Another great medical class yesterday! I am so fortunate to have this experience. There were very few students, so there was a lot of space, which is always good at the Institute. Since I know my sequence by heart, I get right to work on my own as soon as class starts. Stephanie or Raya will come by every once in a while to check up on me, make sure I’m doing the correct actions, and make suggestions or modifications. When I say it’s a good class, don’t misinterpret that as being easy. It is far from easy. I’m challenged and have to work very hard, but in good ways. I have been given so many tools to work on when I come home to further the healing of my shoulder.

One of the highlights of my day was, just before observing the beginner’s class, Raya came by while I was typing notes on my iPad and asked me what device I was using, so I took the opportunity to show him my screensaver …

He looked at my granddaughter, Maya, on my screen saver a long time and commented on how beautiful she is. I miss the little bugger. A lot. And I hope the new grandson will await my return before his safe arrival!

I should move onto more Alandi photos before I get homesick …

You can’t really tell, but here in the parking lot is a traveling shrine on some sort of goods carrier (or Good Scarrier, as I like to call them). A lot of people fix their vehicles up in similar manners.

And here are more pictures taken near the river.

Alandi is off the beaten path, and not many non-Indians visit there. During the four hours we were there, I didn’t see any other non-Indians. We were the center of attention and were stared at constantly. People looked as us as though they’d never seen a caucasian before. Those who could speak English would ask where we’re from. America?? In this group, only one person spoke English, but they were overjoyed to be in my picture!

Here’s another picture of my group of friends …

Such happy, friendly people.

Tune in tomorrow for more Alandi pictures.

Today is women’s class at 9:30, then open practice at 4pm, followed by class observation which I’m really enjoying.

I’ll leave you today with a little head wobble from my friends …

Kathleen sporting the “Rhino” … ok, it’s not really called a Rhino, but it looks like one. Ha!

We took a Rickshaw to do some shopping. Here are some photos of the district where we went.

I like the next one. These are the shoes the guy working at the shoe store was wearing …

And here, start ’em young …

Every store here has a deity, mostly Ganesha, as seen in the photo below.

Below, a view from a rickshaw.

I had this for dinner night before last:

Rava masala dosa. The flatbread tastes like a potato pancake. Put some of that potato stuff and spicy sauce on it & it makes a very flavorful meal. We ate at this restaurant two nights in a row because the food was so good, and cheap. Maybe they should raise the price a little and purchase some new bill folders (see photo below).

Here’s what I had last night – vegetable cutlet. It’s got beets and carrots and peas and other stuff in it with a corn meal outer layer that gets baked so it’s kinda crispy on the outside. Then there’s what they call catsup, but it’s better than catsup (they had to bring me more) and a cilantro sauce for dipping (or pouring …).

… and it’s shaped like a heart.

This morning we had our first class at the Institute. I’m so glad we were allowed to join the practice sessions Tuesday and Wednesday. It gave me an opportunity to get the feel of the room and get to know where the props are. I got up extra early (4am) to go through my shoulder therapy exercises to loosen up. It was “just another class,” except for the fact that Prashant, Guruji’s son, taught it. I was able to do all the poses, using modifications for some of them.

Today we move to our permanent digs at the apartment next door to the Institute. We’ll have a kitchen, so we’ll be shopping for food. Let’s hope the wifi is better there.