My Christmas With Buddha

It seems as if, within the last two months, I have been caught up in a whirlwind of activity!  My schedule is full at almost every moment and new projects and commitments are being added on almost daily.  It is hectic and tiring and immeasurably good for me.  I am learning how to mange my time, set priorities, and plan ahead – all good tools to have in my belt.  Let me give you a brief outline of what I am up to right now.

1)    Two new students recently enrolled at the school, Aidos and Zarrina.  Aidos is from Kazakhstan and Zarrina is from Tajikistan.  When they arrived, neither of them spoke a word of English.  I have been put in charge of teaching them English from the bottom up.  Considering that I am not even sure my own English is correct most of the time, this has required me to review lots of English grammar books and hearken back to my lessons in Latin.  The three of us work together for about six hours a day from nine o’ clock in the morning till six or seven o’ clock at night.  Since I do not speak Russian and they do not speak English (yet), we have all improved our sign language and spend a lot of time just laughing at each other while attempting to explain something.  Nonetheless, they are very bright and are picking up English at an unbelievable pace! 

2)    I have started a children’s virtues class in a nearby village called Siddharthnagar.  There are about 19 kids that come each Sunday and each week we learn about a new virtue.  The class starts with prayer, after which we sing songs, memorize quotations, share stories, play cooperative games, and then end class with an art project.  All of the activities in the class are related to that week’s virtue and, because the virtue is presented in so many different ways, it really sticks in the kid’s minds and, more importantly, their hearts.  The children are simply little love angels and the purest, most beautiful reflection of the Divine I have ever seen.  I can never forget the first day I held class with them.  We started by discussing prayer.  What is prayer?  Why do we pray?  How do we pray?  When discussing this last question, I had each child stand up in front of the group to show his or her most reverent prayer position.  “Different people may look differently when they pray,” I told them, “but that is OK because prayers come from our hearts.  For example, Shweta crosses her arms.  Abhishek put his hands together.  But, both are praying!”  When I asked them to “pratna kaho” (“say a prayer” in Hindi), I saw the most beautiful sight.  Every child put his or herself into the most reverent position he or she could muster and I glimpsed, for a second, what it might look like to God when we pray.  It was a moment that just felt completely and totally right, as if everything was aligned and pure.  There is a quote in the Baha’i Writings which states, “There is nothing sweeter in the world of existence than prayer,” and if I ever held any doubt about the verity of this quotation, this moment completely dispelled it.  Prayer, coming from anyone, is the sweetest thing in entire realm of existence!  I hope everyone gets to have (or has had) an experience of sweet prayer like I had on that day. 

 Here are some pictures of my with my amazing kiddos!

  

 

 

 

 

 

This was one lesson we did on sharing! 

 

3)   In late December, I was invited to accompany the Standard VIII students on an educational tour to Arangabad.  Arangabad, another city in Maharashtra, is most famous for the caves at Ajanta and Ellora (both UNESCO World Heritage sites).  These caves are actually Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu temples carved into the cliffs and mountains of the area.  Inside of the caves are beautiful, intricate, and spell-binding frescos and sculptures dating from the 1^st century B.C. to the 7^th century A.D.  To say that I was excited to see these temples is a gross understatement.  It happened that our group ended up visiting the caves at Ajanta on Christmas Day!  The night before, I had found myself really missing home and yearning for something that seemed to acknowledge that Christmas Day was just around the corner.  But there was no Santa Claus, no Christmas trees, and no sparkling Christmas lights to fill my craving.  Instead, there was just me.  Now, I have never thought of myself as a big Christmas person before, but here, alone in India, I literally began singing Christmas carols just to comfort myself or out of some attachment to the tradition.  It really got me to thinking.  What was Christmas to me?  Why did I miss it?  Why did I need to be in America to enjoy it?  Wasn’t Christmas the day in which we celebrate the birth of Christ, not a Santa Claus or gingerbread house or eggnog or any of those other things that are so “necessary” for Christmas to be Christmas?  For perhaps the first time in my life, I really began to think about Christmas as the birth of Christ, the Manifestation of God whose message taught nothing but love.  Suddenly, I no longer cared whether there was a Christmas tree in all of India because the most Christmas-y thing in the world was with me already and that thing is love.  Love for mankind.  Love for Jesus Christ.  Love for love.  And, most dear to me, love for God.  Looking at it that way, perhaps everyday is Christmas.  Or should be.

