I really liked today. I think because i had some time off!. I skipped the afternoon activities to take care of details and have some time to relax. This morning was our first breakfast and it was beautiful! i forgot to take a photo to post but i will at some point. I got up early and after coffee i walked down to the little grocery that is around the corner but on the main street. I needed fruits for breakfast and a few vegetables to complete lunch. I love love love going and hand picking these beautiful foods and then preparing them. ive never before experienced this kind of relationship with food. I dont know how i am going to adjust to life back home, and i dont even want to think about it. The withdrawl coming back is going to be brutal. I will implement what i can. And this fresh food thing is for sure going to be one of them. Breakfast went off without a hitch that anyone knew of and the women loved it. It feels so good to feed them. Kunchok and i cleaned up breakfast and then had about an hour to sit and have chai before we started on lunch. That also was beautiful. Another beautiful thing is that for lunch clean up, two of Shaks daughters in law come and take care of everything. which is so nice. I was planning on attending the afternoon activity which was some kind of mindfulness center but Frances decided to go and she gave me her scheduled massage so... i did that instead. It was lovely. Afterward i laid naked on the terrace in the sun and pretended there was nothing else i needed to do today.
Today was the first scheduled day. The women arrive at 8 for yoga followed by breakfast at 9:30 and then they have a little break before coming back for class at 11:00 and lunch at 1:00. Then they have a break until 3:30 when whatever is planned fort he day happens. That is a typical day, but there area few where we are taking a day trip to some temples, visiting an orphanage and going to the osho ashram.
After my massage Kunchok and i took a rick down and we sat and had a coffee and then went to a few shops and looked for some pants for him. he was so funny, he knows exactly the kind of pants he wants and was done after 5 minutes. His leg is not better. I asked to see it because he wears long pants and it is really fucking swollen. like a lot. he goes everyday to a tibetan acupuncturist and he is not worried so we are tying not to worry as well. he has also been to the hospital a bunch and is on antibiotics. Kunchok is from tibet and he says "indian doctor not good, tibetan doctor much more better".
I actually really like all of the women in the group. They are middle aged women who are, and this is a generality, pretty well off. They are beautiful. I love taking care of them.
I love Deborah and Frances as well. They are both quite amazing ladies. We really laugh and love a lot. Its genuine and comfortable right off the bat. I remember the morning when Frances arrived, and our group felt whole. This is a really fulling experience. I sometimes cant believe i am having it, and at the same time i cant imagine never having been here. It just fits. I already hope to come back.
Yesterday was hectic. Kunchok and i went with Mr Shak at 8 to the flower market to get so many flowers you wouldnt believe. It was huge, so many flowers, so many people. Kunchok stayed in the Rick and i went with Shak and he let me pick out all the flowers i wanted for the arrangements. After two trips back to the rick with armloads of flowers we drove off to another part of town, Shaks neighborhood where we went in search of a very specific small pitcher for milk and 20 glasses. I spied a garlic press which i have to remember to go back for. Shak is such a delightful man. He is unbelievably loveable and he calls me Yellow, because, Deborah says, Willow doesnt make sense to him at all. So now everyone calls me yellow which i love of course.
After we found the pitcher for milk we did a quick little jaunt down the street and shak stopped and got kunchok and i chai and donuts. He is very fatherly. He calls me baby also, which sounds like Baybiiiii and he is always watching out for the two f us. I adore him completely.
We came back with the flowers and Frances and i spent the next few hours cleaning them and making arrangements. Lots of arrangements. Frances made most of them and i had to hurry back to start on lunch so that it would be ready for when the women arrived.
They arrived at 2, had lunch and a welcome circle, a tour of the town, and dinner out. At dinner we all split up so we could manage our ladies. All the women are staying in these three beautiful houses just down the lane. The end of the day found Deborah, Frances and myself walking back home at 11 at night after making sure all the women were settled for the night. We were delirious. We had been up and working since 6am. We were laughing the whole way home about the ridiculousness of the day. Deborah nearly peed her pants, which apparently would not have surprised anyone. It was really one of the best moments of my life.
The amount of work that is going into this is astounding. We are working with a language barrier to co ordinate all kinds of things. Its a beautiful machine. The ladies come in and everything looks and feels effortless to them. In the evening Kunchok, Deborah, Frances and i sit at the kitchen table and have tea and we talk about the day and we talk about the next day. Its a beautiful ritual. We are the perfect team.
8 am trip to the flower market
Endless choices
backing up the rickshaw
See Mr. Shak picking out oranges?
The oranges have the most amazingly soft peels. They just melt open.
Abra would like them
arranging flowers for everywhere. close to 25 arrangements
beautiful Frances and her lovely arrangements!
