I think I may finally be arriving here in India. While my body touched down on Indian soil last Saturday, this last week has been rather hazy. I landed in Coimbatore at the very beginning of a violent storm caused by a cyclone off the Bay of Bengal (or so I have been unofficially told). The drive from the airport was typically Indian (which is already a lot like “Toads Wild Ride” at Disneyland without the safety requirements) and with the addition of downed trees and mud slides along the way. However, the “real” storm didn’t start until later that night with howling winds and torrential rains that lasted for 4 days. We had had no electricity, sporadic water (cold only) and a deep, penetrating wet that made me feel as though I’d never be dry again. The sun finally peeked out on Thursday and we ventured out of the retreat center toward the town of Conoor, which is about a 15 minute tuk-tuk (auto rickshaw) ride from the retreat center. We were astonished at the damage that the surrounding villages experienced and realized that our retreat center is in a miraculously sheltered little piece of the mountain that kept us from any damage, but the villagers lost homes, and it is said there were between 300-400 deaths. We suddenly stopped complaining about the lack of electricity or internet!




The yoga course is incredible, complex and very detailed. We had our first of 6 written exams today. Each exam is 2 hours long, and while yoga is intended to not be competitive, our grades are basically shared with the whole retreat center and so the silent competition is alive and well!

I am also participating in a six week Ayurvedic detox designed specifically for me. Between the extreme amount of yoga, meditation and spiritual exploration classes and the effects of the detox, I’m a bit wobbly, but glad to be here.

Today started out warm and sunny, so we again ventured into Conoor. This time we wandered into the back alleys of town, and, as is usual in India, attracted groups of children (it sometimes feel a bit like “monkeys on parade” and I’m the lead monkey – I think it's the blonde hair). I love visiting with them, asking their names, answering their questions and taking their pictures and then showing them. One little group of children followed me for awhile visiting, chatting, giggling, and tentatively trying to hold my hand. When I asked where they lived they pointed to a large compound like yard area that had some sort of government signage. They explained that their homes had collapsed in the rain, and they were staying in the yard, they then asked if I would take their picture again. Their interminable joy is contagious।





It started to slightly rain on our way back, and now the rain, cold, winds, lack of electricity and no hot water is back, and I am sitting in my dimly lit room watching the clouds in the trees and listening to the rain on the roof and wearing layers of clothing trying to keep warm. And, although it is officially the beginning of winter here, the locals are saying this is unlike anything they have ever seen, and the measurements of the last storm break all records. I don’t know whats “normal”, but it certainly is nothing like my last visit to India.