A Quarter Century!

What an incredible birthday! 3 days of endless celebration, people in the house, sweets and treats and lots of musical beats!Dec. 6 we hosted a party with about 14 people. Guitars and drinks made the party last late into the night, with several people staying over. I love having an open home. I love waking up with a home full of people!
Dec. 7 One more was added to the bunch, Andres from Honduras came to couch surf. So 6 of us ate a delicious brunch together. More friends arrived and took Sunny and Andres to a fort somewhere in Delhi. I slept a glorious siesta until they came back and we cooked a stellar dinner.

That night, the clock struck 12 marking the start of my real bday day. Sunny walked in on cue with a candle lit chocolate cake singing happy birthday, while Andres (still on his first day in India) slept off the jet lag in the outside room.
Midnight cake! and so many thoughtful gifts! what a lucky girl!

10am the next morning, Maria, a Spanish friend living here until April as well, arrived with a cake she made for me! from midnight cake to breakfast cake, the sugar infusion had begun! what a wonderful way to start the day, full of friends and food.

We all took off for our respective jobs, Andres came with me to Jamghat where we met the website design team for a 2pm meeting. The kids had made several Bday cards for me, and each came and wished me happy birthday. Right then the other children ran in with more cake, Sunny, the secret creator of the surprise party, following close behind, and an impromptu party began, putting an end to any productive work that day! Quickly the kids decided it was a good idea to shove whole pieces of cake into Didi's mouth (that's me, didi means sister). So in a matter of 10 minutes i must have eaten about 5 squares of sickly sweet white cake, heaped with icing. the icing soon decorated the floor and our faces. The fun and giggles behind the chaos made the day extra special!To finish the bday, people invited themselves over that night as well. The whole group consisted of incredible musicians, and we sang the night away, in English, Hindi, Sufi and Spanish.Awesome.

Mixed in all this fun, were loving calls from afar, from those i think of daily and miss dearly.

So much love to you all! thanks for marking my quarter century with such thoughtful gestures!

Ins and Outs of Hindi

wow, how did a whole month go by without me writing?
it's not that there's nothing to say, so much happens each day, it's just finding the time and the interesting things to write about. I"ll just write and see what comes out!

Jamghat has become entirely satisfying. I've been given so much responsibility and trust, i feel totally invested in it and love every minute. Everyday I go to the boys home, where 15 former street children live, and meet them, play games with them, work on the computer while they show me pictures they've painted. It's become a home away from home and I'm so attached to each of the boys now, I'm imagining a very teary goodbye in a few months!

These boys are my main Hindi influence. They don't speak much English at all so the necessity for me to learn Hindi is high. and it's coming, slowly slowly, dhire dhire.
The highlight of yesterday was that I carried out a conversation with Ali, all in Hindi! simple answers from my side, but i really understood what he was saying!

I think what has happened is that the children in Jamghat have learned my current vocabulary. So when they say something that i don't understand (evident from the blank look on my face and simple response "kya?", 'what?'), now they immediately slow down and use the words i know to explain their question to me. It's incredibly satisfying and our relationships are growing because of it.

so one interesting thing in Hindi: the word for yesterday and tomorrow is the same, "Kal". Do you think that affects people's concept of time? Sunny says no, because the verbs that go with the word are conjugated to imply past or future. So I suppose it doesn't make much difference to time perception, but i do enjoy the ESL mistake of confusing tomorrow and yesterday!
"You will go to home yesterday?" "Tomorrow was Sunday" :)

Another part of language and culture that i like here is that everyone is either didi (sister), bhaiya (brother), uncle or auntie. When I run down to the little corner store to grab 3 eggs (1 egg = 3 Rs, 1CAD=40Rs), uncle is there in his button up shirt, lungi (like a checkered sarong), and slip on plastic sandals, shyly and humbly selling small items each day.

Recently he has worked up the courage to ask me my country, "Madam, you country name is?" but looks away quickly after asking, seemingly nervous that his English isn't good enough.... "Canada, lekin abhi mera ghar India me, che mahina" (Canada, but now my home is in India, for 6 months), I respond with uncertainty, as my Hindi is much worse than his English!

When the language barriers remain, like with my cleaning woman, we find other ways to converse. Mostly we ramble in our respective languages and then laugh at the other person when they continue to stare blankly back! The maid started this, not me.

So the language is coming, and with this, more comfort in my surroundings. It's so satisfying to switch to simple Hindi with street vendors and see the surprised smile that comes over their face..."Oh madam! you Hindi speaking?!"

