Beautiful Mandalas in Front of Door Steps

I went to have South Indian Thali with Yoomi. It was terrible. As it goes on this whole journey, when the food goes bad, it's really time to move on. The walk was a nice stroll. I visited rooms for $100 a night and it was vacant.

One of the things I noticed about this part of India is the integration of color, art, creativity in Spirituality. I see color mandalas everywhere like this either in flowers or right outside the front door on the street fresh every morning beautifully done with colored sand and colored flour.

Don't Get Side Tracked and End Up in Moscow or Something

I woke up with my entire body aching. I sat and meditated for an hour and the aches went away. But the fatigue from the aching all night didn't, so all I wanted to do was meditate for the rest of the day. However I do have an appointment with Puri to go on the heritage walk.

I was too tired to take in any food. It's odd this way. I need the energy to use for the day and I need the energy from food to use. However I need to use up the energy I had in order to produce more energy to use. The cycle rate is a day for this process and I only have a day left here. I so decided to use what is left of my energy sparingly to tour. It's like you have 60 miles to go and there is less than half a gallon of gas in your car. And you know if you pull over to a rest stop you know you aren't gonna make it to your destination in time because you are just too tired. But if you don't pull over you might just run out of gas and stop all together. Well, I was banking on lucky stars to pull me through.

I checked my emails at Mark's and Rev. Heng Sure reminded me to not get side tracked in Bangkok and somehow end up in Moscow or something. Well, I really want to go to Russia but I am totally out of cash to do so. My financial supply is like my energy supply right now. Actually I have been stretching it somehow for the last 3 months. It's quite amazing how I've lasted this long.

This type of architecture is common in this area, painted in colorful bright colors, decorated with French-Indian motifs.

Grateful for Good Past Affinities

I had a fresh coconut cut to drink the juice. I was thirsty from the walk. I'm not a fan of coconut for some reason. But I know it's good to have to hydrate in this heat. Plus it was fresh and that means it's safe to drink.


The country ride to Chennai looks like this. And the rest stop looks like this with little huts and rickshaws. I was so blessed to be able to squeeze into the car with Moussin and his family who are heading to the airport for Kerala. Everyone tells me to visit Kerala. Maybe ones of these later trips I will.

Who is Moussin? I don't know. But within the 24hours I met him he set me up with housing I desperately needed and then this ride north to Chennai that I desperately needed. Grateful, truely grateful for good past affinities.

I arrived at the airport at 5:30pm and my flight was not for another 7 hours. I didn't mind the wait. I preferred to have been dropped off at the airport then having to fetch my own ride and connections in the dark at night all by myself in India.

I chatted with an Australian man who was flying back home to Brisbane via Malaysia. He bought a Sitar for his son. Then I watched more people at the airport as if I was watching a movie. I like people watching.

I am looking forward to a real shower, a hot one, and a real towel to use. I think I'll have to take consecutive showers to satisfy or just feel really scrubbed clean. I don't think I've been really clean since I left US. That's like many, many months now. I guess this is how it was in the old days or lots of part of countries in the world now too.

Ah... hot shower! Ah... hot springs! It was all I could think of at the airport. When I checked in, the guy at the counter asked me why I was so happy to leave. I must have had a big grin on my face.

Bow to Greater Plans

After checking out of the Guest House, I decided to splurge and hop onto a rickshaw for 30 rupees to drop me off at Shuddham along with my packs. I parked my stuff at Yoomi and Mark's place. I went to BookBox myself to help out with a bit of translation work and fortunately I had a 10am appointment at the travel agency so I didn't stay long to translate. Honestly, I think I do enough of this kind of volunteer work back a home and I really don't feel like doing any of it right now. It makes me feel like I am not in India but back a home and I feel it's premature for me to be back a home. They are still working on connecting me with housing.

At the travel agency, everyone was great and nice and most of all very helpful. I was able to locate a flight out of Chennai via Bangkok to Taipei for $430. I put in all the rupees I had and saved 300 rupees for the ride to airport and then put the rest onto a credit card. I fly 00:15 AM January 15. I land in Taipei after 11am the same day. This was the best arrangement after many visits to various agencies including Bangkok, Ahmedabad, Pondy. It's interesting how things work out. This was the best flight arrangement to be on that was why I could not purchase a ticket in Bangkok nor in Ahmedabad because it really wasn't the best arrangement for me. But I didn't know that then. Oh how many times on this trip have I had to bow to the fact that my logical plans loose to greater plans that I was not awake to.

