Vipassana & Tiruvannamalai

So, so much has happened since I posted last! I haven't had the opportunity to formulate a post to do it all justice since I've been in some deeply introspective settings, far from the reaches of the internet. So buckle up for a journey through the vast experiences I've been busy with these last few weeks. (Vipassana & Tiruvannamalai in this post, travels & Hampi in the next)

I left off with my concluding thoughts gathered in Auroville, and those thoughts only deepened as I sat with them in my vipassana course. Once I arrived in the town of the course, a sacred mountain city called Tiruvannamalai, I got lunch with a German couple I met on the local bus who were also doing the course. Then I hunted for wifi, I was on a mission to delete all my social media accounts before starting my course. Found a restaurant and accomplished my mission (I think) and met another vipassaner, a kind woman from Hungary. We waited for the bus to the vipassana center together. Other people who were clearly doing the course were gathering there as well, and I kept thinking I recognized people (a common phenomenon while traveling—everyone seems to have an international twin or two). But then I DID see someone I knew! Another backpacker who I met at a hostel in Laos when I was there two years ago! He and I shared a wide-eyed, mind-blown moment as we reveled in this "small word" coincidence. And then we didn't speak again for 10 days.

I was able to meet a handful of the 50-odd folks taking the course once arriving at the center for registration. Even met a girl who'd gone to college in my hometown and had been traveling the world for two years. But people seemed to come from as close as Tiru to as far as Canada, Africa, Europe, all over. Got settled into the room I'd share in silence with a few other ladies and began to mentally prepare for the adventure.

(only picture I took before turning over my phone)

 10 days of no speaking, eye contact, or communication whatsoever. No phone, journal, books, or other distractions. Just me, my internal dialogue, and over ten hours a day sitting in mediation! Here we go...

Some challenges cropped up instantly. Trying to stay awake and present from 4:30-6:30am was nearly impossible... I entered some strange half-dream state as I tried to remain upright on my seat that first morning. I battled hunger growls and limbs falling asleep and a general sense of self-doubt. But coming out of those morning sittings to the sunrise and cool morning air and delicious breakfast always made it worth it. 

The breakfast break lasted until 8am, then group meditation 8-9, more meditation 9-11, lunch break 11-1, meditation 1-2:30, group meditation 2:30-3:30, meditation 3:30-5, tea and snack break 5-6, group meditation 6-7, video discourse 7-8:15, meditation 8:30-9:00pm. SLEEP. And so it went, every day... 

(all "group" meditations were in the main hall, and other meditations were either in the main hall or optional to go into individual meditation cells)

Needless to say that day 1 felt like it lasted a lifetime. I had no idea how 10 days would ever come and go, but somehow they did. The process throughout all these meditations began with narrowing our focus to the breath. Sensations around the nostrils and observing respiration. From there the focus was narrowed down to just feel sensations on the upper lip below the nostrils. This developed the faculty to sense subtle feelings and once we spent a few days on this, we learned the vipassana technique. 

Vipassana is putting the entire focus on one small area of the body at a time, eventually moving to a free flow, to notice sensations and objectively observe those sensations without developing any thoughts of craving or aversion. By remaining equanimous, the different levels of the mind begin to detach from these sensations. With practice this can translate to dissolving all past, present, and future cravings/aversions that have subconsciously developed over time. These are the knots in the rope that are the ultimate source of all misery, so vipassana teaches a practical technique to untie those knots. 

Well, easier said than done. But I suppose that's the journey! I came to experience the benefits of this technique, while also getting to know my "monkey mind" really well. But as the days passed, so did my thoughts. Not only did they decrease but the quality of them changed... I began to have positive visions for my life and felt a deep love and gratitude for my family and friends. I became much more present and aware of everything I was experiencing—both in the meditation hall and outside. I felt so connected to the sun and the moon and the mountain and grounded to the Earth. Everything just slowed down... I felt every step I took (bare feet for ten days will do that!) and I met myself on a deeper plane of feeling. A wise sense took over that reminded me not only of the impermanence of every sensation I felt, but also the impermanence of my existence on this planet and how truly precious each moment is. I had revelations like this throughout the course but it was as if it was things I already knew, I had just never had the space to actually feel and experience in the entirety of my being. I finally had a space to be with myself at a new level and understand a deeper wisdom of my soul. 

