An insight of Life and the Potential of Humankind

I have been visiting the Slums where the foundation I work for offers a daily meal, to supervise on the justice of the distribution of the food and ensure that it reaches our target.

I come out of there with the ultimate confirmation of the blessing in my life, and again more grateful for it.

I feel bigger as I feel smaller. I feel more conscient: of what I am/ have, about what there is that is effectively essencial to life...

My bear-feet on their floor, the contrasts hit me, I suffer in comparison, but I manage to come out of there peaceful as I see at least there there's something being done. And wherever else it is feazable.

Somehow I feel serene also (is that posible? serene as in confident of human potential! = capacity for adaptation, reaction, relation, kind giving, humble acceptance, survival, community strength - does it make any sense?)...

... Confident as in the middle of the greatest lack of everything, SMILES and HUMANITY aren't missing in any of their faces. Also for this I feel deep respect for these people that I greet back with Nasmaskar and wholehearted smiles.

CHILDREN IN THE SLUMS ARE HAPPY, they're more alive in their eyes and smiles than any I have ever seen in my mostly european/ touristic aproach to travels... They play with me and they compliment the beauty of my name.

People respond to smiles, greetings and eye connection.

Humanity works. No need to speak the same language. We already speak the same language.

You see, if we take the right look the world couldn't be simpler.

Again, I don't know how to put into words how thankfull I am for the fact that LIFE is giving me never-ending oportunities of appreciating its ESSENCE and simplicity.

A Fresh-View: Ashvasan welcomes a new trainee

At the moment I am preparing a Newsletter to be issued by one of the Associations that I work for (first one mentioned below). Today I'm sharing the article I was requested to write as an introduction of myself, to be included in that publication.

For those of you who are wondering where I am working, I send the links below, promising to give some details on the work I am developing soon:

• Ashvasan - Reaching out to the aged and the lonely - www.ashvasan.org (hasn't been updated for 3 years now - that'll be one of my tasks)
• Smriti-Nandan Cultural Centre - www.smritinandan.org
• 22nd Devnandan Ubhayaker Yuva Sangeet Utsav - http://utsav.smritinandan.org

"Greetings to all Ashvasan members and friends!
My name is Raquel Lemos, I am 25 years-old and I come from Lisbon in Portugal.
I arrived in India in June 17th 2008 and joined Lalita Ubhayaker Foundation for the Arts on the 1st of July, for a 6 months internship from which I expect great results.
Back in Portugal, I finished my 1st university degree in Communication & Culture in 2006 and since then I’ve been working as an Event and Communication Manager at the biggest private bank in the country.
Having initiated my career path, I still didn’t want to give up studying, so for one year I was studying Image, Protocol and Event Management, and just before coming to Bangalore I finished an Executive Masters in Business Administration.
Parallel to this, my lifetime passions remain being Arts, Cultural Diversity and Traveling. Actually, since the age of 16, the scope of my work has been Dance and Fitness as a teacher, performer and producer, with my most favorite hobby being summer traveling and making Friends a little bit all over the world.
Also, for many years now, I’ve been wanting to volunteer and for the first time in my life really understand the meaning of learning by giving (and not solely by absorbing).
Thus, based also in my past experience, but wanting to learn every day more, it is with all my heart, will and commitment that I hope to be able to give a contribution worthy of the wholehearted commendable work developed by Ashvasan, Smriti Nandan Cultural Centre and Devnandan Ubhayaker Yuva Sangeet Utsav.
It was with great pleasure that I met and just started working with part of the Ashvasan Family. I feel part of It myself already and I am thankful for that.
I am looking forward to meeting you all."

How my life has changed

My life has changed in many ways, but there are some few logistical details that I'd like to share with you:

• I eat with my hands (right hand!) every day;


• I have had cold showers for 2 weeks;


• I sleep with ear tampons and the fan on;


• I am constantly being bitten by mosquitos, irrespective of prevention;


• The washing machine (for clothes) works with cold water only;


• My room (as I wanted a single one) was stolen out of the living-room space - having pre-fabricated plastic walls, the insonorization from house, front-door and street sounds is none; the front-door of the house doesn't open or close unless I have my room's door closed;


• Although this house is much much better than the previous one, you'll find them anywhere, it's unavoidable... in the past two days I've had 1 lizzard and 2 cochroaches in my room and bathroom;


