Arrival

I arrived at Dechen Choling at half past ten last night to be the new Head of Personnel. Though I have been here many times before, it has never been to take on a paid 'core' staff position. I worked here during 2002-3, but as a volunteer, on various manual projects, mostly outside. The office was a bit off-limits for me, both because I was usually dirty, and because of the slightly neurotic panic which seemed to permeate it. I am glad to say that recent visits would indicate that certain demons seem to have been pacified, and 'Le Bureau' is a much more tranquil place.

Especially at the moment, at the tail end of a Dathun, a month long retreat of sitting meditation. A gentle but effective rain softens the atmosphere of broken-hearted warriorship permeating the Land of Great Bliss. It feels like a precious opportunity to be here and share that atmosphere. On arriving, I immediately ran into my old flatmate, Annalie, who is doing the Dathun. She has clearly been through a lot in her month with the company of her own mind.

I awoke at about 5, hearing the sounds of the building and my early-rising neighbour Gerd. I dressed as presentably as possible, and went to find Rona, whom I am replacing. Unfortunately we only overlap in presence here for a few minutes before she has to leave, so we did a ten minute handover, which is certainly worthwhile. My office is elegant and clutter-free, and systems are in place and working, thanks to her. But, boy, are there some details, and the devil is in the details. Not my strong point, in fact I tend to panic when presented with a lot of details. But I'm now responsible for coordinating the ever-changing staff situation, and most urgently, the large influx (hopefully) of volunteers for summer. With everybody arriving and leaving at different times, having different accommodation and other needs, and a range of different programmes happening, this is a LOT of details. Yikes.