Today was a good day. Got up with a nasty sore throat but cleared up on and off the rest of the day. Sylvia says I still sound like Peterla, (whatever that means) And by crazy I mean jam packed. It started off a normal day in language class, though I took a bit to get mentally going. Afterwards I went to the dept. store and got suntan lotion. The store is just too much between the crazy chinese sales people doing Nazi drills in the morning to dazed and confused tibetans tripping over and staring endlessly at the escalator. Such beauty in the form of traditional chupas and tan faces in opposition to the cold materialism.

Afterwards Ashley and I went to the bank saying hi to the tibetans circumambulating the potala and noting the golden yak statue. Hopped a cab back just in time for lecture - no lunch - really healthy for me being sick. It got warm today. to the point where I was hot in my down jacket.

The lecture was at Braille without borders, a group that helps blind Tibetans read and function. It was amazing to see and sad to hear tears in heaven. Using the computer was interesting - announcing everything. The director needed some help with his computer. So naturally Pam came to me - Breanna noted that I really have helped a lot of people with my skill which she thought was awesome. So I agreed on 6:30 to come back. LIttle did I remember how Tibetans don't get right down to business. Anyway, for the time being, I was free so I went out to the bus stop to go to the Tibet museum. Two girls (Tibetan) came up to me while I was waiting and befriended me. I told them I was going to the Tibet museum so they got a taxi and we all went down, their school was supposedly right nearby. They insisted on paying and then we realized it was closed. So we walked around, them asking about why I came and what I do and I had to totally fake it, which was sad. We kept batting back and forth where we wanted to go, but they were full, so that ruled out eating, so we wandered to the river. I saw sho being played for the first time, but they said the people cheat. After a while I told them I had to go back and thanked them but they insisted in not only going back with me, away from where they needed to go but also pay for it. I thanked them a lot and we swapped e-mail.

After I went out and met the director from braille without borders to fix his computer, I was a little late and had to help them across the street, which was a harrowing experience. Of course what I forgot is that all Tibetans can't just get down to business they have to have tea first. So I tried butter tea for the first time - and didn't like. Then I had to run back to the hotel to meet with my group for the signs project. Total took me about 1/2 hr and got back and ate some veggies and rice, which was good since I hadn't had any lunch. I went back through the winding dark alleys with the guy who was amazing - knew the way even though he was blind and could describe everything to me as though it were broad daylight and he could see. The winding corridors reminded me of the Jewish quarters in the towns in Spain. He lived up the stairs in a small apartment. I worked on his computer for a bit and realized his internet wasn't connecting, I did show him how to write new e-mails, which I think helped but I didn't know anything about how his ISP worked so I couldn't get him back online. I felt bad but it was the best I could do. I went back on the main rd, saw a lot of muslim Tibetans. I passed by huge yak carcasses lying on the sidewalk and couldn't help but photograph the strangeness of it. I got back to the hotel and told Kelly about everything.