RC School

On Saturday I woke up late at around 9:15, SoEx starts at 9... So I quickly get ready thinking I will go down to the green house to see if the green team is there and if not my plan was to go back to sleep. I walk to the gate and there is a group of students waiting for a bus to go to the RC School, I decided to join them since I had never been. This turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made [if only I had remembered my camera :(...]. Regardless, I had such an amazing time. When we got there we were enthusiastically greeted by a swarm of boys. I immediately dropped the soccer ball and followed them to the field. We tried to make teams but we just ended up kicking the ball anywhere and to anyone; it was absolute chaos. After about ten minutes we rounded them up and started playing games that helped them learn English. We passed the ball around and asked a question which they needed to answer in the correct form of English. They already had some good English skills, so it was more working on sentence structure and grammar through conversation. I feel this way of teaching helps them practically apply their skills instead of just memorizing it and writing it on paper. We also kicked the ball around saying different fruits/vegetables/animals/places as we passed it around. They were getting really into it and every time we wanted to change the game they didn't want to. Eventually the older boys came to the school and kind of took over the field forcing us up near the chapel. We played games like monkey in the middle and cricket. One boy kept asking me for my watch, so I decided to draw a watch on him. I ended up drawing watches on several boys; they were all so eager to have purple watches drawn on them with my name underneath.
Then out of nowhere Bryan Plymale and his wife Isabella showed up with two of her spanish students to sing songs on the guitar. As soon as the kids saw the guitar they dropped everything and ran towards Matthew and Valentino, following them into the main classroom. Even though they did not understand the words they were genuinely enjoying the music, they were clapping and dancing. They started singing a song that they wrote in english and got the kids to sing the chorus which was just no no no no no, over and over again. They made a dance to it and even when we were about to leave they were still singing it! It was obvious they didn't want us to leave because they were hanging off the car and they held on even as we started to move. We eventually got them off and headed back for Kodai, laughing and singing on the way back. This was definitely a very memorable experience. Now all I have to do is track down people who took a few photographs so I can share them.

Eco Watch Reflection

Eco Watch Field Trip

This field trip opened my eyes to what is happening on an environmental, ecological and a people scale. Being exposed to Auroville and Sadhana Forest, seeing how intentional living thrives within eco communities was incredible. Just to see how these communities operate on both a small scale (Sadhana) and a larger scale (Auroville) shows that with determination intentional living can work and thrive. It really allows for the opportunity to dispel a lot of the misconceptions that shroud intentional communities; which are most often associated with cults. This field trip also offered the students a chance to live in a way that they probably never have, a simpler way of living, one with less distractions. In Auroville we saw where the food grows, the preferred method of transportation, where the water is collected, how and why they use the sun. We were thrust into the grass roots level that pertains to our very survival. this was a place where they are not detached from the basics; compared to the west, where most kids would tell you that food comes from a grocery store , not even aware of what a farm is, or even what it takes to grow those “french fries” that they had for lunch. Hopefully students started asking these questions in regards to their lives back home.

Where does my food come from? Was it locally grown or flown half way around the world? How was it grown? Pesticides?

Can I walk or bike to where I need to go? Can I take public transit if it is available to me? (you find you might just like it).

How is my water collected? Is it sustainable? Is my region over extracting our water sources? Do I really need as much water as I’m using?

What about my energy? Does my country burn coal, use nuclear power or any renewable resources like wind or solar? Do I use more than I need?

I think the biggest one is can I do anything about it? Can I be a part of this change of our current paradigm? What can I DO?

The people asking these questions, but more importantly the people who are actually DOING what they can will be the ones to change the world.

