When we left Tuva last Summer, I personally felt like I never wanted to return there. I had more questions than answers and the place just felt too hard to live in. I also left with a sour taste in my mouth feeling that perhaps I had lost my friendship with Aidys. Although it was not his fault, it was not a nice thing to have my family's life threatened by his brother in law. The spiritual climate in Tuva is certainly dark, to say the least.
Last week I met up with Aidys in Novo, and this was good timing. I can now make this next trip to Tuva as a new chapter, with the last one behind me. It will be interesting to return there and see what my feelings are like as I return to the place of the greatest darkness that I have so far experienced in Siberia.
My family will stay behind on this trip. That's a good thing. The weather will consistently be between -40 and -30. I don't really want to drag my little girl through such conditions. I'm traveling with some others from my team, and we are looking forward to making many good connections as we continue our work.
I'm taking my camera with me. I intend to keep it in a pocket close to my skin to keep it warm. I'm not taking the computer, but hope to post again on Tuesday when I return. The above picture was taken in Summer, it is just outside of Kyzyl. It's a Tibetan prayer.
1 comment:
Really nice to read the last few entries and note how you have made your comments from a more personal perspective, rather than generalisations that have sometimes bothered me (everyone seems to make generalisations about everything - LOL how's that for one?!?) I guess this has been balanced by your more positive experiences in Krasnoyarsk. I hope Tuva will have more positive moments this time. May your trip be a safe and productive one.
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