      The next day (Christmas Day) we visited the caves at Ajanta.  These caves are all Buddhist and were built by monks over many, many generations.  What is perhaps so stunning about these temples is the unfathomable amount of work that was required to build them.  They were literally carved into sheer rock face and the engineering behind them is astounding.  Then, once you walk into the temple you see the most delicate, intricate, comprehensive, and awe-inspiring frescos EVERYWHERE!  So much detail and so much care had to be put into each and every temple (did I mention that there are over 25 temples all with the same level of artistry?)  One of the most beautiful things about the temples is that they are all laid out in something of a suite style, with one main room (where the statue of Buddha is held, surrounded by all the beautiful frescos and other carvings) and little rooms adjacent to the main room (where the monks would pray and meditate).  These little rooms had only two benches carved from rock in them for the monks to sit on while meditating.  Even though they were capable of making beautiful rooms for themselves, the monks left barely anything in their rooms and gave all the beauty to Buddha.  Speaking of Buddha, it seemed a little odd at first to be visiting Buddhist caves on Christmas, but as I thought more about it, the concept became perfectly fitting.  I believe that Christmas is a celebration of one of God’s Messengers and that, in all reality, there is no difference between these Messengers.  Though their names may differ, their spirit is the same.  Was it not the same Holy Spirit that made Jesus of Nazareth into Lord Jesus Christ and prince Siddhartha Gautama into Buddha?  Just as the sun that shines on Monday is the same as the sun that shines on Tuesday, the Messengers of God shed the same light at different times and under different names.  If one were to say that the sun of Monday is the same as the sun of Tuesday, he or she would be correct.  And yet, if one were to also say that the sun that shines on Monday and the sun that shines on Tuesday were different, he or she would still be correct.  So it is with the Messengers.  They are at once unified and distinct.  Spending Christmas in a Buddhist temple was truly a celebration of the Holy Spirit which surpasses the limitations of names and traditions. 

 Here are some pictures from the trip!

 

 

 

 

Me and Zarrina at a temple

 

So, life is great over here and everyday I am learning many new lessons. Thank you for reading and until next time, bye! 

 

King Prawns With A Side Of Prayer

Before coming to India, many people asked me if I would have a chance to travel. I knew that there was a two week break in November to celebrate Diwali (yet another great Indian festival) and hoped to travel during that time. However, once I got here and became involved in the community, I realized that a two-week train trip through India, though tempting, is not exactly in line with my primary purpose for coming here – service. However, my co-worker, Mrs. Naoko did invite me to help take care of her children on their upcoming trip to Goa. This way, I thought, I could fulfill both of my desires, travel AND service!

We set out for Goa on the night of 4 November and had the craziest, bumpiest, windiest, 10-hour drive through the wildest roads I have ever experienced! I eventually fell asleep, and when I woke up, there in front of me was the glimmering, noble, generous, warm Arabian Sea! I felt like I was back in San Diego for a minute and all I could think about was running into that beautiful body of water. Unfortunately, we had to get set up in our hotel and drove away from the sea before I could go say “hi”. The hotel was lovely and we quickly unpacked our things, got into our swimsuits, and headed down to the beach. As we approached the sand, I was struck by the feeling of the sun. It was not so much that the sun here was hot, but that it was powerful. The rays seemed to sit on the skin and darken it more and more with each passing second. I looked around and saw some of the darkest, richest black skin I have ever seen! Unlike the stunning darkness I have seen in some Africans, the blackness of the people here seemed to have a red, almost burning look to it, as if the sun was in their skin and shining out from within! It was striking! Also, because of the power of the sun here, many people had lighter colored hair, almost a red, brown which looked even more hot and fiery against their dark, sun-soaked skin. To top it all off, Colva Beach, the area where we were staying, is a major tourist destination for many Europeans. So, standing next to a dark Goan, whose skin simply soaked up the sun would be a sunburned European whose skin was in revolt against this sovereign sun. Seeing this sight, I thought to myself how completely absurd it is that we, humanity, has ever placed any value on one skin color over another when the only purpose of skin color is to give the necessary amount of protection from the sun. That is it. The diversity of skin color is a beautiful reality of life, and just like the many colored flowers of a garden, each color adds splendor and beauty to the whole.

