Just over 1 Year...

...ago we landed in Chennai airport and made the 3 hour drive down to Auroville to our new home and new life. Those early days and weeks passed in a blur of paperwork, visiting friends and getting unpacked.

There is now a feeling of familiarity about this time of year, certain flowers in bloom, fruits in season and bugs and butterflies around. It's nice to be reminded visually of our first moments here. It's been amazing. Sure, there have been a few tough moments, K struggling to settle in the beginning, the heat and tempers of the summer but I honestly don't remember a previous year that I've felt so happy, so right.

I'm getting used to lots, I don't flinch much at bugs (well...except cockroaches), I have perfected the sideways Indian headshake (the universal sign of yes, no, maybe, I don't know, it doesn't matter...etc...) and I can even say a few words of Tamil (it's a slow process as it's an incredibly complex and ancient language). The growing changes over the first months, the nervous feeling about venturing out on my own, my first drive on my moped, my first solo trip into the nearest town. It's nice to feel at home here, I feel it all the more as tourist season slowly starts up again and fresh faced hippy kids shakily drive their mopeds about town looking lost. I love how much I've learned by living amongst people of such different cultures (about 40 nationalities live here), I've discovered kombucha and kimchi, laddus and lemon soda

 

I miss some things about the UK, fresh air for example, like real fresh cold air. It cools briefly here during a storm - during which I go out on the balcony and embrace the coldness and the wet, but otherwise it's hot, humid, sweaty which gets draining after while - not to mention I am currently blessed with prickly heat rash, the result of constant sweating which feels like thousands of pins being stuck into your skin simultaneously. I miss the ease of finding things I need or want, I had such fun trying to find split pins for a craft project with K, the blank looks of each and every shop keepers face followed by being handed a multitude of other pins, drawing pins, paperclips, etc until I backed off and decided to ask the folks back home to send me some...I (sometimes) even miss convenience food. Here my idea of convenience food is a jar of freshly made pesto from the food co-op, instead of making my own, to go on my pasta - the occasional frozen pizza and chips wouldn't go amiss (or a cider for that matter!). But all that aside, and I'm sure within weeks the novelty would wear off, those longings are not an everyday thing.

 

My 30th birthday was yesterday and as my 20s have drawn to a close I am reminded how far we've come and how sure I am that we made the right move. No, it's not perfect, there are always jobs, chores, errands, 'things' to do, issues to deal with, people to try to understand or tolerate but at least we're doing all this in a place that facilitates our growth, nurtures our spirits and gives us joy in our hearts.

 

Roll on the next year!

 

More soon, with love.

 

Laura.

 

What a month!

Wow, this past month has just flown by!

 

So the 1st was C's birthday, we went to Pondy in the evening (K at C's mums for the night) and had a lovely dinner in a fancy hotel on the sea front. These nights that we get child free are so important, it's nice to reconnect and relax a bit!

 

A few days later 2 huge truckloads of earth were delivered to our community to be used to raise the level of the communal garage. Obviously K was delighted!

 

 

The floor is now filled and compacted and the next stage is to cover with concrete. This is funded with the community account (each adult pays 200rs/£2 a month into this account for such projects) and projects are decided on at our monthly community meeting. Sadly not everyone participates in the meetings but me and C like to keep active in this area and I think it's good that a few of us younger residents show some interest in what happens.

 

The 15th marked not only Independance Day on a national scale but also the birthday of Sri Aurobindo, the guru of The Mother, who dreamed up the concept of Auroville. The community celebrate by having a bonfire at the Martimandir amphitheatre. I hadn't been before (the bonfire is lit at 5am!!) but I wanted to go so made the 4am wake up call and cycled there. It was quite exciting and nice to be going for the first time alone. I enjoy having that time for reflection, to connect with my own experience of life here.

 

I found a spot at the back, to enable me to take the whole scene in. It was very quiet, people only speaking in very hushed tones if at all.

 

Then the fire was lit, there was still silence in the amphitheatre, only the crackling of the swiftly ignited fire could be heard. After about 15 minutes, a recording of a reading of some of Sri Aurobindo's writings was played which added to the mood.

 

(I've not read his work and not much of The Mother's either - luckily not a prerequisite to living here. I tend to follow my own path spiritually and use bits of certain religions, philosophies and ideas to shape that path. I guess being raised by anarchists taught me not to conform too much to any one ideal. I'm glad that I am able to feel that way and live here without prejudice - in reality their collective work isn't meant to be seen as a religion...)

 

Then we watched as the sky grew lighter and the birds started singing. It was a very beautiful thing to witness and I felt very connected to the collective as well as myself.

 

 

At around 6am I cycled home again, feeling elated. I had enough time to get changed and headed back out to attend my yoga class. I got home at 8.30, energised, tired and happy.

