World Rabies Day

September 28 is World Rabies Day. We celebrated it a day early here at Tibet Charity with a very nice ceremony and free rabies shots for the dogs in town. I learned some things about rabies... like the fact that apparently 60,000 people a year are killed by it, and 1/3 of those are in India. Tibet Charity's veterinary program was instated a few years back at the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a way to help control the stray dog population in and around Dharamsala. Every year they sterilize dogs around town; in the Director's speech he stated that they believe the way to control the population is not to kill the animals, but rather to control their reproduction. Tibet Charity also tends to the animals in town, providing necessary medical care. Last year they vaccinated some 700 dogs against rabies, and they are hoping to at least match that number this year.

That monk in the orange standing up is my student Phaivong, and the monk sitting next to him in red is my student Jampel.

Mr. Boom calming down one of Tibet Charity's resident dogs, Tashi. He got a little territorial with all the other dogs around.

Look at the long dog! It reminded me of Jdog...

Panel of experts. Tibet Charity's director, Mr. Tsering Thundup-la, is on the right.

Tashi getting the first vaccine of the day. The other Tibet Charity dog, Paula, was next.

OMG doxie!

Tibetans always have tea and snacks when there are functions.

Yesterday evening I was wrestling with either bad food or a stomach bug that woke me up every two hours. Apparently most people who come to India experience “traveler's diarrhea” at one point or another, which I read before I came, so I was (more or less) prepared. It still sucks when you're just trying to get a decent night's sleep and you can feel every inch of your intestines writhing and gurgling, and then your stomach cramps up, you've got chills, and because you're already so uncomfortable everything else is amplified: the mildew smell in the mattress, the fact that there's no heat in your room, knowing that you're supposed to be traveling in a couple of days and that if you feel this crappy now, there's no way you're going to want to sit in the car for a few hours.

I think I just ate too much oily food yesterday. I had an omelet for breakfast that, while fresh, was a little oily on the bottom, and then for lunch we had noodles and peppers that had a fair amount of oil on them. They were tasty, but I don't think my stomach appreciated it much.

After the ceremony I went back to my place, drank some electrolytes, and took a nap. Thankfully I felt a whole lot better when I got up to go to dinner with Marie and Verity, and tonight has progressed without further incident. We even got a nice, big thunderstorm after dinner – we decided to just ride it out in the restaurant. I think the power went out 4 times.

We are supposed to be going on a day trip tomorrow, so I'll have to see how my stomach feels in the morning. None of us wants a repeat of the last road trip.

The final stretch

We're down to the last few days before I go!

Monday I got my visa applied for and was assured it would be ready by Friday afternoon (nothing like cutting it close to add some spice to the experience), and both my arms are still sore from my immunizations. Normally I'm not a big fan of vaccinations, but seeing as I'm not sure what to expect on the other side of the world, I think I'll play it safe this time.

Packing is underway and I'm making more lists to minimize the chances of forgetting something important. It sounds like the plan now is to spend a day in Delhi before taking the 12-or-so-hour bus up to Dharamsala, which means I'll be arriving a few hours before the opening ceremony on the first day (August 1) of my charity work. I hope I end up with a reliable internet connection so I can keep you all posted!

Preparation begins!

I've been making lists. Lots of lists, full of things that need to happen in the next two weeks.

Recently Dad and I went about obtaining a few travel/survival essentials like a nice new backpack, an electricity converter, and some parachute cord. I'm thinking I'll pack a big suitcase and use the backpack as my carry-on, plus when I get to the Himalayas (because that's where I'm going, you know) I can go hiking if I so desire. Sweet.

Immunizations have been scheduled, as has my visa application interview. One involves going to Morris, the other to Chicago... so next Monday should prove to be all kinds of adventurous.

I've emailed a friend of a friend who lives in India hoping to get some inside info as far as what to expect. Another friend has asked coworkers from India and apparently they say there's no particular reason to be concerned for my safety on my trip. This makes me happy.

My biggest concern right now is getting TO Dharamsala. I figure once I'm there, it's just like being in any other new city: you find where you're staying, you unpack a little, you roam around and familiarize yourself with your surroundings, and then you pass the hell out and try to sleep off some of the jet lag. Maybe not exactly in that order. Luckily, someone from the charity I'll be working with is going to meet me at the airport and we'll travel the rest of the way to Dharamsala together.

In the meantime, preparations for Summerfest, which is rapidly approaching, continue! This Friday at 9pm, at Braidwood city park. It'll be my last big public performance before my trip, so it's an even bigger deal for me than it usually is. Come out and watch -- I promise it'll be a great show!

Any suggestions of things I should take with me?