• I've been being transported in motorbikes in India for the first time, sitting normally or with my legs to the side, holding hardly anything and carrying no helmet - but hey! that's how everyone does it! 4 times I've done it by now;


• I carry my backpack with my laptop everyday to and from office. I like the ritual, but maybe this'll be changing soon as a new computer just arrived;


• I usually don't walk alone in the streets after 7 pm, and most definitelly don't after 9 pm. Two girls together walking in the street at 11 pm proved to be challenging enough;


• I have to bargain for prices practically everyday;


• I got back to my old times: am eating mostly vegetarian;


• I tried driving an indian car, with the wheel on the right, the gears on the left, and driving on the left side of the road - but, don't get scared!, it was just for a few yards in a quiet alley. Liked it though!;


• I am working at my Mentor's house (only one other person works for the Foundation: the secretary, on the lower floor, Manjula is her name) and I am invited to have lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Ubhayaker every day;


• I am given tea with milk (!!) and sugar every day at 11.30 am and 4.30 pm - now I like it;


• I live with 7 other girls and I never know who's been in my house, and who'll be coming by as the Paying Guesthouse (PG) male managers are always running around for some reason, some fixing, something - summary: privacy: reduced;


• I've been having what everyone told me I shouldn't: when you're in some place for a long time, and specially when you share habits, meals and rituals with locals... you can't avoid it, and of course your system adapts to it, which also makes your daily life much more mingled and easier. So, I'm having: filtered water (not only bottled), fresh vegetables, fruit with skin, yoghurt, and I'm brushing my teeth with tap water - only once did I feel sick, and after that everything is fine. Actually, I feel like my body likes the habits I have here, it has been happy :) ;


• Going out here means starting at 8.30 pm (if you can, but you never...) and finishing dancing precisely at 11.30 pm - everything closes at this hour, there's no way!;


• I work alone, bear-feet, in a peaceful environment and in almost total silence (picture: the entrance to the Ubhayaker's residence, my workplace - how amazing is that?);
• It's Monsoon season, so everyday it rains cats and dogs for about one hour, and then it stops. Meaning: you should always be carrying an umbrella.

Recording Difference

FACTS that my eyes capture everyday:

* Although my frame is unavoidably that of a European, with these statements I mean nothing but to record differences (after all that’s what I came here for). I hereby honestly declare no intention of conveying criticism or prejudice in none of the following (anyway, the order in which the facts are placed is by the way totally arbitrary):

· Children are carried in motorbikes holding to the wheel or squeezed between 2 or 3 other bodies – and this is while other vehicles pass speeding 2cm from them, each vehicle issuing tons of gazes right at their nose level
· You can see single shoes spread all over in roads – and not all are in bad shape. I wonder…? : )
· Horses carry goods on their own in the roads
· Many policemen cover their mouth and nose because of pollution, and they whistle (as others horn) all the time, for no reason
· The traffic lights are rare and not always respected
· 16.07.08, 18h35 – Saw a man grab a mobile out of another man’s car as this had the window open in the middle of a traffic jam
· Many children and adults walk in the streets bear-feet
· There are no bins for the litter in the streets. And still people don’t think twice before throwing garbage away…. It is hard to find bins in the houses too
· The malls and movie theatres are the more luxurious I’ve ever been to. E.g., they sell a variety of food and beverages inside, and the seats are always “convertible”
· You see cows all over: in the traffic – standing or moving with it (being just avoided, but sent away or pushed by no one!), lying down, eating out of trash in bus station, just about anywhere!
· Have seen camels being rid in the road once in a while. And of course, many many bikes
· Vehicles are more important than pedestrians – absolute priority, they don’t even break if they see that you want to cross the road, not even if you’re already in the middle of a thousand of moving vehicles and animals, right in the middle of the road, spinning and dancing in the hurdle of trying not to get hit by a car’s side-miror or any bike
· The rules for driving: honk, squeeze and occupy any free space you may find
· Men urinate anywhere in the street, without even caring to hide, although they do give their back to the crowd
· Men spit on the floor and out of moving vehicles quite often
· In some movie theatres, the Indian Himn plays before the show starts. Everyone stands, sellers stop selling, incoming people stop their march, some place their hand in their heart, some get emotional, but no one dares to talk or look anyway other than the screen – although no one seems to sing along with the Gurus that interpret the song
· This is the most colourful country I’ve ever been to: religion is colourful, dressing is colourful, state announcements are colourful, buildings are colourful, cars and trucks are colourful, food is colourful….
· It rains almost everyday by dust (when it’s serious the streets look like authentic river flows), and power goes off one or several times for anything ranging from 10 minutes to 4 hours. From today on I’m expected not to have water in the house for 4 days
· Bangalore seems to be all and always under contruction


