From journal entries that I had jotted down
during my time in India, I attempt to pull together some reflections. Just as
has been my experience with travel in the past, I feel that I have traveled
deeper inside my own character and identity (and how it is represented in the
context of the common human experience) than the physical distance represented
by my travels. My individuality, being defined by how it observes and relates
to those around me, illuminates commonalities of those who seem different on
the surface (because they live in such different circumstances than my usual
surroundings), eventually creating a resonance that reaffirms our shared
journey and life experience. Rebekah Snyder shares this view in her short
statement entitled, Coffee:
“They see that I’m in
love with the world, and assume I have a desire to travel it. But I’m okay with
loving the world from right here.
I don’t live for
places. I don’t live for things. I don’t live for experiences.
Because I live for
people.
I live for the moments
when they come alive. I live for the times they open their hearts and I see who
they really are beneath all the fluff.”
I echo Rebekah’s perspective and add that I also live for
the spaces and times where I can see and continue to define my calling and
identity as it is represented in the common human experience.
Spectacular sunset view.
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The sun rises as we catch a quick breakfast before a full day of trekking.
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We take frequent rests to enjoy the view and catch our breath in the increasingly thin air.
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There is no official guideposts en route to Lake Brighu so guides often accompany hikers.
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Past the “tree line” past which few plants grow taller than several inches, steeply rolling hills and scattered stones abound.
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Goats graze on the fairly scarce vegetation. I wonder if they enjoy the phenomenal views when not nibbling.
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If the lake itself wasn’t enough to merit the trekking adventure and expenditure of energy, the view certainly is.
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Our perseverant team at the lake’s mouth.
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Rosie and Emily enjoy trekking in New Zealand but are glad to explore different terrain/elevation while in India.
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It was fun to slide down a glacier during part of our journey back down from Lake Brighu. During early spring, some hike up specifically to ski down the snow-covered slopes.
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This sunny meadow doesn’t quite convey the effort one must take to breath to compensate for lower concentrations of oxygen. Starting a fire at higher elevations is a challenge for this reason.
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The sheep and goats tend to cluster and seem to enjoy finding shelter as well when resting.
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These two quotes from a compilation of letters may offer the balance of
individuality and community that I seek in any endeavor, particularly while
traveling:
"Practice any
art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry,
fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and
fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your
soul grow."
Kurt Vonnegut (1922 –
2007)
"Love is a
seeking for a way of life; the way that cannot be followed alone; the resonance
of all spiritual and physical things.
Art is both love and
friendship, and understanding; the desire to give. It is not charity, which is
the giving of things, it is more than kindness which is the giving of self. It
is both the taking and giving of beauty."
1936, legendary
landscape photographer Ansel Adams
Acknowledging and learning to respect my need for solitary
reflection within a densely populated country, I’ve wondered how this relates
to my spirituality and found Richard Rohr’s reflections helpful in considering
a balance:
“Our religion is
neither solely detachment nor solely attachment; it's a dance between the two.
It's neither entirely isolation, as symbolized by the desert, nor is it
complete engagement, as symbolized by the city. Jesus moves back and forth
between desert and city. In the city, he feels himself losing perspective,
love, and center; so Jesus goes out to the desert to discover the real again.
And when Jesus is in the desert, his passionate union with the Father drives
him back to the pain of the city.
The transformative
dance between attachment and detachment is sometimes called the Third Way. It
is the middle way between fight and flight, as Walter Wink describes it. Some
prefer to take on the world: to fight it, to change it, fix it, and rearrange
it. Others deny there is a problem at all; it suits their needs as it is.
"Everything is beautiful," they say and look the other way. Both
instincts avoid holding the tension, the pain, and the essentially tragic
nature of human existence.
The contemplative
stance is the Third Way. We stand in the middle, neither taking the world on
from another power position nor denying it for fear of the pain it will bring.
We hold the dark side of reality and the pain of the world until it transforms us, knowing that
we are both complicit in the evil and can participate in wholeness and
holiness. Once we can stand in that third spacious way, neither directly
fighting nor denying and fleeing, we are in the place of grace out of which
genuine newness can come. This is where creativity and new forms of life and
healing emerge.”
Especially as I settle into my new home and dental residency
program schedule, this Third Way is a perspective I hope to keep in mind.
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Old Manali is a small historic portion of the city which is a magnet for trekkers and tourists. It is connected to the main city by a nature path. My roommate Anne, a medical student from Holland, notes that our line-up is by decreasing height.
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The girls try to find some festive jewelry in Old Manali in preparation for a wedding reception on the hospital campus to which all staff/volunteers were invited.
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Hand-crafted pendants
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Old Manali, besides its tourist/downtown district, is still home to native communities in which one can secure a home stay alternative to staying at a hotel.
