At Sunday meetings daily duties were given. You could either do the wake up call, close the gates, water the plants, manage the compost, fill up the water tanks, be the hygiene inspector, do the morning raggy or be the lunch chef.
That Sunday after Pondi a bunch of about 22 American students had arrived to the community. So there were plenty of people and daily duties could be shared. An Slovenian couple had chosen the wake up call. An easy thing to do, which really only needed one person. I was always the last one to go to sleep and I smoked in the smoking area outside the compound, so I thought I would close the gate this week. Filling up the water tanks had turned out to be too harsh and demanding.
But Eric had the same thing in mind. So when the moment came, we both lifted our hands. Julie, confused, came up with a: "OK, Eric, Erik, you too, OK, Erik 1, Eric 2, you are gatekeepers." And that is how we became Erik 1 and Eric 2 for the following 2 weeks. We had the same name, curly long black hair tied up in a pony tail, and we both had glasses. I had arrived first, plus I was older, so I earned the number 1.
At the start , we both thought it would be too much of a confusion, but it turned all right despite the fact that we were always together. By that point, I had terminated my two compulsory weeks in Sadhana, so I was free to leave the place. But chance didn't want me to, not yet, and I would end up being there a little bit longer than I had expected. But this is a story to be told separately.
The thing is, that I had become comfortable with the people and the surroundings. And I was having fun. But I knew that this week everything was going to change. The 22 American students had their own dynamics, and chances were that they would disrupt ours. We were a little family but we weren't always together, so people did their things whenever they pleased. The American students moved and acted as a whole, in a group, and so their presence in the community was much stronger than ours. You could notice specially at nights, when the community was lit by laptops all over the place.
The people that were already there disappeared the moment work finished. Everyone felt uncomfortable, aggressive and bitter, by one reason or another. Laughter was set aside to criticism. Grumpy discomforted faces were at the order of the day.
And on this basis Eric and me became like a couple. When someone was looking for him and couldn't find him, they asked me, and viceversa. We were always the last to go to sleep, sneaked into the forest for a spliff, and usually, left Sadhana together and came back together.
He would have much to do with my near future.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Taking a break - Break II
On my second weekend in Sadhana I needed more than a day out. I wanted some partying. So I headed to Pondi with the idea of spending the night there. First things first, so I went to Coffee.com for a baguette and a cold coffee. On my way there, I bumped into Allie, a French girl I had met on my last day in Pondi before getting myself in Auroville. And so, after the usual chit-chat, I suggested meeting up for dinner. The truth is that I didn't remember her name, so I had to call Peter to refresh my memory. Yeah, I was trying to catch a fish, as he would put it, but it was just that.
At Coffee.com I overheard a conversation about a concert at the French Alliance. So after hours searching for a cheap suitable room, showering, shaving, and in brief words, getting ready, I headed for some reggae. In the concert, I would bump into Nils, whom I'll introduce in it's appropriate context.
So far it had been a good day, had a good concert, a very motivating chat with Nils and perspectives of a good night. But sometimes don't always go as planned, as I'm tired of repeating.
Dinner with Allie had been nice, but both of us wanted some more action, another beer perhaps, but everything was closed. So we ended up at her place with a bottle of Port wine, charras and talks about dancing, tabla and the goddess Kali. Some people say she is the reincarnation of Parvati, Shiva's wife, others say is the destructive reincarnation of Shiva. A popular image is that of Shiva lying dead under Kali's foot. Though the position of Shiva is a feminine one, it is said that Kali only killed Shiva feminine side, that is, Parvati. I have no clue! But I would like to know more about it.
So anyway, we were having a good time, laughing, talking, getting stoned and I decided to approach her i a gentle but sexual manner, until the point I tried to kiss her. A rejected kiss. Ouch! However, strangely, the mood and the conversations didn't change.
