my "tibetan class" has slowly turned into "drink chai with kinley and talk about philosophy for a couple of hours". we're both learning a lot from each other, and it's really fantastic, but my tibetan isn't coming along as quickly as it should be. i mean, i've learned some things - i can tell now the difference between when the girls in the hostel are screaming because their friend has a phone call and when the girls in the hostel are screaming because the milkman has come - but i still can't really have a conversation with anybody that lasts longer than a few minutes. my ability to read philosophy is really coming along (i can read entire passages of candrakirti without turning to the dictionary for help), but it's just hard sometimes... nobody really takes me seriously because i can't speak. the girls in the hostel are always amazed to find out that i know something about tibetan philosophy.

the girls in the hostel also don't take jojo seriously. she has a little gas stove, and whenever she cooks dinner, people come in and try to help because they don't believe that jojo knows how to cook. when she says, "guys, i cook at home all the time," they just shake their heads and laugh.