"Nahi bhaiya, sirf toda toda" (no brother, only a little)

Fun fun!

hugs

Today I helped a boy decide what day he was born

Very rough estimates say there are between 100,000 - 400,000 street children in Delhi (children and youth under the age of 18 making a living on the streets without parental care). It's something people here have grown up with. At nearly every traffic light there are children begging for money. Some sell flowers or magazines, some drum a beat while their sister or brother does gymnastics on the pavement. It's everywhere. Some children are rented out to beggars for the day, to increase the sympathy and gain more money.
These are children with every capability of you and me, they simply don't have the support or opportunities to take part in society in a self sustaining way.
It's heart wrenching to think about and is at first heart wrenching to see. But the saddest thing of this whole issue is how quickly I've become desensitized to it. I can understand why the problem continues, because everyone is desensitized having seen it their whole lives.

Not quite everyone. There are a select few that devote their lives to these children, and it's these few that i'm getting to know by volunteering with a dedicated NGO.
JAMGHAT: a Group of Street Children, is a small organization that seeks to rehabilitate children on the streets. They approach this issue in 4 ways:

1. A Home for 15 boys where they receive shelter, food, clothing, education or vocational training (they choose their path through conversation and guidance), health care, counseling and a place to be a child in a safe community
2. A Day Shelter where 50 street children visit daily. Here they receive a meal, bathing facilities, counseling, health care, and space to be a child.
3. NightWalks are meant to sensitize the public to the realities of life on the streets.
4. Theatre is the means to create widespread awareness and to generate some funds. The actors are both college student volunteers and the street children, so it also serves to create memories and self confidence while giving a voice to those that have the experiences.

I've been given lots of responsibility while i'm here, which is an honor, feels like i can be useful, and is overwhelming. One task i'm working on with a couple others is to open a home for 10 street girls. Currently girls are only attending the outdoor project, there is no permanent home for them. So hopefully in just a few months, a few girls on the streets will have a place to be!

Most days i'm at the boys home, which is the office. They are so sweet! and so determined to teach me hindi. They range in age from 5-20, each with their own story. Most have run away from unfortunate or abusive homes. Before coming to Jamghat they were beggars on the streets. Several were addicted to drugs, some had limb threatening injuries that were treated immediately, all have emotional wounds and scars to cope with.

But it's not a sad place to be, not at all. The success stories of these boys are incredible. The boys choose to come to the Jamghat home, no one forces them. They decide, at the age of 6 or 15 or 10 to turn their lives around. And they do it. They break drug addictions, they go to school, they get training and jobs, they work through emotional damage with regular counseling, they play together and create trusting connections with each other as brothers, they smile and shine and many offer endless hugs. It feels like a healthy community.

I'm still new to it and only understand a fraction of what's going on, as it's all in hindi generally, but i'm getting into it and feeling happy about by role. The experiences are life changing.

Today I sat with an 18 year old boy named Anwar and helped him make a resume. We had to expand his experiences to make it fill the page - he's had a couple jobs, but no schooling at all. He has no contact info or references other than Amit, the founder of Jamghat. So we added in an objective, some hobbies, and other life experiences ...then we got to date of birth. i looked at him and he looked blankly back.
"When were you born?"
"I don't know"
"Well when do you want to be born?!"
"Ummmm December seems like a good month"
"Check, and on what day?"
"mmmm, maybe the 3rd?"

We now celebrate the birthday of Mohammed Anwar on December 3rd (1990)

love lauren

ps. google jamghat and you'll get lots of hits (from google india anyway)
or try this page jamghat.blogspot.com it hasn't been updated for awhile but you'll get a sense of the organization

One Week In

i am getting partly settled here. it's taken awhile to get my sleeping on track and to get reacquainted with the Indian way. I was super reluctant to go out for the first few days. Wary of buying things, bartering with limited hindi etc.
now that i've been venturing out more, i've re-realized that i never have to go far to find the things i need! for instance, as i write this, there is a man walking down the street with his cart full of vegetables. i can't see him, but i know he's there because as he walks he shouts out what he's got for sale. all day he'll roam the neighbourhood. people know their veggie vendors and relationships are built. that's how i see it anyway.

i've been enjoying the old man who owns the little corner shop down the street. i learned that it's good and fine to call all older men, uncle and women, aunty. i love that about India; everyone is your brother or sister (the street kids i'm volunteering with all call me didi, sister), uncle or aunt. it's lovely. and makes this huge city a little more friendly feeling.

i've just started with an NGO called JAMGHAT. it's super small, which i like, and full of incredible, good hearted people. i've jumped in just as they are getting a play up and running for the next month. so i've met a lot of students who are volunteering as actors (incredible amateur actors, my god!) and i've started meeting some of the street boys, who are just lovely.
the day i arrived, one immediately took me by the hand and led me around introducing me to everyone! they are dedicated to teaching me hindi, so with any luck i'll be able to talk to them properly in a couple months. i hope!
Amit is the founder of JAMGHAT and he is wonderful. in our first meeting he told me of various projects he would love help with, one of them being to open a 24hour home for girls. there is a donor who has requested this and and has the money for rent and food, we just need to make it happen. so he offered that as a job for me. crazy. can you imagine giving that responsibility to someone you'd only known for a few minutes?!
exciting

so i'm just trying to figure all this out. and i think it will be good once i get into it a little more and feel like i have more of a role. i don't do well while floundering and finding purpose.

do keep in touch! post comments, they mean alot to me.

lots of hugs
lauren

Getting ready to go

I'm off on the trail of living to the fullest again. In the way that I know how to do it anyway!
I have a place in Delhi, I have a couple NGOs that are happy to have me volunteer with them, I have people expecting me, i have more places to see ...but more on all that when i get there.
For now I'm saying goodbyes.
For now I'm packing.
For now I'm trying to live in the moment and Be Here.

