I bless the rains down in AFRICA

Wow... what can I say? I've now been in AFRICA for officially a week now. AfRiCa. I still can't believe that I'm here.

So let me bring y'all up to speed. I arrived at the airport in Johannesburg last Sunday (3/20) around 7 AM in the morning. Although my destination in Swaziland was only about 4 hours away, this is AFRICA and I had to wait until 2 PM for the minibus to pick me up. It's not a busy destination and there is only one shuttle a day. I found a nice little cafe in the airport and settled in for some good ol' fashion interneting until about noon when I ventured out to find some lunch. I found a joint called Spur (think Texas) and quickly decided on a cheeseburger... you can imagine how I was feeling after two weeks of my new vegetarian lifestyle. I asked for a napkin which caused a frenzy because they don't have napkins in AFRICA... they have servettes.

Around 2 PM I found my bus, and I was on my way... joining me was a lovely lady from Uganda, and another woman and young girl who didn't say too much. (The woman from Uganda, Esther, contacted me mid-week and is now trying to get a position at my new company.) En route we watched the Bucket List and one of those Big Momma movies and before you know it we arrived in Mbabane. Let me just add that I was on quite a high all morning as I tried to absorb as much South Africa as possible... but the drive was BORING. It was relatively flat, orange, with the occasional green and I was starting to get some cold feet... not to mention it didn't seem like anyone lived in these here parts. At the border, we waited in a line in South Africa and then another line in Swaziland. It was unexpectedly cold and I thought "I'm going to love AFRICA" because basically I can't take the heat which might sound ridiculous since I decided to move to AFRICA.

Christy picked me up at the bus station (or gas station as I like to call it) around 6 PM and it was another surreal moment. I think what I was thinking at the time was probably something like "Fuck, this is really happening." Christy took me to Quartermain's for dinner in Ezulwini (my new home) and I order the prawns. Yes, folks... prawns. We did some work gossiping and she did her best to give me the unofficial down low before my first day of work the next day. She drove me to my new temporary home... the lodge (i.e. hostel) and I couldn't wait to see my private room! ... which turned out to have three bunk beds and 4 other people living in it. There were people all over the place and it was not the calm oasis I had pictured in my mind. Turns out it was a South African holiday and it was party time for the youngsters... I was tired and wondering if I had mad the right decision. Which I suppose is what you do when you're tired.

(As I type this blog, one of the volunteers found me in my tent to handle a dispute... the kitchen was painted today and there was a communication issue and now no dinner!)

On that note... let me wrap up week #1 for you!

Apparently, it is HOT in AFRICA. Swaziland is divided into three areas a cooler region in the higher elevation (i.e. the border), the middle temperate zone where I live, and the tropical zone near Mozambique. We are heading out of Summer, but apparently Ezulwini was unseasonably warm this week... which basically means I did a lot of sweating. I heard rumors that it reached 40 degrees celsius, but to me it felt like a hot summer day in Boston without air conditioning. You may be thinking "no big deal" but I dare you to pick the hottest week in Boston and give it a go. I've been nervous about the heat, but I was expecting worse so I do feel victorious. The only problem is that it's hard to work for about four of the hottest hours of the day when all you can think is "OMG, I am so hot... can they see my pit stains? AFRICA is hot!"

Unfortunately... what comes with adjusting to heat is majuh cankles... and this was a new one for me. After day #4 they got so big it actually hurt to move them... which also made it hard to walk. The good news is that you can go to your local pharmacy and get water pills without a prescription. And other pills as well.

The beginning of the week was very overwhelming as I was adjusting to the heat, jet lag, and weird Swazi names. I am the manager over the entire volunteer program and it's really embarrassing when you can't remember if you met someone already, what their name is, and if they are reporting into you. I'm trying to think of weird tricks to remember the names of our staff, and one of the coordinator's names rhymes with No-sleep-oh. I have been very pleased with the staff so far... it's very laid back and [for the most part] everyone seems great to work with. We are dealing with one issue where one of the staff members got drunk and totaled the car of another staff member. Did I mention my manager is a total hotty? (note to self: do NOT share this blog link with anyone in AFRICA)

On the first day Christy drove me out to a few of the local volunteer sites. We went to the Ezulwini NCP and were greeted by about 15 or so orphaned children. They called me teacher and immediately started jumping all over me. I quickly realized that if you pick up one of them, you have to pick up all of them. Also, they like to roll around in the dirt for fun (silly kids!) before you pick them up. I jest, but it was truly a special and eye opening experience. Sadly, I've heard that a majority of the orphans are infected with HIV.