 

One reason I haven't updated my blog this month is that we had an earsplitting thunder and lightning storm which hit our hub and blew it as well as our PC. We still have our laptop but we had no internet for nearly 2 weeks which was initially devastating as it represents my link to my family and friends back home but after the cravings wore off, I found myself being much more proactive!

 

I finally made a project this month that I had been meaning to make for ages. I'm always looking for ways to reuse waste creatively and found this project on Pinterest:

super-sci-fi-rocket-fueled-jet-pack 

 

Here is my version which K is very happy with. He's just reached an age where dressing up is a big part of his play.

 We also had a call from the RRO regarding our visas and were asked to come in on the 18th to collect them. We arrived just before 4.30pm as requested and sat for about half an hour before being told that due to a power cut, they wouldn't be ready that day and to return the following afternoon. The next day we returned and sat for over an hour, during which time and number of men sifted through piles of applications, doling them out to various people. Finally they found C's, then after another painful wait, they found mine but not K's as apparently they made (another) mistake with his and had to redo it...!!! So, me and C are finally legally here but not K yet. Hopefully his will be ready in the coming week...we'll see...

 

Then on the 21st I started my 'Newcomer orientation week', which is a week spent with people who also joined Auroville at around the same time. We visited a number of interesting places and projects, a large number of which I'd not been to before and some I'd only seen a little of:

 

Sacred Groves housing project

Solitude Farm

Auroville Earth Institute

Aurospirul Spirulina Farm

Pitchandikulam Forest

 

It was amazing to see how much hard work goes on here. We don't always see because we focus on our work, our home, our friends but when you get the chance to see the bigger picture it is an affirmation of why we're here. Our base for this was the Tibetan Pavillion in the cultural zone of Auroville which is a very beautiful place to spend time. I felt very at home there and it was only place I took a photo during the week (I usually snap everything but fancied having a week off from that, to really focus on the activities instead of getting the perfect shot)

 

 

Well, only 2 photos - couldn't resist this lotus either!

 

 

Last week, I finally got an upgrade! I've been driving the moped for almost a year now and it felt like the right time to get a bigger bike. This is the most popular bike in India, the Hero Honda Splendour. It's more economical with petrol and is a fairly small bike so easier to handle as a woman with a small build. C's bike is not so practical for a family so this will be our family bike. We got it second hand for 18,000rs (about £180) and we should be able to sell the moped for around 10,000-12,000 (£100-120) which will offset most of the cost. It will take a little time for me to get used to it though as it has gears which the moped does not.

 

Friday marked the beginning of Ganesh Chathurti, a 10 day festival celebrating Ganesh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesh_Chaturthi)

 

K brought home a handpainted model made with earth which we have put on the balcony.

 

It's been a packed month, am sure September will be no exception either. Will be back next week with reflections of our first full year here.

 

Love.

 

 

 

One month to go...

...before we've been here for a whole year! It's just flown by, seems only a few weeks ago I was writing about our new house and life. Anyway, I'll have a proper time for reflection next month.

 

As always, the time has gone quickly, especially since we're settling back into the school routine and the hustle and bustle that goes with it.

 

I've started a side project to make a few extra rupees each month by baking cakes and desserts for C's cafe. At the moment I'm making 2 a week (a crumble and a batch of muffins or a fruit loaf or flapjacks for example). It's good as I'm only working in the mornings at Eco Femme and can bake from home in the afternoons. I love baking too so it's a win-win situation.

 

I've also just started an online course with Coursera, my third to date but first in a year as we had all the moving to do. I signed up for Social Psychology this time (previously did 'Intro to Psychology' and 'The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness'), a 7 week course of which I'm nearly at the end of week 3. The last time I did one of these courses I was a stay at home mum living in a flat in the UK and now it's been a little hard to keep up with it all as well as working, housework, childcare etc etc etc. I'm sticking it out though and really learning lots too. I think it's an amazing platform that allows people to continue learning, I thoroughly recommend having a look at their site...

 

My yoga classes have started up again too (my teacher took a break for a month) so as you can imagine, I'm pretty fully booked. Phew!

 

 

So this month, I met a few more beasties, firstly this rather huge cockroach. I moved here with a pretty bad fear of most bugs but have got so much braver. I still can't get over my fear of these though...

 

(on my first trip to India, I saw my first ever cockroach whilst waiting for a train. From a distance I was mildly interested but looked away to see if our train was coming. I looked back to see where the roach was to find it sitting on my shoulder waving its long antennae at me. I gave an unearthly shriek much to the amusement of the locals and flung it off me. Since then they have become an issue to me.)

 

...luckily we don't have too many...*shudder*.

