September 18, 2004-Friends...Old and New
HiAll,
Saturday, 18th September
Well, first of all, if I have the energy, this will be a big catching up e-mail and hope to make it to the end...forgive any keyboard mistakes like attached words etc. The keyboard here is not very good. I am also going to do something now which may really be not very nice, and hope to correct the situation within a few days, but if I don't manage, I want all those who have birthdays now to know that I am thinking of each and every one of you on your own special day this month and wishing you only wonderful things for the next year, but don't know if I will manage to send a personal card to each of you: Moshe, Ravin, Chana, Ori.....
I also apologize to all of those who have been so kind to write to me...I love your letters and love feeling close to you, and hope to reply to each of you separately, but for now, you know who you are and I thank you.
Now...down to work...The last couple of days have been so full and rewarding...seeing old friends, making new ones, eating good food, and just getting it "all together"....I will try and go back to the last time I wrote which was just beofre lunch on Thursday. It is now 2 days later and so here goes...
Just after writing my last letter I got to Nick's restaurant 2 seconds before a REAL monsoon rain set in. Got a seat just before everyone came in from downstairs...and all of a sudden, just sitting there, I was overwhelmed by tears of joy and gratitude that I am here...with momo soup in front of me, and the cold chill of the monsoon surrounding me, I couldn't be happier!
When I got back up to t he room after lunch, found Abdellah awake and spent the afternoon cleaning and unpacking and we just talked and talked --he is really a great person and so much fun to be with...never a dull moment...too bad he is leaving. But seems he never "connected" with the place and is off now to an ashram in the south to study Kriya yoga which I never actually heard of but after speaking with him it seems very much like what I do with much bandha work, pranayama and meditation...he feels this will be his way to get closer to G-d. He gave me lots of books and I also bought a few earlier in the day so I am set. No way I willl ever do all I want to here. It just always seems like the days are too short and they go by too quickly here!! We later went out for dinner and just spoke until quite late, both of us collapsing into bed but finding it impossible to sleep.
Turns out he was also up until almost midnite reading but I was up bright and early the next morning (yesterday) to glorious sunshine pouring into my room. Did my morning stuff, "showered" (and interesting term for the way I've worked out to get clean and warm up all at the same time in a shower with no pressure-partially using a bucket and partially the telephone shower, but it works OK and I will manage). Went down for breakfast and met 3 nice young Israelis also just recently arrived here, one actually 28 and married for 6 years, yemenite, who just decided to get up and go toIndia for a couple of months. Her mother thinks it is horrible but her husband is very supportive. Then it was up to Dharamkot to confront Anil, the young 31 year old Indian who asked me to come live with him last year and managed to find someone who had my mobile phone number and has been calling me regularly in Israel the whole year.
I was relly worried that he was obsessed and I would have a problem but I had to speak to him. He KNOWS about Avik but was still entertaining ideas of whatever when I arrived. So went up quite worried that morning, bu thad asked for help direction and guidance the nite before and things went wonderfully well. The air was cleared with no hassle or ill feeling and no one being hurt and we remain friends. I explained that being in a relationship was sacred to me nd I could not act as many people do when they are away from home and do whatever they feel like ( I didn't really "feel like" anything anyway but this was not something I wanted to get into with him)...It seems he really IS in love with and was actually happy that I had said this because if not, he said he would have lost respect for me and could no longer love me as one of the reasons he loves me is beacuse I am different from most other women and very honest in all I do. He says he loves me even more now but understand the reality of the situation and always believes that all things are for the best. He said he promises never to hassle me again and would like to just be friends and talk with me about life. He quite surprised me with the depth of his feelings and understanding of the situation and my feelings about it. In a couple of years he knows that he will be in an arranged marriage with a local girl and he said it was a blessing for him to have known what true love feels like, even if nothing was ever done about it. He asked for a hug which I obliged him with and with his head coming just up to my chest it was quite funny...like holding a young child...But I could feel his love coming through with the hug and the look of great joy on his face afterwards was worth it. He says he has been waiting for that since he first saw me in 2001!. Imagine! (Note: 2006....Anil called about 1/2 year ago to tell me he is married and when I come back, I must come visit him and his wife!- as you will see from future posts here, all of the above was difficult for him to put into action...and he did continue to hassle me a few more times!!)
