Terri

Morning is my favorite time of day here. The curtains in our room open, letting the early morning rays of sun set on the floor. The laughing and shouting of the Ladakhi girls echo through the hallways. Each morning I am greeted with great enthusiasm, the smiles of everyone around me are surprising. A cup of milk tea is exactly what I want, and every morning it is waiting in the kitchen. A place of constant motion, where everything moves in a rhythm.
The sharp mountains that surround us in every direction tear into the clear and heavenly skies. A landscape, that defines in every way, this place. Remote, and vibrantly alive at the same time. In English we were asked to write about what Ladakh is, although it is not hard to describe Ladakh in all of its beauty, it is hard to explain what isn’t of importance here. Each moment of every day seems like something that needs to be recorded, that every conversation should be remembered. What has stood out for me the most so far is what I chose to write about.
There is unbelievable warmth, even in the frigid snow covered months of winter. Where the smiles and greeting of those you pass in the streets are filled with sincerity. Where the remote villages are speckled in valleys amidst the unforgiving mountains. Ladakh is a place where you become accustomed to the reward of tea after each feat, no matter how simple. Where relaxing all day is hardly a waste of time, in fact time has little meaning. The way that people dace through their days, and chores are done with a grace that is unknown to me. Where the silence is entertaining and laughing comes naturally. Ladakh is a place of reflection, while at the same time a place of emptiness
What I have learned so far about Buddhism is the concept of emptiness. The idea that nothingness is infact everything. For everything is interconnected in a way that makes everything, something and nothing at the same time. Emptiness is the realizing that you do not exist independently. The idea of nothingness is something I have pondered from a young age, something that we have talked about in class and something that I think about, especially when I gaze up at the stars. I’m not sure how it is possible that nothingness exists, or is that the point? That nothing is in fact everything, and the simplicity of that idea is perhaps why it is so difficult to understand.