Why I should really stop wearing red…

Posted on May 3, 2013 by worldenoughandtimeblog

Wednesday 20th February 2008

Sooo much to say, I don’t know where to start!
I took Sunita for her HIV test (which was negative thank god), and afterwards looked at the other profiles to see who else might need one too.
Sajani, a three year old, caught my attention – father is in jail on a drugs charge, mother is a prostitute who’s also very sick.
Hmmm, I thought.

“Priya? Can we get Sajani tested too?”
“Why?”
“Well, drugs, prostitution, seems quite likely, plus her mother’s ill already…”
“Oh no, her mother doesn’t have HIV – She has Hepatitis.”
(a rather long pause)
“Um, Priya?”
“Yup?”
“Maybe we should test Sajani for Hepatitis then?”
…and so on. Continue reading →

The full Nepali Experience

Posted on May 3, 2013 by worldenoughandtimeblog

Friday 8th February 2008

Hey everyone,
My friend Penny came to visit me this week from Korea, and we had an absolutely brilliant time!
She stayed at the orphanage with us, and helped me cook in the mornings. We did loads of sightseeing, going all over the place and packing a lot into a few days. It was great as I had a chance to do all the things I’ve been meaning to, but hadn’t gotten around to yet.

We both bought new kurtas (traditional nepali/indian clothes – a tunic and trousers) and went with Priya to the three major temples of the city – Pashupati, Boudha and Soyambhu.
We went to visit Alan’s orphanage in Kocanna, and then walked to Bungamati – a beautiful 16th century Newari village. Continue reading →

McDonald’s lovin’ Maya

Posted on May 3, 2013 by worldenoughandtimeblog

Saturday 2nd February 2008

Hello everyone,
I know after my epic Meditation novellas that most of you won’t have the energy for any more, but I had lots of positive responses, which have spurred me on!
Last Friday after my release, I went out, drank FAR too much, and spent Saturday feeling more hungover than I’ve ever felt.

However going back to the orphanage was lovely – I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed all the kids, but seeing them after almost 2 weeks away really made me all emotional and teary-eyed! Aamaa insisted I have a lie-in on Sunday after my gruelling 4am starts, so I had a blissful morning off from cooking, and was woken very gently at 7.30 by lovely Martin, my kitchen helper (he’s 12 and helps me cook every morning) knocking quietly on my door with a nice cup of tea!
God these kids are awesome! Continue reading →

Meditation Boot Camp: Part 4

Posted on May 3, 2013 by worldenoughandtimeblog

Saturday 26th January 2008

Day Ten

Meditation Goal: To feel the tiny sensations and vibrations all over the body simultaneously and fill them with love and compassion, and send those vibrations out into the room. (Metta method)

Today after the morning sessions we were allowed to speak again. I was actually quite nervous about it, because I had a suspicion that everyone would be saying “Oh wasn’t it wonderful! Don’t you feel amazing?” etc. I did not feel wonderful or amazing, and mostly hated the experience overall, but didn’t want to be the only one saying it. Continue reading →

Meditation Boot Camp: Part 3

Posted on May 3, 2013 by worldenoughandtimeblog

Saturday 26th January 2008

Day Six

Meditation goal: To feel the subtle sensations throughout the body and maintain objectivity and perfect equanimity towards those sensations.

This morning I woke up feeling a bit better. My legs and back were much better, except for some pain in my left knee, and I decided to take a whole new approach.
The guru is always saying in between chanting, that we must recognise the reality of this moment, and experience the reality that is, not the reality as we would like it to be, and remain equanimous without reacting to things. Continue reading →

Meditation Boot Camp: Part 2

Posted on May 3, 2013 by worldenoughandtimeblog

Saturday 26th January 2008

Day Two

Meditation goal: To observe respiration and try to feel the touch of breath in my nostrils.(Annapanna method)

My concentration was a little better today, still a pretty hardcore running commentary (can’t seem to switch that off), but was able to concentrate for slightly longer periods today without getting distracted.
My legs were really sore today, after the 11 hours of sitting on the floor yesterday! Oh well, more sitting to come!
During the 2-hour session from 9-11am we were allowed to sit in our room today. Continue reading →

Meditation Boot Camp: Part 1

Posted on May 3, 2013 by worldenoughandtimeblog

Saturday 26th January 2008

Ok, obviously I have been almost completely silent for 11 days, so these emails will be very long and detailed. You have been warned, so no complaining! I intend to outline pretty much every day blow-by-blow, so feel free to take your time reading these – there will be many parts!

