Meditation and Tobias

The meditation went really well, we did a feet washing ceremony with jasmine and lemon scented water, 14 young boys, candles and Samskeyti (Heima version) playing the background...as you can see it was crazy beyond words amazing. Then we laid down and meditated for about a half an hour while Hoppipolla, Se Lest, Vaka, Festival and my favorite
Ára bátur played loudly. Yes. They loved it! Guru, Akash, and Vivek want to do it every night. Haha.
I visited Shirim, a 75 year old post teacher of the Alice Project. he is too ill to come to work so I visited him at his apartment yesterday and this morning as well. His wife made us Chai and served lemon cookies, which I know for them were really expensive. Everyone here goes out of their way to make you feel welcome. If a member of the community sees they are friends with an American it makes them have more status in the community and also they are very curious people. Shirim is old and very sick but he is so interesting to talk to and has lived a very interesting life. He is very poor and owns no land so he thinks he hasn't done anything useful or worthwhile with his life. He speaks great English as well as Hindi, Sanskrit, and Russian, all of which he taught to himself since he could not afford school and has only passed the 3rd grade. He is a wonderful writer of short moral and biographical stories all rich with imagery and vibrant metaphors. I've been reading them helping him edit and revise what he considers his life's work. They are truly wonderful, 2 have brought me to tears and 3 so far have made me laugh out loud. I'm glad I can help with this and learn what I can from this man who will probably die before my time in India is over. I'm worried about what will happen to his wife when he dies because widows here are considered the lowest of the low in caste. Meeting with him is exhausting because he is a little depressed and mentions it every 10 minutes but I think he likes recalling all of this trips around India, Nepal and Burma for me. Their small one room apartment is filled 3 walls from floor to ceiling with paperback novels and other books he has collected in his life. All in one of the 4 languages he is fluent in. Their chai table is even made of stacks of books, it's quite a sight to see, and I wish one of you could meet him to understand what I am saying to the fullest because I can only write 5% of everything I feel and experience here.
I'm doing pretty good eating with only my right hand, it just takes a lot longer considering everything is rice supplemented so yo get like 20 grains of rice at a time. It's okay though because I get to savor all the taste longer and sit for an hour and joke around with my brothers here. I've officially ridden side-saddle on a bike and motorcycle and it's really fun! Actually I like to think of every excuse I can to go to town so I can ride.
I have some pictures all ready but the computer isn't loading them today.
I think school is getting ready to start at home, actually I don't know the date somewhere between August 20th and 25 I think.
EXCITING NEWS!!!!!!
A friend I meet in Ecuador from Switzerland is coming to India to visit me and we are planning a trip around India for the first two weeks of November! This is so amazing because I really want to see India and this will be really fun because he is very adventurous and super friendly. Plus (mom) it will be really safe because he is a part of the Swiss Army. I'm pretty lucky and I know it's so far away but it is really exciting planning a trip! Okay and here is the best part...his name is Tobias, and only Arrested Development fans will understand why obviously this is the best part. (Cam: I miss AD nights!)
I think my package from my family comes tomorrow or Tuesday so I'm eagerly awaiting that!
p.s. I just found out I missed Mango season by a month...BUMMER!!!!

Namaste Friends, Family and Strangers!