When we neared to the shore, there were tons and tons of fish drying beside the beach since many people here rely on fishing as their means of making money. We jumped into the water and I met the Arabian Sea for my first time. We got along swimmingly (pun absolutely intended) and I enjoyed the warmth of the sun, sand, and sea until lunchtime. Goa is known for it’s prawns and fish (as I could see from the plethora drying near the beach) so we filled up on kingfish, baby shark, and prawns for lunch. We were quite exhausted from the drive and decided to head back to the hotel to play in the pool and relax away from the sun. The rest of the day was peaceful and uneventful ending in another seafood filled meal.

As I put the girls to sleep (I took on the girls, Naoko had the boys), I began to think about what I was doing. Why was I here? Who was I serving? Was I just relaxing and wasting my time? In a moment, I found myself panicking. All I had done and all I was scheduled to do for the next 4 days was eat, relax, and soak up the sun. While I am sure this sounds lovely to most, it freaked me out because it seemed completely secondary to my primary purpose and, truthfully, quite decadent. I went out on the balcony to pray and fell apart into tears. What could be worse than me coming to India, living here for a year, and it having no effect on the world, an effort that simply disappeared? I knew that I needed to talk to my mom and asked God, from the very bottom of my heart, that she would call. I swear to you that as I wrote down my request for her call in my journal, the phone rang. I literally was completing the second “M” in “mom” when I heard my ringtone. It was unbelievable! I picked up and shared my fear with her. And, of course, she told me exactly what I needed to hear at that moment. She reminded me that God sees all of our works in His path, acknowledging them in mysterious ways. Thus, as long as my efforts were sincere, they would be seen and noted. How this happens is beyond our comprehension as humans, but we are assured of the confirmation of God in all Holy Writings. That is proof enough for me, and my fears and doubts died down. Thanks for the reminder, mom!

Talking to her got me thinking again about purpose – the purpose of this year, the purpose of religion, and most of all, the purpose of life. Through my study of and meditation on the Baha’i Writings, I have come to realize the purpose of my life. It is simple and it is sincere. It is the two-fold purpose of knowing and loving God on an individual level and working for the unification of mankind on a world wide level. To fulfill this purpose, I must serve others, yes. But, what I realized on that balcony in Goa, is that I must also look within and purify myself. Service without self-purification is dangerous and can lead to fanaticism and self-righteousness. Self-purification without service is only half of the equation and lacks the necessary element of good deeds and actions. One without the other is imbalanced and faulty. At times, I even feel that to divide them into separate spheres is a mistake in itself. In their purest forms, are they not the same thing? As I sat on the balcony, I committed myself to developing my individual spiritual capacities and purifying myself as well as serving others.

I slept peacefully that first night and woke up centered and happy. And, for the rest of my time in Goa that is exactly how I stayed.

Here are some pictures of my centered and happy time!

Walking through Colva beach with Mickey and Rui.

Rui was really full after he ate a plate of prawns. He told me he was pregnant and showed me his stomach. It was priceless.

Mei and me at breakfast.

The inland view from our hotel room.

Thank you all for the love you constantly send my way. I feel it and it is guiding me every day.

The Night It Rained Pink

All I have to say after last night is that India sure knows how to throw one fantastic festival!

Last night was Gansesh Chaturthi, a major festival in Maharashtra. It is a time for people to come together and give respect to Ganesh, a primary god in Hiduism.

We (some other volunteers from NETTI and I) decided to go to Wai, a larger town about 30 minutes from Panchgani to celebrate the festival. I had no idea what to expect. When we arrived, we got out of the van and immediately heard music blaring one street over. There was an electricity that was everywhere! We ran to the main street where we were greeted by crowds of people, huge, colorful floats of Ganesh, and loud, loud music.