 

 

Then I lifted the rock up which we use to keep the back door open one bright Sunday morning to find that a battle had been waged between two vicious beasties. In this instance, the scorpion appeared to have won. I left them be as both have a nasty sting. They were gone an hour later.

 

 

 

I also saw this beautiful specimen catching some afternoon rays. He let me get quite close before running up a tree.

 

 

 

Last week I took a trip the the botanical gardens and returned with this most beautiful pink hibiscus. It's just a baby and I think I'll keep it potted on the balcony. It's just lovely.

 

 

 

 

We've also just planted a new crop of tomatoes and cucumbers, we think that by monsoon season they should be big enough to deal with the rains. C bought a net which we've attached to the roof above our balcony and running down to the trough below so the cucumbers have a sturdy thing to climb up. It's a better spot for them as it gets the afternoon sun rather than the midday sun which killed off our first attempt after producing just two cucumbers.

 

 

This is the tree in the centre of the campus where I work, it provides much needed shade and has a huge perfectly tuned windchime (see in the branches to the left) made just a short distance away at Svaram. It adds a peaceful atmosphere to an already happy environment (and I really want to climb the tree!).

 

 

Artwork on the wall by my office.

 

 

 

K and the Ganesh shrine by the Solar Kitchen, where the staff make morning puja

 

 Me on the balcony in the afternoon sun.

 

 

Last sat I was invited to a ladies afternoon with some friends and new faces. We drank some wine (such a rare treat), had a swim in the pool, put on a mud mask and then made a puja on the beach at sundown before being joined by our respective partners and kids and having a pot luck dinner. Shortly before we left it started to rain and we got to drive back home with the lightning flashing overhead and a cool, gentle rain refreshing us. One thing I've observed since we moved is how alive I feel, especially during moments like this.

 

 

 

I'm rather an introvert so don't have a constant need for company but when I do share a nice day with good people it nourishes my soul and eases my homesickness, my few friends back in the UK are greatly missed. 

Anyway, that's all for now. C will be back from his evening of work soon and I have to do some more work on my studies before bed. It's C's birthday tomorrow and I won't have much time for studies until Sun. C's mum will have K tomorrow night so we can go to Pondy for a nice meal and then Sat morning we're off to the fancy resort nearby for a swim and lunch with the family.

 

 

More soon,

 

Laura

 

x

 

One week in...

...to my new job and I am feeling very positive indeed. I feel very lucky to have arrived at this point and to be working with such strong inspirational women for such an important cause. Even the drive there is joyful, butterflies and greenery all around as I trundle along on my moped.

 

I'll try not to go on too much about the evils of disposable sanitary products on here but well...they are pretty evil! If anyone reading wants to discuss further or to ask questions please feel free to drop me a line at laura@ecofemme.org :)

Anyway, summer is slowly drawing to a close here, people are returning from their nice cool holidays and K is back to kindergarten on Mon. It's been tough coping with the heat, I feel that maybe in hindsight it was harder that I realised. Tempers are frayed and the permenant sweating leads to itchy heat rash. K has been pretty hard work as a result too. Still, it should be getting progressively cooler from now on.

 

At the beginning of June I met another new kind of praying mantis, they are just fascinating to watch. I'm getting much better with bugs since moving here (although not the cockroaches - urgh!)

 

 

 

K having a play outside with his 'sunbrella'

 

 

Our community in bloom - the tree (Delonix Regiais or Royal Poinciana) known as a Realization tree here, fitting as it's the name of our community. The pink flowers are Oleanders and have the most amazing scent.

 

 

Me and C had a welcome day/night away in Mahabalipuram to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary. After the stress of weeks of hot, sweaty, grumpy, bored 4 year old, it really was nice!

This is the shore temple from a distance.

 

 

Here is me sitting on a stone lion :)

 

 

This amused me, needless to say, we didn't go in!

 

 

The next day before we left for home, we visited the Tiger cave, just a little distance away. I'd not been before and it was a nice way to finish off our visit.

 

 

K's been spending lots of time on our balcony as it's shaded and he has a big bucket to splash in. He's also been doing chalk drawings on the floor...

 

 

He's all into superheroes at the moment so every pose looks like this!

 

 

Another beach trip...

 

 

A few nights ago we had a wonderful but brief downpour with the most ear splitting cracks of thunder and flashes of forked lightning.

 

I really love the tropical storms, they're so dramatic, especially as the house only had mesh on the upstairs doors and the windows are covered by small slats of single pane glass. You feel so connected to it. It's exhilarating!

 

I got these shots on our small side balcony once the rain had stopped.

 

Anyway, that's it for now. It's getting late *yawn*.

 

Love,

 

Laura

                                                                               ॐ

 

 

My amazing new job.

More soon, just a quick check in as I wanted to share my good news.