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The group of homes in Old Manali created space for a volleyball court, which reportedly gets used each evening by locals and visitors alike. |
Old Manali village architecture and the animals certainly make it look historic. |
The rotating medical students and three teacher volunteers from Louisiana are festively ready for the wedding reception. |
Indian weddings typically last several days and host whole villages. The young lady in this wedding party grew up in the hospital campus complex. |
A tent was rigged up and decorated in the school court. |
Dr. TaeHee with Sophia, a friend who has been working in Delhi for the past 20 years and was visiting in Manali during her week off. |
The balcony of the castle’s residence showcases original hand-carved patterns, now restored and renovated into a hotel. |
Enjoying the balcony view with medical students from New Zealand. |
This temple is shaped in the original pattern that is more traditional than modern Hindu temples. |
Statues and plaques from the historic castle are maintained on the museum grounds. |
The castle campus includes a temple. |
Considering the current uneasy condition of the roads around Negar, I wondered how Roerich managed to use his fancy car in his day (maybe he didn’t use it much…hence the fancy garage). |
We toured Roerich’s ornate yard and art studio. |
Stone plaques from the castle are maintained as part of Roerich’s art institute. |
We stopped for a meal at a diner near the river. |
Truly riverside dining. The whole area will become submerged in water as the monsoons come next month. |
The restaurant’s establishment caught my eye as it shared my birth year. It was very well maintained and renovated considering its age. |
The same riverside diner sported quirky signs, one of which I thought was particularly convincing. |
The road association of the region also has creative signs, encouraging safety behind the wheel. |
I’m glad to have had the chance to observe Dr. Riya and Dr. TaeHee in the hospital dental clinic. |
Listing of all staff doctors at the hospital. |
Exploratory abdominal surgery to find out what mass has been projecting from this lady found an ovarian cyst needing excision. |
The removed ovarian cyst certainly did not grow overnight to the size of a small baby. |
Usha, the social worker on staff, explains dental disease and health to the expectant mothers. |
Dr. TaeHee explains the changes in oral health that pregnancy brings about and when prevention and treatment are most appropriate. |
During my journey home, I was glad that Jungle Book was a movie that was available on the plane and think
that the song "Bear necessities" might relate to a discussion on how
well-fitting one ought to feel in a setting of work/service…there are a set of key
essentials to life (those I would like to think are sufficient for comfortable
living and thriving) but in the end, Maugli chooses a life he can "fall in
love with" as the blogger Rebekah describes.
But I full well acknowledge that love is in greater part commitment rather than
chasing some kind of effervescent response to stimuli/surroundings. The Vow, another airplane movie,
suggests this kind of commitment when a woman with a brain injury acknowledges
the deep commitment her husband honors despite her memory loss and she chooses
to attempt re-discovering the life she had with such a man of integrity. The
new version of Cinderella quoted her mother’s
advice "Be kind, be courageous, and all will be well." When she
confesses her lowly status and asks if she will be accepted for who she really
is, the prince responds that he also needs acceptance as an apprentice merely
learning his trade (the humility of the prince is a new modern twist but
represents each of us doing what is within our reach to the best of our
ability). Imagine was a brief film
about a blind man who was very skilled in navigating the world and was tasked
with teaching a group of blind children and a woman in a monastery. His
teaching style is very innovative and pushes the limits of safety/convention
for this population. He convinces them all that they live near a harbor and can
smell the sea near hear the boats. When a boy dies by train accident, he is
dismissed and is "uncovered" as a liar as the town is completely
landlocked. While all are disappointed, they later return to imagining what
could be beyond their enclosed lives. The film is an interesting perspective on
life as being the perceived reality which we build for ourselves rather than
the actual reality. With this in mind, I wonder if seeing everything through
the eyes of the now-not-yet kingdom (looking for its life seeping through
humanity's best efforts of concealing its evidence and transformational power)
is the perspective we must have in mind when committing to partnering in bring
that Kingdom transformation about in whatever comfortable or foreign setting.
Perhaps we should feel as foreigners (or blind men) to all else other than
those glimpses of the Kingdom, committing our hearts and setting our sights on
it alone.
Though
I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience in the Himalayan region, I am content to
return to my home country to pursue residency training. I’ll resist the nagging
questions of whether I will return to Asia (and when/for how long) and try to
exchange that kind of anxious response to my experience with a peace that
promises to guard my heart and my path. A portion of the film Risen that I saw on the plane showed a
similar ambience of the disciples as the Roman soldiers chased after them. The
Roman seeker in their midst asks if they’re scared of being killed, to which
they respond, “not anymore.” He submits but urges, “Then fear the death of that
with which you’ve been entrusted.” Heeding these wise words as I begin a
rigorous 3 years of scholarly and clinical development, I hope to continue
utilizing the opportunities I’m granted for the purposes for which they’ve been
entrusted unto me.
Three days of orientation into my residency programs in Geriatric & Special Needs Dentistry and Dental Public Health, I already have several online trainings/assignments to complete as well as an exam for the coming week for which to study. It will be a busy 3 years to come! The Dean of the College of Dentistry, Dean Johnsen, welcomed all graduate students and residents into a "culture of rigor and respect," encouraging us to work hard, play on a team, support one another, and always do our very best...Now to rise to meet these opportunities! |