I nearly screamed with excitement! It was as if everything, from the houses that lined the street to the very air molecules that surrounded us, was colorful and dancing and happy. Imagine, then, how the human beings were! Needless to say, I had found my people and immediately joined in the festivities by grabbing my friends from Dubai and doing what I always do when I’m happy – DANCE!

My friend from Wai, Amul, quickly pulled us back because it is not really seen as proper for girls to dance in the streets. It was kind of a shock for me! He could see my disappointment and said he would find a good group of people that we could dance with. The way the dancing works is like this. An area of town will collect money to buy a huge float of Ganesh and a sound system for the back of the float.

Then, the people who live in that area of town will trail behind the float dancing to their favorite songs. Amul took me and the other girls to a float that only had children dancing behind it because that was more proper. That was when we really started having fun!



The kids were so fascinated by my camera and my curls that they all wanted to dance with me. It was so cute! I would do some sort of dance move combo (like “kick right, kick left, right hand up, left hand up) and this whole crowd of like 20 kids covered in pink powder would copy me! We just laughed and danced and then laughed some more! I really love, love, love dancing with happy people, especially if they are under the age of 10!

Though the night was absolutely wonderful, it was an odd and new experience for me to feel self-conscience simply because of my gender. After Amul pulled us away from the first crowd, I looked around and saw that all the women were either standing on the sidewalk watching or looking out of their windows onto the festivities below. I asked Amul about it and he said that it’s not really a rule or anything, but just doesn’t really happen. He did, however, say that in the past two years it has become more common for girls to dance, but usually on the last day of the festival.

The whole gender issue is one that has been a big adjustment for me since coming to India. There is more separation of the genders here and it took me a while to get used to, but I have realized that I am foreigner and have volumes to learn from this country about all facets of life, especially the mysterious relationship between men and women. For example, I have witnessed a solidarity and sweetness between the men here that is truly touching. Men here hold hands as they walk and hug each other with such unabashed warmth and love – a welcome change from the common expressions of masculinity I am used to. Also, both women and men here have such a unique appreciation for and place such a high value on marriage. I remember, within my first week here, a man stopped by the school who had taught in the primary school last year. He had recently married and came to say hello to everyone with his new bride. When he came into the staff room, all the male teachers (all bachelors) surrounded him and greeted him with such excitement and care. They all sat together, sincerely congratulated him on his marriage, and eagerly asked him how married life was. They seemed to be saying “LUCKY YOU!” instead of “Aw, poor guy. Sorry you’re no longer a bachelor.” as is common in the West. It was beautiful.

OK. Back to the festival. All in all, it was a great night! I’m working on posting some video I took, but I wanted to get this post up as soon as possible, so the video will have to wait until later. Thanks for reading!

New Faces and Adopted Family

This post is simply a tribute to the many amazing people who have become my advisors, friends, and much appreciated 2nd family.

I’ll start with the Silk Centre ladies (as I call them). These are the women I live with. The 180-degree revolution we have gone through in these first few weeks is remarkable! The first days I was here, they were the main cause of any sadness I felt. As I wrote earlier, they mostly speak in Hindi and Marathi so I felt extremely alone whenever I would come home. Rupa, my roommate, really changed that for me! She would translate what I couldn’t understand and really served as the bridge between me and the other women. A few days ago we all celebrated a Hindu holy day by going into the town of Panchgani (AKA the market) and eating dinner and ice cream. We had a great time eating delicious food with our hands (the custom in Maharashtra), laughing a lot, and taking tons of pictures.
They love my camera and always ask me to take pictures! There are 8 women altogether and Ashwin, the man of the house.
Ashwin (pronounced Ash-vin. “W”s tend to be replaced by “V” sounds here, and vice versa…or wise wersa) is Sabeeta’s son. He’s a really cool kid and quite the ladies man since he lives in a house with 8 doting women. Sabeeta, his mother, is the only female teacher in the computer department of New Era and is a very strong woman and mother. Her husband is an engineer whose work requires him to live in another state and thus she pretty much raises her son alone, for the time being.
Jothi, another one of the Silk Centre ladies, is the comedian of the group. She has a sense of humor that is not for the faint of heart or overly sensitive. She often times makes fun of me and my English, which initially really bothered me, but as I’ve gotten to know her better, I see that it is her way of growing close to people and now I laugh along with her and really enjoy her company. She’s a very genuine person and is kind of the “mama” of the house, seeing to it that everyone has eaten a proper dinner and all the lights are turned out before heading to bed.

