PS: The Capsule...

As a result of living in a capsule, I have:

a) been told I need to wash my clothes more often by a rat (it ate a hole in my pants)

b) at least quadrupled the number of mosquito bites acquired on the first part of the trip...

c) decided that everybody should have their own personal treehouse.

Changes

I promised I would write about our awesome trip to Tiruvannamali, but I really don't have time. Let's just give a brief rundown:

a) We stayed in THE NICEST (by Western standards) hotel, with...A SWIMMING POOL!
b) We visited the Sri Ramana Maharshi ashram to participate in chanting and peacock-watching
c) I had the most intense experience of my life as we discussed matters of the heart with a Brahmin (priest/guru) who took us through a Hindu puja ceremony in the temple of Shiva...hopefully more on that later
d) We woke up at 4 in the morning to climb Mt. Arunachala, the body of Shiva, in bare feet and headlamps
e) On the way back, we visited Gingee, some ancient fortifications atop jumbles of boulders--one of the most beautiful things I've seen here.

This is unsatisfactory, but will have to do.

Last week, we moved from the Tibetan Pavilion to Verite community, in order to experience the communal aspect of living in Auroville. I am now staying in a capsule--a keet hut raised on pillars, made solely of bamboo and palm fronds. I'm thoroughly enjoying this, as it's like camping only cooler. My own personal tree fort...

Things are still incredibly busy here, far moreso than I had expected. And to think, I had been anticipating a nice, relaxing trip to India, maybe a little tanning, maybe some lemonade... how lucky am I to not have my expectations met!

This was my post for the group journal, found at www.auroville07.greatestjournal.com. I promise I'll post more about our amazing trip to Tiruvannamalai...once I get over how tired it made me :)

Another day in Auroville, and another set of new experiences and things to wonder at. I didn't realize that Auroville would be so conducive to change; each day, I barely have time to process one event before something new starts unfolding. Anywhere else, this process would take me so much longer...

Today was basically normal--or at least as normal as anything in Auroville seems to us. Yoga, breakfast (especially incredible today, thanks to Kalsang's genius), service learning (for me, Solitude farm where I spent a very calming three hours weeding), lunch at the Solar Kitchen (I loaned my bike to Leanne and walked both ways, which made me miss all the walking I do in Seattle), then class, which only lasted an hour so that we could participate in one of the most incredible discussions I've ever experienced. The talk was on forgiveness, led by two people--one whose daughter had been killed on the other's orders during apartheid in South Africa. Both of these people were so incredibly strong and courageous, and by the end of the two hours, the room was thick with the energy of the engaged listeners, everybody putting their ideas and feelings forward for the group.

I was struck recently by the genuine goodness of our group dynamic. We were all walking somewhere and I realized something about how I was reacting to our surroundings, and immediately turned to whoever was next to me and said it. It was only until later that I realized how fantastic it was that I didn't care which of our groupmembers I spoke to. This is, of course, only a tiny indication of the love and respect I feel towards everybody right now (must be all the chocolate I just ate). I really feel that this trip is only getting better and better...

Updates!

Auroville is still going wonderfully. As I settle in, I appreciate the lifestyle more and more, though it is not without its problems. Today I spent the morning doing my homework...in a hammock...with the sun warming my feet...and cows mooing in the background. Now I'm going to the beach, then Pondicherry for dinner. Jealous yet?

Last night, the American Pavilion (where half of our group is staying) hosted a professional storyteller and hot cocoa night. After eating dinner at Solitude farm (the place where I work--it was incredible to be eating organic salads and grains that you have harvested yourself), we came back here and sat around a bonfire while drinking THE STRANGEST hot cocoa ever and listening to...interesting "Native American" stories. No wonder some Tamils have a strange conception of the US.

Our group has started a collective journal. Each day a new person will write the day's events (my turn is in about ten days). So in other words, it's this blog times 1,000 in reliability (but minus 500 in coolness). The address is http://auroville07.greatestjournal.com.