Afterwards I went back to BookBox and did one hour of work and then stopped for lunch. My kind of work schedule. I went to Yoomi's for lunch. Their friend Moussin from Morocco who also lives half of the time here in Pondy and half in Berkeley brought take outs from Suguru's. It was delicious I had Tondori Paneer. I really think Paneer is like firm tofu. It turns out he just got himself into his friend's two bedroom apartment with AC washer etc... But he is goinig to Kerala Sunday and gave me the keys to stay as long as I wanted. Gee... how did I luck out on this. I had no housing now I do and it's better than any housing options I could have found for myself. However since I just bought my ticket for Sunday night flight I will only be able to stay for one more night which is tonight. The place is nice and is above a gym. Well, I will miss eating and chill'n here but I can eat and chill in Taiwan! Mark was sweet to offer to locate a ride to Chennai airport. That's really nice and I really appreciate all the great however short time I've spent here.

After dropping off my packs at the apartment I went back to Mark's and met Puri their friend who is also working on restoration of French Architectural buildings here. I was connected with a heritage walk for tomorrow to check out French Architecture with students on a guided walk. I do love art and love architecture. I even once thought of getting into architectural history.

Shuddham

I stepped into the the Shuddham building to meet up with Yoomi and Mark. They poured me a cup of French Stawberry tea while we chatted in their studio. I checked out the bandages on their body and Yoomi's limp as she walked. I learned of their car accident in Bangalore a month ago. They were there for their friend's wedding. They were on a scooter when a bus hit them from the back and Yoomi's foot got stuck in the bus's bumper and the scooter too got stuck underneath the bus along with Mark's leg. So the bus dragged Yoomi, Mark and their scooter while all the passengers on the screamed at the bus driver to stop the bus. When the bus finally stopped the driver switched out of the driver seat and the official bus driver jumped into the seat. Mark lost flesh not just skin. He was heavily medicated and not mobile. He has to go into the hospital to change bandages daily to keep the open flesh from infections. The daily challenge is having to make it to and from the hospital. The rest of the time he is in bed battling the pain. Yoomi can now finally walk with a limp. Well, I am so glad they are alive what a brush with death.

Mark and Yoomi are both very beautiful people. They live part of the year out of San Francisco and the rest of the time in Pondicherry. When they are here they volunteer here at Shuddham and is also involved in restoration project of historical French architectural buildings in the area. Yoomi introduced me to a literacy project at an office nearby with BookBox and asked me if I was interested in translation projects in trade for possible housing options. BookBox is working in increasing literacy in India through internet storytelling for children. Here is info on Shuddham an NPO with environment as their focus and empowering women. http://shuddham.wordpress.com/

Yoomi took me to her friend Surag's travel agency and helped me sort out flights to Taiwan. I have to return tomorrow because it was already closing time and so I have make another trip tomorrow.

Then Yoomi took me to Suguru's for Dosai and other South Indian dishes. They were all very delicious. I wonder if I should stay here longer just to eat. Hum.... tempting and dangerous. But must solve the whole housing problem first.

I walked along the beach at night to find my way back to the hotel. It was crowded, lots of people are out walking on this beautiful night with warm summer breeze. I pretty much did people watch all along the beach as I walked.

In the room there are large images of Sri Arvind and Ama on the wall. Honestly it really requires adjustment on my end to have their images in the room where I change clothes and sleep. It just doesn't feel respectful on my end to have them in the room.

Didn't Even Know I was on a Mini Date

Auchil woke me up this morning because I did hear the alarm clock right next to my ear but she did and I was glad she did. I really would have slept through it. I was also glad to be smart enough to go to sleep in what I would wear today because I could just roll out of bed and be all dressed too. She hugged me and had me write to keep up he inspirations and support.

The pre-arranged rickshaw insisted the rate for the ride was at 30rupees and not 20rupees. Or it was 20ruppees like it was agreed upon but he decided to up it. Well, it was 5am in the morning and I am glad to not have to be out in the street in the dark to flag my own rickshaw and risk getting myself into danger and also the risk of no ride to the airport that early in the morning. So for the safety and convenience I paid 150rupees total for the entire 17 minute ride to the airport.