We have four sites currently (Swaziland, Cape Town, Botswana and Mozambique) and right now there are about 15 volunteers in the Swazi program. I am slowly getting to know them all and they will hold a special place in my heart as my first volunteers. Most of them are quite young (18-24) except Tom and Issy. Tom is from Newcastle and is in the army (and I can hardly understand a thing he says) and Issy is Scottish but grew up mostly in England... I would place them near retirement age and they are getting married this Fall! Susie is my favorite, and she's a sassy youngster from England who likes to talk my everyone's ear off. I've become quite fond of Anna as well, who is a more reserved English gal who laughed at me when I called her British. Max, who has a German and American passport, grew up in England and randomly shouts out "Wicked" when something tickles his fancy. On day #1 we went to one of our sites and I had the pleasure of watching him do the Hokey Pokey with about 20 youngsters... or the Hokey Cokey as the say in the UK. We have a few others from the UK, a German girl, and 4 of the Dutch variety. As I have warmed up, I have spent more time getting to know them and last night we all went to dinner together... it was grand (as they say in the UK) if you overlook that three of us head to send our steaks back and our meals were delivered over the course of a half hour... it's Swazi time I hear.

My manager is Kim and he's a guy. (This is AFRICA, people.) He lives in the house up the hill with his gorgeous wife, and two adorable kids. His wife owns a workout studio which is also on the campus which means I am suffering from a massive amount of guilt. This week they invited Christy, me, and two others up to their house for dinner and I had my first slice of African pizza. They have a little dog Spot, and we've been doing some serious bonding. She's a little one, and I'm guessing perhaps a mix of Jack Russell Terrier and Chihuahua and she likes to follow me around. She spends the day in the office, and last night she joined us in our tent. She had the chills this morning, so I wrapped her up in one of the sheets all morning and she slept in my arms like a little baby. Awwwwwwwww.

As I mentioned, night #1 was quite a surprise when I was placed in the dorm room. The next night I begged and they moved me to a tent which has four (non bunk) beds. It's actually really cool... they're quite airy and you can hear the noises of nature and the little stream that runs adjacent to the tent. And there are monkeys (!!) and avocado trees! Christy showed me her place this week and I am soooo in. She lives in a little guest cottage on a property that is adjacent to the Millwane Game Reserve. As you drive in you pass the stables where there are zebras (!!), horses, wart hogs, and all sorts of African elk or gazelle or whatever they call them here. The cottage is small, but it's totally adorbs and has an updated kitchen and bath. The landscape is breathtaking and I can't wait to move in early May and send you pics! When I'm there, I feel totally out of AFRICA.

This week I went on the tour with the volunteers to Mantenga Nature Reserve. There we witnessed some African dancing and singing (I was forced to participate) and then got a tour of what a traditional Swazi village looks like... they are little straw huts enforced by cow dung (or something to that effect). But that's not the exciting part... when we got our entrance sticker (a little red dot) the tour guy (his name is Psycho... and I'm totally not kidding) continued to apply the red dot to the nipple area on all the ladies. When he got to me, I thought I'd be slick and go to grab the sticker first, but he wasn't having it. Only in AFRICA.

After a week, I'm starting to slowly acclimate myself and relax into my new life. It's very different from anything I have experienced and it feels so odd to be a part of this backpacking culture. I've been here a week and I have easily met 40-50 people from all over the world. Ezulwini is sandwiched between the two major "cities" (Mbabane and Manzini) in a valley that is breathtakingly beautiful. There are mountains on both sides of the main road and it's surprisingly lush for how I imagined AFRICA would be. I have also been quite surprised by the level of development here and it's an odd mix of modern luxuries and third world poverty. About a mile down the road is a shopping center called the Gables which has a KFC, several restaurants (including Chinese), a modern grocery store, a few botiques and a brand new movie theatre (now showing the Green Hornet, Yogi Bear, Love & Other Drugs, and 127 Hours). And there is no hope that I will break my ice cream addiction because they have magnum bars, which was a staple for me whilst living in Sydney. It's similar to a Dove bar and unfortunately I will not be able to say no.

Overall, what a week! Did I mention that I'm driving to Mozambique tomorrow?

Cows, cows and more cows!! (Or, my trip to India...)

When I first started this India blog back in Delhi, I was going to do several entries, but then I got behind and decide to do a one big mother of a blog entry just for India. Five rupies to whoever actually reads the entire entry, plus some curry on the side.

On that note, lets catch up.

At 2:30 PM on Saturday, March 5th, I left my parents house in Stow, MA unsure of when I would next return. It had been a long month of planning and I was still packing and sorting things out that morning. It's hard to explain how it feels to move out of the country, but one thing is for sure... I was exhausted after three weeks of moving out of my apartment, getting ready for my journey, and saying all my goodbyes. Not to mention a few pounds heavier thanks to my friends and family. (And a special thanks to Emily for my kick ass safari hat and Ilse for a surprise visit to Stow with Conley's onion rings!!)