Mr. Shak let me pick all the flowers These were my absolute favorite
We made it through our first lunch beautifully!!
our first lunch! Chai break
My group at dinner
8am Yoga on the terrace
A greeting on my way to buy the mornings fruit
making a selection Shak would be proud of
Gorgeous
The lunch table
After lunch chair break tradition
Today was the first scheduled day. The women arrive at 8 for yoga followed by breakfast at 9:30 and then they have a little break before coming back for class at 11:00 and lunch at 1:00. Then they have a break until 3:30 when whatever is planned fort he day happens. That is a typical day, but there area few where we are taking a day trip to some temples, visiting an orphanage and going to the osho ashram.
After my massage Kunchok and i took a rick down and we sat and had a coffee and then went to a few shops and looked for some pants for him. he was so funny, he knows exactly the kind of pants he wants and was done after 5 minutes. His leg is not better. I asked to see it because he wears long pants and it is really fucking swollen. like a lot. he goes everyday to a tibetan acupuncturist and he is not worried so we are tying not to worry as well. he has also been to the hospital a bunch and is on antibiotics. Kunchok is from tibet and he says "indian doctor not good, tibetan doctor much more better".
I actually really like all of the women in the group. They are middle aged women who are, and this is a generality, pretty well off. They are beautiful. I love taking care of them.
I love Deborah and Frances as well. They are both quite amazing ladies. We really laugh and love a lot. Its genuine and comfortable right off the bat. I remember the morning when Frances arrived, and our group felt whole. This is a really fulling experience. I sometimes cant believe i am having it, and at the same time i cant imagine never having been here. It just fits. I already hope to come back.
Yesterday was hectic. Kunchok and i went with Mr Shak at 8 to the flower market to get so many flowers you wouldnt believe. It was huge, so many flowers, so many people. Kunchok stayed in the Rick and i went with Shak and he let me pick out all the flowers i wanted for the arrangements. After two trips back to the rick with armloads of flowers we drove off to another part of town, Shaks neighborhood where we went in search of a very specific small pitcher for milk and 20 glasses. I spied a garlic press which i have to remember to go back for. Shak is such a delightful man. He is unbelievably loveable and he calls me Yellow, because, Deborah says, Willow doesnt make sense to him at all. So now everyone calls me yellow which i love of course.
After we found the pitcher for milk we did a quick little jaunt down the street and shak stopped and got kunchok and i chai and donuts. He is very fatherly. He calls me baby also, which sounds like Baybiiiii and he is always watching out for the two f us. I adore him completely.
We came back with the flowers and Frances and i spent the next few hours cleaning them and making arrangements. Lots of arrangements. Frances made most of them and i had to hurry back to start on lunch so that it would be ready for when the women arrived.
They arrived at 2, had lunch and a welcome circle, a tour of the town, and dinner out. At dinner we all split up so we could manage our ladies. All the women are staying in these three beautiful houses just down the lane. The end of the day found Deborah, Frances and myself walking back home at 11 at night after making sure all the women were settled for the night. We were delirious. We had been up and working since 6am. We were laughing the whole way home about the ridiculousness of the day. Deborah nearly peed her pants, which apparently would not have surprised anyone. It was really one of the best moments of my life.
The amount of work that is going into this is astounding. We are working with a language barrier to co ordinate all kinds of things. Its a beautiful machine. The ladies come in and everything looks and feels effortless to them. In the evening Kunchok, Deborah, Frances and i sit at the kitchen table and have tea and we talk about the day and we talk about the next day. Its a beautiful ritual. We are the perfect team.
Endless choices
backing up the rickshaw
See Mr. Shak picking out oranges?
The oranges have the most amazingly soft peels. They just melt open.
Abra would like them
arranging flowers for everywhere. close to 25 arrangements
beautiful Frances and her lovely arrangements!
Mr. Shak let me pick all the flowers These were my absolute favorite
We made it through our first lunch beautifully!!
our first lunch! Chai break
My group at dinner
8am Yoga on the terrace
A greeting on my way to buy the mornings fruit
making a selection Shak would be proud of
Gorgeous
The lunch table
After lunch chair break tradition
Hey Honey...love reading your blog. Just to let you know the vehicle is a tuk tuk, the rickshaws are the bicycles with seats. I hope you try the small white melon. My absolute favorite! And i LOVE yellow! Come back new.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was there, just before leaving, there was a tuk tuk strike. I had left my hostel and was walking up the market near the Delhi train station and no one was around. I had no idea why but when I reached the train station there were giant trucks packed with men and the guards had their rifles aimed at them. I stood there staring, not sure what was happening, and one of the armed guards told me to go back to my hostel. At the hostel they told me the tuk tuk drivers had all been arrested for refusing to drive. It was a really big deal as many locals rely on the 10 rupee ride to work. It lasted a few days and I had to stay inside because of the gun fire. It looks like where your at is much safer.
ReplyDeleteLove this entry. The orphanage sounds like it will be an interesting trip. I was watching a documentary on Netflix a few nights ago regarding orphanages there and it was a pretty difficult one to watch.. I would have a hard time being there in person and leaving behind all those little faces.
ReplyDeleteThe flowers are gorgeous. Love your choices! Love your photos and your descriptions of everything.
Take care and keep an eye on your friend's leg! That sounds painful for him. Hope he gets relief soon.