11:30 PM....same day
When we came back from our walk, him beaming all the way - Anette was sitting at the tea house (Anette is the lady I met on the train whoYonina and I shared the taxi with from Pathankot. She is a GORGEOUS, stunning Swedish lady in her 40's - absolutely stunning - who came to India , her 5th trip, to meet an Indian Kashmiri friend in McLeod and go with him to Srinagar in Kashmir for his cousins wedding. Her sotry is that her husband has loved India forever and first came in 1969 by hitchhiking, walking and train before there were flights, from Holland. and came every year - she only started coming about 7 years ago when their daughter got older. and 3 years ago on her 3rd trip I think, with him, she had to go home to Sweden before him and he stayed in his favorite place in North Goa for a nother week or so...and suddenly died here of a heart attack at the age of 50! She is just now putting her life back together). Anyway, we met and decided to go look for Yonina in Dharmkot togehter. She was not in her room (same room at Paul House that I had last year...the guy there remembered me and even asked how all 6 of my children and "many" grandchildren were. Ah...before that, on the way, I bumped into Russel, the guy I met last year who thinks he is the Messiah (!)...he's the one who gave Anil my mobile phone number by the way. And he was also so pleased to see me...but I couldn't stay to talk - anette and I walked across the mountain to Bhagsu and had lunch there and spoke for quite awhile. She is quite a fantastic women-also a professional photographyer taking pictures particularlyof people (I've been without my camera since I got here !)...and then we walked back to McLEod...Iwas relly zonked by then - still with a slight headache (finally gone by this morning...) and went straight to sleep after telling Abdellah the outcome of the meeting with Anil.
Ahish also brought me a gas balloon and burner so now I can fix up the kitchen and do some of my own cooking if I feel like. Figure mostly soups and pasta...simple stuff...
I slept for 2 hours and when I woke up, feeling still quite tired and headachy, Dafna came up to see me and we caught up with each other since we last spoke 3 years ago. Then Abdellah and I, both starving, went to eat at the Japanese place. Great place as always. On the way back I bumped into my friend Gill who I had planned to visit tomorrow (I am now here in his internet place after spending about a 1 1/2 talking to him about everything and anything...another great guy who helped me alot last year when all my stuff was stolen...we enjoy each others company and he is quite incisive...he came to the decision that this life is my final birth and I will be rid of all bad karma etc. in this lifetime)...
We got back to Kailwood and had some tea and then decided to watch a movie-Abdellah has a laptop with great screen and he uses it to see movies. He has an enormous collection here...Iwanted something light so we saw Planes, Trains and Busses with Steve Martin and John Candy and it was the perfect end to a lovely day.
I got up early this morning, had breakfast of great apple buns and chicory coffee and marmelade with Abdellah and finally, after being very lazy,. got on my way out to visit gill and get off these letters. Hopefully I will shop for veggies on the way home and make some vegetable soup tonight, but now there is a real monsoon storm now outside and no way I am leaving here for now.
I was thinking of going up to bhagsu where there is a real nice grocery shop to stock up the kitchen, but doesn't look possible today. Well, you never know...it could clear up just as suddenly as it began.
All in all, I woke up feeling much better today , and my headache is finally gone. I am now convinced that it was definitely a result of the altitude, which never bothered me in the past, even in Leh, but I arrived in a really run down state and perhpas that was the result. I also found my pranayama (Yoga breathing ) excercies much easier this morning and guess all is now back in balance.
So I will end this now and get some more letter writing in while the rain continues...(just ran out to use the toilet upstairs and was out for a few seconds and am drenched!!
I don't think I will be writing each and everyday as you;'ve become used to so, please don't worry if I don't write. It is a good sign that I am just relaxing and using the time for better things.