At the airport I had to drink my 1L of water because it was not allowed on the plane dur to security reasons. So I drank the whole thing and I had plenty of time to pee it out before the boarding since I was so early. I thought with the 150rupees the driver was charging me and with him telling me it was far justifying why he was charging me so much, I ended up at the airport way early than I needed to.

I got onto Spice Jet which was a nice airline. I had the whole row to myself. I sat did my meditation and recitation with ear plugs on. But I was too tired and I fell asleep and stretched out on the seats. And because I drank too much water, I had to get up to pee very frequently. Good thing I wasn't far from the toilet. I got to see the sun rise over the puffy clouds, it was beautiful, fire red and orange.

I decided to lean over to a neighbor and ask how to get to Pondicherry. Another man and his wife over heard this decided to take me under their arms and hand hold me through the entire aftermath of locating ride to Pondy. The wife was so sweet. She like a good mother, told me all the no's and was ready to send me off on my own. I must have looked really lost and fragile because she decided to change her mind and ended up arranging everything for me. She flagged a rickshaw for me and told the driver to make sure to do the following: locate a seat on the right bus for me. I am to be on the right bus and I am to have a seat. Until then I cannot pay him the beautiful sum of 120 rupees, a tourist price.

I got onto a bus and sat by the window in the last row by the door. In India all window and doors are open at all times. It was so hot that I didn't mind. I put a shaw over my head and slept the whole time. It costed me 52 rupees for the entire 4 hour ride to Pondy. While on the bus I saw the trains go by and there were carts with no seats and it was full of people hanging out the door. Wow! Glad I wasn't on that train.

I made it to Pondicherry bus station. From here I took a rickshaw for 20 rupees to drop me off at Park Guest House by the beach. IT was only 2 minutes away. But I didn't know that ahead of time. Well the Park Guest House was nice. There was a yoga retreat this weekend and the place was full. The reception didn't want to let me have a room and then decided he would only if I promise to pack out of there in the morning because they are full and most of the people for the retreat is already in town. I got the room for 600rupees. The room was a nice and it had a queen size bed and AC. Oh the AC! Love the AC. It is so hot and humid here. I am foot steps from the beach. The place is really clean here. Because I was so tired I took a two hour nap in the AC. Fatigue and hunger, hummmm...... fatigue wins and so I slept first and ate later. I didn't have my first meal for the day until dinner time.

I walked around to hunt for other living options. I got to know the French quarters very well. Around 4:30pm I came across an internet cafe and checked my mail and got a response from Yoomi. I borrowed Shakti's phone to call, he was a passerby. He also ended up giving me a ride all over town. That was very risky of me to just hop on. He ended up buying me juice and samosa. I didn't realize what I had gotten myself into, I was like on a mini date and I had no idea. He did however drop me off like he promised at Yoomi's and that was good. It really wasn't far from my place but I didn't have a map and didn't speak the language.

Last Goodbyes to My Sisters in India

We had tickets to watch a dance performance tonight by a famous Indian dance choreographer. I wasn't sure if I was up for it so I thought I'd let myself think about it while the group waited to gather together to leave together. Just a few days ago I was in below zero weather. Now in very hot Gujarat I am feel acclimated. I am now cold at night and having to put on my winter coat just to stay warm as if I was Indian experience Indian winter.

While we waited to all gather I gave all the girls around a tarot reading. It was fun and everyone enjoyed the exchange of experiences of palm reading, astrological reading etc.... One surprise for me was sweet Achil's sadness. She told me things that were like right out of Bollywood films without a fairytale ending.

I ended up choosing to go to the dance performance and all of us girls squeezed onto two rickshaws on laps and all. It was a chilly night at the open air amphitheatre. The performances were beautifully done. It was a great evening. We were hungry afterwards and Lakshme and Heena went to get pizza for everyone. Pizza is the closest to western food here for the volunteers and a taste of what feel a bit like home is a big deal. We stayed up till 1am.

I told all the girls that we should do our good byes now instead of 4am in the morning when I am set to leave for the airport. We got into a circle and did prayers. Everyone was so sweet in sharing their thoughts about me and how they will remember me and how I have influenced their life.

Heena,"Your laugh, the light you bring, the good chi you add to the room by just being helps everyone."

Snehal,"You seem at peace with yourself it must be the meditation and prayer you do everyday. Hope we can all be like you more at peace. You are a very unique spirit."


