Monk watch
It would be hard to hide six Tibetan monks with shaved heads wearing maroon and saffron robes in Schenectady's Stockade neighborhood.
Just ask Linda Patrik, who turned her house over to the monks from the Gaden Jangste Monastery during their week-long visit on campus.
The monks turned more than a few heads while walking in Riverside Park along the Mohawk River, and shopping at Arthur's Market, a gathering place for Stockadians.
Patrik, her husband, David Kaczynski, and their three cats moved out to stay with friends, leaving their home and a supply of food for the monks. On the monk's grocery list: rice, flour, beans, ginger root, fruit, milk and meat (Half the monks were vegetarians). The monks also ran a tab at Arthur's, and did some extra shopping at Price Chopper. “The monks were very self-reliant,” Patrik said. “They cooked and shopped for themselves.”
There was only one glitch with the houseguests: a temperamental VCR and TV briefly prevented them from watching the news, but Patrik's husband fixed the problem. The monks, who live in India, have been following world news very closely since Sept. 11, Patrik noted.
The monks left behind a number of gifts for their hosts including a colorful tapestry of Tibetan yogi Milarepa, who meditated for decades in the Himalaya. “It's beautiful and they hung it in just the right place,” Patrik said.