Land of the Sun.

Once upon a time, approximately four years ago, I got on a plane for the first time in my life, completely alone, and flew 17 hours across the North Atlantic Ocean, over Russia, and into India. I landed in New Delhi around midnight. The sky a burning black with small lights scattered into the darkness. Everything around me was written in Hindi. I probably looked like some sort of proverbial drowned rodent---my hair and face greasy from 17 hours sailing across the sky. I definitely looked confused. Importantly, I didn't have (nor know that I needed) my glasses, so I was at least half blind (no--literally, I'm blind in my right eye). But alas, I made it. And I staggered into the blistering night, where the first truly grand adventure of my life awaited me.

Working on a rice field at Navdanya

Prayer Wheels in Dehradun

 Needless to say, India was my first love. The chaotic hum of trains, cows, people, rickshaws, buses, and the endless energy of life filled  the entirety of the country. During my initial visit, I worked with the renowned ecofeminist Vandana Shiva at her sustainable farm and community, Navdanya. I learned about biodiversity, sustainability, organic farming, and the deep struggles that Indian peoples have invested themselves in over the centuries for justice. Traveling around the northern part of the country after my internship, I found diverse peoples who celebrated all of the beauty and magic in life. Prayer flags, incense, Hindu temples, Catholic churches, mosques, ashrams, yoga centers, and sprawling mountains shaped the landscape. The air perpetually smelled of fire, nag champa, trash, and perfume; this place was--and continues to be--indescribable. It is a burning land---a place where you
drink hot chai after a hard day's work on a farm in 113 degree weather. The sun beats down on everything. The world here is teeming--a chaotic jungle of life. Green hills, deep valleys, narrow
roads, curving pathways, moonscape mountains, sky blue lakes, and vast rivers. It is, in a single word, magical.

Given my first adventures as a young college kid, it's no wonder I'm returning. This time, I'm traveling across the north and the southwest. With my energetic aunt, I'll be visiting the ashram were Ram Dass trained. I'll be riding elephants through Jaipur's Old Pink City. I'll peruse the Anjuna flea market in Goa. I'll sail through jungles on a thatched houseboat. Most importantly, I will meet brilliant people. People whose life forces me to re-evaluate mine. People who will bend the rigidness from my soul and open my mind to a billion ways of seeing. I only hope that I can bring these lessons back with me. That I can take the magic, beauty, and unyielding life home with me.

Until then,


Namaste!