Time had past quickly and I would end up sleeping at her place because mine locked at 2 a.m. And in the middle of the night, sharing a small mattress it happened that we cuddled up together. But that would be the most I would get from that night.
And a bright morning got me back to reality. Having to get back to Sadhana. Not really looking forward to it. There, everyone would ask me how was Pondi, and my answer would always be the same: "Amazing, weird and deceiving."
At Coffee.com I overheard a conversation about a concert at the French Alliance. So after hours searching for a cheap suitable room, showering, shaving, and in brief words, getting ready, I headed for some reggae. In the concert, I would bump into Nils, whom I'll introduce in it's appropriate context.
So far it had been a good day, had a good concert, a very motivating chat with Nils and perspectives of a good night. But sometimes don't always go as planned, as I'm tired of repeating.
Dinner with Allie had been nice, but both of us wanted some more action, another beer perhaps, but everything was closed. So we ended up at her place with a bottle of Port wine, charras and talks about dancing, tabla and the goddess Kali. Some people say she is the reincarnation of Parvati, Shiva's wife, others say is the destructive reincarnation of Shiva. A popular image is that of Shiva lying dead under Kali's foot. Though the position of Shiva is a feminine one, it is said that Kali only killed Shiva feminine side, that is, Parvati. I have no clue! But I would like to know more about it.
So anyway, we were having a good time, laughing, talking, getting stoned and I decided to approach her i a gentle but sexual manner, until the point I tried to kiss her. A rejected kiss. Ouch! However, strangely, the mood and the conversations didn't change.
Time had past quickly and I would end up sleeping at her place because mine locked at 2 a.m. And in the middle of the night, sharing a small mattress it happened that we cuddled up together. But that would be the most I would get from that night.
And a bright morning got me back to reality. Having to get back to Sadhana. Not really looking forward to it. There, everyone would ask me how was Pondi, and my answer would always be the same: "Amazing, weird and deceiving."
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Carly's Birthday
On Wednesday of that second week was Carly's birthday, and we went for a pizza in Pondi. The events of the day had led me to spend most of my time outside Sadhana as a passenger on Julie's bike. And so, I went with her to Pondi where we would meet with the rest of the group ready to celebrate. A big group I must say. Carly, Ian, Kelsey, Anva, Einat, Alex, Matt, Lisa and I might be missing someone.
With Esra out of the scene, Julie became more opened and accessible to the rest of volunteers. You could talk, joke and spent time with her, something that seemed impossible before, and which I would consider as worthwhile. And though considered a hot girl, for some strange reason I never thought of her in a sexual way.
However, driving with her, at her back, her soft blond hair in my face, the smell of it, looking at her naked neck aroused in me that sexual appetite that seems to hide after some time without any kind of female closeness. It reminded me of how much I missed a woman's touch. A caress. A woman's smell.
She kept on saying that I should put her hair aside if it bothered me. And it did. But that was the closest I had been to a girl in a while and I like the touch of it in my skin. And somehow, I felt bad for having those sensations with her. It, for some strange reason, didn't feel right. So be it.
Once in Pondi, we got a silly card and a little cake with a candle for the birthday girl. And when we were altogether, pizza and beers were on the order of the day. A must for the main character of the night.
Oh, and remember my charger? Well, as we were close by, I decided to make a stop at the Continental Hotel while waiting for pizza. And this time I was lucky. I got it back. Unbelievable. When I saw it, the happiness in my expression might have seemed silly to the manager and the other guys present at the time. But it didn't matter for me, on a first impulse I went to hug the manager, whom nervous and uncomfortable tried to shudder me away.
Back in the restaurant, after food was swallowed, birthday song sang and birthday cake distributed among the assistants, it was time for some drinks. However, Julie and I decided it had been enough for the day and headed back to Sadhana with an ice-cream stop on the way.
It had been an intense day, out which I have only explained half of it. The rest, will come later on.