My parents dropped me off at Logan, and my mother and I did some luggage shifting, and the attendant graciously let me slide by without an overweight baggage fee. We then said our sad goodbyes, and I was off to Delhi via Newark on Continental Airlines scheduled to depart Boston at 4:45 and arrive Sunday evening in Delhi. The flight from New Jersey was scheduled for 14 hours, but much to my delight the winds were in our favor and it was estimated at 13 hours plus [believe it or not] free in-flight entertainment! I lugged a pile of People and Entertainment across several terminals, thanks to my grandmother (my carry-on weighed in the 35-40 pound range), but opted instead for "Rachel Getting Married" and "The King's Speech". There was an empty seat next to me, and overall it was a pleasant flight considering. (And p.s. the King's Speech was BORING!)

As I mentioned previously, I was traveling to India with the owner of Soni Yoga Studio (David), and three other women: Jen, Kathy and Amy. We arrived in Delhi without any problems, and it was time to travel to our destination, the Tara Palace Hotel, in Old Delhi. Yellow & green cabs that appeared to be older than me lined the street outside the terminal. Kathy, David & I squeezed into the back of one, and I held on for dear life as we made a way across New Delhi into Old. The sites and smells were very overwhelming and as we made our way to the hotel I started to really question my decision-making abilities. As Kathy stated the next day, it felt like all my senses were being assaulted. It was dirty, it was smelly, it was poor. Eat, Pray, What the F was I thinking? (shout out to Patty!)

We arrived at the hotel after walking down a dingy alley and it was definitely not anything I was used to, to say the least. Amy and I headed to our room, and I quickly noticed there was no shower stall and in its place a dingy bucket. After I sat there and wondered how that was going to work, and feeling pretty ripe after a long flight, I was relieved to discover a shower head and later found out the bucket was for washing clothes... um, not. We met on the roof of the hotel and had a bite to eat, and it was time to say goodnight.

The next day (Monday, March 7th) we wondered around Old Delhi until around 2 PM. I wish I could give you all a quick glimpse of what I saw, because I cannot accurately describe this experience in words. It was very loud, it was crowded and I was on edge with the sound of constant horns. As the day progressed, the market became more and more lively... there were farm stands, clothing, cafes, and many spice stores. As it became warmer, the smell became an overwhelming combination of pollution, people, animals, spices and perfumes. There was so much trash in the street with an occasional fire to burn it. There was absolutely no order that I could find and at any given time there could be cows, dogs, monkeys, people, bikes, carts, pedi cabs, motorcycles, cars and trucks roaming the streets. I was told by Indian friends that there would be cows, and cows there were! Not to mention a large number of stray dogs and people in pretty bad shape that seemed to live on the streets. The buildings were old and in much needed repair and the power lines were a tangled mess throughout the market. There's a good chance we blinded the natives with our pasty white skin and there were many stares as we walked by. We had a bite to eat in the evening, walked through a local Hindu temple, and took it easy the rest of the evening. I can't say I'd have a desire to travel back to Old Delhi (although I will later in the week), but feel fortunate that I was given the opportunity to experience this part of the world.

On Tuesday (March 8th) we woke up at the butt crack of dawn and the four ladies were off to Agra to see the... [wait for it] ... Taj Mahal. I believe it took us about 4 hours and again we were met with some very jaw dropping sites as we headed out of Delhi into the countryside. By this point, monkeys & cows were pretty much old news, but today we saw camels!! And an elephant out of the very corner of my eyes!! On this day, we directly witnessed what it was like to drive through India. Lines on the streets were merely a suggestion, and passing was an art form. Honking was commonplace and a way to keep drivers alert (and passengers) and our driver was laying it on thick. Once out of the city we quickly passed through many crowded villages on the side of the road and then we would make our way through the country once again. We arrived in Agra, left our belongings in the car, and walked about a 1/2 mile to the Taj Mahal. We passed through a few residential streets... which was very unique and charming if you could ignore the sewage drain running along both sides of the streets. We paid our entrance fee at the Taj, collected our red booties, walked through the gate, and there it was! It was just as I imagined, but a very surreal experience. We spent about an hour or two walking through the sites, and our tour guide ("Din" or something like that) had all the right photo tricks to capture the moment. After that we walked to a nearby cafe for lunch, passing more camels! Din promised us the "second part of the tour" following lunch which turned out to basically be a tourist trap or the "back room" as David called it. We were brought to a house where men were carving flowers into the marble, just like at the Taj, but following the demonstration we were given an obnoxiously polished sales pitch. We got out of there as quickly as possible and it was back to Delhi.

