Finally, it’s Thursday evening and I’ve got some space to breathe, and to write. Let’s try to recount things chronologically.

Nilambe
Two weeks ago we went to the Nilambe meditation center. Not sure that I’ve talked about that yet. So, it’s this beautiful meditation retreat up in the mountains. It’s a pretty international group of people living there. In any case, while there we did different sorts of meditation. One type was just being aware of the present moment, without necessarily trying to focus your attention. Just being aware of what you’re doing here and now, and when your mind wanders, being aware of what it’s wandering to. This mindfulness was practiced in sitting, standing, and walking postures. Later, we did a meditation on “loving-kindness,” Which involves first concentrating only on yourself, and thinking kind loving thoughts about yourself. Gradually, you extend this loving feeling to someone you know well and like, someone you know casually, someone you dislike, and to all living beings.
I can’t say that I got tons out of either of these meditation sessions, but I did really enjoy the people there. From the things they said and the way they interacted with the world, they seemed as though they’d accumulated a great deal of wisdom and insight through meditation.
Anyway, after the meditation, we did some yoga (taught by one of the people living there), which was an interesting experience. We also took a short (5 min) walk up the hill a ways and encountered two things:
1) An absolutely beautiful view of the valley below. (I'll upload pics when I can)
2) Tons, and tons of leeches.

I could have stayed the night at the meditation center, but my brain seemed a little full for the day, and I had to decide at the last minute, and so I went home. I’d really love to go back sometime while I’m here though. It really seems like a great environment to live in.