apparently i've just hit the 3 month mark of my time in india. that's really hard to believe. while i'm not close to my departure date, i'm getting slightly worried that time is passing a little too quickly. so the solution of course, carpe diem, la vie india. which in my interpretation means- cram the calender choke full of trips, thrills, experiences, memories and battle wounds. it just makes sense.
at home i have this tradition of always displaying my list of upcoming adventures. its sort of a motivating factor for me. something to always look forward to if you will. and a way to remedy the problem i have of being unable to sit still for extended periods of time. my typical list at home consists of at least one 'adventure' a month. it's a little bit different here. it's more like some rare, unbelievable breathtakingly beautiful adventure once every other week. again, its a tough life.
disclaimer* i have recently been accused of merely taking an extended vacation and not actually working here, despite this being completely erroneous on all accounts, this blog will not serve to alter that perception. i'm okay with that and simply want to share (read: brag) about my upcoming excitement.
yoga ashram (8/28-9/1)- tomorrow morning i once again board the train to tirvandrum. but don't worry, i'm not heading to the beach this time. well, not exactly. i mean, i'll be by the beach but i'll be taking a "yoga vacation" at an ashram. so i'll be at the beach, yes, but doing yoga at it. bootcamp yoga if you will. you may remember from an earlier post that this was on my india 'to-do' list- so i am merely checking another goal off my list. or you (and the rest of the country) may have read- eat, pray, love- and therefore are familiar with the concept of stays at yoga ashrams. either way, that is where i will be welcoming in september, and i couldn't be more excited about it.
wedding (9/6)- upon my return i will get all dolled up for my very first indian wedding! i will be donning an exquisite saree, an arm full of bangles, and a head full of jasmine flowers. i will then attend the wedding with about 1,000 of the happy couples closest friends, relatives and strangers- and party the night away hindu wedding style. can't wait for the bhangra dancing and the ever so famous 'lightbulb' move (thanks to shachi and ashika!).
rural camp (9/6-9/14)- in between the wedding there is a potential of us UMB girls being in a 'international fashion show' but we'll see if that pans out. following the wedding we will again pack our bags and whisk ourselves away to a random small rural village. there we will attend 'rural camp' which means we will be doing manual labor for the village, sleeping on floors, foregoing showers, and attending cultural programmes with the villagers at night. should be a great bonding experience with the students attending and a positive experience for the village.
onam (9/12)- huge celebration here in kerala. (by the way, we recently just had the start of the malayalam calender year so happy new years to you and yours.) the new year officially starts the holiday of onam, which is quite possibly the biggest holiday of the year in kerala. it's a bit confusing of a holiday (there was a 'little person' who was actually the devil who wanted to destroy the utopia of kerala so he turned into a giant and crushed the king down into hell, and onam is the celebration of the yearly return of the king and the start of harvest season...see, i wasn't lying). it also means that it's the end of the monsoon and already temperatures are rapidly climbing. so basically, onam is a 10 day celebration, half of it will be celebrated at the rural camp, and half of it with our family and the community. again, we have special 'kerala' sarees for the event and plan to partake in all of the activities, including the food and the games- and a flower design contest.
goa (9/15-9/20)- yes that's right, i'm a'going to goa. and i can't wait. because rural camp is so extensive and tough on the students- especially their sleeping habits (meaning you don't really sleep) the school gives the students the entire next week off of class. a week off to rest in malayalam translates into a week for vacation in english. so we will be traveling to the best beaches in all of india for some much 'needed' rest, relaxation, sun...and famous flea markets. paradise.
europe (9/21-9/29)- this is where my life gets a little ridiculous, but it is an amazing ridiculousness that i embrace freely. and more importantly, i wouldn't change for the world. in order to help the shook twins celebrate their 25th birthday in style- i will return from goa a bit early and immediately board a plane...bound for amsterdam. spend a few days there then hop a train to munich for octoberfest. from there head over to prague and wherever else the wind leads us throughout europe. i must admit a week free of rice, curry and squatty potties was a strong persuading factor when debating this trip. this just may be singlehandedly be the most epic vacation of my life and i am counting down the days. can't. wait.
so that's september. busy, yes. amazing, a hundred times over. i'm not sure if i'll spend more than 3 days at home. i promise that i'll return from europe and use the entire month of october for work. i mean, november is already looking pretty full- including trips to northern india, trips to the taj, scuba diving certification in the andaman islands...so it's october or never for work. and for the record, december and january aren't looking too shabby either. in fact, they just may be my all time favorite. just saying.
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dude...that schedule sounds amazing. You MUST post pictures of all your travels. I can't believe you are getting to do so much, and I applaud you for taking the opportunity to do so! Remember when you are in Europe though...you still have to pay to use the restrooms. Have a blast and soak up every minute! Give yourself a hug from me right now, please.
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