DAY 18 - Another Move

Today I get to look at the new room I might move into. It's in the family house right across from the shala so it would certainly be a short walk to practice in the morning! I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping it is livable, because I do not want to look at any more places. (The last place I saw was like some kind of basement with a few small rooms, literally all concrete walls and floors, a couple of tiny windows at the top of the wall, cramped and filthy and completely unfurnished. The guy was like, "This is a bedroom... this is the kitchen..." I guess maybe that meant there was some kind of prep if you wanted to make it a kitchen? I don't understand. I was horrified and mumbled something about it being not exactly what I had in mind. When we left my friend Emma said exactly what I was thinking, "Whoa, that looked like a torture chamber.") So, I go to see this new place and it's a pretty big bedroom with built-in wardrobes for my clothes and the cleanest floor I've seen in India so far. The western-style bathroom is attached and has a flushing toilet, sink, and shower, and it seems that it may have warm water, as well. The house is very big with a few guest rooms, so it feels a little more like a hotel room than the other places I've stayed, especially since it has a private bath. I think it will be relatively quiet here. Great! What a relief. I say I'll take it and get the keys; I'll move my things this afternoon.

Then I'm off to my first lunch at Sandia's, where we have to call ahead and let her know we're coming and she'll cook for however many people she expects. We are presented with a beautiful variety of home-cooked dishes that we eat family-style at a large table with a small group. The small plates and bowls of food just keep coming out from the kitchen as they are ready and we pass them around the table, sharing spicy potatoes, hot chapatis, cold curd, soupy dhal, fragrant rice, and a delicious tomato dish that seems more Mexican than Indian; it tastes to me like pico without onions. After lunch my friend Lisa shares a piece of chocolate from the famous "chocolate guy" and wow, is it good! I've been hearing about his guy since I got here but haven't been to his shop yet because everyone seems to get addicted once they try it... oh well, I guess now I'm hooked, too!

Tonight I'm going to a kirtan with my friend Melissa. Annie and Glen have one every Friday and this is the first time I'm joining them. There are kirtans all the time here, but I'm especially happy to be going to Annie's because she's been very nice to me since I've been here. We all meet at the coconut stand and Annie puts us in rickshaws and gets fiesty with the drivers, telling them to be honest and give us a fair price for the ride. It's so funny and also really cool. What's great about Annie, besides her amazing energy and inspiring enthusiasm, is that she's been here, like, 20 times, so she knows her way around this place really well and is kind enough to share some of that knowledge with us newcomers. It's great to go places with her; she'll tell us all about them and what is good there and what not to eat or drink and so on. The kirtan is small but Annie's energy is huge and fills the room as she plays the harmonium and sings and Glen and Ganesh drum. Afterwards, we go the restaurant in a fancy hotel around the corner and have a snack of hot badam (sweet, spiced milk) and paratha, yum. Then Annie and Glen zip off into the night on their scooters, while Melissa and I start the long walk home.