This is quoted from an email I wrote to Charlotte, the director of the English Teaching Program in Tongren.

July 10, 2006 

"Maybe I should explain a little of where i’m coming from and what I hope to gain out of this experience. The past few years the main direction of my life has been towards "spiritual seeking," and I use the phrase with caution.  I did not grow up religious though in college was naturally drawn to Buddhism and over the past two years have started meditating "seriously."  In addition to meditation and a religious orientation, I sought to see the world through different eyes culturally, from as many perspectives as I could in the year I spent abroad traveling through Asia.  Now that I’ve graduated from University, some of that seeking has subsided. I see this next year very differently than any that have come before: 1) as a way to help others in a meaningful and concrete way, as much an act of "engaged compassion" as one of self-exploration and self-learning 2) to undermine my sense of cultural-self-centeredness and participate in a totally different kind of community 3) I can’t say that I have many expectations of meeting my "root guru" but I would like to study Tibetan/Chinese and interact with wiser beings than myself."

That was a month and half ago.  I don’t necessarily have any perspicacious comments at the moment, though I admit being here is not exactly what I was expecting. First of all, the level of development that can be found in Tongren is astonishing. This is the 3rd world right? There are several supermarkets and banks, flat screen TVs, DSL, prodigious cell phone reception, and some really cushy apartments (much nicer than mine) with all the modern amenities you could think of. I don’t want to give the impression that most people have these things (the vast majority DO NOT), but the fact that they are readily avalible is striking. A friend commented that I was almost as if I were still living down the road instead of half a world away hidden amoungst the foreboding mountains of Northern Tibet. The internet can create a strange kind of bridge between cultures, between the past and future (I’m twelve hours ahead of EST), rather anachronistically. I admit I’m not sure what to make of it. Any suggestions?