Also, my address here has finally been revealed!

Sarah Ellison
Tibetan Pavilion
Auroville, Tamil Nadu
605 101 INDIA

Any shipments of chocolate (mom, that Hershey's espresso dark chocolate was AMAZING) or anti-itch cream are appreciated.

No pictures yet, but hopefully soon (I know, I keep saying that).

The Longest Week of my Life (And In Such a Good Way)

I realized today that it had been barely 10 days since I left home (one of which was lost when I crossed the date line). That's funny, since I would've guessed about a month. What with touring Bangkok, forming relationships with 16 new people, cycling around Auroville and touring a dozen potential service learning sites, getting adjusted to the heat and humidity, having a sinus infection... well, it's been a long ten days.

Honestly, at first I wasn't too thrilled with Auroville. Mostly these were personal considerations (and mostly that was my rooming situation), but more and more I am coming to love it. For instance, the zillions of unidentified bug bites (a bee or something stung me on the neck about an hour ago and it still hurts like a beast) are mitigated by the ability to study in the warm afternoon sun, listening to the sound of pop Indian music played from a nearby village. And, the lack of toilet paper pales in comparison to the chance to make coriander-peanut chutney with a mortar and pestle and yell cows out of the bike paths. At this point, I am enjoying my time here more and more with each passing moment. It reminds me of New Salem in many aspects.

I believe that I will be much healthier when I get home, both emotionally and physically. We eat three DELICIOUS meals a day, mostly organic and mostly vegan, and drink spirulina and other tasty beverages (that fermented mushroom kind you can get in the states, only fresh). Last night I had fresh lime soda (sort of like a margharita--fresh lime squeezed into a glass with soda water poured over it and salt) and I'm pretty sure it cured my sinus infection. Also, we bike at least an hour a day, and as the cycles are all one-speed, this is no cruise. I'm definitely sweating, puffing, and sometimes groaning by the time we get back home. At least I'll have nice muscly legs to show off for all my efforts.

I've also decided on my service learning for the time I'll be here. For three days a week I'll be working at Solitude, a completely organic farm that focuses on producing all the various ingredients for a restaurant that I'll also cook for. The other two days, I'll be working at KOFPU--Kottakarai (?) Organic Food Processing Unit. While there, I'll not only be learning how to make delicious everything (we ate lunch there once and it was incredible...), but also gathering Anandi's recipes into a cookbook to sell in the states, proceeds benefiting KOFPU. Sounds like a good time.

There's much more to say, but I'll keep everybody in suspense and save it for a later post. Believe it or not, I have a lot of homework to get to...

PS Pictures hopefully are coming soon...hopefully...

Sawadee bee mai!

For all who heard of the New Year's bombings in Bangkok, don't worry! I was far away, and the street on which we spent New Year's eve was patrolled by bomb-sniffing dogs.

Well, I've completed my journeys in Thailand, and I'm looking forward to going back for a less touristy, holiday-oriented visit. Perhaps the best part of my New Year celebration was sitting down for dinner at a long table next to a garbage-infested canal behind our hotel, and realizing that we were eating only with Thai people, none of whom spoke English, and all giving us strange looks that plainly said "You with all your money, why are you eating here?" Nevertheless, it was by far the best sixty cents I've ever spent for amazing Panang curry.

I am now beginning to settle in to Auroville. We've settled our accomodations and unpacked--now the rest of the week is dedicated to tours (by bike) of the township. I knew that I had a lot of misconceptions when coming here, but I definitely didn't expect this! It will take a bit of getting used to, but I'm enjoying the process.

I've already eaten the best Thai food and Indian food of my life, and have only been here for a few days. What more can I ask? By the way, Sarah, your chai is very authentic. I can barely taste a difference, except they don't add sugar...

So, Sawadee bee mai (Happy New Year) and thanks for all the concern!