 

Since emigrating I’ve been kinda bimbling around trying to find a place to work, I mean a place to really invest my time and energy in a way that feels right in my heart.

 

I mean, I’ve spent my whole adult life doing whatever work came my way. To continue in that direction after taking the leap of faith and moving here seemed a little silly.

 

This video is a few years old but wanted to show you who I’ll be working with from July: Eco Femme Video.

 

Not only do they make beautiful environmentally friendly cloth pads (with nappies and breast pads in the pipeline) stitched by local village women to provide them with livelihoods but they do extensive work to help empower and educate women here in India on menstruation. Watch the vid and you’ll see what stigma is attached to that perfectly natural monthly occurance through lack of education and communication.

 

Am so excited as it’s exactly what I hoped to do out here. Since using cloth nappies with my son, I've seen how good you can feel about making a small change and have been proudly using reusable sanitary products for a few years now. Disposable sanitary waste is bad news, full of plastic and harmful toxins and isn't going away.

 

It’s all come about due to following an inkling of an idea and just goes to show that sometimes it’s good to 'find your dream and boldly go for it' (wise words from my dear uncle) 

 

More info on the inititative available here on their website: Eco Femme.

 

 

 

Laura xx

Our day trip - 27th may

Hi, I wanted to write about our day trip to Vandalur Zoo and Dizzee world. We were approached by the mother of a girl in K's class aboiut taking a minibus up the coast near Chennai for a day trip. It sounded like fun and the sort of thing you should do at least once during the summer holidays so we said yes.

We went on the 27th May - a Tuesday - in the hope to avoid the weekend rush. The minibus picked us up outside our community at 8am where we joined the other 3 families, a Russian family with 3 kids (one girl in K's class), an Indian lady and her daughter (also in K's class) and an Italian couple and their son.

 

 

Bus view:

 

 

At one of the toll gates along the way (I love the painted trucks):

 

It was quite a long journey to get to the zoo, especially including a stop for coffee and the loo but finally we arrived there at around midday (quite a hot time of day to be out and about but nevermind).

 

 

First stop was the fish shaped aquarium, better from the outside. it contained mostly common aquarium fish and empty tanks...

 

 

Then we saw an enclosure full of albino peacocks - beautiful!

 

 

One thing I love about living here are the funny signs, misspellings etc. 'IT IS OFFENCE!!' tickled me...

 

 

The zoo is actually rather big and the little tour buses were fully booked so we hired bicycles to get about on (for the equivalent of 20p)

 

 

Another of my favourite signs, there wasn't even a noticable heap of leaf litter. :)

 

 

A white tiger having a midday snooze...

 

 

A newly arrived collection of Wild Ass (yep, I am quite immature *snigger*)

 

 

K and his monkey friend

 

 

Zoo-ed out in the midday heat

 

The zoo was ok, the price was good, 50p for me and C each and 20p for K but most animals were hidden away and without the uncomfortable bicycles we'd have had a long walk. Anyway, onwards we went towards Chennai and Dizzee World...

 

Shot from the bus

 

 

Another view of 'real' India. The littering here is immense, makes me sad but after all, India is a country of extremes.

 

 

Finally arrived at Dizzee World at around 3pm *everyone in the bus cheers*

 

 

We had no idea what to expect, one thing I've learned from spending time here is to never presume to know what something will be like, be it food on a menu or a tourist destination.

 

 

But it was surprisingly clean and functional...well...except the pool areas...

They were over crowded and dirty. Many people, especially the women, go in fully dressed which is very unhygienic. C went up to go down the water slide to find a human poo on the stairs. Needless to say we stayed in long enough to cool down after our sweaty morning and made a hasty retreat. I think I've been spoilt with the pools local to us in AV. Clean, rarely busy and certainly no poo!

 

 

 

C and K on a ride

 

 

We didn't have time for the rollercoaster, maybe next time...

 

 

A funny looking caterpillar ride

 

 

K's favourite ride, he was giggling and spinning in circles for most of it.

 

 

Spot the boy...

 

 

Enjoying a motorbike ride

 

 

Me and K posing with a Triceratops, naturally.

 

 

Just before leaving.

 

 

All in all, we had a great day out. The zoo wasn't so great, maybe the midday heat contributed to that but Dizzee World was fun, not just for K but for us grown ups too. It was a very long day, we left at 8am and were home by 9.30pm. So tired the next day at work!

 

Anyway, must close now, tomorrow me and C are off back up the cost to Mahaballipuram for the night to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary. Not had a night to ourselves since Jan so looking forward to that.

 

Will be back soon as have some exciting news regarding my new job starting in July and other bits and pieces besides.

 

Sending love from hot and sweaty India.

 

Laura.