Sunita is a bubbly and energetic woman from a state in eastern India. She cares about everyone she meets and always tries to bring a spiritual energy to everything she does. My other roommate, Sangeeta, has a nephew in Pune who is very sick and Sunita invited all the women in the house to gather in our common room to say a very long Baha’i healing prayer. Even though half of the women in the house are Hindu, they agreed and we all sat for about 45 minutes offering prayers and meditating. Afterwards, we decided that the Hindu women in the house would give me Hindu Sunday school at breakfast on Sundays and teach me Hindu prayers! They also have agreed to help teach me Hindi, Marathi, and Indian cooking!

The most important Silk Centre lady, however, is my friend Rupa. She’s simply the sweetest little ball of joy one could ever ask for. She’s always helping me out and serving as a sort of intermediary between me and the other women in the house. I’m totally honest with her and trust her a lot. She’s really a blessing!


Mrs. Tuba is the head of the primary school. She is a very gentle natured woman and is extremely well respected by students and faculty alike.

Mr. Isaac is the reason this blog can exist! He is the head of the IT department and always has an open connection to the Internet ready of me! More than my gateway to the World Wide Web, Mr. Isaac has been a total ally and safe-haven for me. He is a true lover of Christ and deeply honest, spiritual, and reflective man. I often go into his office to hook up to the Net, but instead end up having a long conversation with him about the soul, music, worship, humanity, or any other such topic. He and I see the world in a very similar way, a critical and creative view of life that is not particularly common in this school. I can come to him and express my frustrations with the methods of the school or the differences in the culture at large and know that my thoughts are safe with him. He does not judge nor does he preach. He simply suggests, guides, and most importantly, listens.

Mrs. Naoko is my co-worker in the Learning Centre. Simply put, this woman rocks. She has four crazy-wonderful kids and raises them on her own (her husband also works abroad, but should be moving to Mumbai in a few months! This, however, is after two years of raising her kids pretty much solo). I say “crazy-wonderful” because her kids are really energetic, loud, creative, and expressive, and could be classified as crazy. But, in the manicured world of Indian childrearing, their “craziness” is a breath of fresh air. The kids raised in the more traditional Indian method are extremely well mannered, polite, quiet, and obedient. However, what they excel in with regard to conduct, they can at times lack in sincerity and creativity. For example, every time I pass a student, he or she has been trained to say “Good morning/afternoon/evening, Miss.” 80% of the time he or she will say it with a radiant face and true interest in my happiness. But the 20% that greet me out of obligation really depresses and disturbs me. The words are dead to them, simply ritual. Mrs. Naoko’s kids, on the other hand, say exactly what’s on their mind (“I like to play with your hair, but I don’t think I would want hair this curly!”) Her son, Rui (pronounced Louie), is pretty much the coolest 4-year-old I have ever encountered. He is a human monkey and climbs on everything (including his mother’s limbs as she cooks dinner). Also, he has the most inquisitive and creative mind! He is always asking how things work, praising the beauty of the mountains, and trying to be as healthy as possible (to get this kid to eat food you actually have to tell him that it IS healthy! He only likes food if it will make him healthier and stronger!) Below is a montage of pictures I took one day at lunch when Rui decided to decimate an apple after being informed that it would make is biceps bigger.



