Diwali

The 17th of October is the Indian holiday of Diwali, although we celebrated on the 16th because our hosts at Sonapani would be taking their kids to Ashish’s parents since the holiday is typically celebrated with one’s family. Diwali reminds me of a combination of the Fourth of July and Christmas. It is considered a winter holiday but it is known for its fireworks. It celebrates lightness overcoming dark. A few of us borrowed sarees from Deepa to wear for the occasion. She even offered jewelry to complete the outfit! It was great! Sarees are so beautiful, but I wouldn’t want to buy one because I have no idea when else I would wear it, so it was perfect! The cooks surprised us with apple pie and pizza! There was lasagna that other people were really excited about, but I didn’t partake in the joy. The pie on the other hand, ohhh amazing! It was also David’s birthday so we have all the more reason to celebrate!

We are getting midterms this week to conclude the half of our course which was meant to be “intensive,” although I didn’t think of it as such. I’m walking to Almora for a day trip tomorrow! I have really been enjoying volunteering teaching English, especially to the Reetha staff because it more structured whereas with the government school children we are really on our own to come up with what to do for an hour with them. The farm is good! Just simple tasks, but it is nice to get outdoors, and is cool to learn about the region’s crops, etc. The weekend after this we will be taking a trip to Lakshmi Ashram where our professor, Rebecca, has based her academic research from. There are also famous religious pilgrimage sights for Hindus nearby that we will visit as well! Should be a good weekend!