Murin,"Your friendliness, warm openness really helped me feel at home and welcomed and situated."

Payal,"The gift you share with us by being light hearted, not too affected by stuff around; nurture, warmed, sensitivity."

Laxmi, "I really feel that you are this huge ball of energy and thank you for sharing that energy with us."

Auchil,"You inspire me with your encouragement and support."

I shared with them the story of doing service everyday and it is easy to burn out and loose hope and that each of them inspire me with their efforts. I also explained what a Bodhisattva is and validated how they are each doing the work of a Bodhisattva.

Kite Delivery to Boarding School For the Vision and Hearing Impaired

On the way over in the car ride I had good chats with Laura and Bology. People are very curious why I am doing what I am doing. This surprises me every time because people who I have come across on this trip has actually showed interest in hearing what I have to say. You know it's like people to say, "Hi, how are you?!" in passing and when you've answered they've already stepped far enough away that they can't hear you. So since we were in the long car ride out of town I talked and talked. I told them that I think my logic can be really screw me up and I think this trip was about trusting another system at work. Plus it has been about experience kindness where ever I go and this has allowed me to open my heart and let go fears.

We decided to buy ice cream for everyone at the school. That is a lot of scoops of ice cream. Upon arrival I saw two boys walking leaving the school walking in a pair as if they can see. It was a sight for me to see. We entered the gray cement building where the boarding school is held. I climbed the stairs and passed through walls of chipping paint, dust everywhere, and aroma of urine and mugginess filled the air. The entire lighting of the building is gloomy, dark, and gray. I guess in a blind school there is no need for lighting. But really I disagree, I think it is important to feel light through the body.


The kids were finishing up on lunch. We made it just in time with ice cream for dessert. It was a great idea and I am glad Laura thought of it. Ice cream is not in the budget at all here due to lack of funding. It was great to see students and staff all enjoying the ice cream. I think it's hard to not become a kid again when you are eating ice cream.

I saw two ladies sitting on the floor preparing dinner right after lunch.



The girls sat separately in the kitchen.

The school staff located a guitar for Bology to play and sing to the school. It was such a treat for them to hear English songs. He sang all Pearl Jam hits. The kids listened with their whole body. Laura held Bology's video camera and filmed it all. It's amazing what gifts of joy a guitar can do. That was amazing giving.


The kids may not be able to see with their flesh eyes but they can seem to see with their other senses. They seem be able to manage not running into me when I can't seem to manage not running into them. One boy was seeing with his hands. He really was soulful. He'd really pass as a Blues artist. Some students also have added conditions of mental disabilities. It was sad for me to see. One boy was asked to perform for us. He could imitate any radio broad cast. He was beat bopping with his lips.

The kids were all very excited to receive the kites. One boy treasured his kite so much he wanted to stash it in a safe place into his silver tin treasure box. However the kite was bigger than his box. He managed to find a plastic cover to put it away in for safe keeping.

The entire experience here has been amazing for me and emotional too. I wanted on this trip to India to go to the slums and be with the lowest caste and I did here. I wanted to go to orphanages and disabled schools and I did here. I wanted to see birth and I did with the one and half month old twin at the slums. I wanted to see death and I did in Delhi on the taxi on the way to the bus agency. A man was dead in the gutter and no one paid any attention to it. He just laid there dead.

Kite Delivery to Boarding School Kids

Laura woke Linda up for her flight because she was still asleep and she woke all of us up to say our goodbyes. Linda cried over the gifts we got her. We held hands and said our prayers and sent her off. It was still night outside and the sun has yet to rise. We then all dove back into bed while Laura played music the whole time. It was difficult for me to fall back asleep this way. I just rested in bed.

My sisters here all inquired about my daily meditation, practice, and recitation. They said they watch me do it every morning and night in bed and they were curious what it was I doing and why I do it regularly regardless how late at night it is and how early it is. I hadn't noticed that they all had noticed all this time. They wanted to hear what it was I recited so I recited a bit of Surangama Mantra for them to hear.

Today I delivered the kites we had been making this entire week. We first went to a boarding school for orphans and otherwise homeless kids run by Manav Sadna. It felt like Christmas and Santa Claus came to deliver presents.

Volunteering at Seva Cafe

For the evening we went to Seva Cafe to volunteer because they were short on volunteers. I was put on dish washing assembly. This is the entry level post, everyone must start from here before given more responsibility. This is the first step in the ladder. Then you will be trusted with putting yummy spreads on bread to be toasted. Yes, that’s the protocal unless you are Guri from Charity Focus known for her cooking and can come in and revamp the menu and run the place then you don’t have to start at dish washing station.

Well, I was limping and had trouble standing from car accident injuries that it was great I could lean on the sink while I did the dishes. I tried to hand mop the floor instead so I could actually just not stand but Laxmi insisted that it wasn’t my job to do so. I’m thinking like which step of the ladder is the floor mopping on? She said because for the longest time she resisted moping the floor and everywhere she went she would some how always end up getting stuck mopping the floor. Now she sees it as a practice because she doesn’t want to do it she has to in order to over come it. So moved and impressed by this beautiful spirit, I left her alone to mop.

We had dinner there and it was delicious. Bology from MIT who is on his way to his sister’s wedding down south found out about Seva Cafe online and stopped by Ahmedabad especially for this experience. He brought his acoustic guitar and played any request that was Pearl Jam related. This made all the Australian native volunteers very happy. The energy was at an all time high.

Afterwards Linda and I got onto a rickshaw and went to a night market bazar to do shopping. Shopping makes Linda happy and Linda has not been happy since the train ride. Linda wanted to be in a nice Hotel and no longer wanted to rough it in any dorm bed and she wants clean new white sheets with running hot water and to sleep on a real bed and use a real towel. So we went shopping and she got lots of gifts for her friends and family. A local woman told us we as females should not be out later than 10pm that it was dangerous for us even if there was more than one of us. She also told us to only pay 30% of the given price. Linda had me haggle for her. The trick is you have to be willing to walk away and if they don’t call you back then you have to take that too. Well, there are plenty of stall who are selling the same thing so if this one doesn’t then go to the next one.

Kite Festival in Ahmedabad

I walked to locate the ATM that was 2 minutes away but ended up walking for 30 minutes. I missed it totally. I didn’t mind the walk, it’s a good warm up. I asked two girls on their way to a computer class at Manav Sadhna to show me where the ATM was and they took me to Bank of India but they didn’t have ATMs there. I was directed to Bank of Bombay instead and had to cross the bridge. They guy was nice to draw me a map of which I had trouble relating to. People I passed by smiled at me and starred at me. I felt quite comfortable through it all. I followed the map the best I could and I didn’t see the Bank of Bombay ATM after the bridge but I did come across Bank of India ATM by accident, by getting lost. Sometimes you have to get lost to get to where you need to go in the end. Well, at least in my case.

I went to Manav Sadhna and saw the Gramshree project happening on the grounds. These women from the slums are working on quilts, bags, clothing articles to sell under Gramshree Project. All the money goes to the women and then they get to save the proceeds in a bank account. You can check it out on http://www.gramshree.org/

I walked the grounds a bit and just watched what a day at the Gandhi Ashram and Manav Sadhna was like. There were people working on maintaining the grounds.

Then I stopped by and watched children from the boarding school enjoy music from the volunteer guitarist.
Then I went into the office and the kite assembly was in mass production everything was made from scratch and designed by volunteers to get it in time for the Kite festival. On the kite a verse on saying no to intoxicants and addictions were printed as part of the design. These kites are made for distribution for students at the school and also at the vision and hearing impaired boarding school. The kite festival is about kites flown in the air and the string is made of fiber glass so that each kite flier can cut off another kite off the air. It’s a kite fighting competition. The first thing I thought of when I heard it was, “what are the casualties and the injuries involved in all of this with humans and birds.”

Nirali has a group formed to pass out flyers that educated people about not using fiber glass to save the birds and also a phone number people can call to report injured bird that need to be picked up for medical care. It’s really her heart and soul and her project. She is the it in the project. There really isn’t much of a group helping her in her crusade to save the birds.

Drizzle the Water and Pretend it's a Real Shower

Took me a long time this morning to figure out what shower meant here. It meant water out of a bucket. There was water being boiled out of a boiler with chopped wood old fashion style. I was so happy and grateful for the bucket of hot water. But I was so looking forward to a shower that I had to somehow come through with it for me. So, I prolonged the little buck of water experience by drizzling the water over my head so I can imagine I was in a real shower.

Breakfast this morning was amazing, it wasn’t just crackers two pieces of crackers. People really went out of their way and dug deep into their pockets to offer us samosas, dahl, and chai. It was delicious, chai was perfectly made.

Today I was suppose to go to the slums to drop off blankets with Sunil but I ended up going into town to TCI travel agency to book a ticket to Pondicherry. Afterwards Linda and I went to track down a McDonalds for a veggie burger. It wasn’t that great. I think she misses western food, culture and I think she misses home. The best thing about McDonalds for her was the toilet. She exclaimed with enthusiam, “you have to check out the toilet, it’s a proper toilet you can sit on and it flushes, finally!”

Then we went to the Bazar Mall next door and I bought some scarf for myself. We then went to Gallop Mall and Linda ran out of Rupees. Linda wanted some time to wander on her own and so we parted. I got onto a rickshaw alone and managed to not freak out. Fortunately my driver was an honest man and charged me honestly and also drove me to where I asked him to.

I went back to the travel agency to pay and pick up my air ticket to Chennai then a train ticket to Pondicherry. However the connection required a 10 hour lay over etc... it all got very complicated and mixed up. Then when it came down to closing time, all of a sudden there were no more tickets available now. I don’t know what happened and how it all happened but okay that is how it all stands. There sure was a lot of confusion on both ends some how but I have learned that everything happens for a reason and it doesn’t necessarily happen the way I planned because a better cheaper wiser plan is available but I can’t see it because I’m too stuck on to my plan. So I need to get unstuck so I can see the better plan.

In the evening we went to the annual Cultural Folk Dance Festival. It was outdoors and we were under dressed. We were not prepared for the chilly wind. There was a bon fire pit for people to stay warm. But really, it didn’t do the job, people were all cold. The dancing itself was not my cup of tea and like performances especially dance. I found myself more interested in the costumes and accessories than anything else.

We had delicious food there. Jayesh wanted all of us to try the food there and insisted that it was important for all of us to stay healthy and that volunteers need to eat. I was asked what my volunteer plans were and what projects I would take on. I told him honestly the best thing for me with me week here is to just get to know what other people are doing and that is a lot already.

The guys were also cold and left early but their car was full. The had on t-shirts even more underdressed than us. I kept warm by going back for the food. The spices in the food could keep me warm for about an hour and half. We finally left before the program ended for the night. Finally, because I ran out of stomach room long ago and I kept getting cold.

At the end of the day, I decided I would go ahead and fly to Pondicherry via Chennai and then from there figure out how to take the bus or hire a taxi for 6 hours and get to Pondicherry. I’m not going to freak out. It’ll be a part of my India Travel adventure, adding more for the memories and the stories to tell later.

Very Green Community Center in the Slums

After lunch I went to the Slums to visit the community center built with recycled materials. We crossed a newly built bridge over the sewage. Until a week ago a log was the only means to cross this sewage creek. Regular falls into the sewage was common, and as a result skin disorder builds on your skin. Finally after a recent flooding, a motion to build a bridge over the sewage creek was realized. Now, people do not have to worry about falling into the creek to and from the slums.

Center was very creatively done. The walls are made of crate boxes and glass bottles. For one of the rooms the wall was beautifully hand painted.

A man on the wheel chair teach has volunteered to teach at the center after receiving the gift of the wheel chair. The wheel chair was designed by an man named Don in Hawaii who found a way to assemble the wheel chairs here at low cost with all supplies donated.


Other volunteers who speak Gujurati also teach here.

Children of the slums are encouraged to come to school to learn. It’s free and yet the place is not filled. After each class the students are given food to eat. A lot of the students come for the food in the beginning but either way it’s a way to get started. Here the major thing they teach the children is hygiene. Lots of girls are discouraged from going to school because there are boys there too. There is still the mentality that education is useless to a female. So often it is the women who inhibit other females. So often it is the mother who finds reason of chores for the daughter to do before she heads to school and never makes it to school because she was busy all to keep the girls away from school and getting educated.



In the center there is also a meditation room a sanctuary for prayer. It is an interfaith center.

Save the Chili Beans!

Tonight is Monday night and Seva Cafe is closed on Mondays. Everyone showed up at Manav Sadhna office to prepare for a bye bye party for a resident volunteer who is due to return to her life. Since I did not deliver blanket with my partner I ended up helping out to prepare food for the dinner party.