With Esra out of the scene, Julie became more opened and accessible to the rest of volunteers. You could talk, joke and spent time with her, something that seemed impossible before, and which I would consider as worthwhile. And though considered a hot girl, for some strange reason I never thought of her in a sexual way.
However, driving with her, at her back, her soft blond hair in my face, the smell of it, looking at her naked neck aroused in me that sexual appetite that seems to hide after some time without any kind of female closeness. It reminded me of how much I missed a woman's touch. A caress. A woman's smell.
She kept on saying that I should put her hair aside if it bothered me. And it did. But that was the closest I had been to a girl in a while and I like the touch of it in my skin. And somehow, I felt bad for having those sensations with her. It, for some strange reason, didn't feel right. So be it.
Once in Pondi, we got a silly card and a little cake with a candle for the birthday girl. And when we were altogether, pizza and beers were on the order of the day. A must for the main character of the night.
Oh, and remember my charger? Well, as we were close by, I decided to make a stop at the Continental Hotel while waiting for pizza. And this time I was lucky. I got it back. Unbelievable. When I saw it, the happiness in my expression might have seemed silly to the manager and the other guys present at the time. But it didn't matter for me, on a first impulse I went to hug the manager, whom nervous and uncomfortable tried to shudder me away.
Back in the restaurant, after food was swallowed, birthday song sang and birthday cake distributed among the assistants, it was time for some drinks. However, Julie and I decided it had been enough for the day and headed back to Sadhana with an ice-cream stop on the way.
It had been an intense day, out which I have only explained half of it. The rest, will come later on.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
A new beginning
With not a very pleasant beginning on my first week, were I spent most of my time on my own, not really connecting with other volunteers, I had to look for further life outside the Forest. So my second and last week had to change. And it did.
I took the reigns instead of leaving the place rule my way. I got my bicycle and went to explore what was called Auroville. So far I had just seen a hint of it while going to a wedding in a packed up bus with the rest of volunteers.
But one of my primary motivations was bread. And not to forget the filters for my cigarettes. But I couldn't buy any bread, I needed vegan bread, and the only place available was the Auroville Bakery. So I headed on that direction with the company of Kelsey, first stopping at the visitors center to acquire a very useful map of the area.
At Kula Palayam, in front of Richie Rich's, some random guy stopped us and asked us how to get to Sadhana Forest. He couldn't be more precise on who to ask. It was Eric. We gave him directions and he got there hours later than he should have. He would be key in the future events that surrounded my life. But more of him later on.
We got to Farm Fresh, what we thought was the bakery, and obviously, no vegan bread was available, they didn't even know what was that. And that turned out kind of frustrating. Fortunately, we discovered that the place called Farm Fresh, wasn't the Auroville Bakery, and so I was decided to try again. I had enjoyed it.
At night, I started cycling with David for parothas and chai at Koot Road, the nearest commercial village. Others came too, but with their mopeds. It didn't matter the weather conditions. We needed our daily non-vegan food. Once we rode back while raining. I always had to light David's path as his flashlight wasn't powerful enough, but we always enjoyed it.
Life started with a peddling.
I took the reigns instead of leaving the place rule my way. I got my bicycle and went to explore what was called Auroville. So far I had just seen a hint of it while going to a wedding in a packed up bus with the rest of volunteers.
But one of my primary motivations was bread. And not to forget the filters for my cigarettes. But I couldn't buy any bread, I needed vegan bread, and the only place available was the Auroville Bakery. So I headed on that direction with the company of Kelsey, first stopping at the visitors center to acquire a very useful map of the area.
At Kula Palayam, in front of Richie Rich's, some random guy stopped us and asked us how to get to Sadhana Forest. He couldn't be more precise on who to ask. It was Eric. We gave him directions and he got there hours later than he should have. He would be key in the future events that surrounded my life. But more of him later on.
We got to Farm Fresh, what we thought was the bakery, and obviously, no vegan bread was available, they didn't even know what was that. And that turned out kind of frustrating. Fortunately, we discovered that the place called Farm Fresh, wasn't the Auroville Bakery, and so I was decided to try again. I had enjoyed it.
