101. Crime and Punishment

I have had a phone saga lasting over a week and involving countless visits to the local phone shop, standing in queues to be pushed and shoved and ignored and told “madam, just wait, it will be working soon”.  And of course it never does.

The internet at Lha has been even slower than usual rendering me helpless with frustration and unable to update Contact online.  AND to cap it all I lost my little wallet thing with bank card, etc.  Hunted frantically, decided to get card stopped, endless phone calls to Indian bank being passed on to ever yet more unhelpful people and phone messages in Hindi til I was nearly weeping with exasperation.  Eventually sorted it and of course immediately found my wallet which was safely tucked away.

And on top of all this it appears I've pissed my son off.  Again.  Does he stop to wonder whether the punishment fits the crime?  Sending me to Coventry may suit him but its hell for me.  I am human.  I make mistakes.  As does he.

So there are cracks in utopia!  And to make it worse this is the one night I wish I was at home as my choir is having a big party and I would love to be there.

So what makes it better?  People of course.  The guy on reception here who is always helpful and sweet; the  lovely Tenzin at Lha making endless phone calls for me and just being there; the Indian guy over the street who has befriended one of our volunteers and who marched me into the phone shop and gave them what for – he had never spoken to me but had spotted me coming out of the phone shop looking distressed and decided to do something about it.  An email from somebody I have never met telling me, quite unprompted: “PS: I love your blog. Don't stop writing please.”  Now that made my day!

And a good sleep this afternoon, a bar of chocolate, a sight of the full moon outside my window. The sax solo in Joan Armitrading's "Love and Affection".  All these things would happen wherever I am – I couldn’t really expect to have nearly 6 months without experiencing any Real Life at all!!

Go on, give yourself a treat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWFKKtvAvak