The full moon marked a month here in Auroville. It was just over a month ago that I met the friends who I put complete trust in night one... we whizzed through busy evening streets of Pondy where I saw the full moon peeking behind buildings and palm trees, symbolizing a new phase in my journey. And on this recent full moon I enjoyed the company of those same friends! But we were all sending one off, my sweet International House wifey Kelsey :) I had the idea to surprise her with a cake on her last night and we pooled together to get her this delicious, locally-made delicacy!  

(She's not pictured here—she's the other curly haired friend I made) 

She was thoughtful enough to write me not one but two beautiful notes on these gorgeous cards. 

After sharing teary goodbyes, I went to the "Pavillion of Tibetan Culture" next door for a long candle-and-moon-lit meditation with recorded Tibetan chanting. I found myself filled with love and motivation to get to the mountains... Himalayas, Cascades, Andes, wherever! I've actually had a lot of part-motivating part-distracting thinking lately about what I feel called to next. (Pause for a moment of gratitude that I get to dream like this for my life!) There are so many interesting and inspiring people I am encountering who live happy, simple lives by following their own paths, not the ones society says they should take. I think there are always people like this around us but we don't hear their stories and voices as loudly as those of people who are "successful" by society's standards. But when I hear about these alternative life paths I don't feel the same anxiety as I do when others imply what I should be doing with my life. Because life is unpredictable! 

Like maybe one day out of nowhere you'll be hit by a motorbike when you're cycling home on an innocuous bike path you take nearly every day! 

Yeah, that happened... Another one of those things that I thought wouldn't happen to me, but life thought differently. I was cruising along on a bike path with random dirt paths that intersect with it, and around a blind turn from one of these came a man on a motorbike going pretty fast. By the time we saw each other there wasn't much time for braking and part of me instantly knew (and accepted) that we were going to collide. His front tire hit the side of mine and I was thrown to the ground with my bike. 

Somewhere as I was going down I heard myself say "sorry" for some reason? Wasn't he the one hitting me? I don't know but I reflected on this interesting tendency of mine later. 

I got up and checked for damage. Besides some small cuts and soon-to-be bruises I was fine, perfectly fine. Phew. Asked if he was okay, he was. Despite sensing some distant tears like storm clouds on the horizon, I was surprisingly calm and well-tempered. Then I looked at my bike and the front tire was very bent. "Shit!"

 The man helped me call the Visitor's Center where I rented the bike. At that time a friend of mine from the farm happened to be cruising by and saw us and stopped. Immediate support was a key element in me not breaking down into those tears! This sweet friend, Nidhin, started giving me solutions to getting my bike back to the VC because they weren't answering. I dismissed the man since I felt Nidhin would help me take it from there. He carried the busted bike to a nearby parking lot and got me a ride to the VC where I explained the situation. They took it from there, and I ended up only paying 150Rs for the wheel (~$2.25) so all of this could have been so so much worse. I am so lucky, so grateful. 

When life throws these curveballs there's so much opportunity for self-observation, interpretation and growth. I observe that:

 I am apologetic and quick to put excess responsibility and pressure on myself

 I am strong and independent in challenging times

 I'm also humble and willing to accept help from others

 I am ductile 

 I am forgiving

 And at the end of it all, I am grateful!

This little rock helped with that last one. I found it right after the incident commenced, it was like the world begging me to seek the love here. There is always love, in any situation, no matter how bad, and we have to constantly train ourselves to see it. Love love love.

So many insights here, too much to share, so now back to "things I've been doing" through pictures!

Cooking class! This wonderful woman prepares delicious breakfast for all the volunteers at the farm every morning and also does a cooking class once a week. Here we made healthy dosas and yummy fried veggie dough balls (sry forgot the name) and COCONUT CHUTNEY! The queen of all chutneys. YUM.

This past weekend was a big one for Auroville because they hosted their 10th annual marathon! Without any advertising, this marathon sees hundreds (thousands?) of people from all over India and the world.  It winds through forested trails and roads and is really a scene. It was pretty amazing to see so many athletic women, men, and kids coming from near and far to tackle it, even those walking at the end were inspiring.

I helped by selling (and eating) some of the products from the farm at the marathon market :)

And contributed to the art tree there when I got bored ;)

That weekend I went to Pondicherry with a friend to visit the ocean, eat some local food, and get turned down by ATMs for cash!

Classic. On the way back we checked out a band from Bangladesh performing for free at a theater in Auroville! Good to see some live music again, it's been a minute. The female lead singer had such a gorgeous voice.

ICYMI, my friend from the University of Oregon happened to be in Auroville at the same time as me! She was staying just outside of AV at Sadhana Forest but came to stay at the International House for a few nights. It was really magical to share some time here with her, and she joined me at the farm one morning!

So good to be a goofball with an old friend, and just indescribably special to see someone from one area of life in a completely different one. She's off to the next town now but I have a feeling our paths will cross again somewhere in this (small) world!

Good, fun energy is still flowing during my mornings at the school. I feel I know these kiddos on a soul level after only a short time with them. Their personalities are so bright! They're so young so there's a lot of transparency in seeing who they are as little humans and what their needs are. And I get to meet those as best I can, without even needing verbal language to understand one another. Goes to show how much of communication is non-verbal, and how much we can connect with others who we don't share a language with... It's a beautiful thing and a joy to be around these crazy children!

Here we are passing a cow as we enter the school grounds. Totally normal.

Play time inside (but still kind of outside)... Spot the child buried in stuffed animals!

The teachers also keep putting flowers in my hair, including a beautiful red rose on Valentine's Day. I'll take this kind of love over whatever I would've felt on "Singles Awareness Day" back in the states! 

Well today marks two weeks left in Auroville, which I feel a million ways about so I'll choose presence and peace as I continue this sweet, unpredictable, engaging journey! Ah!