A wise man told me in Ladakh (he happens to be one of you actually) that "life is not a lesson to be learned, but a mystery to be lived." When I clicked the purchase button for this last trip to Ladakh my goals were simple and concrete, but have become a bit complicated and manifold. Yet I think the goals then remained somehow beneath or within that complexity. I wanted to reconnect with the Siddhartha School and its kids. I wanted to see and experience sustained field work in public health for children. I wanted to gain some skills. I wanted some magic to happen...
Four years ago I journeyed to teach for the Siddhartha School in Choskor, Stok where I had experienced some of that crazy magic. The school is doing well, now with exactly 200 students and a much more developed classroom structure, science lab just finished, and a new library area without books. I have adopted a kid and have been thinking about and working on some means of getting more books up here. A woman named Tamara Blesh has been instrumental in raising funds and making possible what was only a dream for everyone at the school. I admire her intentions and work and very much enjoyed working with her on the beginning of her incredible work for the school.
The dZi Foundation medical clinics were also tremendous. The first four days were spent at the Ladakh Public Schools doing visual check-ups with more than 700 children. About 30 of these children were prescribed and provided custom glasses with specialized dimensions for their sight needs. About 40 pairs of glasses were dispensed. The dental clinics Rachel and I worked in Nubra Valley were equally incredible. The two dentists who came saw more than 300 children! Rachel and I were the dental assistants for the doctors. We helped with dozens of fillings and extractions; almost all of the children had some need, some with significant surgeries necessary. It was an entirely unique and special experience for both of us... surpassing all of our expectations.
My life these past months has surpassed those expectations in ways that aren't so concrete or predictable. One surprise was Rachel's decision to come join me in Ladakh. I decided recently that I would not stay for the MPH program in Bangkok. Ultimately I also decided that I didn't want to be without Rachel in my life.
One evening on a few of our days off I took Rachel to my favorite Ladakhi village, Alchi. I gathered some flowers after a hike into the canyon and while sitting down to a romantic little dinner together, asked her to marry me. She said yes. I gave her the ring I had been carrying around with me. There is no rush to things like this, but then, is there ever a perfect time? I love her. Yes we have our different ways, but we are more similar than different, and what is more, we are right for each other. In Ladakhi, "Nga Nericka Chespa Chot" (I love her)... in Italian, as she taught me, "Ti voglio bene" (I wish her well).
I have returned to Bangkok to take up an internship with the United Nations working on Influenza preparedness. I am coming home on the 4th of July. I remember a few moments during this last trip in Ladakh when the winds of the Karakoram came swirling down from the more northern Himalaya. The trees sounded like rain when the wind tickles through the village hamlets and gompas; now as I type this note I remember that breeze...the curtains of my room make similar but more silent movements, and as I write these words, and breathe from the memory, a feeling of peace and presence overwhelms me…om
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