Moving On

I've finished my first semester, and my friend Martin and I are striking out on our own. But first, a small suggestion...

I recently re-watched the Wes Anderson film Darjeeling Limited, and thought it might show those of you who are interested a little bit of what I've been seeing. I feel somewhat dirty suggesting another person's movie as a means to comunicate my own experience here, but here are my reasons: First, I am pretty lazy about keeping this thing up to date, and I don't really attempt to describe the actual experience itself. Second, this movie, though unrealistic in many ways, shows moments of very subtle interactions that strike me as realistic portrayals of some daily experiences here. Second, it was filmed almost entirely in the state of Rajasthan, where I spent the last three months. The opening scene of the Darjeeling Limited, as well as others throughout the movie, is filmed in Jodhpur. I was in and around Jodhpur for past month while staying in a small village called Kejarli for my independent study. The village scenes could very well have been shot in Kejarli and are largely accurate, though idealized, images of rural life in this part of India. I realize that it's not the same as if it were to come from me, with my pictures and my stories, but that will have to come later.

I now have one and a half months to do as I please. Martin and I are taking english translations of the Rig Veda, the Upanisads, and the Tibetan Book of the Dead with us to Nepal, where we hope to meet up with a trusted guide and trek for most of the next month. Its hard to say how well all this will pan out, but I'm ready to get going.