Sparks of India

My day started with a good series of stretches :)  Nothing too intense, but really good for the back and hips! Susie and I then went to the G House (that's what we call the place where the long-term volunteers live.  It's a good hour away from campus.)  There, I improvised dances on the roof (video coming soon to YouTube!), read from The Alchemist , and ate yummy food!  It was a great time of relaxation and enjoyment :)   We made it back to campus just in time to teach Life Dance, and we had a fairly good class!  It was a bummer that all of our other classes were cancelled today for testing (that's why we got to hang out with the other volunteers), so it was nice to be productive with the Life Dance Troupe :) So... Did you spot it? ;) If you spotted that I wore three different churidhars/shirts during the day then you win!  Congratulations :)  Why did I go though three?  Basically things weren't ...

The little few prelude notes began, and my body was already far into the stage fright realm.  My hands had already developed a slight tremor two speakers earlier, and although I had consumed a fair amount of water, my mouth had run dry and my throat felt as though it was closing off.  My vocals chords were not going to cooperate with me.  Before I knew it, Sister Sophie and I had made it through the first verse and I was to take a brief solo next!  What happened?  I choked my way through it... pausing here, swallowing there, forcing the most timid and awkward tones my diaphragm could muster.  Once I made it through my few lines Sister Sophie took over, and boy, was I grateful!  After hearing her sing with such vigor and passion, I felt hope that I could finish the last verse with strength.  And truthfully... I think the third verse was the best!   But why was I singing?  I was so consumed with horrific thoughts pertaining to my ...

It's like an old swing that served many generations of children as they learned to fly and feel their hearts and stomachs leap with excitement.  It's like that favorite pair of jeans, faded over time from being used so often.  It's like the rough worn hands of a grandfather after years of working and caring for his children, grandchildren, and love of his life.  It's like the beautiful results of hard work and selfless service to others. As I near the end of my time in India, I recognize that there will be many more dance masters after me.  Even Susie will be staying until December, and after her there will (hopefully) be many more!  I feel the transition taking place already, where my position here is beginning to fade and Susie's position is beginning to grow and fill the stage.  Of course I will continue to work hard and give my all until the very last day, yet I sense this transition taking place. Teaching at Rising Star Outreach as a Promethea...

The drought in Southern India is fairly severe.  Places that should be filled with water have very little evidence of having ever contained water before.  We were supposed to have our monsoon season by now... but the time seems to have come and gone with very little drops from the sky.  Tonight though, we have been receiving a plethora of rain!  As I ate dinner with the students tonight, one of them got my attention and said, "I have been praying to God for rain.  Today He has answered my prayers."  A few other students said similar things, and it filled my heart with joy.  Yes, He has answered our prayers tonight.  It would take many days and nights like this to pull us from the drought, but every drop of rain is treasured!  Tonight, we will surely sleep with hearts of gratitude.  (This all reminds me of a great Julie de Azevedo song titled "Pray For Rain".  I love that song!  Look it up.  Or come hang out with ...

I call it the gathering tree-- the tree found near the entrance of the Venkatapuram Colony.  It was my second time to the colony, and both times we gathered in the shade of this tree.  It's a happening place!  In the shaded area we can do lice and oil treatments for the residents, create rangoli's, tie flower pieces for the hair, and even enjoy dance parties!!  And today... it was a day of dancing!! There were two men who danced with me a lot (I'll try to share footage of that later!), and the rest of the colony members and sponsors enjoyed watching as Susie and I broke it down with the men!  We danced to several Tamil songs, so the rhythms were fantastic.  I also brought my little drum with me, so many of the men enjoyed playing with the drum and creating their own beats.   Then the shades came out!  Photo after photo, we posed with our shades on!  Of course the dancers wanted some pictures, and later a few of the women were br...

My feet-- dressed in new, custom-made, hand-made sandals-- stepped off the bus.  After spending all morning crammed into the vehicle, we had finally arrived at our first destination:  Auroville.  The small community is viewed as a type of Utopia... Run by the philosophies and teachings of The Mother (their founder), these people are independent from Indian rule.  I'm not going to go into much detail about the beliefs and practices of the people, so you can visit this website if you'd like to learn more.  To be frank... I felt as though I was in Divergent!  The main attraction we were to see there was the view point of the Matrimandir-- a place of meditation for the people of the community.  However, my favorite thing to see was a magnificent tree that grows branches down to the ground to support itself when the main branches get too heavy!  (I know there's a special word for these types of trees, but I can't remember it now, haha.*)  I ...