Blessings

I'm eating an Indian style veggie burger with two kinds of dipping sauce; an Indian wrapped bread and veggie creation delivered in a large green leaf with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. This was all delivered to my door wrapped in newspaper and bags,only moments ago, for the low, low cost of $115 rupees. That's about $3. AND...did I mention that the grapefruit was picked from a tree in heaven? Sweet, sweet heaven.

We discovered our ideal local eating spot where everyone will soon know our names and where we will gorge ourselves on India cuisine from around the country for mere dollars per day. AND they deliver. Sigh, oh India, you are a tastey sensation.

I keep discovering more to love here. There is so much heart here. Life goes on with daily frusterations of course; but that life rests upon faith, devotion and an acknowledgement that we are all spiritual beings. I see it in all sorts of places. For example, most people wear a red dot blessing on their forehead everyday. I see it as an acknowledgement that their bodies are gifts from The Creator and that it should be decorated and clean. Easy. That's just a part of how things are here and there seems to be no question about it.

There are also temples all over: in buildings, on the side of the streets or even on patches of earth in the middle of a road. I'm not sure if there are designated times to use them but I always see folks coming and going from them, kneeling in bare feet and touching the ground.

Shiamak burns candles and incense in the studios; everyone takes care to make sure that the candles are always lit. Peoples homes have a corner set up as a little alter to worship a God. People give out tiny statues of God's to each other to ensure blessings for friends. My students lift their faces to the north in their prayers before and after class.

It's like every moment of the day here is an opportunity to acknowledge, love and devote oneself to The Higher Power....well fancy that. I think this is a huge part of what allows so many people to live together in this country. It all results in lots of heart amongst the chaos.

I'm growing in my India savviness. I now have a one month train pass and am starting to understand how to ride the train. Many of you may know that there are carts specifically just for women here. For this, I am grateful. People are generally really helpful and I've felt pretty guided through the whole process of using the train. As of now, I am ok with the feeling of being crushed from all sides. It's like a special "Indian body wrap" for merely the price of a train ticket.

I can now shop successfully in the markets. I am also getting better at knowing when a rickshaw driver is taking me the long route so that he can get more money out of me. Although, I still don't know how to tell him to cut it out, that will have to be the next step.

My students took their first test. I've learned, from marking their tests, that one thing I can encourage them with is taking responsibility for their own learning. I have a feeling that many of them have become accustomed to having teachers stand in front of them and tell them what to do. I can only guesse that this is part of education here. I'm trying to find a balance between communicating ideas to them in a way that is familiar, and yet challenging them to really process info. for themselves. However, I have TONNES to learn still about what education means here and how information is shared.

I do know that teaching is easier and more rich when there is a lot of love involved. These students love well. They sure can teach me about love just by being themselves. I feel a large responsibility to bring them my best self because of this. It's a pretty good system:)

The 6 (now 7) overseas teachers had a meeting with Shiamak today. We laughed together lots and told him about our classes and experiences thus far. If we have any complaints the usual process is to get on it right away, pull out the cel phones and for Shimak and his staff to start running around and calling people to help solve the problem.

We are learning what he wants and needs from us as we go and I think we'll all (Shiamak, teachers and students) create something great out of all of this trying, explaining and bashing about. Surely, the mountains of inspiration that come from Shimak and the students have already lead us in the right direction.

That's all for now. It's humbling and just really great thus far. Tomorrow is my day off and I am determined to get on that train and head to some special Mumbai sites. I'll let you know how it goes.

Blessings to all!

Alot happens over a Chai tea

People who live in Mumbai have amazing spacial awareness. Seriously folks. Any old three lane highway could easily fit four cars and a motorcycle widthwise if everyone really knew where the edges of their cars were. And really...do busses HAVE to come to a full stop. Wouldn't we all be less fearful people in general if we all knew how to jump onto and off of a moving bus.