During this trip I gained a lot of insight about myself but I also learned some invaluable information about water conservation and its application, solar energy, sustainable, organic farming, permaculture and our own ecological footprint. It allowed all participants the opportunity to look within themselves and evaluate what they do in their lives that has direct and indirect influences on the fragile (yet resilient) planet we reside on. It forced us to analyze how much water we use (or over-use), especially for simple things like brushing our teeth, washing our hands, bathing and even using the toilet. Little things we take for granted here in Kodai and back home were luxuries for the week. Living without electricity in Sadhana Forest proved difficult for some students at the beginning, but in the end we all adapted.  Sometimes we all get so used to retreating to our own illuminated spaces in the evenings after dinner, or even before dinner. We consciously exclude ourselves from our own community gatherings, whether it is with family at home, or in dorm with our friends.  At Sadhana they had the concept of gathering with the light so that all community members would be in the same place socializing and have a sense of family, of community.  Instead of encouraging the formation of small groups they support the formation of one big family. One Love, One Heart, One Earth, One Family.

 This time is our time and we have the choice to go down a path that will harm and destroy our planet or we can go down the path of sustainability and environmental consciousness; being able to recognize that everything is connected, nothing can exist independently.  Our planet is one giant organism, and her health is dependent on what we chose to do now, in our lifetime. Not your grandkids, or your great grandkids but you and your children. The future is now. What are you going to do about it?

Deepavali

"Deepavali or Diwali, popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-November for different reasons. For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. For Jains, Diwali marks the attainment of moksha or nirvana by Mahavira in 527 BC.

Deepavali is an official holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji.

The name "Diwali" is a contraction of "Deepavali" (Sanskrit: दीपावली Dīpāvalī), which translates into "row of lamps". Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (diyas or dīpas) in Sanskrit: दीप) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends.

The festival starts with Dhanteras on which most Indian business communities begin their financial year. The second day of the festival, Naraka Chaturdasi, marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. Amavasya, the third day of Deepawali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees. Amavasya also tells the story of Lord Vishnu, who in his dwarf incarnation vanquished the Bali, and banished him to Patala. It is on the fourth day of Deepawali, Kartika Shudda Padyami, that Bali went to patala and took the reins of his new kingdom in there. The fifth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooj), and on this day sisters invite their brothers to their homes.

While the story behind Deepavali and the manner of celebration varies from region to region (festive fireworks, worship, lights, sharing of sweets), the essence is the same – to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atman) or the underlying Reality of all things (Brahman)." (Wikipedia)

Today we had a shortened schedule in order to prepare for the evening festivities which consisted of a fireworks show, sweets and a Bollywood themed dance. It was a nice nice break from routine, to get out for the evening and hang out with friends.

Last day of Field Trip

I know this is a long time coming but the internet here has been very finicky lately, so finally I have been able to access the internet to do my final entry from the Eco-Watch field trip.

Last day was quite uneventful, after we left Sadhana Forest we went to Pondicherry for the day. We walked around for a few hours, had dinner at a French-Indian seafood restaurant and then made our way to the train station. The train was an hour late, which was frustrating because all I wanted to do was sleep. I was so tired when the train arrived at Kodai Road that I almost forgot my journal, I actually got off the train, only to realize that I left it where I was sitting. Luckily I had the time to get back on the train.
The drive up the mountain wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I slept most of the way up and it felt like a 1 hour drive instead of a three hour drive! And I didn't get sick once, it's a new record.

Sadhana Forest Day 5

The Main Hut

Our one and only full day at Sadhana Forest. We woke up at 5:45 by two volunteers playing the drums, it was a very peaceful way to wake up. We were up and out in front of the main hut by 6:15 for the morning circle. We stood in a giant circle, held hands, sang songs and listened to the morning announcements. We headed out to the forest to start the first work session planting trees and bunding. They plant the trees right before monsoon so that they can get the most amount of water to ensure a good start.
Since there were a lot of us we split into groups, one group planted trees while my group did the bunding. Which consists of making piles of dirt in a row so it can catch rain water before it washes off and into the ocean. Just one of their water conservation steps.

At around 8am we went to the main hut for breakfast where we also signed up for second work. I went to Children's Land, which is Sadhana's playground. Some local kids from Apres School came over and we drew pictures of what they would like to see in Children's Land. Most of them ended up drawing random things which had nothing to do with the playground but at they had fun. One girl, however, suggested they put something up where all the kids who visit could write their names. Everyone thought that was a great idea and hopefully they can implement it.
Once again the kids took my camera and went off taking pictures (just like the kids at Bethania did). I didn't mind, they took some crazy pictures... Like this one...