Wait... not so fast. I'm about to get personal, so skip this next paragraph if needed. *cough* NAT *cough*

Delhi is 10 1/2 hours ahead of Boston and my internal clock was a little confused as you can probably imagine. It was the moment I had been fearing since I left Boston, and in the middle of the drive my tummy suddenly wasn't feeling so hot. I entertained the thought of waiting it out, but was also aware we'd be arriving in Delhi during rush hour. I decided to be brave and asked the driver to stop at a toilet. He pulled into an outside cafe and warned me the toilet would not be clean... he was not lying. My new best friend Jen accompanied me to the bathroom and served as my assistant. There bathroom was very dark, there were several stalls, and there was the sound of water dripping everywhere. Jen had the thank-god-its-not-me look and I had the oh-shit-why-me-why-me-why-me look as the color quickly drained from my face. She held my purse for sanitary reasons, and I headed in. It was dark, it was dirty, and it was a squat toilet. Thankfully I'm usually pretty good at planning ahead, and I opened up the roll of toilet paper I had stolen from the hotel. There was a bucket of water next to the toilet and I used that to send things down the drain because I'm pretty sure that's what I was supposed to do. I left the stall, and Jen was still there holding my purse. I went to reach in to grab my wipes, and she quickly stopped me because she was not going to let my dirty paws come close to my belongings. (Isn't she the best?) Like we were in surgery... she handed the wipe to me... and then the second wipe... as I cleaned off the dirtiest bathroom I have ever encountered. I conquered that bathroom like nothing else!!

On Wednesday (March 9th), again at the butt crack of dawn, we left Delhi and started the drive north to Rishikesh, a holy (and vegetarian) city located in the foothills of the Himalayas. Pretty cool, right? Not much to say here that hasn't already been mentioned, other than another crazy drive through the towns and countryside of India. If I am remembering correctly it's only about 200-225 KM away, but it took us about 6 hours to drive. As we neared Haridwar, we finally located the Ganga and began the slow descent into the foothills arriving in Rishikesh about 45 minutes later. I've always been a decent traveler, but when we arrived at ashram in Rishikesh (Parmarth Niketish) I definitely found myself out of my comfort zone. It's a holy city, and attracts a distinct group of travelers. That night we went to the Aarti, and while the rest of my group was quite moved, I was sorta still trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I'll need to google this, but the Aarti is basically a ritual where you throw all your baggage into the Ganga. It involves a lot of singing and we were in luck because Swamiji, the Guru, was there. People were swaying their heads, clapping, one of my traveling buddies was brought to tears... me, I was having a not-in-Kansas moment. Following the Aarti, we had dinner (on the floor) (cuz that's what you do at an ashram) in the dining room.

On Thursday (March 10th) we had our Panchakarma consultation (google it) with the doctor at 9:30 and our first treatment immediately after from 10-12. The treatment consisted of a full body massage with sesame oil, oil dripped on the forehead, and a steam bath. My masseuse was about 4 foot 10 (if that) and let's just say I got the full body massage. I'm not going to lie; I was still out of my comfort zone and hated every minute of it. Plus, I was still getting used to all the smells... sesame oil? Aren't massages supposed to smell like flowers and rainbows? After the first treatment we walked the foot bridge across the Ganga and did some shopping. Monkeys galore!! Stunning views of the river and Himalayas. That night we went to Aarti again and as newcomers to the ashram we participated in some sort of tradition... not sure what it's called or what it meant... it involved flowers, rice and a dot on my forehead. Coincidentally, the man who conducted the ceremony also is the owner of the cyber cafe down the road. Once we were dotted, the Aarti begun and our job was to throw dirt on the fire every time they said a word (remember to google this later) and for what seemed like forever. Around 6pm, this was done and the crowd started to gather and the Guru arrived... and a whole bunch of visiting monks! About 24 hours into my stay, I was beginning to relax and really enjoyed the music and the experience. Not to mention that ashram was a beautiful oasis in a very chaotic country. (and I developed a mad crush on the fire ceremony guy)

Friday (March 11th) Not much to report. At my massage today we decided to not use the loin cloth and I would just lie there completely naked. Whatever happens in India, stays in India. I was starting to loosen up, and actually enjoyed the treatment. Today we started our Geeeeeeeee (not sure if I'm spelling that right... it's clarified butter) regimen where today I had to have two Tbsp at lunch and dinner, and three the next two days. It almost made me vomit. I really shoulda googled panchakarma before arrival, but basically between the geeeeeeeee and the sesame oil, we start working out the toxins in our bodies and I'll give you the whole story on Sunday, March 13th. Other than that, today was pretty uneventful... the rest of the group walked to a nearby town and I decided to have some Sarah relaxation time... or as Emily would say... it was time to take a dip in Lake Me. That night I went to the Aarti again... and... NO GURU! D'oh!