My love to all....Jane
Saturday, 18th September
Well, first of all, if I have the energy, this will be a big catching up e-mail and hope to make it to the end...forgive any keyboard mistakes like attached words etc. The keyboard here is not very good. I am also going to do something now which may really be not very nice, and hope to correct the situation within a few days, but if I don't manage, I want all those who have birthdays now to know that I am thinking of each and every one of you on your own special day this month and wishing you only wonderful things for the next year, but don't know if I will manage to send a personal card to each of you: Moshe, Ravin, Chana, Ori.....
I also apologize to all of those who have been so kind to write to me...I love your letters and love feeling close to you, and hope to reply to each of you separately, but for now, you know who you are and I thank you.
Now...down to work...The last couple of days have been so full and rewarding...seeing old friends, making new ones, eating good food, and just getting it "all together"....I will try and go back to the last time I wrote which was just beofre lunch on Thursday. It is now 2 days later and so here goes...
Just after writing my last letter I got to Nick's restaurant 2 seconds before a REAL monsoon rain set in. Got a seat just before everyone came in from downstairs...and all of a sudden, just sitting there, I was overwhelmed by tears of joy and gratitude that I am here...with momo soup in front of me, and the cold chill of the monsoon surrounding me, I couldn't be happier!
When I got back up to t he room after lunch, found Abdellah awake and spent the afternoon cleaning and unpacking and we just talked and talked --he is really a great person and so much fun to be with...never a dull moment...too bad he is leaving. But seems he never "connected" with the place and is off now to an ashram in the south to study Kriya yoga which I never actually heard of but after speaking with him it seems very much like what I do with much bandha work, pranayama and meditation...he feels this will be his way to get closer to G-d. He gave me lots of books and I also bought a few earlier in the day so I am set. No way I willl ever do all I want to here. It just always seems like the days are too short and they go by too quickly here!! We later went out for dinner and just spoke until quite late, both of us collapsing into bed but finding it impossible to sleep.
Turns out he was also up until almost midnite reading but I was up bright and early the next morning (yesterday) to glorious sunshine pouring into my room. Did my morning stuff, "showered" (and interesting term for the way I've worked out to get clean and warm up all at the same time in a shower with no pressure-partially using a bucket and partially the telephone shower, but it works OK and I will manage). Went down for breakfast and met 3 nice young Israelis also just recently arrived here, one actually 28 and married for 6 years, yemenite, who just decided to get up and go toIndia for a couple of months. Her mother thinks it is horrible but her husband is very supportive. Then it was up to Dharamkot to confront Anil, the young 31 year old Indian who asked me to come live with him last year and managed to find someone who had my mobile phone number and has been calling me regularly in Israel the whole year.
I was relly worried that he was obsessed and I would have a problem but I had to speak to him. He KNOWS about Avik but was still entertaining ideas of whatever when I arrived. So went up quite worried that morning, bu thad asked for help direction and guidance the nite before and things went wonderfully well. The air was cleared with no hassle or ill feeling and no one being hurt and we remain friends. I explained that being in a relationship was sacred to me nd I could not act as many people do when they are away from home and do whatever they feel like ( I didn't really "feel like" anything anyway but this was not something I wanted to get into with him)...It seems he really IS in love with and was actually happy that I had said this because if not, he said he would have lost respect for me and could no longer love me as one of the reasons he loves me is beacuse I am different from most other women and very honest in all I do. He says he loves me even more now but understand the reality of the situation and always believes that all things are for the best. He said he promises never to hassle me again and would like to just be friends and talk with me about life. He quite surprised me with the depth of his feelings and understanding of the situation and my feelings about it. In a couple of years he knows that he will be in an arranged marriage with a local girl and he said it was a blessing for him to have known what true love feels like, even if nothing was ever done about it. He asked for a hug which I obliged him with and with his head coming just up to my chest it was quite funny...like holding a young child...But I could feel his love coming through with the hug and the look of great joy on his face afterwards was worth it. He says he has been waiting for that since he first saw me in 2001!. Imagine! (Note: 2006....Anil called about 1/2 year ago to tell me he is married and when I come back, I must come visit him and his wife!- as you will see from future posts here, all of the above was difficult for him to put into action...and he did continue to hassle me a few more times!!)