I could go on and on about the benefits I got from this course, and if anyone has the slightest thought of doing vipassana I say go for it!! And I will happily talk more in depth with you about all you stand to gain. These courses happen all the time, all over the world, and have changed millions of lives. And they are all donation-based so there's no excuse not to do one ;)

I wasn't expecting the most challenging part of the ten days to be breaking the silence. It was overwhelming and I found myself missing the stillness of my quiet mind instantly. The external world felt like too much, but it was good to ease into it with calm conversations with the others as we transitioned out of that space. As I took the bus back into the city of Tiruvannamalai, I maintained an internal calm and smiled with ease at every face that passed. I was antsy to get back online to tell everyone in my life how much I loved them, but I ended up just talking to a few people before checking into a guesthouse with some others from the course. We had access to an open roof terrace looking right out at the lovely Arunachala (the sacred mountain that Tiru is built around).

I rested that afternoon and planned out my big adventure for the morning: solo sunrise summit hike. I bought some fruit and gathered what little research I could find on the hike to the top, then tried to get some sleep.

(my nice lil room)

I woke up at 4am in a still-hot room, stretched, filled waters, hopped in my chacos and headed out downstairs, to find that the gate of the guesthouse locked shut. Hmm. I went back up, found a connecting balcony with outside stairs, and delicately climbed over and descended to freedom! I nervously walked streets and alleyways, passing people sleeping and barking dogs, eventually making it to the start of the path. Within steps I was already sweating profusely, the outside temperature most likely around 80 degrees even at 4:30am. The full moon was still out so I didn't need to use my flashlight for most of the hike. But I definitely clicked it on every time I heard a scary noise coming from the dark forest surrounding me. Eventually I made friends with my fear and accepted I was alone (a thought that felt safer than the others that insisted I was followed or would be turned around for trespassing or something). 

The city was beautiful at night, quiet but gradually waking up with lights, honking, and temple songs.

I connected to the summit trail which was luckily VERY obviously marked with small painted arrows. 

I could continue without a light by following these arrows up the winding trail and rock scrambles. I pushed and sweated and didn't rest much as I hiked up and up for two hours. As I finally approached the top, the sky had just begun to lighten. I passed one other man and saw another chica around my age right before the top (hell yeah).

I cannot put into words what it felt like to arrive on the top of that holy peak, alone with the full moon to my back and the sunrise colors in front of me and 360 degree views as far as the eye could see. It brought tears to my eyes. All the fear and self-doubt I had evaporated with the clouds and I was left with clarity and pride. The sun rose as the moon set and I sat and breathed the freshest air I ever inhaled in India. 

I stayed and meditated for some time, as the others slowly arrived and did the same.

On the way down I began passing more people who looked fairly miserable in the already beaming hot sun, including a Dutch couple who I met volunteering in Auroville. I gave my friend some water since they had already run out on the way up. I invited them to breakfast at a highly-recommended café afterwards. My descent was fun and blissful, and I was grateful to have gone before the blazing sun was out. Shoutout to my chacos for making it all happen! 

After making it back, I showered and treated myself to a healthy breakfast as a I waited on my friends. 

The next couple days in Tiru consisted of reflection and connection. I tried to keep up a twice daily meditation, and tried to be compassionate with myself when I couldn't. I ran into a lot of people from my course and shared thoughts and meals with them. I explored around the big beautiful Sri Ramanashram and watched the playful monkeys and stoic peacocks entertain people visiting from near and far.

After a few days I was ready to be on the move. Throughout my travels I have often come to enjoy the mere act of moving from one place to another as much as actually being there, oddly enough. I had experienced all I could for the time-being in Tiru, and said my goodbye to the powerful Arunachala as I rode a local bus to my next destination. The same mountain I had first set eyes on two weeks prior, the same one I grew to admire from a distance in vipassana, and the same one that brought me to multiple forms of salt water leaving my body as I got to know her top to bottom. She left me full of humility and peace and gratitude as I transitioned into the next chapter ❤️

And just like that, my time in Auroville has come to an end (for now, at least)... I have had many conversations here about the strange passage of time because we have all experienced some sort of bizarre time warp while being here, no matter how long or short we are actually staying. Hours can either pass like minutes or days, and days like hours or months. There's no way to really explain it but I'm sure it has something to do with the present flow and ease of this place. It used to throw me off, now I fully embrace the flow and suspect I'll miss it. Soon.

