Holy Shit

I awoke this morning in a yoga ashram with a picture of Jesus Christ staring down at me. I slept in a corner of the ashram office on a glorified piece of foam, next to a computer (seems my cosmic plans to be forced offline are thrwarted for now -- thankfully though, I feel bizarrely homesick --- the kind where you always want to cry but also have a shit-eating grin on --- and appreciate the contact).

In the other corner was Heloise, a Swiss WWOOFer who's my roomie for the next 10 days. Turns out the sleep-out hut for one that I was promised is being occupied by Anna, an Italian WWOOFer. Though I haven't shared in a room in a decade, I appreciate the company, and being close to the beach instead of a 5-minute drive away, up a giant hill where the host family lives.

On the wall of my room are posted rules about celibacy and not walking around half-clothed.

What have I done??

Of course I have done just what I planned. I did research the ashram before deciding to come, and Amelia assured me that it seemed "just Indian," and not we-program-your-brain-in-your-sleep-ish. Still, I had plenty of half-thoughts/half-dreams last night about escaping, because I'm not comfortable with all the pictures of glorified men on the walls, always the gurus, the leaders.

I'm trying to breathe and remember that it's only day 2. If I like this area and hang in for a month, there's the sweet reward of the house up the hill to myself for a month, plus keys to a car, while the host fam/yoga center leaders are at a retreat (yes, they even have to retreat from their retreat center) in Australia. Still... I'm wary. Suffice to say I don't have a mailing address just yet (so please send me e-letters and other such communiques).

Heloise is 29 and quit a high-power job to explore the world for a year (her job is waiting for her when she gets back). Anna is 55 and has a boyfriend in Italy and a boyfriend in Australia. Neither are devotees and we've already had some laughs over the rules. Anna can't believe that the eggs the "chucks" (aka pet chickens) lay in the hilltop house's yard are given to the neighbors because yoga frowns upon eating them. She mentions it often, with a great, unhappy look on her face.

I feel lucky to have found first companions who are, I feel, ahead of me in life, and "living the dream."

There is much more to say but the beach awaits me and I should probably send around a little note letting people know this blog actually exists. It's a love letter to my friends, with much gratefulness for your caring.