Yoga

Once the kids left we went back for lunch and then it was free time. I just went on my computer, checked emails, charged my camera, everything I needed electricity for really. They are completely off the grid, even their wifi is supported by solar power. At 4 pm one of the volunteers led a yoga class for about an hour and a half, it could have been hot yoga it was so hot out.

Dream Catchers 

We had dinner which was followed by a "Non Talent Show". My friend and I sang Hallelujah. A few people sang songs, played guitar, drums and one even played the didgeridoo and Yorit, one of the founder's of Sadhana, played the accordion. There were two hula hoop performances which were really good and a dance performance by one of Bryan's friends. The rest of the evening was filled with laughs and some great conversations. Too bad tomorrow is our last day.

Auroville/Sadhana Forest Day 4

Inside Meditation Chamber

Inside the Matrimandir

Lotus Pond

This morning I was lucky enough to go to the Matrimandir (Temple of the Mother) for a 45 minute meditation. Before you entered you had to take your shoes off and before you went up to the main chamber you were provided with white socks. We walked up the ramp inside the dome toward the meditation chamber. It was very cool inside. It was an all white room with pillars and white cushions surrounding the outside wall as well as in between the pillars. In the middle there was a crystal sphere with a single skylight above it, allowing the only light in the space to enter. I felt very relaxed and was pleased at how easy I slipped into a deep meditation, even as people entered I did not lose my focus. The rest of the day I was running off the immense energy I got from my meditation. Underneath the  Matrimandir was a lotus pond.

I've always felt that I needed a quiet meditation space for myself back home and this has inspired me to build one back home that will be cool in the summers and warm in the winters. How I am going to do this is uncertain, but somehow I will figure it out.
(I did not take any of these photos, because photography was not allowed, I got these images off Google).

After the Tour we rushed back to the Centre Guest House and headed down to our next stop, Sadhana Forest. Sadhana is an intentional community focusing on reforestation and water conservation. When we arrived we immediately went to the main hut and joined everyone for lunch. They are a vegan community, I can't tell you how amazing it felt to eat a vegan meal again. I have surprisingly missed being a vegan. Almost all the veg food at the school relies on milk, cheese and butter and it makes me feel heavy. We had this amazing tapioca mash which happened to be their first tapioca harvest of the season. After lunch we got an introduction to Sadhana, what it is all about and what they stand for. As I said their main focuses are reforestation and conservation but they also focus on sustainable, green energy; they are completely OFF THE GRID, organic gardening and composting. They would like to also expand the organic kitchen garden with the hopes of being 75% food sustainable.

The Bathroom

The compost program is very sophisticated, by using food scraps as well as human manure they produce a high quality fertilizer which goes to nourish the growing forest. They have composting toilets and they even use the urine (dilated) to provide the perfect acidity level that pineapple plants love. Everything is included in a cycle so nothing is wasted..All the water they use is immediately put back into the earth, mostly near banana plant which need lots of water. At every hand wash station and at the pool all the water is returned. This one cycle, where everything is used. Who knows, I might also spend some time here in the new year as well.

Learning to Wash our Hands

After the tour we were shown our rooms which were open air, with platforms for mattresses and mosquito nets. All the buildings are wood, palm thatch, coconut rope and local quarried granite. It was surprisingly (relatively) cool at night, with a nice breeze coming in. They provided us with biodegradable shampoo and soap. Since all their water goes back into the ground and eventually the ground water they cannot afford for it to be contaminated with chemicals.



After lunch I headed to a reiki workshop led by a volunteer. She taught us the history of reiki and its benefits. Just another thing I have to learn when I get back home! This time in India has really exposed me to new interests and hobbies.

