Free Day

Means...5:30 a.m. wake up call for morning yoga, which was absolutely amazing once again, peanut butter, Skype, followed by P90X in the quad. Not surprisingly, a few more students have enrolled in my P90X Hot Hot Indian Style class.

Things that made me smile today: 

• Rennie and her endless supply of Parle-G's (my new favorite Indian cookie)
• My 1 underwear. 7 countries panties. (That is until the infamous laundry man at MICA lost a pair)
• Leaving for Jaipur tomorrow without an assignment! (Class was cancelled yesterday, thus no time to discuss project)
• The five scarves I purchased yesterday from Khazana laying all around our hostel (Things that don't make me smile: being in a hostel)
• And finally, the precious nap I'm about to take :)

Nap was ruined! Ahh One more day until 5-star hotels with endless shopping, spas and beauty in Jaipur!

Yoga and Tea--Bringing People Together

Never have I ever been to a yoga class as inspiring as the one this morning. Waking up at 5:30 a.m. sucked, but the second I walked through the door to see rows of brightly colored yoga mats, more like quilts actually, I knew I was at the right place. Chanting, breathing and listening to the sounds of the instructor was so serene--practicing yoga in the place where it originated, hearing the sounds of Aum's quietly whirling through the breeze filled Indian air. Except the interruption of a dime-sized bug that was flicked at me by Rennie, the entire hour was simply... peaceful.

Immediately following yoga, we would embark on our first corporate visit to none other than...du du du dummmm, Wagh Bakri Tea. Upon arrival, our entire group was welcomed proudly with open arms and escorted into the factory where the most popular brand of Gujarat tea is actually sifted and packaged. Boring, you think? ABSOLUTELY NOT. It was AMAZING! Sadly, I couldn't take any pictures inside the factory but you'd be surprised how interesting the machines and laborers are at work. You could sense the pride and appreciation that goes into each and every bag. 

Later, we went to the corporate Wagh Bakri Tea corporate headquarters, where we were welcomed with that same universal appreciation. Flowers, engraved pens, complimentary tea and even lunch was provided to welcome SMU to the international company. Believe it or not, the chairman of the tea company himself actually dropped in on our visit. Scented anything (shampoo, deodorant, hand sanitizers) were strictly forbidden inside headquarters because we were also invited to view the tasting center. Rows of teas labeled with tiny numbers were laid out in perfect lines across two tables. We watched as each tea was prepped for tasters to come in, where they then would choose which farmer's tea would be chosen for the next season's brew. (Click for Pics)

New fav--Indian Masala Chai, a wonderful spiced tea.

Shopping. Scarves. Shoes. More scarves. Dinner. Hand sanitizer. 

To the "coexistence of one and all."

--Wagh Bakri's philosophy