Mrs. and Dr. Rost are the caretakers for the Baha’i Bhavan and all around great people. She is Indian (from Uttar Pradesh), he is American (from Wisconsin), and they lived in Kenya and Uganda before moving to India. I’ve decided to adopt them as my surrogate grandparents! They hold prayers every Sunday morning at the Bhavan followed by a traditional Maharashtran breakfast called “pooha” (pronounced poe-ha). It’s seasoned puffed, flat rice with cilantro, lemon, green chili, mustard seeds, and most importantly, peanuts! The cilantro, lemon, peanut combo is heavenly. It’s a wonderful way to start a Sunday – prayers and pooha!
My students are the other big influence on my time. I remember people at Bishop’s saying that the students are like the blood of the school. Without them, there is no life and the school is just a skeleton. As a student I never really understood or believed this, but now that I am on the other side, I totally get it. The moment the first students began to arrive, I knew that the school would be a different place when I went to bed that night than it had been when I woke up in the morning. I work with the really weak students in the primary department and it is such hard work! Let me take this moment to thank each and every one of my teachers! From pre-K till 12th grade, THANK YOU! Teaching really is the hardest job imaginable. You must remain patient, loving, and encouraging while pushing students, enforcing discipline, soliciting respect, and just maintaining basic order! By lunchtime I’m EXHAUSTED! Yet, there have been some awesome moments where my students have finally gotten a concept, or acted with virtue, or made me laugh so hard I cry! Overall the students are simply the most adorable little bundles of cuteness. Every Tuesday I teach the primary school a prayer and every Thursday I teach them a song. They love me because they associate me with music and fun stuff! It’s great! But back to the whole difficultly of teaching thing: I can’t thank all of my various teachers enough for being so patient and wonderful with me. You truly are saints!

The last person I have to mention in this post is the wonderfully adorable RHIM! She is the daughter of two teachers at New Era and simply the most beautiful child I have ever seen. She is so kind, funny, gentle, and caring! I love to play with her and take pictures of her big, bright eyes. Enjoy!




These are just a few of the many, many people that have welcomed me and guided me through the foreign waters I find myself in.

I promise I will post again soon and sorry for the long delay!

“I Reek” and Other Musings From My First Week…

My bags took four days to arrive. It is awkward enough to move to another country, let alone to do so without clothes, shoes, or deodorant. The women in the house were kind enough to lend me some of their salwar kameez, but I was not about to ask them for their towels! So, for the first few days I, well, reeked. It is funny to look back on now, but at the time it was really embarrassing. The women in the house all work at the school, some as teachers and others in the front office. They are all older than me and speak to each other in Hindi or Marathi, which was very difficult on the first days, but now I am more comfortable with them and ask them what different words mean.
We generally sit in the house after dinner watching Hindi TV, which is really, really funny. Everything is extremely dramatic and the producers of every show love to zoom in on the face of a character and do crazy effects to show the intensity of the scene. It ends up doing the opposite and I burst out laughing right in the middle of the most dramatic moments!
A few days ago, my roommate came and she is great! She is 19, from Goa (a state south of Maharashtra), also teaches in the primary school, is a Baha’i, and is named Rupa. We were so happy to room together because we are the youngest girls in the house. I know that we will be very good friends by the end of this year. Through her, I have become closer many of the other girls in the house and the other teachers in the school. Rupa was a student at NETTI (New Era Teacher Training Institute, located about 15 minutes down the road from the high school) and this is her first year of actual teaching. For the past two days, we have been in workshops along with the other teachers reviewing different approaches to teaching and ways of infusing spirituality, healthy living practices, and respect for the environment into our lessons. It is interesting to see how freely religion is discussed here as opposed to America. The teachers range from Baha’i, to Hindu, to Muslim, to Christian, to Zoroastrian, and everywhere in between, and yet everyone works together so peacefully in order to best serve the students. Everyone acknowledges the importance of spirituality in education and all are willing to unify in order to bring that spiritual energy into the classroom. It’s really amazing. Also, there is a certain level of politeness that seems to exist in this country that is really outstanding. Every time something can be done, 3 people pop out of their seats to offer service, whether that means fetching tea for the speaker, passing out papers, or turning on the projector for the power point. It’s like they have a sixth sense for helping people out and I oftentimes find myself lagging!
Another great thing about India is the tea. Milk tea is my new addiction. It’s everywhere and always deeeeeeelicious! I’ve never had better tea in my entire life and can’t wait to learn how to make it. I end up drinking at least a cup a day and it makes me so, so happy!
The other thing that made me very happy this week was finally getting my luggage. When the man from Air India came up to the house, I was nearly jumping for joy. I pulled the luggage into the house and immediately jumped into the bathroom! The hot water geezer works in only one bathroom and everyone was asleep so I got to take a peaceful, warm shower. I have never enjoyed a shower more in my entire life! Not to be overly spiritual or anything, but that shower honestly took my understanding of baptism to a whole other level. Something as common and elemental as water literally opened up a new world to me. It renewed my sense of confidence, purpose, and dignity. I was clean and refreshed. I was now in India for the long run. My belongings were here and I was no longer a visitor, but now a resident. It was both exciting and frightening. On the one hand my stuff had finally arrived, but on the other hand its arrival meant that I was not leaving anytime soon.
India is now where I live. It is now my home.
Today I woke up before everyone in the house (my internal clock is still adjusting) and went for a short run. I brought my prayer book along and said prayers while looking out over the gorgeous Krishna valley.

