Today is my last day in Pune. I can't believe it is time to go already. I considered staying longer and pushing back my other plans. In the end, I decided that while my experiences here have been incredible, it is time for the next thing. Tomorrow I leave on an 11 AM flight to Delhi. From June 1-June 12, I will be on a
Vipassana retreat outside of Delhi.
On June 12, I will meet up with my friend Ainsley. We will spend 24 days touring the northern part of the country. Our schedule is Delhi-->Agra-->Varanasi-->Jaipur-->Bundi/Chittor-->Udaipur-->Jodhpur-->Delhi-->Leh-->Delhi--> USA (July 5). Suggestions of things to do or other places to see are always welcome!
Saying goodbye to my preschool class was tough. I have really enjoyed spending time with the children and the teachers. When I got to class today, the head teacher told me to put on my shoes and follow her. We left the office and went down the street to the market. She bought me bangles. The generosity of this still astounds me. She wanted me to have a proper set before I left. Walking back into the office, we stopped and showed them to everyone. I passed out cookies (a real treat) to the class. We were allowed to play "monster" for longer than usual. At the end, the teachers gave me ice cream. They asked me to write to them and send a family photo. It was tough to walk out of the classroom to the sounds of "bye bye didi, ta-ta didi." (Didi means big sister.)
While I am sad to leave, I am looking forward to what is next. I was able to say goodbye to a friend over a long afternoon coffee break. Tonight, my housemates from the Cultural Center have planned a dinner and invited pretty much everyone I know here.
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| Last day of English class |
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| Preschool |
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| Pratibha showing off my new bangles. |
I'll be out of touch for the next two weeks but will write about my retreat experiences after that.
I'll be very interested in hearing about your retreat.
ReplyDeleteI've dabbled in sitting meditation and find the concept extremely interesting.
I can't really tell from the wiki I read on Vipassana whether it's the same mindfulness meditation I've tried, i.e., sitting and focusing solely on breathing while gently pushing away any "thinking" that drifts into the breathing focus.
I have "Meditation for Dummies" (a surprisingly informative book) at home, so I'll look up Vipassana tonight.
MtP
That retreat looks pretty amazing--it look pretty similar to what I did, but I don't think that its the same. And its also pretty special that you've already made friends that you're sad to leave. I guess you'll have to go back!
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