I'm amazed at my familiarity with this place after such a short time. There were so many unknowns and I had so many questions when I arrived, and now I find myself answering those same questions for others with ease. I remember thinking I'd made it when an Indian stopped me on the road and asked me for directions somewhere! To which I quickly and accurately directed him! Unreal. I also recognize many subtleties in the environment, from noises to people to smells to weather patterns, and am even starting to recognize all the local doggos.

As much exploration I've done in my external world, I've done tenfold in my internal world. And I'd like to humbly try to put some of that into words, but DISCLAIMER: I won't fully be able to. It's like describing the taste of chocolate to someone's who's never had it... I could write a thousand words but it still wouldn't be enough. And this is okay and and I'm sorry I can't give specific examples for all of these heady ideas right now. That's what our future conversations will be for:) But maybe these words will evoke a deeper understanding so either way thanks for temporarily entering my internal world.

Without knowing where this journey would take me, so many themes came up in the course of being here. The first was trust.. This is a big one! I embraced this intention/mantra/resolution at the start of the year and it instantly played into my travels here and has be the sweet subtle force taking me along the ups and downs and twists and turns of my journey. 

It's like my brain has slowly been rewired, I have let go of stress around schedules/structure/time and embraced patience instead. Something new magical and indescribable has been happening with this too — I'll have been interested in attending something but the days will unfold and my conscious brain will forget, but at just the right time some part of me will bring a reminder from my unconscious to my conscious and I'll be able to make it happen. Or I'll naturally wake up just in time to make it somewhere, other things like this. It's been surprising and delightful and I hope it doesn't stop.

My connection to the spirit of the Mother here is based in this trust, I can surrender to the divine influence and ask for understanding and grace along my path. And the Mother has shown me that the more I can do this, the more at peace I am with everything. She's showed me how the noise is all just a song and the movement is all just a dance. It's all an opportunity for awareness, growth, and that ever-trusting surrender to the flow.

Closely related to this is finding healthy detachment to it all, from situation outcomes to my possessions to loved ones to where I want to go for dinner! Yes there is an unhealthy way to be detached, but I mean it in a sense that everything is constantly changing and (in a world where people are increasingly identifying themselves by what they possess) it's healthy to have space and acknowledge the impermanence of it all. 

This space is where generosity and gratitude live, so the bigger the space the more those can thrive! I have found my conscience urging me to be more generous and less possessive which has brought me simplicity in the joy of sharing. I find too the more I share and give the more I seem to receive, both as an internal reward and from the world around me. Same with gratitude, the more I express it, the more appreciation I actually feel for all the little things around me. The beauty of gratitude is it so quickly unravels all the ickyness of ego and selfishness and jealousy. Pause, breathe, find some gratitude... It's always there.

Speaking of the ego, I have been experiencing a much heightened awareness of all the ways it shows up in life. I am checking my ego in almost every interaction I have, and realizing how much it creeps into my life without really noticing it. It's like a dark shadow but as soon as I point the light of awareness on it, it's gone. This has given me space to connect with others in a more genuine way and helped dispel negative thoughts around competition, defensiveness, and judgement. Each time I bring awareness to my ego, and acknowledge the presence of other's, I feel more freedom from it. We are not our egos, our thoughts, our possessions or our experiences. There's so so much more, and that's now what I'm looking for in myself and others.

This brings me to connection. This one is difficult to write about since I'm struggling with how our world shifting in the ways that people are connecting. It seems so artificial and surface-level... I don't think I need to go into this too much because everyone knows what I'm talking about here. 

While I've been in Auroville I've had so many interesting opportunities to challenge connection. Through workshops or shared experiences I've been thrown into vulnerable spaces with strangers and we've been expected to quickly connect. I had considered myself an open person before, but in the early days here I became aware of how I actually was pretty closed off and felt I had a wall up to people as a means of protection. And everyone has this and it is useful in certain areas of our lives for sure. But to go into new relationships with people seemingly very different from me without this wall... Wow. I've been able to form such fast, deep, and meaningful connections here. And the more open-heartedly I enter into a connection the more I find it is reciprocated, so that safe vulnerability and comfort is shared.