The regular Seva Cafe being their night off were suppose to enjoy an evening of us serving them. But it turned out anyways that we needed their help. Usually the cooks at any place don’t get to take any time off because really, they have most experience and make the best food anyways and they always will be called on the last minute to rescue a dish from tragic to magic. So that is what happened tonight.

Lakshme had a recipe to make chili beans and it was a recipe from her sister in law for two, when she tried to make it for 50, she ran into experience trouble and quantity trouble. Who did we call to save the big 20 gallon pot? The head Seva Cafe chef! It was suppose to be his night to chill. But which kind hearted service person would let a pot of beautiful ingredients turn indigestible?

Auchil made veggie kabobs over the gas stove. It was a hit. She strung all the cut bell peppers together on to a metal skewer and grilled it over the gas stove and so on with the rest of the veggies. Then she took it all apart and reassembled them onto bamboo sticks. I think her curry sate tofu balls were the best and high lighted the kabob.

We sat in a circle. In the center was a mandala made with colored sand or red and yellow. We the new comers got to light the candles that highlighted the beautiful mandala.

We ran out of plates so there was a rush people wanting to insist they rather share plates with each other. One group of five ended up eating off one plate and of course the usual you go first no you go first went on. I once heard that is how they do it in the heavens, letting the other go first.

After dinner there was music and dancing keeping the circle formation. My back hurt and I had trouble standing and sitting but I wasn’t going to be a party pooper. I didn’t quite pick up the dancing and just ran around in the circle with everyone. Linda was more than tired and ready to leave. Because the girls cooked all the guys did the washing afterwards in assembly line formation and that was nice.

Buddha's Time? Happening Now.

I was suppose to deliver a blanket to one of the most needy in the slums but due to lack of coordination my service action plan fell through. Sneha however went with her partner and they went to an elderly couple in the slums who sleeps on the ground and uses the newspaper for blanket.

This reminded me of a story during Shakyamuni Buddha’s time where a couple offered the only article of clothing they both shared. They were so poor that they only owned a pair of pants and only one of them could wear it at a time and they would take turns.

When I first heard this story, I truly had difficulty in relating to it or even imagine such things. I thought, “oh you know stories get passed down and on and things get exaggerated etc.. to make the point.” Well, I have been to the slums, met with the people, shook their hands and saw the conditions they are in. That story is not old, out dated and it’s not out there. It’s here, it’s real, and I have come acrossed it.

With Patience With Hope

Lots of amazing talented people fly here to volunteer. During a volunteer end of day wrap up meeting I can really relate to some of the frustrations. People come here with a set amount of time they have taken away from their life, put everything on pause to be here. They even brought their binder, color coded, laser printed agenda or starter kit for the programs they wish to successfully launch and implement to make this world a much better place. Yes, people have great aspirations, even good plans to realize them, but often the human conditioning aspect is difficult to calculate into factor.

It is easy for the successful ones to see the answers to success, resolutions to problems and to carry them out. And it is specifically the ones who are stuck and difficult to change that continues to remain in suffering and distress. If they were like the successful ones then they wouldn’t be stuck in a rut. So this internal challenge is what a volunteer must over come with patience and continuing hope.

I see unconditional service to greater good of humanity opens the heart and prepares it for compassion. I believe only with compassion is there room for peace, calm, clarity and wisdom.

I have relied my meditation and chanting practice through out this trip or really it’s more like I have clinged on and I see it has been the breath of my life. It lights my way.

Play in the Sky

Tried to explain to the young girls in the slums that since they are not doing anything with their time anyways, why not go to the school located in the center of the slums. It is free and they should invest in their future. It was hard to get someone to translate the following, “you can choose to walk the ground. There is nothing wrong with that. But wouldn’t it be nice to also have the option of playing in the sky too?”

The basics of schooling for any one who enters the school regardless of their age is basics on hygiene. Then they enter the rest of the program and learn general education on math, science, etc..

The moms were the ones difficult to convince. They believe it is useless for a female to be educated since birthing age is in the teens for girls here and that is the only future for them to give birth to children. However, the fact is, now most of the men in the slums are drunk most of the day, it’s really up to the female to run the family and bring in the income to feed the family. Still, the moms are really afraid of sending their daughters to school to be educated because a female’s place is at home and home is the only place she needs to be.

