Head spinning

We spent all weekend listening to recorded interviews and translating. Tiring.

Yesterday afternoon we went out and did the last few interviews that I'd missed the last time I was in Sichuan. I had to interview some kids so I left that to Sunday, when I could hopefully catch them out of school! Got all that done. Also interviewed an elderly lama. The lamas in Sichuan are different to the ones in Yunnan, I think they're red instead of yellow sect or something like that. The lamas here are allowed to have walking marriage and this one was telling me about his kids. I guess that explains why I received such vastly different answers to my curious questions about the role of the lamas in the community. The Yunnan lamas are supposed to be celibate and not drink or smoke I think, and the Sichuan ones don't have such strict rules. They still wear a pretty cool outfit though and do all the chanting, etc.

Still, am getting the work done! yay. Hope to be back in Yunnan tomorrow or day after, depending how tonight goes.

Slept in a bit, but still feel tired. Had all these vivid dreams about my Mum and Dad being in China and us all dying in a car crash, then another one with Mum and Dad coming here to visit, this time we were walking between different rural villages. Dad really liked it here because it reminded him of his childhood in Cornwall, eg. life was pretty simple, not many facilities, living in villages and farming little squares of land. It was weird cos I'd never pictured Dad being here. Not sure how he'd cope with chopsticks. Don't think he would have liked the Chinese cities either. Haven't dreamt about him in ages...