Ladakh: The Ten List

Top Ten Things I Love About Living in Ladakh

1. Open window in morning. See Himalaya.
2. Milk is fresh from the cow’s teat. The meat had a pulse that morning, the carrots are sweet and the goat is free-range.
3. Child has chance for direct life experience learning animal names since cow/chicken/goat/cat/stray dog/donkey is mooing/clucking/braying right next to you in road.
4. Built-in free community childcare. Can pass off Aamir to in-laws anytime and have him make 12 new friends with gangs of neighborhood kids playing outside window. It takes a village.
5. No commute.
6. Renowned Buddhist Rinpoche happens to be an in-law and neighbor. Can borrow sugar and maybe some enlightenment.
7. The lovely trickling sound of water I hear in the villages is real. No more need for iPhone app played in former office.
8. Morning run under Royal Palace. Not bad.
9. Free healthcare. Meds cost $3.15.
10. Happiness comes without thinking.

Top Ten Things I Hate About Living in Ladakh

1. When I step out the door, the entire town is whispering about who I am and what I’m wearing. Please.
2. Despise oppressive Catholic guilt felt with Shiite Muslim family. Let’s have some fun and stop worrying so much about Allah.
3. Child developing diabetes and tooth decay owing the sheer amount of candy and chocolate received from anyone he glances at in Ladakhi community.
4. Knuckles bleeding from laundry.
5. Husband now man of house. Three-year American retraining of male-ego lost in one month. Why so bossy?
6. Fickle electricity = no internet for days. Experiencing first-world mental hernia.
7. Don’t really take showers anymore.
8. Takes four hours to accomplish anything. Locals think mental institution would be worthwhile in face of trying to enforce American timing.
9. Time and deliberation taken to establish a healthy schedule for toddler since birth – banished. What is a schedule?
10. Trying to stave off need to go to world concert, see modern art museum, have deep soak in porcelain bathtub and eat red licorice. Imagining doing this for at least ten more years. Hm...