I've had some questions about life and purpose and 'Right Choices' lately. It seems to me that an exorbitant number of young people in my generation are madly searching for meaning in their lives, myself included. We've got So Many Choices that we don't know where to begin. I begin by meeting people and trusting that my path will come from following my heart. Not an easy maneuver on the best of days!
I had expressed some of my own questions and concerns about this trip to a good friend, Carmen, at my goodbye dinner in Edmonton the other night. The next day she sent me a quote that puts the questioning to rest, or rather, makes the questioning Life Giving. The main purpose of this particular post is simply this quote, so read on, ponder and let me know where it sits for you.

Lots of love from me to you!


"...have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."

-- Rainer Maria Rilke

all over the map

well i kind of fell off the blog wagon..so much has happened since I last wrote, i'm not even sure what to include now!
point form catch up: varanasi - Yamuna trip - amritsar -delhi - CANADA!

VARANASI
- ancient, narrow winding that are hard to walk down cuz they're so full of people and still scooters somehow get through
- many sets of stairs down to the Ganges (Ganga) River (called ghats) where people are bathing, praying, making offerings and burning bodies.
- yep burning bodies. at the burning ghats. fires have burned continuously for thousands of years, day and night cremating bodies. if you die in Varanasi you're freed from the cycle of rebirth. so it's a popular place to die.
- visited an amazing university and the hospital, where my travel partner was checked in with malaria...he recovered...but i had to leave him there while i took off for a scheduled group trip starting in Delhi

YAMUNA RIVER TRIP
the group trip was with an enviro organization called Swechha, based in Delhi. They do many amazing things, one being education on pollution of the Yamuna River.
Yamuna is as sacred as Ganga, and equally if not more so polluted once it goes through Delhi. In a short stretch, Delhi pumps out 80% of the total pollution of the whole river. They call it black Yamuna...and it's literally black with bubbles of methane burbling up. Delhi kills the river. There is no dissolved oxygen in it when it leaves...and there are many many millions of people downstream that rely on the river for survival. Unbelievable.
The trip was 12 days long. It started in Yamunotri ( origin of the river in the Himalayas) where the river is pristine and beautiful, and ended in Agra (Taj Mahal) where the river is severely polluted. We travelled in 3 cars (16 of us), stopping to camp beside Yamuna for a week through the mountains, visiting villages and religious sites that are all situated near or on the banks of the river, pairing up with a US circus troup that toured India for 6 months doing an environmental circus show in slums and small villages (DreamTimeCircus), and generally found a connection with the river that is impossible without spending time bathing in her and paying close attention to the relationship between landscape and human use and her ecological changes.
Quite incredible.
It's alot to describe in written form, but do ask questions if you're interested. or even good swechha...they do awesome work in Delhi.

AMRITSAR
This is where the Golden Temple is...the most important Sikh Temple in the World
- Met up with Dylan..to see his blond streaked, lungi wearing, ears pierced, moustache twirled self in fine standing!
- enjoyed the laid back, most welcoming of all people atmosphere of the golden temple
- ate in the langar - an enormous hall with endless quantities of food for anyone under the sun that wants a meal. it's the largest volunteer run service in all of India. Quite something to see! and tasty to eat!
- one night i went to eat and MR. Paul Singh appeared in front of me, as if he was expecting me, and proceeded to show me around the whole temple grounds. He took me to a small Sikh ashram (him barefoot, me in his sandals...he'd have it no other way) for another meal, and there an incredible woman revealed the beauty of Sikhism to me over about an hour. Her passion and devotion was so inspiring....the whole experience answered questions I'd been having and prompted new thoughts about how to act in the world.
Everything happens right when I need it to.

DELHI
I ended up here for a long time because I made a few friends on the Yamuna trip that I wanted to spend time with. One of them being extra special and worthy of me returning to India in September to spend more time with him! Following my heart. And it feels great!
So I'm looking into volunteer options in Delhi and all kinds of opportunities are popping up.
I'm devoted to living an exciting life ans making it into exactly what i hope for it to be! No 'givens' or 'shoulds'. That's where I'm at. To make every day full of learning, loving, and truly living to the fullest.
This decision feels like the best way I can live to the fullest. It feels Right. and that's exciting!