LESSONS that I’ve learned mostly from my Mentor and her Husband, Mr. and Mrs. Ubhayaker*:

* everyday at least one new teaching by the table, during a blessed lunch (this is just one of the few reasons I feel blessed around here)

* actually today I spoke of starting to bring my beloved notebook to the table as I forget such important notions I learn just because hindi, kannada or sanscrit don’t sound like anything familiar – I have to write down in order to memorize, as I do with anything already anyway even in Portugal!)

* all of the below mentioned lessons are Their responsibility - except for one: the most materialistic maybe, the last one - you have to learn how to deal with auto-rickshaws by yourself!):

· Give things to others with your right hand
· Eat with your right hand only
· Don’t wet your hand beyond 2/3 of your fingers when you’re eating
· Go straight home and don’t leave if a religious ofense took place in town
· Always bargain (insistently) if the price isn’t fixed

Promise to keep on with this exercise.
**********

BLISS

If before I felt already that I am blessed, that I am lucky (meaning necessarily faithful also), that there's a little star insistently standind over my head...

Here in India this feeling of non-coincidence, of bliss, of sinchronicity... has built up to be the biggest ever.

No day passes by without Someone making a difference in my life... Every day amazing happenings occur, in each corner there's amazement, teachings, and life ready to be absorbed. I guess it's just a matter of being open to signs.

One 'just' has to say YES to life and live up to it.

I know this sounds like those self-help books we criticize, those pseudo-spiritual guru teachings that seem to be nothing but romantic ready-to-sell theory.

But you know what? Positiveness has proved right in many lifes, and I dare to say mine is one of them.

Dare to try and SMILE at all things, embrace life, make sure you take something positive out of everything that occurs to you (instead of sticking to the worse of everything as us portuguese so much like to do!), think of the actual reasons why you do or endeavour in a task or relationship, fight your fears, work on your flaws if you want (with no prejudice or self-pity though) or just live in peace with them...

Smile, thank, open your eyes, project good energies!!! SMILE and Life will smile back at you in little details, grand things, anything, just name it and believe it!

You guys know me and you know I have my feet on earth, I am reasonable, I have common-sense, but still: I believe.

I aim to be no preecher here, I just felt like sharing my happiness and my faith in Life.

If you take anything out of these words, or even if you don't, care to comment, care to share with me? 'Cause in the end one knows nothing, one's always learning, each case is a case, each feeling is a feeling.

Mine is just a feeling of BLISS.

I THANK.

NAMASTE. ;)

Coorg - feeling blessed

There were few times in life when I felt that no words or pictures (not even carefully elaborate ones) could in any way describe my feelings. As you know I cultivate and profoundly believe in the power of COMMUNICATION.
But this time there is this wonder, this amazement in me... this apparently undescribable feeling of BLESSING that makes me wanna tell you: 'there is much much more to it than what I'll be able to convey in words'.

This weekend, COORG welcomed me, Camilla, Rumela, Deepak, Gabiru and Mariana with its spontaneous luxurious grenery, its roads always leading to Paradise - by the hands and drives of Bopanna. In two days my heart was touched too many times to be true, and every time it grew in happiness and experience, it kept growing in FAITH and PEACE.

Just to begin with: the friends, the group! Guys, love you! So sinchronized we were, such good energies coming from 3 continents, such warmth gathering in that place Life blessed, atracting only good events and sinchronicities!!

FRIDAY
Bus at 21h! Brasil managed to join Portugal, Sweden and India in the same bus! Yiupppii!! Got to Coorg at 3 am and slept in a houseware humid floor, sharing blankets, laughs and dreams until the sun came and the rain calmed. This is already paradise: all around you is green, and wood, and hospitality! Smelled like Aveiro, smelled like my grand-parents, smelled like childhood! Yummi!!! :)