I registered at the centre in Kathmandu at 11am on Monday, 14th Jan, and after a 5 hour wait was on the bus to Dhammashringa, the meditation center in the hills north of Kathmandu, just below the Shivapuri national park and forest. During my wait I met a lovely Sri Lankan girl called D, so we had a great chat and it was nice to have a friend, even if I wasn’t allowed to communicate with her most of the time!
We arrived at the centre, and I was actually really excited about the course. I was a little surprised to see that most of the center was under construction, but figured I should wait and see how it goes.
Our introductory lecture was mostly about ensuring we are willing to follow all the rules carefully and strictly, and were willing to stay the full ten days no matter how hard we found it – I resolved to give it a fair trial and stay no matter what. Continue reading →

Oh my god! A short email from Maya!

Posted on May 3, 2013 by worldenoughandtimeblog

Sunday 13th January 2008

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the lovely support,

I’m feeling a bit better and am much more excited about going tomorrow now. (packing to go anywhere always makes me feel better).

Plus I think it’ll be a really good experience once I get there, and I’m excited about the challenge.

It turns out I was wrong about the power-cuts, it’s actually 36 hours a week (It’s off for 6 hours every day except Saturdays), and in February it’ll be off for 11 hours a day.

Yay!

Hopefully though, by February it’ll be a bit warmer and lighter in the mornings (we’re out of gas again indefinitely – there’s still a massive shortage thanks to the Indian government, so Martin and I have to get up at 5am instead of 6 to start cooking, as it takes about 3 and a half hours to cook everything on the little kerosene burner).

I’ve also discovered, standing over a kerosene stove, that the fumes make your eyes sting like nothing else – way worse than onions!

However, on a positive note I’ve been enjoying the fact that in the last 5 months I’ve barely noticed that we don’t have a fridge, and I like that we buy our veggies and stuff fresh every day, and use everything – there’s literally no waste at all.

I honestly think I could quite enjoy living without a fridge back home – once I have one, I’m always compelled to fill it with unhealthy crap, most of which I end up throwing out when it goes off instead of actually eating it.

Also, although the constant power cuts are a bit irritating, I have noticed that by lighting 3 or 4 candles, I can raise the temperature in my room by a few degrees, which is a nice bonus!

So, I’m off tomorrow, and won’t be online again until about the 25th/26th of Jan, so I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.

Oh – and things are looking up with HGG – he’s buggered off to Lumbini to see the birthplace of Buddha, but wants to meet up when I get back to hear all about the course (apparently he’s keen to do the meditation course too).

So – I’ll keep you updated on that one.

take care – and wish me luck!

tons of love

Super-Silent Maya

xxx

A wild rhino watched me pee…

Posted on May 3, 2013 by worldenoughandtimeblog

Thursday 10th January 2008

Hey everyone,

Chitwan was awesome, we went on a jeep safari, saw loads of birds, crocodiles, elephants, deer, one tiger (but it was in a cage), and a wild rhino.
We stopped the jeep and all disappeared into the jungle for a pee, and suddenly the guide yelled for us to come and we ran into the woods and found a massive wild rhino eating grass in the woods about 50 yards from where I’d been squatting!

Very exciting.

Elephant in the mist…

We also saw LOADS of people carrying huge bundles of grass on their backs, but when we drove past them you could see that it was wood hidden inside the grass. Apparently there’s a massive underground logging trade (sort-of) because the National Park is protected, and therefore locals are not allowed to remove any wood from inside, but they are allowed to take grass to thatch their roofs’ etc. So they find all the best wood and wrap it up inside the grass in a big bundle and carry it out of the park. Continue reading →

Christmas part 2, and Pokhara

Posted on May 3, 2013 by worldenoughandtimeblog

Wednesday 2nd January 2008

Ok, so Christms Eve was really fantastic.

We all went out for a lovely big dinner, there were about 14 volunteers all together, from England, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, America, Canada, Denmark and Holland, so we were very multicultural!

The food was great, and the restaurant was all decorated and Christmassy – it was really nice.

We all brought a present and did a really fun gift exchange (it’s called Dirty Santa instead of secret Santa) and you can all steal each other’s gifts etc. It was loads of fun and I got a lovely pair of knitted woolly bed socks – very brightly coloured, and more importantly fleece-lined! I also got a beautiful silver bracelet.

We moved on to a bar after dinner, drank far too much and ended up at a Nepali dance club (the music was AWFUL, but who cares).

Continue reading →