CANADA
I"m home now!
Arrived in Calgary to the warm hugging arms of mom, dad and grandma, on the 19th of April.
SPent time with family in that city..headed up to Edmonton to catch up with friends for a few days, then moved out to Dinosaur Provincial Park (near Brooks Alberta) where i'll be living and working for the next 4 months. It's an awesome job...guiding people through the badlands, pointing out amazing plants and dinosaur fossils!
Since being home I rid myself of: lice, Delhi belly, parasites, and a canadian cold i caught on arrival. Still have to deal with the cavity i created ...i think on indian sugar chai.

Ahhh the joys of travel.


Dylan and I figured out that in 3 days we landed in 5 countries and spent enough time in each to eat a emal and drink the water...so it's no wonder the ol' body was a bit confused once i got home. (from India - Bangkok for 2 days where i played with dear cousin Teyana. Then up to Korea for 8 hour layover where we had time to meet 2 friends teaching english, take public transit, eat kimchi, and get back on the plane. Next to Seattle for a couple hours, and finally Calgary.)

So i'm quite settled back into Canadian routines. It took awhile to want any food other than daal, roti and curd...but i'm regaiing an appetite..mostly for sweets unfortunate for my health!

happy and healthy and hopeful to hear from you when ever you get a chance!

Thanks for following my travels. it meant alot to know you were thinking of me and with me in some way.

Be well and try to have a little dance in the streets now and again, it really livens up the day!

Lauren

Correction

Wow, this place is phenomenal.
Kutchi people are just incredible.
So giving and so warm.
Last night I ended up in village 2 hours from my hotel at 6pm. The sun was about to set and I would be driving alone on a moped through the desert. NOt ideal.
This was all discovered while sitting in the home Sufiya, a Mutwa woman, drinking chai. Her brother (english name is Aladdin) came in and learned of the predicament and started offering options...i was most welcome to stay there of course, or he would ride with me and come back that same night in his brothers car.
I opted for option 2 and we off into the desert. Me driving, Aladdin on the back.
As darkness fell, the wind started and a good ol desert sand storm whipped sand into our faces. Fat rain sporadically splatted down..at which point Aladdin stopped predicting what turns in the road would holdfor wind and weather because this was too unusual. Rain doesn't start until June here.
Needless to say I was sure glad not to be alone.
It was safe enough. Though there was lightening in the far distance, Aladdin was singing Kutchi folk songs into the night, so it eased all worries and made for a mystical, memorable night!

The wedding was also memorable. I was taken under the care of several rabari women for the whole night. WHOLE NIGHT> the wedding didn't start until about 11pm, then continued for many hours into the night. I was taken to a bed at one point...and gratefully took the chance to sleep a few hours.
I learned chapati rolling and had hindi/gujarati/kutchi lessons from a young girl who would tell me the name of my simply drawn picture..tree, flower, foot, house etc.
in the morning i was woken up by Vanka Rabari, the man that invited me, so I could watch the goodbye. After a night of ceremony in the woman's village, it was time for everyone she grew up with to say goodbye before she was taken with the men to her new husband's village where she will start a new life in his mother's home.
seems difficult to me.
and apparently for her too as the goodbye consisted of women singing constantly, I think verbal support for the bride who was hidden under a thiick black shawl the entire night, and the bride wailing in sadness as one by one her village said goodbye. Many women were crying also.
Not the 'happiest night of on'es life' like we hope for at home eh?

The correction I wanted to make from my last entry is about the rabari being nomadic. SOme are, but they are to the east of here...noted by men wearing all white, white turbans too , and women wearing all balck. Thesee rabari are settled in villages. The men wear white clothes but dark turbans (red for weddings). The women have elaborate embroidered tops and more colorful shawls over their black embroidered skirts.

Many memoreis from amazing Kutch. I must come back some day. But for now, onwards to Varanasi!

