Two weekends ago we went on a trip to Pondicherry. We took an Indian bus and luckily got seats before a few dozen people started cramming the aisles. Halfway there, Michele, Adam, and I jumped off the bus for a quick bathroom break, hoping the bus wouldn't leave without us. B"h, it didn't.
Once we got to Pondi, we dropped our stuff off at our beautiful guesthouse on Rue Dumas, right near the ocean. We headed to Auroville, and on the way stopped at a French bakery for pasteries!, where we watched a video about the Matrimander, Sri Aurobindo, and the Mother. Then we took what was supposed to be a ten minute walk, but really twenty, in the heat to this huge dome shaped meditation hall which is covered in gold petal-like things. We couldn't go inside because it was the wrong time, so we chilled on the grass for a while. After walking back we had a bit of shopping time in the visitor's area.
After a very exciting rickshaw ride (the driver let Steve drive!), we had lunch at a hotel's restauraunt. Then some of us went grocery shopping and I was very excited to see tofu! Then Michele, Darren, and I walked around. We went to a few stores, including FabIndia (where everything was expernsive and didn't fit right) , and then to an internet place.
Back at the guesthouse, we prepped for Shabbat and did Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma'ariv on our rooftop balcony overlooking the Bay of Bengal. Micah taught us how to do chanting for Adon Olam, which was slightly uncomfortable but very interesting.
We ate dinner (from the same place we had lunch), then some people went to a bar. The rest of us walked along the beach.
On Saturday, those of us who were Shomer Shabbat relaxed at the guesthouse, while others went out. I had an ayurvedic massage (scheduled and paid for on Friday) at a place down the street. Let's just say, it's one of those things you do once, and it's fine, but never again.
After Havdalah on the roof, the group went to a non-veg place for dinner, and Menachem, Shani, Michele, and I were on our own. After many frustrating obstacles, we found a pure-veg place to eat, and then mut up with the group at Rendzevous.
Sunday morning some of us went to a temple where, for a couple of rupees, an elephant blessed us by tapping us on the head with his trunk. It was a really cool thing to see. The elephant even had a sense of humor, and tapped a few passerbys on the butt.
Abby and I walked over to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, which was right near the elephant, and meditated for a little while.
We then went to Kasha Ki Aasha for brunch with the group but it was closed. A group of us girls went to Le Cafe on the beach for brunch instead. Then we shopped a bit.
When we went to the bus station to leave, we found out that our bus wasn't for a few hours. Ygal, Leah, and I went back to town for shopping, then wadered for a while to find coffee.com. Back at the bus station we found out that our bus to Kanchi had been cancelled, so we took a bus to Tindavam? Trivandrum? (?) There we wandered through a filthy market and across railroad tracks to find a bus to Kanchi. The bus was crowded and uncomfortable, and I was very claustrophobic. It was a relief to arrive in Kanchi a couple of hours later.
On Tuesday I woke up sick, and couldn't work. I spent all of Tuesday, most of Weds., and some of Thurs and Fri in bed at the worksite. It was difficult to know that everyone else was working hard and that all I could do was lie in bed.
We had a few village and temple visits, each of which is getting harder and harder to differentiate in my mind.
Friday night Yael and Brooke led a wonderful KabShab and Ma'ariv. Before candle-lighting we each had to write down things we'd learned in the past 3 weeks on pieces of paper. Then, during services, we picked random ones out of a hat and read them out loud. Many of them were very meaningful and inspiring, and made me think a lot.
Dinner and singing afterwards were quite nice. I'm glad our group has been able to bridge many different styles of Judaism in a way that creates a meaingful Shabbat experience for everyone. We do most traditional things, but with some added flair, such as Steve's Shabbos Rap. And due to lack of grape juice/wine, and challah we use mango juice, and matzah we brought from America.
Saturday was very relaxing. I read a lot in a book called "In Spite of the Gods," which discussed some of India's challenges for the 21st century. I learned a lot, but also discovered how little I truly know about politics, economics, society, culture, and history here. This ignorance somewhat embarrasses me, but I am making every possible attempt to learn more about this fascinating country.
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