Saturday (March 12th) Third massage treatment... still no clothes. The treatment started at 10 AM and before that I wandered outside of the ashram and nearby market to more of the residential area. Near the ashram, westerners are not an unfamiliar site, but on these streets I was getting some strange looks. I was stopped by two men probably around the same age as me and they one by one took a picture with me... with their arms around me. It was kinda awkward, but I guess after all the years of traveling and taking obnoxious pics, it was my turn. After the treatment, we went white water rafting on the Ganga. Let me just add that I never thought I would get within 500 miles of the ganga... I've seen the National Geographic pics. But yesterday, we boarded a raft right on top of it. It was about a 20 minute trip up into the foothills of the himalayas. The sites were amazing, the roads not so much. Not including the guide, there were 7 rafters and due to the odd number I got to sit at the front of the boat and did not have to row and could absorb the views... lucky for my arms... not for the rest of my body which was completely drenched. Overall, it was a relatively calm ride, but one rapid was a bit scary and a wave went right over me, Kathy & David. Took my breath away.... a few minutes later Amy asked whose sunglasses were sitting in the back of the raft and I had completely forgotten I was wearing them. We came to a particularly smooth area on the river, and the guide said something like "now you jump". uh, no way. (National Geographic pics...) Our two new Indian friends went (even though one couldn't swim)... then David with a graceful dive... then Jen... AND THEN ME with a not so graceful side belly flop. I'm not going to lie... it was cold and as I was peering back up at the boat I realized I made a big mistake. Jumping out into the Ganga was the easy part, but how was I going to get back into the raft? I'm going to spare you the embarrassing details, but our guide musta have been sporting some serious guns. So far, this was the highlight of the trip... and more specifically, the moment Kathy and I gave our two new Indian friends a quick Metallica concert on the raft... the views were breathtaking and it was great to get that blood flowing again! Went to the Aarti and no guru AGAIN (sad face).

Oh, Sunday (March 13th)... day of cleansing and fasting. I have had two colonoscopies and thought this was going to be a walk in the park. Let's just say that I was completely humbled on treatment day #4. Amy & I had our normal treatment from 8-10, and following we met with the doctor to drink the drink. It consisted of whole bunch of castor oil and some milky stuff and then some strange pill. We were told to eat no food and drink 3 liters of water and the oil would start working it's way out in about three hours... which really means 1 hour in American time. During the early afternoon I went to the bathroom a few times, worked on my blog, and things were going smoothly. And then I almost died. There was a point in time in which I was sitting on the toilet holding the laundry bucket thinking my final day would be spent in India. It's called a cleansing, but I think it was just really another form of food poisoning. After about 15 trips or so to the bathroom, I finally was cleansed around 4 AM... This day sucked, and to add insult to injury as I lay there groaning I could hear the Guru at the Aarti.

Monday (March 14th)... day after cleansing and fasting... I was scheduled for a massage at 10am, but homey don't play that. I skipped. Around 11ish, David came over with some soup and I stole some of Amy's jolly ranchers. I had some WHO electrolytes and was starting to slowly come back to life. I walked to the end of the hall to refill my water, and noticed my flip flops were loose from being so dehydrated. We ventured to lunch where I had some white rice and bread. The three ladies sat outside in the courtyard and I fell asleep until it was Aarti time at 5:30. We were all still very weak, so Jen & I held back and stood at the top of the stairs looking down on the Aarti. Today was a special Aarti day, because my Guru was there (yay!) and my new Indian boyfriend. This was a prime staring location. My new Indian boyfriend... think of whats-his-face from the movie version of King & I and then picture him as an Indian. I really know how to pick them, because all the men at the ashram are so kind & gentle, but he smokes and seems to be packing a serious attitude problem. But, it's love... so what can I say? After the Aarti it was Q&A time with the Guru and then dinner. The Guru seems to answer all the questions in Hindi, whereas the questions in English are answered by his right hand lady. I really dig her. Tonight she told us her favorite creation story where we are all made from the same ocean, and the water from the ocean scattered so that some of us are river drops, some are mountain drops, some are ocean drops, etc... but we're all drops from the same place regardless of color, religion, social class, etc. Someone else asked how to get unstuck from a project you're working on and she gave a great talk on how for some we are afraid of success and really get in our own way. I have to google her as well because she's quite a character... she's American, went to Stanford, and somehow she ended up here. Oh, and tonight I bought a silver OM pendant, which made me feel very touristy. After Kathy and I did some interneting and jewelry shopping at Sunil's store, we walked outside and were approached by a pack of stray dogs and [oh my god] the cutest bunch of little pups I have ever seen. I asked for dog food at the little store and bought a pack of what seemed like slices of pound cake. Kathy and I fed the dogs and walked back to the ashram.

By the way... as I typed this blog, the electricity just went out.