Avjo,
Lauren

There are No Doors in India

What an open, generous country this is. I realized the other day that there really are no doors in india. all the shops are open to the street closign only at night when a garage door comes down to lock them. If there is a door it's usually propped open (unless they have AC). Many guest houses have doors (of course) but often the windows don't have glass so it's all fresh air, or I sleep with the door open because it's just too hot.
so it feels like there are no doors.
no barriers.
everywhere and everyone open and welcoming.
Now i'm in bhuj, Gujarat, where this generosity has been multplied 3fold. I'm meeting the most hospitable people in all of india i'm sure. the owner of the hotel/restaurant i'm in (annapurna) named Vinod, is overwhelmingly giving. the first day i ate there i asked him some questions about travelling into the desert and meeting some villages etc. he gave me so much info and offered to lend me his moped within 5 minutes of talking. then he gave me a ride to his home where his family gave me tea and biscuits, lent me the moped so i could take myself to the police and get a village permit, came back an he took out the car and took me and his family to a neighbouring village where they sell handicrafts and embroidery. it's livelihood around here and quite a few fair trade projects exist...you MUST get in touch with these groups. the embroidery is exquisite and High Quality.
so that's the hospitality of Vinod. everyone at his hotel has been taking such good care of me, like family. amazing. today he lent me his moped again for the day saying i'm like family, like his child!
last night we were talking about shops and costs etc. and he mentioned how 1000Rs is alot for him (about 30 dollars), i said yes for me too while travelling. i have a tight budget!
immediately he said, if you have money troubles please tell me, i can lend you money and you send it to me from canada whenever you can. no problem.
wow my heart swelled with appreciation for this man.
Vinod starts working in his restaurant at 7-9am and stays until closing at 11pm with one rest in teh day sometime when he goes to eat his wife's cooking and visit a bit.
i said, you must be tired Vinod! you work so hard! to which he replied quite seriously, it is hard work here because times are tough. my daughter requires medication every day costing 3000Rs per month., his wife had thyroid trouble. After the earthquake of 2001 (that flattened many villages around Bhuj and caused immense destruction in the city as well, killing upwards of 25 000 in all of Kutch area), they lost so much and had been recovering , as have many others, since then.
so he tells me this, how 1000rs is alot, how he must spend 3000 every month to keep his disabled daughter functioning, and then offers o lend me money while giving me a moped for the entirety of my stay.
this is generosity like none other i've experienced. such a kind man.

today i will be attending a rabari wedding. rabari are nomadic people that move with their herds of goat and sheep through the Great Rann desert/ salt flats. some have settled into villages now, but it's quite an honor to go to this wedding because where they happen depends on where the peopl are. and often weddings for many happen all one day, the birthday of Lord Krishna. It's becasue of Vinod taking me to that handicraft village that this invitation happened. So my thanks again to him.

EVeryone is helpful, everyone offers their mobile number in case i need some help ever. Many will leave what their doing and walk me to the place i'm asking directions for...no fear of strangers, no barriers, no doors.

This is truly a special place!

Get in the River!

I’m in and out of the flow you know.
When I’m in the flow, guided by the river, supported by the water, swimming with the fishies that nibble the dead skin off my toes...everything works so beautifully I can't even understand it.
When I get impatient and fight the way things are moving, the frustration escalates, nothing works, I wait forever for nothing to happen, I feel alone and annoyed.
So get back in the river!
That’s what I keep telling myself.

The other day I was walking through the streets of Bangalore singing to myself. I was singing part of a chant that Fede the Argentinean from Sadhana taught me. When he sings it, eyes closed, beautiful voice, by the 4 and final line a peaceful contented smile comes over his face before he swings back to the beginning of the song.
Now I feel that contentment when I sing it...because it's beautiful and because it has so many memories attached…people who sing it, places we sang it….
So I was singing to myself and feeling utter peace and happiness. Singing keeps an incredible lightness in each step. Feels like a ball of positive light around me.
‘Madam, what do you want?’
‘I want to be happy! Mai kush hu!’
‘Oh wonderful madam! Hindi speaking!’
‘no no, tota tota!’
Such a pleasing interaction. SO uplifting. Break through the selling relationship. Their faces both went SO Bright! Eyes came alive... bursting out of the mundane.
Everyday this must happen. All The Time!
Don’t answer with the expected.
Don’t ask the expected. Cut to the core.
What else is there? What else is important?
Perhaps I will go home and meet friends again for the first time. What do you dream about? What do you long for? What makes you happy?
How awesome to ask, What makes you happy friend? And Really want to know the answer!

I think without realizing it I’ve been finding myself every day on this trip. On a search for truth and happiness…I’m finding it.

Always learning. Always teaching. All of us.
Everyone is a student and everyone is a teacher. Every ‘social position’. Every age. Every religion. Every person.
And that feels incredibly satisfying to breathe every day.

After the singing walk I sat in the train station with Assaf bubbling about the experience. Listening to his walk and his thoughts (we had separated for an hour or so). Learning and teaching.
I got up to go to the train and a woman radiantly called me over by the name Ranjeeta. It took me a few minutes of broken English/Hindi to understand that she was giving me an India name, beaming smiles the whole time. Ranjeeta means smiling face, she said. Or open flower.
Wow. What a treasure moment.

What I put out into the world I get back. Actions are asking the universe for reaction and answers. Exude positive light and I too will be bathed in it.

I still find frustrations and extreme challenges of patience. But it’s all part of the experience. And so far, there has always been someone special to whisk me out of the heavy mood, back to the newly appreciated light mood!

Get in the river. It’s such a great way to live!
Open
Trusting
Ready to find a lesson in every teacher around you
And confident, trusting that you are a teacher too.

So much love
Lauren

"May there always be forests to grow people!"

