Welcome to India

Flying into Varanasi is a whole different experience than flying into Delhi. In Delhi you still get the sense that you are sort of not in the Third World, so to speak. In Varanasi you're right in it. It began with baggage claim, which was one tiny belt circulating, around which everyone on the plane crowds to try and find their bag. I have to say, though, that security seems pretty tight at Indian airports. They were vigilant in making sure that every item brought onto the plane had been screened. They even tagged my passport pouch. They also checked that your baggage claim ticket matched your bag before exiting. I did, however, manage to completely miss the customs area the day I arrived in Delhi. That's what 23 hours of traveling will do to you. Oops.

The taxi ride to the ashram was a complete assault on the senses. I have heard the term sensory overload, but I prefer the word assault. I think there are 1.4 million people who live here in Varanasi. And for the most part we're talking one- and two-storey buildings. The expression "hole in the wall" comes to mind. We drove by many of these - convenience stores, barber shops, homes, you name it. To say that the living conditions are poor is an understatement. I have yet to venture back out there, but I'm sure I will at some point. There is lots to be seen, apparently. Right now I am enjoying the peace and relative quiet of the ashram. Kamla, the volunteer coordinator who is originally from Italy, returned from a field trip with many of the kids and volunteers today, so I expect I will get a run-down on the place tomorrow. There is a definite schedule that I'm not yet used to. Most people seem to wake up around 5:30, there is meditation at 7, and breakfast sometime after that. Lunch is around 1 and dinner is around 8. Out of three meals so far, I have had curry at every one, even breakfast! There is no shortage of food, that's for sure.

Today as I wandered around the grounds, I was taken into the schoolyard and then invited into one of the classrooms. The morning starts out with meditation. It was pretty amazing - last night I happened to listen to a favorite yoga song of mine, Gayatri Mantra by Deva Premal, and this morning the children were chanting it, in full and in unison! Beautiful. There are brief interludes of meditation throughout the school day as well. I happened to be in the elementary class for most of the day. It was so cute. Some of the kids are the perfect picture of meditation - great posture, eyes lightly closed, mudra (hand positioning) all set, some are really straining to keep their backs nice and straight, and then there's the occasional kid with one eye open trying to see where the teacher is. Hilarious. Kids really are the same everywhere. I was thrown right into the mix and encouraged to teach some English. We did the alphabet, what some objects in the room are, and they practiced writing the letter A. The teacher's name is Annapurna. She actually left me alone with them a few times, which was interesting because their English is limited and my Hindi is even more limited. Somehow we managed, though.

I am beyond ecstatic at the moment as I was just shown how to turn the hot water on for a shower. Last night I had a cold shower, which actually felt great, and I had resigned myself to a month of these. Ah, the little pleasures in life. As I was reveling in my hot shower, however, in what I can already safely call classic India, the lights went out. Another adventure! Anyway, it's time to get some sleep. If you've actually managed to read this entire entry, congratulations. That is how I feel at the end of each day: congratulations, you've made it through another one!


Did I mention that the ashram is right ON the Ganges River (or Ganga, as it's called here)? Those are city buildings to the left, well cloaked in a blanket of haze. It was a high of 91 today and humid.


My room.