Written by Jasmine Lopez Dominguez
I have been on the train. The train to the Ashram was about 10 hours. We found a place to eat at the train station. We met up with one of the teachers on the train. We took a 20-25 min drive to the Ashram. We are staying in dorms with 24 roommates. This place is more about Yoga. We are on a schedule just like in Porto Village. This schedule is more calm. We start the day by singing and chanting.
We then have tea time. We start our Yoga class where we meditate, stretch our bodies, and relax our minds and bodies. We have brunch, then free time. After, we have a lecture where we also get to ask questions. We then have another Yoga class. Afterwards, we have more free time. Then it’s time for dinner and we end the day by singing and chanting. I have met a lot of people during the trip. I was able to meet teenagers 14 and younger at Proto Village. I was super excited to cook at Proto Village. I made Horchata and helped make burritos. I was able to share part of my culture with India. I was really happy the kids took the time to learn a bit of Spanish while I was there. I was happy when the kids and people said I was welcome to come back anytime and when the kids said they would miss me. I was excited when I found out my sketch for the compost toilet looked almost like a replica of what the actual project was going to look like. I felt like I had accomplished something which made me feel good. I was also confused and excited when I got chosen to be a student leader because I was not expecting to be the first to be one. I am excited to learn to be one and learn new qualities. I was happy to be at the Ashram as well because I got to clear my mind, relax/meditate, and stretch in a different way than at Proto Village. At the Ashram I have met a couple of kind people. They have given me tips, been honest, showed me around, and been kind enough to gift me a pineapple.
I learned a lot from all of this. I learned to see the positive side of things and to expect the unexpected. Also, that love and kindness will follow you where you go. The group and I were challenged by Yoga. It was intense but we all felt alleviated after the sessions. We did a lot of stretches and breathing exercises and also lots of meditation. A way we grew was as the days passed it got easier and we all felt calmed and relaxed after. We went on a morning walk or so we thought. It ended up being a hike up a mountain where we watched the sunrise. Made us realize anything is possible and to expect the unexpected.
Something that surprised me was how kind the people were. Also how the staff made sure I had what I needed. I met a lot of new people and was able to get dressed for Shivratri which is a festival celebrated from 7 pm to 4 am. I got to wear a Saree and learn to dance. I was surprised how long people stayed awake at the festival. Jasmin and I were the only ones from the group who left around 3:30 am. I am most grateful for the kids at Proto Village who helped me translate, look for things, and teach me things I would’ve never thought of like how spinning is done. I was grateful to make new friends at the Ashram who checked up on me and told me their stories.
The group was very upset by the monkeys. At times we were scared. Other times we were amused at how adorable they looked. We had 2 monkey invasions. A monkey attempted to get into the girl’s dorm but failed miserably since we had locked the doors. The first time a monkey was successfully inside one of the dorms was the boy’s dorm. Someone had forgotten to lock the 2nd door and a monkey was able to get in and have a feast. We laughed about the guys having a monkey invasion and about a couple hours later the girls' dorm was invaded by a monkey. The monkey had a makeup session and stole some cosmetic items and a little bit of snacks.