Tuesday (March 15th)... Today I had a powder treatment with some sort of grain which apparently is good to break up the fat... (the doctor ordered this treatment for the rest of my stay.) I went for my steam bath, but was still dizzy from the cleanse and was only able to handle about a minute. Now it was time for my sinus cleanse where I fell in love again! In the doctor's office there is the doctor, two ladies and a male masseuse. Today the male masseuse gave me a little vicks vapor rub sinus treatment and then 15 minutes of the most heavenly face and head massage. He's so adorable, so gentle and I want to bring him to Africa with me. After that I went to Sunil's shop to use the wifi... which wasn't working... but instead I chatted with some Indian dude with long hair who I think David said was an astrologer. I don't mean to brag or anything, but I'm pretty sure he had a little crush on me and I showed him pictures of me through the years that were stored on my laptop. After lunch it was time to travel up the Himalayas to see the Nihlkanth temple, which has significant meaning in the Hindu religion and is has direct relationship to Shiva. I think it was the combination of the melatonin my roommate was drugging me with, the cleanse, the jet lag, the altitude, and my affinity for car sickness, but I was not in good shape after we arrived an hour later. I dragged myself through the temple and surrounding village and when we got back to Rishikesh, I had to take a little nap. Then I dragged myself to the Ganga to see the Aarti and boyfriend #1. After the Aarti I went to the room to lie down, and Amy woke me up at 7:50 because it was time to go to Sunil's for dinner. We walked about a block or two down the road from the ashram where we found Sunil's compound which looked like a three story apartment with a total of 6 units... apparently in India, family members like to live close to each other. We were greeted by Sunil's brother and his wife and were each given a lay flowers. The wife made us Dahl (sp?), some creamed spinach concoction, buttered nand and for dessert the most fabulous little donut ball thing drenched in a sugary syrup. She passed our photos and her daughter (5) and son (3) entertained us for most of the evening.

Wednesday (March 16th)... Today I had my last panchakarma treatment which consisted of an eye cleanse with gleeee (performed by my beloved) and the powder treatment and oil-dripping-on-the-forehead thing. For the eye treatment my boyfriend put clay circles around my eyes and then pressed at the edges to form a seal around my eyes and then dripped geeeee into my eyes. He asked me to open my eyes and it was the freakiest shit I have ever seen... it was all yellow and I could barely make out the shadow of his hand. Then it was time for eye exercises: to the right, to the left, up, down, all around. We repeated this three times. At the end of my treatment today my masseuse called me her sister in Hindi, which made me feel warm and fuzzy. I met with my doctor one last time to go over my regimen for when I return to the states and he gave me my dosha (KP) and my eating plan for when I return to the states (HA - he doesn't know that's in two years!!). My new meal plan consists of granola, fruit and sprouts for breakfast; vegetables, yogurt and salad for lunch; and bread, soup and vegetables for dinner (NOT!). He specifically told me to avoid cheese, oily food, meat, pizza, pasta, potato and rice. This doctor was smoking some serious crack. I took a picture with my sister and and my boyfriend and I said our sad goodbyes and I'm pretty sure in hindi he said "I love you madly, my beautiful white queen." Afterwards, around 2pm I wandered down the river to a town call Laxman Jhula which is about a mile walk... ran into the gang and shopped some with Kathy before we headed back to Aarti... which unfortunately wasn't happening because of a demonstration that afternoon on the ashram steps. Rumor has it that 40 workers were unhappy with their wages, staged this demonstration, got arrested, and then were replaced on the steps with the family members. We had Q&A with the Guru that evening and he was not happy to hear the Aarti was canceled. Yeah, Guru... what's up with that? Instead I went back to Jen's room and she gave me a thong demonstration, but was unable to convince me of the benefits. That night Amy taught me how to wash my sesame oil-soaked undies in a bucket and I went to the jewelry shop and uploaded a whole mess of photos to facebook. Oh, I forgot to mention that while Kathy & I were shopping that afternoon we were looking up in the trees at some monkeys and all of a sudden there was a misty spray of liquid all over me... I was like "Could it be?"... If I had any doubt at that moment, a few turds fell from the sky and landed in front of me. Yes, my friends... a monkey peed on me. In the United States, I probably would have shreeked a few times, done the dirty dance, and ran back home to a bath of bleach... but in India I'm guessing monkey urine has some sort of restorative properties.

Thursday (March 17th)... Today the group went to some town about three hours up the foothills of the Himalayas. I decided it was day of rest for me so that I could avoid car sickness and have some relaxation before I start my new job in a few days (EEK!)... I received an email from Christy last night and we are traveling to Mozambique a week after I arrive. Very nervous and very excited! The group headed out around 6:45 this morning and I decided that if I was going to skip this adventure I had to get my ass up out of bed for "yoga". The yogi was 102 and the most adorable little Indian I have ever encountered. The class goes from 6-8:30, which is totally insane, so I just did the little pre-yoga calisthenics from 6-7 which is more than enough. It involved a lot of stretching (from head to toe), jumping jacks, and running in place and then a well-deserved shavasena. Sadly, the yogi is in far better shape than I am. A little while later it was time for lunch... I decided to treat myself to lunch because, quite frankly, the food at the ashram tastes like arse. Across the street is a restaurant/hotel called the "Green Hotel" which caters to the non-Indian tourist. The menu included a wide variety of options from Indian to Chinese to Italian to American. The American breakfast is baked beans on top of white bread. Nothing says home like baked beans on toast! I opted for paneer pakoda which I believe is a slightly healthier version of mozzarella sticks. This afternoon, I took another walk through Rishikesh and across the footbridge. I sat on the steps alongside the Ganga directly across the Ashram. A family walked by, sat down, and continued to take our photo... I can only wonder if I will be included on their next holiday card. We then went to the Aarti one last time... Guru was there (yay!) but his throat still hurt and he did not sing (boo!). Tonight there was a visiting international sikh school and they performed two songs which really did not much for me. On the way to dinner, us gals got some private office time with Swamiji' right hand lady. She has an interesting story... she was in a Ph.D. program in the states when she accidentally stumbled upon the ashram, and just like the angel Shante, she started crying uncontrollably and knew she found her home... that was 15 years ago. Amy asked how we bring the peacefulness back with us, and her response was to always practice living in the moment. Since Theresa and I have been talking about this for years, i was more excited about the desk calendar she gave us all.