After dinner we watched a documentary on permaculture called Permaculture: The Food Forest Story. It focused on building a forest that would provide food for generations, plus building a forest in layers. First is ground cover, then small shrubs, then small to medium trees and finally large trees. A very interesting video that is very relevant to this community who are trying to stabilize the forest to a point where little maintenance is needed.
Tomorrow is a 5:45 wake up call, then straight to work in the forest planting trees!

Auroville Day 3

Our wake up call for this morning was 5:30 AM, unfortunately that didn't work out as planned. Almost every single room slept past their alarm, now that wouldn't have been a problem on any other day except that we were supposed to start work at 6:15 at the Buddha Garden.

We ended up arriving at 6:30ish and went straight to work. One groups went to weed out the gardens, another went to dig holes and my group helped out with cleaning and removing basil and basella spinach from the stalks, which was then distributed to the various restaurants in Auroville. It was so fragrant, and my hands ended up smelling like basil for the rest of the day. We were working with other volunteers who stay on the farm in wood and palm thatch pods. I was talking to this Australian man who said he was here because his partner was doing an anthropological study on Auroville for her PhD. I asked what her main objective/question was that she wanted to get answered and he said she started off with one but since living within the community every question was ripped apart, sewn back together as well as new ones being added constantly.

 It would be amazing if I could volunteer here. I would be getting practical experience with sub-tropical agriculture which would be a great asset in the future. I would also be able to meet some awesome like-minded people and get a feel for Auroville. Most people said they started off by staying one month, then three, then six months and then commit to the full volunteer year. I could go back to Canada, get my agriculture diploma and come back with some very useful knowledge. They were growing corn, beans, pumpkins, basil, cashews, bananas, papayas, basella. After we had finished a volunteer took me over to their integrated chickens to feed them the leftover basil and basella.

They call them "integrated" because their main purpose is to recycle their garden waste (as their food) and produce high nutrient, organic fertilizer. The few eggs they do produce are a by-product, but not the main objective. Everything works within this cycle, where waste isn't waste because it can be put back into the environment with positive effects. We got a tour of the full gardens, we saw their solar panels, the chicken coop of course, the green house, the raised beds and their experimental garden. Around 9 am we went to the main house to eat a breakfast of fresh papaya, banana, bread and jam as well as an amazing lemongrass tea. We said our goodbyes and thank yous and headed to Town Hall.

When I got there with a few other students none of the chaperon's or the rest of the group was there... and they weren't answering their phones. We waited patiently until they arrived with muffins and chocolate rolls! They went to a bakery and didn't tell us. The muffins were amazing however, so they were quickly forgiven.
We made our way up to the top floor to meet with Auroville's city planner Gill. He talked about the future of Auroville, as well as they past. He showed us the changes this city has gone through from the late sixties all the way up to now (Gill himself being there from the early seventies).

There were models of the city all over the place as well as maps outlining what was officially the property of Auroville. There are four main sections; residential, industrial, cultural and international. These four sections represent four petals of a flower, which was the original design done by The Mother. The design of the Matrimandir (meditation centre) came up as well. It is representative of a lotus with twelve surrounding 'petals' with another twelve surrounding those. I really hope I will be able to go inside before I leave. It looks like such a peaceful place, as well as emitting very positive vibes. It is essentially the centre of Aurovile, almost like a sun, and how everything circles around it.
Auroville eventually hopes to have a population of around 50,000, even though this is a lot of people he seemed confident about this number and that it would work to the benefit of the city. I asked about the politics/government of Auroville and he replied with "Divine Anarchy", it is a very interesting concept. Anarchy only works if everyone can agree to live within a community with an absent government. They do however have to abide by the laws of Tamil Nadu and India as a whole, but there is no mayor or "municipal" government. If Auroville can do it, it just serves as a model for other communities that this is possible. The way we live and interact with others can be changed, not only on a governmental level but also emotional and economically. He said something that really struck a chord with me, "Do you want to have more, or be more." A small statement with a huge impact. Maybe we all say 'be more', of course, because that is what we think we should say, but is it really reflective of our lifestyle, actions, words and thoughts? I think humans like to project this perfect image of themselves to the outside world and somewhere down the line we end up believing our own lies. We must soul search and be truly honest to ourselves be revealed the answers. When we admit our flaws that is when we can address them and change for the better. He was a very interesting man and a wonderful alternative perspective on Auroville. "It's not just hippies working at the grass roots level. It's hippies working on the top floor office too." They are making something happen, and that is very admirable. Auroville stretches so far and encompasses many different places, ideas and socially responsible people doing socially responsible projects. One of them being Aurospirul, their very own Spirulina farm.