At night, I started cycling with David for parothas and chai at Koot Road, the nearest commercial village. Others came too, but with their mopeds. It didn't matter the weather conditions. We needed our daily non-vegan food. Once we rode back while raining. I always had to light David's path as his flashlight wasn't powerful enough, but we always enjoyed it.
Life started with a peddling.
Volunteers
There are all sorts of volunteers. those who work hard and believe in the cause, those who work hard and not necessarily believe in the cause, those who work hard, but don't believe in the cause, those who think believing in the cause is enough not to work hard, and those who don't work hard because they don't believe in the cause. Of course, there are plenty of medium points to this and I would consider myself within one of these.
I didn't believe in the cause, and wouldn't say I was either a hard worker or a lazy bastard. On the other hand, Miguel, whom I mentioned before, didn't believe in the cause or how it was being managed but worked as hard as anyone else. Reza, on the contrary, was one those who thought believing in the cause was enough hard work for the day. Amit, Julie, Tom, Xavier or David loved the place, loved the idea, and therefor worked very hard, and were definitely compromised with Sadhana Forest.
But I haven't introduced properly some of these volunteers. Xavier, for example, is a french guy with few friends, not because he didn't look forward to it, but because his English was very poor, and it was hard on him to communicate. We talked in Spanish and got along pretty well, but still was hard to communicate with him. No fluent conversation seem to appear. He disappeared every weekend to discover the surroundings and moved around always in bicycle, and mostly by his own.
Tom, was similar to Xavier in way of action. He was quiet, didn't say much. Even on Sunday meetings, when everyone would talk about the place and their sensations, he would limit his words wisely by just introducing himself: "Hi, I'm Tom". Sometimes, not even the "Hi" was mentioned. I had the honor to talk with him for more than 15 minutes, which seemed like a miracle around the place.
And then there was David, from Brooklyn, NY. That was a quick connection we had there, and when he took Amit's place at the kitchen doing the morning ragi and as lunch chef, man that was the best time in the Forest. David and Alex together was even a better combination of laughter and fun working. David came after my first week there. However, he had already spent sometime in the community before, and was considered a long timer.
Volunteers kept coming and going. Gita, Miguel and Samantha, Sean and Todd, Esra, Cameron, the New Zealand family and others left. And to occupy their space were David, Shimri, Nora and Neal, Tanzuk or Eric. And each fitted in one of those definitions of a volunteer, each had a different world to show, a different life to live, different experiences to share. But we were all together, and worked together for each other, and in a way, that was also wonderful.
I didn't believe in the cause, and wouldn't say I was either a hard worker or a lazy bastard. On the other hand, Miguel, whom I mentioned before, didn't believe in the cause or how it was being managed but worked as hard as anyone else. Reza, on the contrary, was one those who thought believing in the cause was enough hard work for the day. Amit, Julie, Tom, Xavier or David loved the place, loved the idea, and therefor worked very hard, and were definitely compromised with Sadhana Forest.
But I haven't introduced properly some of these volunteers. Xavier, for example, is a french guy with few friends, not because he didn't look forward to it, but because his English was very poor, and it was hard on him to communicate. We talked in Spanish and got along pretty well, but still was hard to communicate with him. No fluent conversation seem to appear. He disappeared every weekend to discover the surroundings and moved around always in bicycle, and mostly by his own.
Tom, was similar to Xavier in way of action. He was quiet, didn't say much. Even on Sunday meetings, when everyone would talk about the place and their sensations, he would limit his words wisely by just introducing himself: "Hi, I'm Tom". Sometimes, not even the "Hi" was mentioned. I had the honor to talk with him for more than 15 minutes, which seemed like a miracle around the place.