I've settled into a comfortable community life in a place called Sadhana FOrest where I'm wwoofing for 2-3weeks. here are 50 volunteers here and everyone an inspiring, musical, intentional, wonderful human being!
the project here is located outside Pondicherry, part of a village called AUroville. Auroville is an international community, kind of an experiment started in the 60s by a woman referred to as the Mother. It's a strange place, i'm not yet sure how i feel about it (2thirds foreigners, 1third indian). But the forest is exactly what i wanted!
\this area once had a tropical dry evergreen forest covering it. The forest was important for local medicines, sustenance, and preventing erosion (soil with lots of roots is held together beautifully in strong rains). WHen the British came, they clear cut the area and started cash crops like cashews. trees gone, roots gone = monsoon rains start to erode the topsoil making it difficult to grow anything (like cashews) and thus many pesticides started to be used. Furthermore,all the water from the monsoons started to runoff directly into the ocean, making this already dry place even drier and threatening the water source.
4 years ago Aviram and Yorit started to fulfill their dream here. THere was not a single tree except for the 3 that were left standing around an old temple (the british realized that if they cut the temple trees they'd really have a riot on hand). Now I write to you from 70Km2 of beautiful native forest trees4 years ago there was not a single bird to be heard, now they counted 25 species in the last bird count!
another major part of the project is water conservation. so our work right now (in the non monsoon season) is going to the forest to dig holes that catch monsoon rains and allow the rain to sink into the depleted water table. we use the dug up soil to build 'bunds' or small walls that help contain the water as well and guide it to the holes. In just 4 years they have raised the water table 6 meters!
this is seen very positively by the local villagers who can now access water through wells again.
Aviram and Yorit believe strongly in maintaining friendships and involvement in the local community. they go to to every wedding they are invited to, they get local children to help plant trees and take care of them, adding a sense of responsibility in the larger community.
there are no fences anywhere and in this way it is everyone's land and for everyone to use and enjoy.
so i'm quite pleased to learn from this incredible Israeli couple
another positive experience is that after just 5 days in this community, Yorit gave birth to their second daughter! it really brought everyone together as we sang and felt an incredible energy vibrate in the air all around us.
so it has been especially fulfilling. Aviram, Yorit, Osher and new Shalev are certainly enhancing the growth of amazing people in this forest.
i hope to do a radio feature on them when i'm home. They have no income and are always open to donations to keep the place growing and comfortable. Aviram says with his next donation they will build a grass roof on the kitchen hut. This roof will last for 22 years, it's completely sustainable and made from all native plants in the area. Some of the huts already have this type of roof (the rest are banana leaves woven together), but it takes several a hundred dollars to fund it.
So i'm thinking of ways to fund raise a bit for them when i get home. But i'm realizing that right now might be an opportunity to ask if anyone has a few dollars to spare. If yes, please email me with the amount and I will donate it before I leave, and hope that your amount will get to my bank account somehow!
i am leaving in 3 days i think, so please act fast!
\there is no obligation to donate, i think it's most valuable that you simply know incredible projects are happening in the world.
Be inspired,
act local,
think global
and challenge yourself to a bucket shower (when it gets a little warmer!) to see how much water you can save.

lots of love from the forest
Lauren

Backtrack- A few from the beach

I'm battling the computer to get some photos online to share with everyone...so here are just a few more. These ones were taken in the state of Orissa, mostly in Puri where Dylan and I spent New Years. It was really a nice break! We met up with some Kolkata friends for a few days, made friends with some young fishers and even found some macaroni and cheese! How exciting that was!
This is the 'Empty Beach'as it's called. At first it seemed beautiful and wonderful, but aftera few days of roaming around, the garbage became more apparent and the feces (dog and human) definetly took away form the environment. These became particularly noticeable after a dead turtle (caught in the big industry fishing nets {from the big cities, not so much the local fishers}) washed up on shore beside us.
Nonetheless, it was a nice place to get away from the crowds for some sun and swimming!
Sideways, sorry! This is how we brought in the new year! Dancing on the street of Puri with about 20 young men! It was hilarious and so much fun! Indian men really have some incredible dance moves!

At another section of the beach I sat alone and watched people for awhile. This man was selling chapati with a dal or something veggie like and delicious, and samosas.
From Puriu we rented a scooter and scooted over to Konark for the day. Konrak is home to the Sun Temple, a World Heritage Site . DIP enjoyed it too...had to!

ANd one of the main reasons we ended up going south to Orissa from Kolkata was to visit a dinosaur museum in Bhubaneswar! not quite what we were expecting, more of a physics and math science centre, but there certainly was a giant T-Rex model!