11:30 PM....same day
When we came back from our walk, him beaming all the way - Anette was sitting at the tea house (Anette is the lady I met on the train whoYonina and I shared the taxi with from Pathankot. She is a GORGEOUS, stunning Swedish lady in her 40's - absolutely stunning - who came to India , her 5th trip, to meet an Indian Kashmiri friend in McLeod and go with him to Srinagar in Kashmir for his cousins wedding. Her sotry is that her husband has loved India forever and first came in 1969 by hitchhiking, walking and train before there were flights, from Holland. and came every year - she only started coming about 7 years ago when their daughter got older. and 3 years ago on her 3rd trip I think, with him, she had to go home to Sweden before him and he stayed in his favorite place in North Goa for a nother week or so...and suddenly died here of a heart attack at the age of 50! She is just now putting her life back together). Anyway, we met and decided to go look for Yonina in Dharmkot togehter. She was not in her room (same room at Paul House that I had last year...the guy there remembered me and even asked how all 6 of my children and "many" grandchildren were. Ah...before that, on the way, I bumped into Russel, the guy I met last year who thinks he is the Messiah (!)...he's the one who gave Anil my mobile phone number by the way. And he was also so pleased to see me...but I couldn't stay to talk - anette and I walked across the mountain to Bhagsu and had lunch there and spoke for quite awhile. She is quite a fantastic women-also a professional photographyer taking pictures particularlyof people (I've been without my camera since I got here !)...and then we walked back to McLEod...Iwas relly zonked by then - still with a slight headache (finally gone by this morning...) and went straight to sleep after telling Abdellah the outcome of the meeting with Anil.
Ahish also brought me a gas balloon and burner so now I can fix up the kitchen and do some of my own cooking if I feel like. Figure mostly soups and pasta...simple stuff...
I slept for 2 hours and when I woke up, feeling still quite tired and headachy, Dafna came up to see me and we caught up with each other since we last spoke 3 years ago. Then Abdellah and I, both starving, went to eat at the Japanese place. Great place as always. On the way back I bumped into my friend Gill who I had planned to visit tomorrow (I am now here in his internet place after spending about a 1 1/2 talking to him about everything and anything...another great guy who helped me alot last year when all my stuff was stolen...we enjoy each others company and he is quite incisive...he came to the decision that this life is my final birth and I will be rid of all bad karma etc. in this lifetime)...
We got back to Kailwood and had some tea and then decided to watch a movie-Abdellah has a laptop with great screen and he uses it to see movies. He has an enormous collection here...Iwanted something light so we saw Planes, Trains and Busses with Steve Martin and John Candy and it was the perfect end to a lovely day.
I got up early this morning, had breakfast of great apple buns and chicory coffee and marmelade with Abdellah and finally, after being very lazy,. got on my way out to visit gill and get off these letters. Hopefully I will shop for veggies on the way home and make some vegetable soup tonight, but now there is a real monsoon storm now outside and no way I am leaving here for now.
I was thinking of going up to bhagsu where there is a real nice grocery shop to stock up the kitchen, but doesn't look possible today. Well, you never know...it could clear up just as suddenly as it began.
All in all, I woke up feeling much better today , and my headache is finally gone. I am now convinced that it was definitely a result of the altitude, which never bothered me in the past, even in Leh, but I arrived in a really run down state and perhpas that was the result. I also found my pranayama (Yoga breathing ) excercies much easier this morning and guess all is now back in balance.
So I will end this now and get some more letter writing in while the rain continues...(just ran out to use the toilet upstairs and was out for a few seconds and am drenched!!
I don't think I will be writing each and everyday as you;'ve become used to so, please don't worry if I don't write. It is a good sign that I am just relaxing and using the time for better things.
My love to all....Jane
posted by Jane @ 6:50 PM
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