And then there was David, from Brooklyn, NY. That was a quick connection we had there, and when he took Amit's place at the kitchen doing the morning ragi and as lunch chef, man that was the best time in the Forest. David and Alex together was even a better combination of laughter and fun working. David came after my first week there. However, he had already spent sometime in the community before, and was considered a long timer.
Volunteers kept coming and going. Gita, Miguel and Samantha, Sean and Todd, Esra, Cameron, the New Zealand family and others left. And to occupy their space were David, Shimri, Nora and Neal, Tanzuk or Eric. And each fitted in one of those definitions of a volunteer, each had a different world to show, a different life to live, different experiences to share. But we were all together, and worked together for each other, and in a way, that was also wonderful.
Taking a break - Break I
A week in Sadhana hardly moving from the place, but to Koot Road for Internet and cookies, was enough for me to decide to go to Pondi for the day. Furthermore, I had a reason to go. I had forgotten my mobile phone charger at the hotel room I was staying at, and talking with the manager by phone wasn't helping much. But getting into Pondi wasn't easy stuff apparently.
First I needed to get to the road. Didn't feel comfortable with leaving the bicycle in Koot Road for the whole day, so I asked Miguel, an Argentinian guy with whom I connected very fast, to take me to the road. There's the problem, there are two ways to get into Sadhana, one through Moratandi and one through Koot Road. The place to get the bus in Koot Road was easy to find, but not so much in Moratandi, where you were in the middle of nowhere, unable to stop a bus cause, in the first place, you couldn't tell which one was actually going to Pondi. Later I learned that all would go there, or at least in that direction.
Second, I didn't want to stop in the bus stand, so I decided to get out of the bus earlier thinking I knew where I was but, actually, not knowing. So after trying several rickshaws who asked for more money than I was prepared to pay, I walked and walked in the desired direction not really knowing how far away was I from my destination.
Finally, I get a rickshaw for the stipulated price of 20 rupees and I went directly to the Continental Hotel, where I had stayed during my time in Pondi. Apparently, the manager, didn't understand the word "charger" when I yelled it through the phone, but I accomplished to make them understand what I had lost, and that I really needed it. So they showed me 3 different mobile phone chargers, none of which was mine. However, they promised to keep on looking. I wasn't very happy with the results, nevertheless, I wasn't hopeless, a tiny bit of light could be seen at the end of the tunnel where my charger was.
The rest of the day consisted on spending all my time in my favorite places. Coffee.com for cold coffee and Satsanga for a pepper steak and a beer. Another of my missions was to get some filters for my rolling cigarettes, but I had no luck on that one, and so I had to keep on with normal disgusting cigarettes and bidis.
For the way back, I didn't want to risk it on the bus again, so I got a rickshaw all the way back. Comfortable and relaxed. A come and go break that made me realize things had to change in Sadhana. My attitude.
First I needed to get to the road. Didn't feel comfortable with leaving the bicycle in Koot Road for the whole day, so I asked Miguel, an Argentinian guy with whom I connected very fast, to take me to the road. There's the problem, there are two ways to get into Sadhana, one through Moratandi and one through Koot Road. The place to get the bus in Koot Road was easy to find, but not so much in Moratandi, where you were in the middle of nowhere, unable to stop a bus cause, in the first place, you couldn't tell which one was actually going to Pondi. Later I learned that all would go there, or at least in that direction.
Second, I didn't want to stop in the bus stand, so I decided to get out of the bus earlier thinking I knew where I was but, actually, not knowing. So after trying several rickshaws who asked for more money than I was prepared to pay, I walked and walked in the desired direction not really knowing how far away was I from my destination.
Finally, I get a rickshaw for the stipulated price of 20 rupees and I went directly to the Continental Hotel, where I had stayed during my time in Pondi. Apparently, the manager, didn't understand the word "charger" when I yelled it through the phone, but I accomplished to make them understand what I had lost, and that I really needed it. So they showed me 3 different mobile phone chargers, none of which was mine. However, they promised to keep on looking. I wasn't very happy with the results, nevertheless, I wasn't hopeless, a tiny bit of light could be seen at the end of the tunnel where my charger was.