Every time I looked up from my prayer book, there in front of my eyes was a stunning symbol of God’s grandeur! I felt so humbled and thankful to God for allowing me to serve in such a physically beautiful and spiritually vital place. I came back to the house just as everyone was waking. I took a cold bath in my bathroom since my hot water geezer is broken. Here, a bath means filling a big bucket with water and then taking a cup and pouring the water over you. It sounds terrible, I know, but it’s actually wonderful! You end up only using a bucket’s worth of water and it gets the job done. This was my first cold bath and it was so amazingly refreshing! Obviously it is cold, but after the initial shock, your body warms up and you end up feeling like you just jumped into a cool, clear river. I had washed my spirit through prayer and then cleaned my body with water and the result was my best day in India so far!

Peace Out, Atlanta. Namaste, India.

On 14 August 2007, I flew from San Diego to Atlanta. I stayed in Atlanta until my flight to India on 18 August 2007. My time there was filled with errand running, but more importantly gave me some priceless time with my beautiful, love-filled family!
The trip to Atlanta was a great decision, because it served at a great transition to India. I was gone from my normal home, so I started to get used to that feeling, but I was also in a familiar place where I was surrounded by support and love. While in Atlanta, my grandmother decided to get me a traditional Indian outfit. We ended up getting a simple and beautiful salwar kameez at a sari store in Atlanta.
My last night, my aunt and uncle invited a bunch of people over for a bon voyage party and they all sent me off with their love, support, and prayers.
The next day, my dad and grandmother took me to the airport with a one-way ticket to Mumbai in my hand. My flight schedule was to fly Delta from Atlanta to New York and then change to Air India flight 102 in New York, which would stop in London and then connect to Mumbai. After checking in with Delta, I said my goodbyes and “I love you”s to my dad and grandma and headed to the New York flight. The flight took about 2 hours and upon landing in New York, I boarded my flight to London on Air India.
I immediately knew that something had changed when I got on the plane. First of all, the scent in the airplane was a heavy, savory musk, a welcome change to the scentless Delta flight. Second, the wallpaper was a shimmery, floral design with paisley and vines.
Third, the bathroom was fully equipped with a communal bottle of mouthwash, that is, one bottle for whoever felt their breath needed refreshing! As I settled into my seat, I was thrilled. My concept of normalcy was bending and adapting to this new environment. Mind you, I’m simply on a plane in New York! As the plane took off, I said my final goodbye to the U.S.
In the air, I suddenly realized where I was, what I was doing, and what it all meant (a little late, I know). I was alone as an adult, beginning my independent life. However, this independence is not a sad or lonely kind. It is surrounded by love of my family and friends, but most importantly by the guidance of God. So though I was physically alone, I felt completely safe and happy. The love of my dear ones and the presence of God are with me and thus, I am alone and yet I am not.
The rest of the flight was great, full of new snacks (goodbye pretzels and peanuts), funny Bollywood music videos, and delicious in flight meals (for once!).