I've run out of patience for uploads, but I have some delightful photos form the ashrams i just spent 2 weeks at. They'll be up next I hope!

hugs and more hugs
lauren

ashram amazements

am learning so much with every conversation in this community i've found.
Ashrams
i suppose it could be called an intentional spiritual community. something like a monastery. many of them following a different schedule and philosophy.
I am in the middle of India moving between Gandhi's Ashram in Sevagram, and Vinoba Bhave's Ashram in Paunar. Both incredible places full of amazing people.
I first went to the Vinoba Ashram in Paunar. It is run by 30 women who practice rural sustainability, non-violence, daily prayer, and a consensus community. Following the philosophy of Vinoba Bhave.
Vinoba was a brilliant man who is known for starting the Bhoodan Movement. Bhoo means Land, dan means gift. the Land-Gift Movement.
He walked all of India for 14 years asking rich people to give a sixth of their land to the poor. In total he, along with many others who walked with him, got 4.5million acres of land donated. THis benefitted 1.5 million poor families.
It's amazing to be at the ashram and meet women (and one man) who walked with Vinoba for 7, 10, 13 years,
It's humbling.
Here are some journal thoughts after conversations with various sisters:

*After dinner Sheila took me to talk and watch the sun set over the river where Vinoba was cremated. Wise woman.
Letting og of the ego, Seeing self as part of god. she described bowls of water reflecting the moon. we are the bowls reflecting god..but no so much reflecting as beaing part of god. i like the imagery of Self as bowl of water holding and reflecting that which draws near.
Our outer body is not us. This hair, fancy glasses, eyes, even ideas and thoughts are the the true me. When looking in a mirror to see the reflection it might be dirty and we must wipe it cean to see properly., The mind is like this (the mind being true self). we must wash it clean to properly see ourselves. How? By letting go of the physical that shadows sight. By being in direct communication with god, which means with yourself, as we are all part of this god and god is part of us.
And get rid of the ego.
Thoughts and ideas change. Must find the person beneath all that. Who am I if not defned by my values and thoughts? Where else do I look?

*We are all one with each other and with everything around us. Because ultimately when we're put in the ground the same thing happens to all of us. We are part of the same cell they say. An imporatnt philosophy for respecting our impact in the world.

*When one bends to touch the feet of their guru or god, it is an ext of removing the ego.

* I am enjoying having routine and a discipline to follow. Christianity certainly encourages one to be a better person, love they neighbour as yourself etc. but it doesn't instruct clearly on how to deepen personal awareness. No intention in action. No routine or practice. (not in my christiantiy anyway).
Laws and rules governing what you eat -I used to think them to be overly strict and depriving ones enjoyment in life. But now I see that they put intention in every part of your day. It alerts your belief system everytime you 're hungry or see food. It teaches control. THe ability to say no. Mastering the mind.

*The Gita describes 7 powers immanent in women:
Kirti - honour
Shri - fortune
Vak - speech
Smriti - recollection
Madha - prudence
Dhriti - firmness
kshama- forgiveness

* AFter speaking with Gautam, a brother
Science is material. Science for the sake of science has no directio. it cannot determine righ from wrong. Good from bad. THis is thus potentially dangerous. It needs to be paired with spirituality to give direction. It's like an auto. The accelerator without a steering wheel is dangerous. Science is the accelerator. Spirituality the steering wheel.


Those are some thoughts from the first cuople days.
It's long, so i'll write other learnings later.

Breath with intention and think about where your food comes from. Who grew it? who made it? how far did it travel? is it worth it?

lots of love
lauren

Delhi Belly

Sometimes it's important to delay travel plans when there is a new relationship to pursue. That's the beauty of living in the moment, and travelling without a set itinerary.

I wish this new relationship was as romantic as I would imagine it to be upon reading that sentence..unfortunately it is a relationship with the squat toilet like I have yet experienced on this trip. Suffice to say it is sure nice to have a travel companion who graciously seeks water and crackers and abandons his own plans to stay an extra day in Raipur keeping a weak stomached Lauren company. Thank you Hayden!

Raipur is a bustling little city in the state of Chhattisgarh, same state as the last town of Jagdalpur. It is an area that seldom sees foreign travellers we have discovered. Apparently Jagdalpur had only 200 of us in the whole 2007 year! For this reason everyone is extremely friendly, that is if they can bring themselves to talk to us. As our young friend on the bus ride (another Santos) said, most are too shy to try their english on us because they never get a chance to use it here! So they are either too shy or simply stunned by us walking by and not sure how to react. Those that do approach us have been nothing but helpful and hospitable...eager to ask questions and answer any of ours. Santos spoke about the mysteries of the caste system here, marriage, relationships between muslims and Hindus, different laws for each and much more. very interesting.
The typical questions asked of us are: hello what is your name? from what country to you belong? you are married? no? when will you be married? (usually i'm with a male traveller)
not everyone asks these questions, but of those that are asking, these commonly come up.

And the english used by many is so delightful! A man in a Kolkata market had a stream of smiling, smile inducing sentences during his attempted sale interaction ..."oh but madam it would be my pleasure for you to buy this kulta"..."no this is not just pink, this is dirty rose and it is most becoming on you".
The woman's voice on the train station intercom was equally polite when announcing a delayed train.."The inconvenience caused is deeply regretted". These are a few examples, but they are everywhere everyday.