The rest of the day consisted on spending all my time in my favorite places. Coffee.com for cold coffee and Satsanga for a pepper steak and a beer. Another of my missions was to get some filters for my rolling cigarettes, but I had no luck on that one, and so I had to keep on with normal disgusting cigarettes and bidis.
For the way back, I didn't want to risk it on the bus again, so I got a rickshaw all the way back. Comfortable and relaxed. A come and go break that made me realize things had to change in Sadhana. My attitude.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Observation
I am a person of observation. Then, I act. And on this basis, I spend my first week in Sadhana. I observed the work being done and the volunteers.
We were supposed to work 4 hours a day for lodging and pay 100 rupees for our 3 meals. Work started at 6:30 a.m. until 11:30 with an hour break between 8:30 and 9:30 when we had breakfast. First work would consist either on going to the forest or working in the kitchen preparing our first meal for the whole community.
On my first day, I went to the forest. There, it was season for bunding and digging holes. That day I stuck for the first option. Bunding is basically used for water conservation purposes. A big hole is dug to store water and bunds are built to prevent erosion. So in the rainy season, or the Monsoon in India, water would flow into the holes and the extra water would flow slowly downhill permitting plants to absorb as much as possible.
Second day, and I decided to go for something else. Bunding wasn't really hard work, but working with flip-flops wasn't ideal either. And it turned out, obviously, that it wasn't either for digging holes. However, flip-flops weren't the worst problem, tools were. We had crowbars, which actually worked out quite good for loosing up the soil, but then we also had folded shovels great for throwing soil into a bucket, but awful for digging holes 1 m deep and 60cm wide at each side. They were just too big for its purpose and you would end up using your hands, or whatever you could find that would be more appropriate.
If, to all the inconveniences, you add the holes were separated by scarcely one meter, the work altogether seemed useless more than compensating. So on my third day, I went for work in the kitchen, and there I would stay for my whole stay in Sadhana until my second to last day. At least for the first shift.
The first week was also for observing the volunteers, and of course, the couple running the place, which hardly showed themselves. On my arrival, there were 4 volunteering families. A family from New Zealand with amazing hard working kids. They all worked in whatever was needed. And two Israeli families with smaller children, about 3 each, and were only the father would work. And then there was Jack, Dorothe and Jonathan, whom will have their own post.
At the time, there were other volunteers worth mentioning. Spicy Alex from California, who stayed in the kitchen after getting ill and hurting his leg or foot at some point. Anva, whom, as Alex, arrived the same day as me, took a week to learn my name, and spent the same week talking to me in Hebrew, which I obviously don't understand, because, NO, I'm not Israeli.
Dreads are a fashion in India. My volunteer welcomer, Cameron, whom I spoke about before, had them. Amit, who doesn't like ragi, but loves it, our morning chef, had them. And Reza, the German with the laughing treacherous eyes had them. Except for a week Amit was sick, I worked with him in the kitchen every morning until a perfect understanding of what each had to do was accomplished. And he ended fucking up my English while I was with him. I started talking like Israelis. I love that guy. If I ever go to Israel, he is definitely one of the main reasons. Though, he has a German passport.
Reza, on the other hand, wasn't as hard working as Amit. And I realized with him how age difference can be so noticeable. Julie, an American Jewish girl was one of the long-timers along with Reza, Amit and others. On my arrival, she was definitely trying to hook up with Esra, who's girlfriend was somewhere in India. That girl really needed to get laid.
And then there was Sean and Ross, Tom, Carly, Gita, or Xavier among others. I had tons of fun with Sean and Todd. Sean was crazy, while Ross, despite being American, was more settled. Carly was an amazing English girl, and boys, no, she wasn't hot, but that wouldn't have mattered, had I several more centimeters up to the sky.
