After an easy breakfast of tea and toast, my host, Ashwin, brought me to the conference site, at a place called Gokul Garden. Ashwin is the president of one of the Hubli Rotary clubs, so I think he is feeling really stressed out. I imagine that hosting 1,600 Rotarians in your hometown can be a little daunting. He's nice though. He doesn't talk a whole lot, but when he does, it is with authority and what he says is usually pretty interesting.
Counting down to a full house.
On the way to the Gokul Garden, we stopped at a temple so Ashwin could pray. Then he actually explained to me why he prayed to that particular deity. We talked about pranayama, music therapy and Reiki, and I learned that his wife, like my fiancé, is a Reiki master.
The team finally met together around 11:00, and we decided to each write our presentation speeches about how the trip to India has affected us personally. Around noon, my host took me back home where I finished writing my speech and I'm pretty content with it.
We just had an awesome lunch. Ashwin explained all the different foods, the best order in which to eat them, and how they all affect digestion. I learned that the spicy pickles and chutneys generate digestive juices. And Indians typically eat the rice after the meal with curd or ghee because it settles the stomach and calms the mind. It all makes a lot of sense. I'm looking forward to sharing this with my friends back home -- teaching them the right way to eat Indian food!
So now I'm resting. I can hear Ashwin's cell phone ringing (the theme from Carmen) upstairs every five minutes. Poor guy. I just reorganized my luggage a little bit and feel okay about the amount of stuff I am lugging. I've acquired so many gifts from hosts and Rotary clubs that I have to be careful about shopping. I think I'll only be buying very small souvenirs so I don't run out of space!
I keep thinking of what a great day I had yesterday. How much I loved being around my host family and how I wish I could have stayed longer. I can't wait to be in touch with them again. My heart's eye will always carry that glimpse of heaven, walking past those banana trees in the late afternoon sun. I was whole.