Last Days in India

First, I have to explain womp rats and Biggs blog comments. The title of my last post was “Almost There”. This was a reference to a line from the first Star Wars movie that my friend Katherine and my sister Naomi often quoted to each other. So the womp rat quote and the reference to “never getting out of here” are both Luke Skywalker lines. Consider this an inside joke!

Karen is much better now and has rejoined classes. We only have 3 classes left, plus Institute night tonight where Geeta will give a talk on Yoga philosophy. The pranayama classes have been soothing and energizing. Both Geeta's and Prashant's teachings have had insights to remember and practice.

Yesterday I went with my new friend Tina to finish up shopping. Tina is from Seattle, so I am sure I will see her around! We went to an incense and perfumed oil store that was literally a hole in the wall. The shop smelled wonderful, and we sniffed rose, jasmine, and sandalwood oils before Tina selected rose and jasmine to take home with her. The shop owner had a steady hand as he poured the oils from a large bottle into smaller one ounce bottles and then packaged each bottle with a gold top and red velvet bag. We also went to a jewelery shop and bought a set of anklets to share. The women here wear anklets only in pairs, and most stores will not sell you just one. We were waited on by two 12 year old boys, who seemed eager to find the perfect anklets for us.
We also visited a castle that Nana said was over 350 years old, and a grocery store to stock up on cookies and chocolate. Our flatmate Oscar has turned out to be a cookie fanatic, and we can hardly keep stocked up. Then it was time to say goodbye to Nana as we wouldn't be seeing him again but I did get a picture of him.

We allowed ourselves to start packing today, and this heightened our already buoyant mood. Karen put the Dixie Chicks on the iPod and we had a great afternoon.

I will post again when I arrive home this weekend.