Friday (March 18th)... As I write this entry I've been in Africa for four days, so my memory is slightly fuzzy. On this day we left the ashram mid-morning and made the trek back to Old Delhi. We were to drop off a gentleman in Haridwar on the way, and it was a delightful hour or so. He was an expert on the Gita and we had a great conversation on essentially emotional intelligence. Not too much to report, or that I can remember on this day, and we arrived in Old Delhi early evening and had our last dinner on the roof of the Tara Palace Hotel.

Saturday (March 19th)... Last few hours in India! We left the Tara Palace Hotel around 10 AM and ventured to the Red Fort for some final sightseeing. It was starting to transition into summer and this morning was comparatively much more hazy, hot & humid. I sat down for a quick rest, and was quickly surrounded by the Indian paparazzi. Families gathered with their cameras in hand and one by one took pictures of me with their children. Jen showed up soon after and I was no competition with her red, curly tendrils. David & I walked back to the hotel around noon and for the next for hours or so I showered and packed, and at 4pm the cab arrived and it was time to say goodbye to my travel companions. I arrived at the airport and was forced to pay $15,000 rupies (approx. $325) in overweight fees, which I had negotiated from $20,000 rupies (approx. $425). Note to self: do not use Jet Airways again. I met some new friends from Mozambique and Uruguay and we were off to Mumbai at around 7:30 PM. When we arrived in Mumbai, it was TOTAL CHAOS and it took probably two hours to get to the international terminal and through immigration while dealing with a very pushy mob. I had a individual pizza from Pizza Hut, which was an unbelievable delight after a week of Indian food, rested a bit, and it was time to board my 2 AM flight from Mumbai to Johannesburg. It was time for my new adventure in the Southern Hemisphere.

Will I ever go again to India? Never say never, I suppose... but I can't imagine going out of my way to schedule another vacation to this part of the world. I loved the experience, feel very fortunate to have this opportunity, but I suppose curry just isn't my thang.

Some other misc. happenings that I would like to remember from my trip to India:

• Our feet were black the entire time. Nuff said.
• At the ashram we saw a blond in all white who Jen dubbed "the Angel". She was quite a mystery and one night she sat outside by me during the music festival so I started chatting her up. She's 24, her American name is Sara, she's from Berkeley and discovered the ashram on a backpacking trip and found happiness. She moved back here 6-7 months ago, and in December she had to leave for Nepal for 6 days until Swamiji could get her a 5 year work visa. In a year, she plans on being a monk. Her Hindi name is Shante if I am remembering correctly.
• I have made friends with the... what shall we call him... the building superintendent. He's a small man, probably half my weight, most likely in his 40s with a young family. He calls me "Sarah Boss" or just "boss". Today, he was performing surgery on his nails using a razor blade and asked for my nail clippers, which I willingly let him borrow. Only in India. Since then I give him my People magazines once I am done. We are bonded for life.
• The food... what can I say about the food? I was doing OK in Delhi and getting by on fried paneer and garlic nand, but the ashram food is not so my type. With each day I eat less and less because I can barely tolerate it anymore and on that note I think I'm going to treat myself to a Luna bar.
• Apparently the other evening a man was eating by a tiger about 15 KM from where we are staying. And rumor has it the elephants are nearby. Sadly, I saw neither but am also thankful that I was not eaten.
  

Be careful what you wish for?

Here I am sitting at my room at the ashram in Rishikesh (Parmarth Niketan) and I figure it's about time start this here blog of mine and bring y'all up to speed. Where do I start? Did I mention that I'm listening to some chanting in what I am guessing is either Hindi or Sanskrit?

This particular adventure (i.e. India) started I suppose about a little less than a year ago when I discovered yoga. I'm not exactly sure why I started yoga... (although I think it had to do with something about trying to find peace in my life)... but I guess I sorta just jumped right into it. There was a Bikram yoga studio in my hood and one day I decided to give it a go. And then I gave it one more try and I was done. (For those of you unfamiliar with Bikram... it's 90 minutes in a room heated to 105-110... need I say more?) But, I was intrigued by this yoga thing so I decided to do that rational thing and try every yoga studio nearby. In August 2010, I discovered Soni Yoga through groupon and as I was browsing through their website I discovered they (yoga studio owners and fellow yogis) were on a iyuvedic/yoga retreat in India. The pictures looked amazing, they were booking for the March 2011 trip, so I emailed David immediately and now I find myself in India.