Tomorrow, assuming sound bowels, I"m headed to an ashram that is focused on rural sustainability and run by about 33 women. Then, perhaps, I will actually be going south, as I've been meaning to do for a month now!

Cheeriloo!

Welcome 2008!!

9 days relaxing on the eastern coast of India, state of Orissa, city called Puri.
FRESH fish and crab
pasta! toast and jam...some home delights
fires on the beach
dancing in the streets
being dragged into the water by Appana, a hilarious young guy from the fishers village
cows meandering past our hotel door
puppies eating a dead cat (mmmm)
the Sun Temple in Konark and a scooter ride to get there
a monkey that pinched my bum!

some initial memories from Puri

Dylan and I got to Puri on the 31st with just enough time to lie in the sun, eat some muesli with fresh curd honey and fruit, nap and get ready to bring in the New Year.
It was quite a memorable night...mostly spent wandering the streets looking for other people who all seemed to have found the party to be at but were keeping it a secret from us! so we ended up making fun wherever we ended up...which is always the best way!
the night was basically spent between the beach having a few beer around a fire, eating delicious thali in the middle of the night, and dancing in the street at the stroke of 12 with about 20 young guys!
Wow can Indian men dance! their hips move like no woman's hips i've ever seen! and there is nothing funnier than when Dylan tries to imitate this! It was a hilarious, wonderful time because no one was paying extra attention to me or Katie (the only females), everyone was just dancing with everyone. and it was awesome

Puri is an interesting place of mixed people. There are a few foreign tourists who all stick to one area of town. Here there are many 'western catered' restaurants and shops of beach clothes. There are many Indian tourists who mostly stick to a different part of ton with more fancy hotels. then there are the Hindu pilgrims that stay together, coming here to worship Lord Jagarnath and an elaborate temple that I wasn't allowed in. Then there are the locals of Puri and the fishermen from the fishers village...which is in Puri but quite separate.

Our part of town was a place to be comfortable and recharge. where everything is easy...internet, food, english, transportation, meeting people. compared to where I am now it was a breeze (more on now in a minute).
It was a fun place to be because we had friends to meet up with everyday. Local Puri guys and local fishermen. The fishermen (Santos, Appana, Sam) were quite remarkable. SO much energy, joking with us all the time, buying us chai and coconuts, making fires on the beach for us with burning material that seemed to appear out of nowhere (Sam would disappear into the darkness towards town and return dragging half a tree, someones roof [i'm pretty sure] and a bamboo pole), taking us through their village to the 'empty beach' where we could swim without dozens of watching eyes, and inviting us to their home to have a real dinner....with the freshest fish possible in Puri. Endless hospitality. and they never asked for money, they just called us friends.
good memories.

Now Dylan and I have split up for a bit. He's gone north and I've ended up south west of Puri in a town called Jagdalpur, in the state of Chattisgarh. I came here with Hayden of Switzerland who is on his way to Mumbai. A smiling, cheery, delightful guy who is easy to talk to and much appreciated company for this next leg of the journey. Helps with the Dylan withdrawal!!
Things are much different here than 'easy to live in' Puri. It took 24 hours to get here on 2 trains where our train car was either not where it should be in the train order and thus difficult to find or it just didn't exist and we chose a seat a random.
in the town there are dozens of hotels but all of them are instantly full when they see us glowing white and foreign. apparently some places aren't allowed to have foreign guests. after about an hour of walking in circles through town we found a place way out of our budget...but the only option!
today we set out to check emails and got sent down nearly every street, backtracking, turning left right left -back again- round the round about- into a computer shop- out with a map- in circles...for 40 minutes! everyone seems to have a different idea of directions. but we found it and soon will start the food finding adventure...then hopefully to a market and an anthropological museum. This area has many 'tribal people' or adivasi who (we're told) are at the markets and are written about in the museum.
It's funny to have such an interest in these 'minority people'. Many places offer 'Tribal Tours' where you go for 5 days or so and visit different groups. I have an instant, strong aversion to this. I can't bear the image of sitting in a rich 'pod' (tour bus) and pulling into a little village, filing off the bus and looking at people. For what purpose? and to whose benefit?
I am curious, absolutely, for whatever reason...but i'd rather be invited to join a family by the family and learn that way. Still i wonder why i'd want to, but do..
or apparently i don't mind learning from a museum..which hopefully uses present tense at least and doesn't freeze people into a lifestyle of what we expect from 'tribal people'. we'll see.

Otherwise people seem very friendly (A guy Hayden met on the train walked everywhere with us last night helping on the hotel hunt, just to be nice!) and, as usual, eager to talk to us. There is less english here which makes our tasks that much more fun to achieve! but all in all is a good place to stop over as i head south towards Pondicherry slowly but surely.

Seems like I had a whole bunch of thoughts and learnings to write about a few days ago but they've already been absorbed and feel normal now, so I can't remember!

2 months of 6 down, a birthday, a new year done, many more languages to learn and people to meet...the trek continues

Lauren