With My Feet In My Sandals

July 26, 2017

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 loved the appearance of the tree and the unique nature of it... Fascinating and inspiring! I want one with my future home ;)

The next place my sandal-covered feet took me was to Pondicherry! This city is a popular tourist attraction since it has held onto several elements from the time they were under French ruling. My feet first took me to see the Gandhi statue by on the seaside. Then after lunch at a French Bakery, an auto-rickshaw (aka: tuk tuk) took us to the market place. My feet carefully maneuvered me through the tightly pack isles where I saw fish, produce, clothing, jewelry, flowers, and more! At one point, a couple of the flower vendors offered each girl in our group flowers! It was so kind! Upon leaving the market place, a couple of vendors stopped me, wanting to pin one of the flowers into my hair. It was so kind :) We couldn't communicate through words, but we communicated with our eyes, hand, and with love.

Following the market place, I removed my sandals to enter an Ashram. My feet soaked up the warmth from the earth. I loved the way the ground felt beneath me as I entered the silent atmosphere. The peaceful air was so reverent and inspiring that I spent most of my time in prayer. I felt so grateful to be in such a beautiful place. Even though I was surrounded by people of many different faiths and beliefs, it was a lovely experience to connect with them in the reverent, prayerful, meditative silence.

Next, my feet jammed to the music of drums on the street! The drum vendors were so good, and I was so good at bartering that I ended up purchasing one of the drums! I can't tell you if the quality of the drum is phenomenal or not... but I like it! And my feet like it :)

Finally, we made it to the Temple of Ganesh! After wandering the inside of the temple, and then paying to get my sandals back from a sneaky shoe man that snatched them from their resting place outside (sooooo sneaky and frustrating!), Lakshmi the elephant arrived!!!! I was so thrilled to see her! I paid to get a blessing from her (she blessed the top of my head with her trunk), and after everyone received their blessings, I went up to pet her for a while. I loved it soooo much! I didn't realize how much I would love being with elephants until I came here!

So let's be real-- my sandals aren't the highlight of the day... But I'm grateful for my feet and sandals that carried my body to all of these wonderful sights and settings! It just makes me think of Dr. Seuss' "Oh, the Places You'll Go". And with my feet in my sandals (instead of shoes) and brains in my head, I have seen and done many wonderful things here in India! So here's to the last two weeks!!