Week 3 I think?? We are wrapping up our third week in India. We took a two day hiatus to Varkala, a tourist beach town. I contracted "Dehli Belly" somewhere along the road and was sick in the hotel room the first night. I guess I feel grateful I made it this long without getting sick. Anyway, I'm fine now after losing my cookies for about six hours and moaning and groaning.

Varkala was beautiful. It reminded me of Virginia Beach, but within an INdian backdrop. We had some excellent walks, beach combing, swimming pool and good meals at a place called Clafouti. Jolena got to eat penne pasta with alfredo sauce and thought she was in food heaven. She is drawing lots of pictures, and misses her friends, especially Beau and Sky. She has met Amar, a French boy here, and Mira and Govinda at the Ashram, and her friend Deepa in Varkala.

The train to Varkala was fun. We paid for first class, then got on the wrong car, and were squished like sardines in second class. On the way back to the Armitapuri Ashram we got on the first class car, and it was so sweet. Nice benches, pillows, blankets, room, and even air conditioning!

Seva: Seva is the service work we are asked to do at the Ashram. Steve helps serve breakfast in the Western Cafe. The Western Cafe is where most of the Euros, North and South Americans, and Japanese and Chinese go to eat. They have veggie burgers, fries, omelets, etc. to eat. Oh, and forget about losing weight in India when you're at this Ashram. I may have lost one or two pounds becasue of the walking and yoga, but the food in incredible. They have a bakery, and we get sweets all the time. Also, free chai at 4 pm. Ok, back to seva. Steve has also been painting some signs, and touch up paint jobs. I take care of the pool at 10 am every morning for the women. I'm the official pool attendant for the women's swim time. It's great. Jolena and I get to swim for an hour, and I just have to clean the filters and swab the decks. Ok, really I just sweep the pool deck. Not too bad.

My dishwashing seva is what I don't like. I don't even do dishes at home. Mostly Steve does them! Ugggh. So 2 hrs a day, three times a week, I'm in the Western Cafe doing dishes. Usually I'm by myself, but today I had a helper-- a new visitor to the Ashram, Emily from Pennsylvania. She is a corporate lawyer who just quit her job to go explore the world for a couple of months. We had a great time visiting. And, I got done 30 minutes earlier having help!

Jolena enjoys pistachio ice cream every day. They have a "juice stall" which is common in India, and the Ashram is no exception. You can buy fruit, fresh squeezed juice, and ice cream! They have milk shakes, and the best is called a "sharja" which is chocolate, cashew, and banana. You have to ask them for "no sugar" otherwise you will go into a sugar induced coma. Seriously, the Indians really like their sugar.

We have made some great friends here. Juliana Secchi. a college student from Rio, Brazil. Then there is Amar and his mother from France. She gave me some music to copy that I can teach the kids at home. Then there is Sharmunga, the dairy farmer on the Ashram. He is very nice. He is copying some CD's of Carnatic music for me, and a dance DVD. He really likes chatting with us. He and Steve hit it off the day we met him because they are both a bit hair challenged. I also met Amina from Berlin, and yesterday I acted as an Italian translator for Donatella, who is from Florence, Italy. Not many Italians here yet, and she was so lost as her English is not so good. Most of the INdians can communicate in English, so she needed help. I took her here and there, and showed her around. I understand about 50% of what she is saying. So, between my broken italiano and her broken English, we are getting along. My Italian teacher Eduardo would be proud!

We also met a German couple who have two boys, one is three, and one is two months old, who live at the Ashram. They have been helpful showing us all the kid friendly things to do and how to cope with the differences here to make it a better experience for Jo.

Lastly, wanted to add about my first Carnatic music lesson. I learned a raga, which is a set of pitches or tones, from Subhadra and her son, Shyam Krishnan. Steve has a video, so you can see for yourself. I'll add a picture of them. I met Subhadra at the elementary school where she teaches. She does not teach music at the school however. Most Indians here in Kerala learn music at home, or serious ones through private lessons like what we had.

Prior to our trip to Varkala we visited a local tempel which was not what I expected. It was built around a few trees where you donate a few ruppies for the poor and say a few prayers. During the visit the afternoon monsoon kicked in and our rickshaw crossed the spiritual boundary and picked us up. It does not rain cats and dogs it is more like elephants and hippos.

Om Namah Shivaya! More later! Thanks for all your comments. I'm homesick and it's great to hear from everyone. Love, Jude, Steve and Jo-J0

PS Jolena says hi to Beau, Sky and Clayton especially. She says "I love you!"