We arrived in London about 5 and a half hours later and boarded the next plane to Mumbai! On that flight, I got a full row and ended up just sleeping, eating, and listening to my iPod. I did, however, meet a nice lady who did not speak English but found my attempts at Hindi very entertaining. I offered her some M&M’s (thanks Karin), which aren’t commonly sold in India and she gave me some silver, mint-flavored candy. She also showed me her thumb, which had two tips and two fingernails and let me take a picture.
She was very sweet and later gave me a hair clip. All I had to give her were some bracelets, which she refused until I insisted.
8 and a half hours later the wheels of Air India flight 102 touched down in Mumbai! Upon arrival, and after about an hour and a half of asking questions and being sent all over the airport, I found out that my baggage was not on the flight. Somewhere along the line it had been misplaced. Tired and eager to get on with the rest of my journey, I filled out a luggage report and told them to send it to me in Panchgani once it surfaced. Another guy on my flight, Nash, had lost his luggage and he really helped me figure out what was going on. Although English is an official language of India, I could not understand a lot of what was said to me. Nash was Indian, but worked in the U.K. so he was a true godsend in translating what was going on. When we left the airport, he even invited me to come to his wedding in Mumbai (many people still call it Bombay) on 21 October 2007!
A teacher from New Era, the school in Panchgani where I will be serving, picked me up from the airport along with his sweet family. We got in their car and drove 5 hours through the night to Panchgani, a small town high on a hill. I could not see much of India during the drive because it was dark, but when the sun rose, India woke up! Women came out of their roadside shacks and began fires for breakfast, while men crossed the highway heading on their way to work. We finally reached Panchgani about 5 hours later and I was taken to my room (the bed with the pink pillow is mine).
The house is on campus and is laid out in suite style with 4 rooms containing 3 beds adjacent to one main room. There is also a kitchen and two bathrooms, both without showers, just buckets and a faucet! So long 15-minute showers!
I changed into my Indian outfit (which I luckily packed in my carry-on luggage) and headed over to the main office to meet Santha, the man who had helped me organize my year of service. He introduced me to all the people in the office and told me where I would be serving. At the moment, I will be teaching English in the primary school and working in the Junior Youth Empowerment Program. I also will be choreographing for their Youth Dance Workshop, a group that examines various social ills through dance, theatre, and song. That is the plan for now, but Santha explained that I am encouraged to feel out the school and local community and contribute however I see fit. In other words, this is the plan for now, but if I see a new or more important need, I am welcome to serve there! He then helped me with some logistics of opening a bank account and reporting my stay to the consulate. Most of the day, however, was filled with meeting people, getting settled, and exploring Panchgani. I’ve never, in my whole life, not once, ever been in a town like Panchgani. I really can’t describe it. I’m simply at a loss for words. But, know that I really enjoy being in town and will post pictures later that will hopefully illustrate what I cannot.
That night was the Baha’i 19 Day Feast and I met my new Baha’i community. It was amazing because all the way in India, the Feast is run in much the same manner! “Dear Friends…” introduces every address and smiles abound. The warmth of the Baha’i community is universal and a welcoming attitude is ever present. Though I knew no ones name, I felt like I was in the company of friends and family. During the social portion many people came up to me and introduced themselves and offered to teach me Hindi and Marathi. There are many youth in this community because New Era Teacher Training center is only about 15 minutes from the high school. I met two awesome girls from Dubai, one of whom is related to a woman in my Feast group in San Diego (if it’s a small world, it’s a microscopic Baha’i world). Leaving, I felt totally happy, safe, and protected. I know that the Baha’is of Panchgani will be a big part of my life here and I loved meeting all of them. I can’t wait to start getting to know them better and serving the greater Panchgani community with them.
I fell into bed exhausted and passed out to the sound of monsoon rain dancing on my roof.

The Point…

Many of you have asked me why I have chosen to take a year off before entering college and my answer has gone through many evolutions. At times, I am taking this year off in order to rest up before jumping into the academic rigor of college. At times, this year is my opportunity to learn about another culture first hand and, in doing so, learn about myself. But, to be completely honest, those answers are secondary to my main purpose. So here it is, the reason for my year of service…

SERVICE, of course!!! Over the course of the next year, I am committing myself to a life of service. In my opinion, selfless service to others is one of the most important elements of this life. I believe that each person is a reflection of God, and that when one serves a fellow human being, that person is truly serving God. We all give service in different ways and this year is my way.

So, the answer to your question is service. The point of this year is service.