I have been travelling alot by taxi, rickshaw and recently braved the train. I need to commute about 4 hours a day to get to my two classes and home again. Once I get more proficient on the train, hopefully that time will decrease. I am proud to say that I already feel comfortable on the road and no longer grip the nearest object or person in the cab whenever we come 3 inches away from another vehicle. The drivers know what they are doing and I get that now. However, I also know the Hindi words for "please slow down".

I have a little Delhi (Mumbai) belly happening. I had one day where I didn't feel good but now I'm feeling much better. My health is good!

I finally met Shiamak Devar. He is lovely, inspiring and treats his staff and students like family. There are 5 teachers here from Canada (1 jazz, 2 hiphop, 1 b-boy, 1 ballet and contemporary). This is the first time Shiamak has brought in so many foreign folks to teach for him. Today, we were on the front page of the Bombay Times. As it was my one day off I wandered around town, bought some newspapers and got my haircut to celebrate.

My students continue to be adorable. They call out my name when I see them and they'd offer me their whole lunch if I'd let them. After class, if I don't have to rush to another one, I am always offered some chai and someone will want to sit and relax with me for a few minutes. There is so much rushing about here that people like to take some time to just sit down, visit and relax for a few minutes throughout the day.

As many of you know from visiting India or just knowing about India, there are many economic levels to society here. Of course, because I am white, people think that I have money. However, I feel lucky because it means that I get to interact with little children everytime they come asking for coins from me. I don't give them coins, but I'll give them a banana or even water here and there. There were three dirty, beautiful chilren poking their heads through the window of my taxi the other day in their underwear.

This next week will be full of adventure again. My students will take their first ballet test this week in preparation for an exam at the end of the month. I will get more familiar with the train. I'll make friends with more street dogs....but not touch them. Much love to you all from the land where beauty reigns!!

day 2

What does one say to 60 smiling dance students? Well, namaste of course!

Here I am in fabulous and lively Mumbai. So far, it has been amazing. The plane that took me here slipped through time. Before I knew it I was looking out of the plane over clusters of lights that looked like sparkling clouds in a night sky. When we landed, we were greeted with bouquets of flowers from Shiamak's dancers and our helpers.
Myself and two other teachers are staying outside of the main city in an apartment. We have each been assigned a personal helper who is also a dancer in the company. My helper is a young student who I knew from Vancouver named Kishen. He has been so wonderful and beyond hospitable. He even goes so far as to hold my wrist whenever we cross the street.
Mumbai is everything that I had heard and expected. It's: busy, noisy, smelly, full of traffic, full of dogs and cows and smiling faces.
I have already taught for two days and absolutely love my students. They all dance on a slippery and hard marble tile floor. However, that doesn't stop them from trying everything %100. In Shiamak's school, the whole class prays together at the beginning and end of each class. I love it; it centres us all and gets us ready to take on the challenge of class. These students are going to learn tonnes in our short time together. They eat up everything that I give them and giggle their way through challenges with enthusiasm and joy.
The other teachers who I am staying with are very fun. We are turning into a family already.
So far, I'm taken by the generosity and hospitality of our hosts and the colors, sites and sounds of this very lively city and culture.
Of course, it is obvious that the population is huge and that it puts a strain on the infrastructure of the city. There are less laws here than in Canada, and I think it's simply because there are just too many people to have to enforce all the time. But, there is also a real flow to life (specifically to traffic) and it's interesting to see how things adapt to accommodate the bulging population.
I'm looking forward to more adventures:) Tell me how you are doing.

Getting ready

I'm packing up to head to India for three months where I will be teaching for the Shiamak Devar Institute for the Performing Arts (SDIPA). I learned today that I will be spending the time in the areas of Juhu and Mahalakshmi teaching teaching students from SDIPA's year long intensive trainign program. Those two locations are either within Mumbai or in the surrounding area.
I'm very excited to be working with students who are in an intensive training program. It's a wonderful way to build a curriculum that will work as I will really be able to see the results of what we do in the studio.
A few more days until I leave and I am already all packed. Still, there is a lot of class planning to do before I go. Stay tuned for photos and entries about the adventure:)