I find though that my connections with others in my life isn't always as genuine and that's been hard for me lately. Especially because I have been trying to be vulnerable on these posts and have put a lot of effort into connecting with people via thoughtful mail as opposed to social media comments and it hasn't been feeling reciprocated. And of course it is understandable that I'm half a world away from my people and that we naturally connect more in person with the people around us. But I don't think I expected to realize how surface-level a lot of my relationships actually are. 

I own up to not always being present in these relationships too... I have a tendency to fluctuate in proximity to those in my life (blame it on being a Gemini), but in general there hasn't been an overflow of reciprocal love within my communities lately. And I need that! We need that.

So I'm doing something maybe counter-intuitive. I'm getting off social media. I don't know for how long (impermanence), but I need to have real interactions with my people! Phone calls or letters or even texting go so much farther and are so much more expressive of genuine experience than social media is. But it isn't easy and it takes energy and time and presence and commitment to connection. And that's exactly the challenge I have for myself and for the people in my life. Let's CONNECT, really connect. I care, and I am realizing how it's the only thing that really matters in the end. Not how many likes we got. What was the quality and depth of our relationships, how real and vulnerable and expressive and curious could we be with one another, that's the shit I do like!

It's not hard to leave Auroville because it was peaceful or beautiful or easy here. Leaving Auroville is hard because it means leaving the people here. When I close my eyes I see the faces of my friends at the farm and the sweet kiddos and everyone at the international house and the random other connections I made here. The people make the place. I knew that before but it was just reinforced tenfold and I leave now with a full heart and a challenge to connect to the amazing people in my life with a depth that I was able to with these ones.

There's so much more to say but the sun is rising and I have to pack and catch a bus so I'll summarize by saying that Auroville has taught me so, so much. And it's not like I was in a class being taught, but all of this wisdom was partially known already in my soul and this was just the time and place it needed to be more fully realized. I came here with unrealistic expectations on finding the meaning to my life and conquering all the unknowns in my life (HAH). What I gained was an understanding that all the unknowns, the challenges and confusions and difficult wtf-am-I-doing-with-my-life moments, the painful emotions, all of it will continue. And this understanding is one I embrace with peace and ease and love, not fear. It's a balance, it's connected, it's all a song and a dance... and I'm jammin out.

I tend to start these posts with a mile marker on my time in Auroville, although recently I haven't been basing time off of how long I have been here but rather how long until I leave. Maybe because that's shorter, or I have lost track of how long it's actually been, or because I'm just excited about what's to come.

I have three days until I hop on a series of buses to Tiruvannamalai where I will be checking in for my vipassana course on March 1st. Then I'll begin 10 days in absolute silence, and no external stimulus or communication whatsoever. Woah. Maybe thinking about this is making me feel more scatterbrained lately, I know that if I want to do any research or talk to anyone or write any blog posts it all needs to happen, well, now. 

So here we go!

I am so happy to hear that some of my snail mail has been making it to the states! It's always a gamble with India post....

I have been thinking a lot about connection lately, the ways that I connect with others both in person and from afar. The people who have been closest to me lately are the ones I've spent the most time with here, reciprocating time and energy. This means that I feel pretty disconnected to people back at home, which I suppose is understandable but also makes me question the ways in which we are connecting in global communities... More to say on this in my next blog post!

I have made blatantly aware all the moments which I become disconnected from myself as well...

I have not properly closed my water bottle not once but TWICE and on the second time my notebook fell victim to the water damage. Lessons both in impermanence and mindfulness. The irony is I am currently missing said water bottle, I must have left it somewhere yesterday so now I get to (mindfully) retrace my steps!

Also that money I thought was stolen? I just found it today while I was packing some things, in a small zipper in a small bag I haven't used in a month. I feel like a big ol dummy. Where is my mind?

I could list more examples but the takeaway is to be more connected and aware of what I'm doing! I have only myself to hold responsible, which is the only place to start to change.

Mindful eating too! I have had so much fresh fruit and veggies here, at an amazingly affordable cost and almost completely local. I have also had impulsive eats of fried street food and sweets/chocolate and bites of meat offered from friends at dinner. None of these leave me feeling as good as when I'm eating the fresh, healthy veg meals. I have my indigestion to thank for this obvious lesson. I am looking forward to vipassana for the routine of simple meals and a depth of relationship with the food I'm nourishing my body with.

