Down By the Sea.....

Hello Everyone! I'm officially in Pondicherry! Pondicherry is a quaint little town situated alongside the Indian Ocean which is absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, there's really no beach to speak of and the currents are too strong for safe swimming. But, it's still exhilerating to watch the waves as they crash against the rocky coastline. It's very hot in Pondicherry and the sun seems to be always shining which is nice, but sometimes makes it almost unbearable to be outside during th day. It's perfect in the mornings and evenings though. Grace and I have made it a habit to go down to the sea (as everyone calls it) around twilight. Once there, we munch on full ears of corn that have been cooked over coals and sprinkled with lime juice and curry...delicious! There's also this place called 'Le Cafe' that has open-air seating right on the coast. So, sometimes we go there for dinner or a cup of tea and watch the waves come in. The past couple of nights, there have been thunderstorms on the eastern horizon. We literally sit on the rocks that line the coast watching the distant lights of ships glow against the blackness of the sea at night as well as the lightning bolts that flash against the horizon. It's really beautiful and very relaxing which is nice after spending two months in the midst of the chaos of Kolkata.
I went out to the villages today with a Chitra, a woman who works for the Sri Aurobindo Society doing community development and educational projects. They work with a total of seven surrounding villages and we visited two today. She showed me some of the projects they have been working on which were really impressive. Where there used to be simple mud and grass huts that would completely flood during the rainy season, now stand new but still simple homes that have solar panels so that the families can have light during the evening. Also,this helps the children complete their studies. They have also built new school buildings and worked with the villagers to make education possible for the children living there. Much of what they do is based upon the model of empowerment, partnership, and sustainability. It's amazing to see how the people living in these villages have really responded towards bettering their community once given the opportunity. During our time here, Grace and I will be working with the village children; coordinating activities for them in the afternoons. We're going to observe tomorrow morning and then we'll be on our own! I'm really excited to get to work with them and I'll let you know how it goes! :) Until later....
~Rachel