Immersion

Ok, well I don't have the pictures to prove it...but today was about the most outrageous meal we have ever experienced! The teacher at the day care, (Mala) the one in the picture with Lily, invited us to lunch with her at the temple after work. We accepted. The lunch was part of a Hindu ceremony when the young members ( 2 and 3 year olds ) get their hair cut for the first time and leave the cut hair to the gods. The children literally go in with long hair and come out with shaved heads (we did not see that part). The attendees were all family members and friends..about 60 people in all including us...and the only person who could speak english was Mala...and she ended up seating us for lunch and then leaving! SO, picture this: a large open room with a cement floor and windows on one side, long mats for everyone to sit (no chairs)...and I thought we were about to pray.."ok" I thought.."I can do this". The men were in their own rows, the women in other rows facing each other. We discovered very quickly this WAS lunch! A plate made from 4 leaves stitched together and a cup was placed in front of each person..then the cooks came around with baskets of hot cooked rice and placed about 3 cups on each person's "plate". Next came a garbanzo bean curry, a hot potato and cauliflower thing, a lentil dal and 2 other things...bean-ish looking with sauce. No Mala to tell us what to do...so I looked at Lil, smiled and said, "Watch the other women and do what they do.". While everyone looked at us with anticipation, we joined them in eating with our hands..our right hand...and we got a few reassuring smiles and so I was able to relax enough to taste what I was eating and it was delicious although I could not help but wonder where the food came from. I know better than to even go there..but I could not help it. Listen, I have been to a lot of church suppers in my day, but this one takes the freakin' cake! Holy %$^%$&!! No napkins by the way..when is the last time you ate an entire ,meal with your hands and no napkin?! So after the meal, which abruptly ended with everyone getting up and leaving..we washed our hands in a huge bucket of water which seemed like it was the thing to do because the ladies were pointing to it and motioning to us to wash there. We left and Lily exhaled an "Oh my God!, Oh my God!" as did I. I had to remind myself that it was a moment in time shared with strangers..one I will NEVER forget.

The afternoon highlight was a walk to the corner market to get ice cream..totally deserved ice cream!...a nap, reading, games and chatting on the porch. We were blessed with a rainbow, I'll include a picture but not sure if it will show up for you to see. I was hoping to video the storm that was coming, but it shifted gears and went another way. Monsoon season is here..and we found out last night when the first REAL storm came through. It lasted about two hours and was violent with rain, wind, thunder and lightning. The sound of it was not unlike a high speed train whipping down the tracks. Thankfully we fell back to sleep and woke to sunny skies and more heat. Vermont weather, although we complain about it most of the year, seems pretty idyllic. Tonight I am going to fall asleep grateful for a day of new things, prayer for good health and happiness that Lily is having fun. Blessings from Dharamsala.