I told a group of the girls if they went to school tomorrow the volunteer teacher would teach them how to dance in western style but they have to go to school every day and learn a move a day. The girls were interested in that but I really don't know if they can get pass the moms in the morning. Just like the little kids are more interested in the food than the education and the young girls here are more interested in dancing than academics, it's alright, one step at a time. Whatever works it what should be used according to the people and the place and time.

Rights and Freedom

In the same afternoon I also went to visit a recently widowed mother of 5 children. Her husband recently died of TB. She has a pair of twins who are a little over a month old. One of which is severely under weight and as a result the healthier of the twin gets neglected. All five children and the parents live in this little shack. It has enough room for a twin bed made of nylon netting and a little space on the floor for the rest of the five children to lay on. The floor is a dirt floor. A really lame and silly thought ran through my mind, “Is the TB still in the air in this little shack?”

In this culture, the widow is suppose to spend the time in morning to sit at home and pound her chest in grief. She is to stay indoors and not go out in public to do anything. Well, the husband was the sole income provider for the family who collected trash. The oldest child is 11 year old girl who now has to take up that responsibility while her mom does her grieving thing and sit at home and pound on her chest. The other two children who makes up the rest of the five were all toddlers.

I see all the valuable they have in the house is kitchen pots but they don’t have food for the appliances to be used on. They have one blanket which the entire family shares and currently the twins are using them. The twin babies do not have diapers, they use that blanket for warmth and for pooping and peeing on.

The babies cry for nurturing and for food and physical contact. The entire family is malnourished and in need of care. I wondered if the children have the luxury of growing up to resent their parents for their inadequacies and all their lackings. Or is this a western concept, a right to demand and be ungrateful, a right to feel victimized, deprived, or to feel unjust. Such rights are seen as freedoms, but such freedoms do not liberate suffering.

You Go First, No You Go First, No I Insist,...

We had breakfast after we dropped out packs down and picked out a bed in the dorm. We were served Chai and crackers. I heard this was a festive treat normally such luxuries are omitted.

I met everyone who is volunteering and was just blown away by their hearts of goodness and their dedication to their service work. I met Jayesh who is the head of Manav Sadhna. Every morning he has gatherings with everyone.
I learned out of respect, to address Jayesh everyone adds pie to his name but it really sounds more like bye. So it would be Jayeshbpie.

The day starts with group mediation then a chant-prayer, then official meeting starts. He checks in with everyone to make sure everything is well and solves problems that are left unresolved. Then the large group breaks up into smaller groups for project meetings. Then it’s lunch at the Manav Sadhna office. After lunch everyone starts their work for the day. Here is more info on NPO http://www.manavsadhna.org/

For lunch we helped to make roti. I like making roti, I learned it in Nepal and now I get to practice some more here. Lunch was simple and delicious. There was a lentil dish, a salad dish, rice, fruits, and roti. Here for lunch instead of fighting to go first, everyone insists on going last. Thank goodness for those who were willing to be selfless and go first so we can get the lunch eating action actually going or else we would all still be insisting on each other go first and never end up eating at all.

Happy Inspirater

All the villagers came out and wanted to host us by pulling out a bed for us to sit on. The kids came out really excited and happy to check us out. They were all covered in dust and wanted to shake my hand. A woman handed me her son’s medical report saying he has maggots and fleas and also scalp disease. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stand so close to all of that but there was people everywhere all in good spirits surrounding us. I thought about how small my heart was to not want to stand next to someone who has maggots and fleas. But I couldn’t help the fear that ran through me and the wish to be a bigger person than I was at the moment. I had a lot more respect for humanitarians. And I was certainly grateful of the bridge so I didn’t have to fall into the city open sewage creek.

While trying to be aware of the little foolish internal fears that arose while being in this new environment, I noticed the sunshine smiles each child was emitting. It’s contagious. I think that was the only thing I caught that afternoon; joy, pure simple joy. I pulled out my camera and everyone rushed to have their pictures taken. They radiated even more joy. My goodness if that was even more possible. Getting their photos taken made them very happy. It was the most attention anyone has paid to them in a long time. I am glad my camera was a happy inspirater.

Then I saw a few girls run to a small bucket of water that was brown and gray with things inside and used it to wash themselves up to freshen up. Was it the only access to water they had?