS - we've done a lot more exciting stuff I didn't write about, so I'll again refer you to Max's blog at experiencingdharamsala.blogspot.com for more information.