This was a good one :) 

And this custom thali because they were out of their lunch one, and it was arguably wayyy better!

And some melty, delicious, natural, unforgettable mint chocolate ice cream >>>

On Tuesday was the Mother's birthday, a person and day that holds so much significance in this place. I woke up at 5am to sit in this amphitheater under a starry night sky with the only light being the crescent moon and the candles in the center. For the next half an hour hundreds of people trickled in and sat in silence as they filled up the amphitheater. We all sat there meditating on the Mother and hearing the birdsong come to life and watching the gradual revealing of the most memorable and meaningful sunrise I'd ever witnessed. The colors were amazing and I could feel the light, beautiful spirit of the Mother as the sky was slowly decorated with harmonious colors.

After some time everyone began walking around and dispersing for the day, and I grabbed this shot just as the sun was peeking out over the trees. 

Now usually the Matrimandir is closer to visitors on Tuesdays, but I had the opportunity to spend the entire day here since the school group I volunteer with had arranged to visit for the day! It was special to be able to spend the day in this place where I feel so connected to the spirit of the Mother on her birthday, even if it did mean I was herding cats alongside the teachers.

We got the rascals to sit still every once in a while ;)

The silence part was a little more challenging for them, but the message I got from Mother that day is it's all a song and a dance. And all songs end but to find the music in the moment and the play in the dance. I knew she didn't mind. 

The funniest moment (now, not then) was just after this picture was taken when one of the little boys accidentally stepped into the fountain and broke one of the thin marble slabs! The people working there looked shocked and upset but what could they do? He's only three, and we just got on out of there... Whoooops haha.

From the first day I visited the Matrimandir over two years ago, I felt there was more for me there, the Mother was beckoning me back. And here I was on her birthday running around and playing throughout the entire structure and Park of Unity with little local kiddos and I just couldn't believe it. Again in my life I had a deep sense of connection and feeling like I was right where I was meant to be... It was an incredibly special day.

I rounded off my day of celebrating the Mother with a visit to her room in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. Debu helped get us tokens for entry and we waited for hours alongside hundreds of other devotees, some of whom had travelled all day to be there, to pay tribute to the sweet Mother.

Right as we climbed the stairs up to her room the sky was beginning another work of art. Her room sits above the other building tops so the open view to the west where the sun was setting was absolutely beautiful. Again in my life I felt her strong, wise energy washing over me. Seeing the beauty of the sunrise from the Matrimandir and the sunset from her room was especially unforgettable. So much love and connection and gratitude flowed through me all day.

Speaking of sunrises and sunsets, I don't know why but they have been remarkable lately. I've been making an attempt to see each one every morning and evening, which is not difficult at all to achieve and is powerful and transformative and always worth it :)

This was the sky behind my guesthouse the other night...

And Sumit and I caught an incredible sunrise at the beach on Saturday!

His motorcycle ran out of petrol on the way but we had gotten just far enough to coast to a main road where there were shops with more! We refilled and parked just as the sun was about to rise over the horizon... Magic. This was taken on the end of a rock jetty next to the beach. Pretty cool to start the day IN the Bay of Bengal!

And this was the sunset that day, from the rooftop of a beachside resort after my friend Lizzie and I did a meditation class downstairs. 

So good for the soul!

A bit of bonus wisdom — I finished a book I had started just before leaving for India. It's called Tracks by Robyn Davidson and is about her solo journey trekking across Australia with only her dog and camels as company (except for the occasional reporter) and wow was it a powerful read. Here's one of my favorite passages from her adventure to self-discovery...

Amen. I was amazed at how well Robyn could put into words so accurately her internal shifts and insights from her experiences. I feel that's something that has been a hinderance of mine as I write this blog. There is so much going on in my internal being, I can hardly even keep up with it myself let alone transfer it into words on the interwebs. So what to do... I would like to challenge myself by devoting more energy into verbalizing the incredible shifts and emotions and insights I am having here. I need to get to the core of the tricky, meaty, complicated yet undeniably important things to document. So perhaps my next post can be less photos and stories, and more wisdom. 

I thank you for reading and being on this journey with me :)

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! 

Mom wanted more pictures, hopefully these upload with the slow wifi over here... :)