Thirteenth Day of Christmas?

Today is Sunday January 7, 2007. New Year's Eve came and went on an unprecedented uneventful evening. We paid this week for our last month of study at the shala, and guruji either didn't hear or didn't understand when we tried to ask about the credit for ten days that the shala was closed. Sharath is now back as of today, and it was announced that we are to come in at 4:30pm to officially get our start time based on time in Mysore. Having been here for two months, we are in the 5am batch and didn't change our schedule. Yarrow took this picture today out front of the place. Above Guruji's address plate is one of my favorite examples of Indian resourcefullness. To deter trespassers, many walls are topped with shards of glass. Students pile up in front of the gate where we are standing, and when we get there at 4:30am we can't see the gate until it is opened. Then the crowd filters up the steps and into the door. Manju has been in town and today is his last day. it was wonderful to have him in the shala and even more wonderful to connect with him off the mat too. We met up with Julie and stopped by the shala last week to check in with Manju, and as surreal as standing with Manju sounds, Sharath and Saraswathi were also talking with students on the steps. Then David Swenson walks by and I know this is the time and place for everything. The next days with Manju are wonderful. We never saw David again, he was off to Goa shortly afterwards. But if one is asked out for coffee by Munju, one goes. So we did. Nine of us shared a lovely breakfast of idli, dosa, and coffee, some from America, Japan, Argentina, and Mysore residents of long standing. Further conversation led to promises of attending his May teacher intensive in Oregon (who's up for a road trip?), and a spark of inspiration to have him come to Olympia in 2008. Tomorrow I will try to find a way to get the rest out- all the bits as promised, plus Kirtan at our place. Many new faces, a few old, and many more to see tomorrow at 5am.