Spirulina is a blue-green algae shaped like a perfect spiral coil, it is also considered one of the oldest inhabitants on earth, appearing 3.6 billion years ago. It very well may be the healthiest food supplement on the planet. It is a whopping 65% complete protein (rare in non-animal sources). It contains HUGE amounts of Vitamin A/Beta Carotene, Vitamin D, K, B12 (also rare in non-animal sources), B1 and B2. It contains 80% of your daily value of iron, 25% DV of Manganese, 21% DV Chromium, it also contains selenium, magnesium and calcium. In other words this is one SUPER FOOD, and it also helps to build up your immune system. At the farm there were pools of algae, and we tried dried spirulina (yummy and crunchy), powdered spirulina with lemon juice (so good I'm going to start doing this when I get home) and fresh spirulina... that one was definitely an acquired taste.

We also headed to Auroville's Solar Kitchen. They have a huge bowl shaped solar catcher that collects and converts the sun's heat to steam. They then use the steam to cook hundreds of meals everyday. It was amazing to see the incredible technology behind a project like this.





Next stop was the canyon range that cuts through Auroville. Within these canyons check dams have been built to stop the rains from washing top soil into the ocean as well as returning the rain water to the underground aquifers. The ground water is what Auroville relies on, and it has been their aggressive water conservation that has turned a dry desert into a lush forest.

Chennai Heat

Sorry for not keeping up with my posts, I'm currently in Chennai playing with the KIS Ultimate Frisbee Team, in the annual national Ultimate Frisbee tournament, Chennai Heat. I had planned on doing my posts about Auroville in the evening but that has proven more difficult because I'm very tired in the evenings. Tomorrow is the last day of the tournament, we will be back in Kodai on Monday morning. My blog posts will resume on Monday, but for now CHENNAI HEAT! Man, is it hot here! And this is considered winter! At least we are playing on the beach and we get a nice breeze every once in a while. Who knew Ultimate Frisbee was so exhausting. We lost all but one of our games (5 games in total, one yesterday). But we were having fun, at least I was. The other teams are pretty good, as most of them have been training together for at least a couple of months. Our team was kinda patched together last minute, whoever wanted to come could. Oh well, hopefully we can win a game or two tomorrow. This is officially the first time I've ever played, but hey, at least I'm having fun, supporting the team and seeing a lot of Chennai in the process. We either walk everywhere or take auto rickshaws. After our 8:30 game this morning we had dosa's for breakfast than myself and my friend Noor took an auto to pondi bazaar where I got a towel and a skirt and a book on learning Tamil, so hopefully I can put my spare time to use and learn some basic Tamil. All in all it was a great day, we all played hard and had some great sportsmanship.

Auroville Day 2

Auroville Day 2  25/09/11

Today was a much more relaxed day than yesterday. We hit the beach early in the morning and then headed to Pondicherry after lunch. I’m glad that I was able to go back to Pondicherry and just roam around, something that I love to do.  We went to a museum which was kinda lame, but it’s ok. It only really had some broken bits of pottery, some old coins and statues of Hindu Gods. While in Pondicherry we visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. I felt that we were a big disturbance in an otherwise peaceful ritual. Just as we all settled down after some of the students were asked to sit somewhere else, Bryan Plymale’s (a chaperone) phone went off. So all we hear in this dead of silence is ‘Hey Mama’ by the Black Eyed Peas. Needless to say we didn’t stay very long. Afterwards we all split up and went our separate ways. We went to some little shops, got lost, found our way then got lost again, but we didn’t care, we had so much time before we had to meet up with the rest of the group. We eventually stumbled upon an elephant in front of a temple! Of course I had to get a picture. 

