Things to do to make a small monk laugh

1. While rubbing neem oil for head fungus, massage it in as if he were coming to a salon.
2. Sing songs from Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, dance along.
3. Waltz with another doctor to imaginary music.
4. Shadow puppets
5. Stand behind your collegue, put your arms through theirs and pretend to be their hands.
6. juggle
7. giggle back

Sacred refuse

Our little clinic is located next to a monastary, or Gompa, which is 5 minutes away from a tantric Hindu temple. The people in the village make their way, every morning starting about 6:30 to give and receive blessings to both. Women walk with plates of flowers--poinsettias and marigolds, incense, candles, dye powder and salt to take part in the blessings. The incense and candles get burnt, but the powder, flowers and salt are thrown and placed to color different parts of the temple.
What is even better though is that this is done not only at the gompa and temple, but all around the village so that seemingly random places are colored red and orange with dye and flowers, a rock here, a water spigot there.
The whole place is covered in the rubbish of blessing and thanks.

A slow day

I had 7 patients today, instead of the usual 14-19 which was a relief, as youthfully exuberant as I am practicing what I love every day.
The reason why is because the maoists decided they were unhappy, and led a citywide strike which shut down all transportation. Apparently some policemen killed 6 people, and so they see it as their civil duty to set fire to motorcycles and generally cause a disturbance that stops people from doing what they'd normally do. Apparently the strike is scheduled to continue until Tuesday. Wednesday, however, the 'untouchable' cast has decided to schedule a protest to make a point about being treated as untouchable, and so it seems the traffic may remain slow throughout midweek.
This is the news I have in my village. It took one of the interpreters an hour and a half to walk here after she had to abandon her scooter.
In other news, I live next door to a building of heavily armed mafia.
All in spitting distance are those guys with the guns, a gompa training quite a few young monks (whom I love to treat for their various ailments--mostly ringworm/fungus) and the clinic. It is a powerful little compound.