At the end, I would naturally spent more time with some of the volunteers and less with others. With some I would connect more and others I would not trust. I liked them all, but there wasn't the same connection with each of them. Age, interests, hobbies, language were factors that influenced on spending more time with one person than with another. With Amit for example, I spent plenty of time inside the compound, specially in working hours, but outside, I spent more time with others, and it all will be seen as time goes by.
We were supposed to work 4 hours a day for lodging and pay 100 rupees for our 3 meals. Work started at 6:30 a.m. until 11:30 with an hour break between 8:30 and 9:30 when we had breakfast. First work would consist either on going to the forest or working in the kitchen preparing our first meal for the whole community.
On my first day, I went to the forest. There, it was season for bunding and digging holes. That day I stuck for the first option. Bunding is basically used for water conservation purposes. A big hole is dug to store water and bunds are built to prevent erosion. So in the rainy season, or the Monsoon in India, water would flow into the holes and the extra water would flow slowly downhill permitting plants to absorb as much as possible.
Second day, and I decided to go for something else. Bunding wasn't really hard work, but working with flip-flops wasn't ideal either. And it turned out, obviously, that it wasn't either for digging holes. However, flip-flops weren't the worst problem, tools were. We had crowbars, which actually worked out quite good for loosing up the soil, but then we also had folded shovels great for throwing soil into a bucket, but awful for digging holes 1 m deep and 60cm wide at each side. They were just too big for its purpose and you would end up using your hands, or whatever you could find that would be more appropriate.
If, to all the inconveniences, you add the holes were separated by scarcely one meter, the work altogether seemed useless more than compensating. So on my third day, I went for work in the kitchen, and there I would stay for my whole stay in Sadhana until my second to last day. At least for the first shift.
The first week was also for observing the volunteers, and of course, the couple running the place, which hardly showed themselves. On my arrival, there were 4 volunteering families. A family from New Zealand with amazing hard working kids. They all worked in whatever was needed. And two Israeli families with smaller children, about 3 each, and were only the father would work. And then there was Jack, Dorothe and Jonathan, whom will have their own post.
At the time, there were other volunteers worth mentioning. Spicy Alex from California, who stayed in the kitchen after getting ill and hurting his leg or foot at some point. Anva, whom, as Alex, arrived the same day as me, took a week to learn my name, and spent the same week talking to me in Hebrew, which I obviously don't understand, because, NO, I'm not Israeli.
Dreads are a fashion in India. My volunteer welcomer, Cameron, whom I spoke about before, had them. Amit, who doesn't like ragi, but loves it, our morning chef, had them. And Reza, the German with the laughing treacherous eyes had them. Except for a week Amit was sick, I worked with him in the kitchen every morning until a perfect understanding of what each had to do was accomplished. And he ended fucking up my English while I was with him. I started talking like Israelis. I love that guy. If I ever go to Israel, he is definitely one of the main reasons. Though, he has a German passport.
Reza, on the other hand, wasn't as hard working as Amit. And I realized with him how age difference can be so noticeable. Julie, an American Jewish girl was one of the long-timers along with Reza, Amit and others. On my arrival, she was definitely trying to hook up with Esra, who's girlfriend was somewhere in India. That girl really needed to get laid.
And then there was Sean and Ross, Tom, Carly, Gita, or Xavier among others. I had tons of fun with Sean and Todd. Sean was crazy, while Ross, despite being American, was more settled. Carly was an amazing English girl, and boys, no, she wasn't hot, but that wouldn't have mattered, had I several more centimeters up to the sky.
At the end, I would naturally spent more time with some of the volunteers and less with others. With some I would connect more and others I would not trust. I liked them all, but there wasn't the same connection with each of them. Age, interests, hobbies, language were factors that influenced on spending more time with one person than with another. With Amit for example, I spent plenty of time inside the compound, specially in working hours, but outside, I spent more time with others, and it all will be seen as time goes by.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)