Home

I'm truly home. I've left the safety of Panchgani and finally come to my home of 7 months, Pune. I live in the center of the old city, at the heart of the metropolis with an 81 year old ex-forest ranger, a 25 year old classical Indian dancer, and a 19 year old internationally ranked yogi. Within a matter of days these wonderful people became family, and this wonderful place became home. My favorite part about my experience so far though is that it has not all been roses. The negatives of this experience make it beyond tourism and make it real and make the positives that much better. After 4 hours hooked up to an iv with a saline drip to recover from severe dehydration as a result of intense vomiting and diarrhea, I had the best meal of my life. After my time as a broken fire hydrant, I went to a small village called Pachputawali to participate in the Ganapathi festival. I danced with the villagers for 4 hours all the way to the nearby dam, throwing orange and purple powder at each other as we danced and carried beautiful Ganesh statues. We finally ended under the starlight with a fire lit prayer and submerging the Ganesh statues into the reservoir. Even after all this magic my favorite moments are still spent with my host family, relaxing at home and watching ludicrously dramatic Indian soap operas.