It’s weird to shop in India because I don’t know the value of anything, and the values themselves don’t make any sense either. I mean I could get a drink for 100 rupees, but I could also get a scarf for 100 rupees. By Indian standards I am ripped off on some items, but to me it’s extremely cheap if I convert it back to Canadian.

Friendly shopkeeper who offered us tea and Hindi lessons

At around 7 we all met up to go eat dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant called Don Giovanni’s. The food was pretty good but the service was horrible. All our food was brought out at different times, orders were screwed up, and some people got food while others didn’t. I couldn’t understand, especially when Bryan had gone ahead to make the menu. I guess they got a little scrambled with all 30 of us.

We got back to Auroville late which means I’m going to go to bed late which means I’m not going to get enough sleep tonight. Tomorrow we have to wake up at 5:30 AM to make it to the Buddha garden by 6ish. I am really excited though because Buddha Garden is one of Auroville’s organic farms, and this is an area of Auroville that I’m really curious about. Well, until tomorrow…

Auroville Day 1

Auroville Day 1  24/09/11

As it stands now i want to live here. I would love to be a part of this growing community. We did so much today and it felt really good. I feel like i accomplished a lot and saw a lot.

First we had breakfast (toast, eggs, papaya and amazing mango pineapple chutney). We headed down to the entrance of the center guest house to get our bicycles. Motor bikes and bicycles are the main mode of transportation as most of the roads within Auroville are not paved. 

Matrimandir

Cycling around Auroville was amazing. There is so much greenery (thanks to their aggressive water conservation strategies) and so many little things to see. We first went to see their meditation center, the Matrimandir. 

Afterwards we went to an art gallery where a beautiful story was told through paintings and words. Unfortunately i could not take photos nor did i have enough time to read the full story. Oh well... at least I’ll be back soon. The building was all concrete, with that modern feel of sixties architecture. Out in front was a pond with some lily pads and a statue.

Then my bike broke.... why I am not surprised, that’s old Indian bikes for you! Luckily i fixed it, don’t really know how, but at least i did it!

Next stop was the visitor’s center, we got to look around, read their statements, goals, what they are working on as well as a short informative film on what Auroville is and where/why it came to be. Auroville was founded by Mirra Alfassa, "The Mother" in 1968 as a project of the Sri Aurobindo society. She believed that this experiment (Auroville) would contribute significantly in the "progress of humanity towards its splendid future by bringing people of goodwill and aspiration for a better world". Auroville receives funding from the Indian government for various programs and education within Auroville. Over forty years later Auroville has grown to have 2600 resident, with over a hundred nationalities represented. It is a place where people of all cultures can be global citizens in a local community. The sense of community is very strong among aurovillians. 

After the film we roamed around the visitor’s center. They had information signs set up throughout that informed the reader about what Auroville is doing in regards to water, waste, food, energy, education, re-greening of the landscape, their land and mobility. They had some interactive displays like a stationary bicycle you could ride to power a light in front of you. They also had a medicinal herb garden promoting natural medicines and traditional healing practices of Indian culture.

We had lunch in a restaurant in the visitor’s center; veg soup, mixed salad, couscous salad, rice, cucumber-yogurt raita and delicious pesto pasta. I had seconds.... and dessert...

After lunch we biked over to Upasana which is Auroville's socially conscious business. they create garments to be sold to the general public. We got a tour of the buildings and were able to see people in action, doing what they do on a daily basis. People who work there are free to take breaks, maybe play some games, read in their library or meditate. Every day they start there day with a fifteen minute meditation. We then saw where they make initial patterns as well as their all original fabric designs. They make a pattern and send it out to be stitched by local tailors which actively support the surrounding communities. They also have items based on a gift economy, like the Tsunamika dolls. These dolls are distributed absolutely free, the funny thing is though that it is now their biggest money maker! People make enough donations to make the project self-sufficient. 