I'm just getting y'all warmed up here...

Around the same time I was growing increasingly frustrated with life and my career path. I was trying to make the transition from Human Resources to Operations within my company, and I thought I had great experience and credentials to make this step. Unfortunately, the hiring managers did not agree. After applying to the Operations Manager position five times (yes, five times) I decided it was time to start listening to the universe. Looking back at the past few years, it was quite clear the universe did not want me to be married... it did not want me to continue with my current company... and apparently it wanted me to leave the United States indefinitely. Uh huh...

Now that I was all yoga-fied, I started doing some soul seeking. When I studied abroad in Sydney I fell in love with the whole experience and made a pact to myself that one day I would work abroad. I decided to dabble a little bit and signed up to take the foreign service exam, checked out various websites, and started searching for jobs on idealist.org in countries that seemed at least somewhat appealing. Soon after, early December, I found a positing on idealist for a business manager position for the volunteer segment of a small tourism company located in Swaziland. The position would handle the daily operations of the program with some travel to the volunteer sites in Cape Town, Botswana and Mozambique. The next day I walked into work and told my friend Sharon that I had just applied to my dream job. What the hell, right? Besides... I would never hear from them.

I was wrong.

On January 26th I was offered the position and what was once my dream job was, quite frankly, freaking me out. I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep for the next several nights and was pretty mad at getting myself into this situation. Working abroad sounded fabulous in theory... but this was all happening way too fast. Still not sure what to do, that week I had an appointment at the Lahey Travel Clinic for my India vaccines, so I decided to throw in some African ones as well (just in case). By the end of the week, I was protected against Hepatitis A & B, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Polio, Meningitis, Typhoid and Yellow Fever with prescriptions for malaria and diarrhea medication and a weeks worth of the HIV cocktail... (with a chance of soreness, headache, fever, rash, redness, upset stomach nausea, and vomiting)... with strict instructions to not eat any fruit that I cannot peel and to not go swimming in fresh whatever because of the brain-sucking parasite infestation in sub-saharan Africa.

Ok... now I get the whole comfort zone thing.

I was freaking out and had changed my mind about this whole universe/bucket list thing... so I did what I normally do... I stopped thinking about it, pretended it wasn't really gonna happen, and started preparing for the transition. Around the same time I was driving to work, cursing myself again, when good ol' Sarah McLachlan came on the radio to tell me "... Don't let your life pass you by" I gave a little chuckle, and the Universe mocked me by playing "Southern Cross" next (just in case I wasn't listening). I'm going to sound kind of lame... but it was this moment that I really felt I had made the right choice and this is where I was supposed to be in my life at this particular time. After that everything really fell right into place.

When I say things fell into place... they fell into place. The morning I had my final Skype interview with Kim, I decided to go to National Tire & Battery before work to replace my front tires. The guy working the counter noticed my car and told me his girlfriend was just in a car accident and was looking for one just like it. We chatted for the next 45 minutes and agreed I would contact him when I found out about the job. How many people randomly offer to buy your car? How many people randomly offer to buy your car an hour after your job interview for a company located in Swaziland? About a month later, I watched Jess & Alex drive out of the driveway of my Belmont apartment with my little bundle of steel that I had grown close with over the last 6-7 years.

I decided it made the most sense to travel straight from India to Johannesburg, which meant I had to wrap everything up in the States by Saturday, March 5th. And once the wheels started turning they did not stop. It was easily the busiest month of my life and I barely had a moment to catch my breath. There were major details to finalize, such as moving out of my apartment, selling my car, finalizing my work projects, finding a good home for Izzy, and packing for two years... to the bazillion minor details such as canceling my Fast Lane account, fingerprints for the FBI criminal check for my work visa, getting all my vaccines, medical records, etc ... to a very busy three weeks of social engagements as I prepared to say goodbye to all my family and friends. I moved in with my parents on February 28th and my mom and I were still packing my stuff up three hours before I was to depart.

As I sit here at 11 pm at my room at the ashram, I really can't believe how quickly my life has changed. I look over the past few years and think about how I tried so hard to make certain things in my life happen. When I final listened to what I really wanted it's really quite remarkable how easily things fell into place. It reminds me of a story Theresa told me about a person walking down the street...

Autobiography In Five Short Chapters

Chapter I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost... I am hopeless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter II
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in this same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter III
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it there.
I still fall in... it's a habit... but,
my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

Chapter IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter V
I walk down another street.

- Portia Nelson

Hope you enjoy my blog, cross your fingers that I don't get malaria, and COME VISIT ME!! :)

Miss you xoxox