SATURDAY
Bopanna's Jeep welcomes us again and brings us to a little bit of heaven. Walking in a muddy path, all in a row and singing songs as taught in school, step by step progressing (still wondered with the beauty) in the midst of coffee and rice plantations... we reach a dream-house: glass windows all around, matresses and pillows on the floor, amazing view all around (palm-trees, hills, bush, plantations), undescribable silence, some coffee and tea served by Gani & Co. Welcome to Benny's House - we had this just for us for 48 hours!!!!
But of course: time to move! We went... you know what? Oh yeah!!!: White Water RAFTING!!! Helmets on, life-jackets worn, paddles ready....... 'Forward team! Over-right team! Hold on team!' - these were just some of the commands. Our nepalese monitor knew what he was doing - my team bit Camilla's, Deepak's and Mariana's ass out!! HEHE :P And we loved 'Wicked Bitch' (?), the third rapid, the most!! Thrilling! Adrenaline enough to want to try it again!
In between, we were shown around the reserve: tigers could come any minute (nah! any month :P ), rain would come and go and... whom would it worry?!, food was served in modest places, always tasting like love, spice and - of course! - our fingers. Saw tea-plant, jack-fruit, coffee plant, buganvilles, etc, etc. While wainting, there was still time for coffee (for those 'in habit' :) ) and Maria cookies by a smoking comfy fire, sitting in wood tronks, accompanied by the game that kept us company at all moments - Miming: which movie am I trying to explain {what's the right name again, Rumz? :P }.
Only after: WATER! - paddling, swimming, thrilling in group amongst water rapids, laughter, a few screams and lots lots of joy. Have pics! Of course I'll upload them a.s.a.p.
Dawn brought us back home to a yummi (patented by: Rumz - again!! :P :*) dinner prepared in the house 1km far. Got there it was night already, through dark paths, holding hands to protect each other, listening to thousands of frogs, having sang all the way to the sound of Pink Floyd.
Night and the moon brought drinks (there was variety to every taste ;) ), talks and DANCE! Oh yeah! My friends loved Salsa, and most specially Kizomba/ Zouk! Two couples danced, another watched and documented, and that made me so happy! For an hour we danced... and already during this week... 2nd class for everybody! I'm thrilled to teach them - so quick they catch it, so much they like it!! KISSES for you guys!

SUNDAY
Sunday woke me up promising the ultimate experience, but I could never imagine to what point!
We went to KUSHALNAGAR / Barlkupe, and Loden, a tibetan so so nice guy, and his beautiful daughter Bela, drove us through the amazingly inspiring ways of 3 TIBETAN MONASTERIES.
Golden Temple and Sera Mei were phantastic enough, with all the color, all the golden, all the idols, all the majesty, all the drums, hons and mumblings of the monks...
But SERA CHE - that was no tourist place and still they allowed us to walk amongst lines of around 3000 sitting monks wearing read and praying for DALAI LAMA as yesterday was His aniversary.
It was my father's birthday too, by the way. I am sure their prayers and mine went on to enlighten his life a little bit too. :) Hugs PAI!
We saw monks distributing things to others, we walked aongst them - as always - bear-feet, saw budha and god figures, Dalai Lama's seat, heard this amazing vibrating mumbling, saw butter constructions, altars, simbolic drawings and manifestations that Loden was always kind enough to explain. We played with Mela, sat on the stairway to temples, amazed at view, at the practice of the monks... and got inspired.
I was told to mingle with them easily :) as here I am always in 'orangy' clothes which pretty much describe my state f mind.

Then the JEEP JORNEYS demand some description too, as they were filled with sleepy hugs, legs enlacing, singing to the sound of nothing, telling stories, bumping our heads on the cealing as the car bumped into holes, vibrating to the sound of Dire Straits and other memory-calling pieces of audio art... and enjoying each other's company everytime more! Thank you so much Deepak!!!!!!
The last sight-seing car trip brought us to a water fall that we could sit on, amazing at an immense valley through an aqueduct arch - an authentic window to COORG Paradise, deserving a paiting, deserving meditation, deserving COMING BACK!
By then we just wanted to stay all together, not to have to come back to Bangalore, work, traffic and pollution... at leat a few more days!! :))

Waited 3 hours for a late bus but even in waiting we're the best travel group ever!! Our laghter and funny theatrical movements while playing games were entertainment to all attending passengers!
Already in Bangalore, an auto-rickshaw transporting my friends dropped me directly at work, just to find the second YOGA teacher inviting me to join his class. But this is something to tell in a forthcoming post.

Elephant riding is promised for next visit...
and meanwhile I leave all you guys with a NATURE and BUDHIST inspired ENERGY-passing hug (one of those). LOTS AND LOTS of Love, all me is a SMILE!!!!