Upasana is also involved in various projects

Tsunamika: To help local fishing villages cope with the after effects of the 2006 tsunami, Upasana started teaching the children to make these little dolls, soon enough the mother's joined in. The dolls were then distributed free of charge. People started donating to the project and now it is completely sufficient. These dolls gave something back to the local women, a livelihood, something they are eternally grateful for.

Small Steps: This project is also based on the gift economy. Upasana started making reusable fabric bags to discourage the use of plastic bags. They go around to local schools educating children on the harmful environmental impact plastic bags have. The children each get a bag that they can take home, where they in turn educate their families.

Varanasi Weavers: The weavers in Varanasi were well known for producing high quality silks. China entered the global silk market with cheaper, lower quality silks. Buyers opted for cheaper silk which devastated the Varanasi weavers, there were several suicides which prompted Upasana to get involved and help. They started buying silks from the remaining weavers and recharging their industry. Upasana provides the weavers with fabric designs and gets back beautiful handmade, high quality silks.

Louis

We left Upasana and went to a local artist’s house, Louis, who is one of Bryan Plymale’s friends. He also happens to be my political science teacher's father. Louis has lived in Auroville for the past 19 years. He built his own house from bamboo, wood and clay. It was completely open and integrated with nature. His art was beautiful and very captivating. A lot of his pieces were based on one colour, and integrated various shades of that colour.

Next stop was the youth camp. Some part of me wishes I grew up in Auroville. As soon as you entered you were greeted by a big old abandoned bus that was colourfully painted. There were tree houses, various climbing things, a giant see-saw, hammocks, floating bridges from one structure to another. There was also a covered area with a pool table, couches, speakers and a small kitchenette. It was like an adventure park, I could’ve spent hours in there. It looked like something out of Peter Pan, but unfortunately I did not have hours to spend there (even though I could have).

Just when you think it’s over there is still more! We biked to the Certitude which is pretty much a big open space to play Frisbee and what not. We got to play a game of Ultimate with Auroville’s Frisbee team. It was actually really fun, the only downside was the heat. It was so hot the whole day, I’ve never experienced heat like this. Oh, and Bryan said I could come to Chennai for the Ultimate Frisbee tournament… Chennai Heat. I’m super excited to get to go to Chennai again.

So after a long day we got back to the Centre Guest House, had some dinner then went to a dance show. We arrived late because the bus that was meant to pick us up was late. We didn’t bike because it was dark, and Auroville was confusing enough to navigate during the day, I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like at night. The show was beautiful, however. Afterwards everyone went back to CGH, but I stayed back with Bryan to talk with some of his friends. It was great to talk to some newcomers to understand what the process is like to become an Aurovillian. They mentioned that there is a big need for gardeners. What a perfect fit! This exactly what I want to do!

I could actually see myself living here. I don’t want to leave. I am getting such good vibes, I immediately felt welcome, almost as if I was home. Today was such an amazing day I can’t wait for tomorrow!

For all the photos please check out my facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150300906141666.336652.505031665&l=a1d8b0dcd7&type=1 or http://s1126.photobucket.com/albums/l620/angelica_rayne/

Travelling to Auroville

                                                      Travelling to Auroville      23/09/11
bus ride down the mountain was horrible, as usual. I was car sick plus i got a headache from the rapid change of altitude. finally we got to the plains and was overcome with warmth. we arrived at the train station for our 9:10 train. we ended up being on THE WRONG END of the platform, we had to run to the other end to get on our car. we were on a sleeper car. it was an interesting experience to sleep on an indian train! it was packed but i felt safe enough to sleep because i was on the very top bunk. i was surprised that i actually slept, the trains movements lulled me to sleep, just like how i can sleep so easily on the subway at home. at 2:30 we were awoken in order to get off the train at Villapuram. we got on a bus and headed for Auroville via the ECR (east coast road). we arrived at 5 am, we were led to our rooms and very quickly fell asleep, only to be awoken at 8:30 for breakfast. it was only a three or so hour sleep but it felt incredibly long.