Monday, July 30, 2007

Green Food…for a week?!?!?

That’s right folks. The big group showed up on
Saturday and was eating only green food for the entire
week. This is a special fast designed by Yogi Bhajan
to help you alkalize your body. (In yogic terms an
alkaline body pH is healthier than an acid one). And
just so you know, a week is rather extreme for this
diet you could try it for 3 days, or even one day, or
just start with one green meal and build up from
there. SSK made some really amazing food so it
doesn’t all have to be lettuce and steamed zucchini.
(Oh yea! You are also allowed to have garlic, onion,
ginger, organic olive oil and nuts. And you can, of
course, drink water and Yogi tea. (but no the yogi tea
brand…like the bulk recipe you make yourself))

Preparing food for 12 people (15 including us) 3 times
a day is a big enough job…but on this particular diet
it is especially challenging because all of the food
is rather labor intensive. You can’t just boil up
some pasta and toss it with some oil and garlic. So,
basically Sada Sat Kaur and I were in the kitchen from
8-15 hours a day preparing food. (I washed more
lettuce and sliced more cucumber than I think in my
whole life previous combined)

Now, I am enjoying learning to cook with SSK and
recording her recipes and all of that. But this week
was a blessing for me in that it showed me that this
is really not something I would enjoy doing all of the
time. So we can eliminate cook, waitress, chef,
anything to do with a restaurant basically as well as
full time homemaker or mother of a small army from the
infinite list of possible next steps for me.

Because there were so many people in the group I had
to move out of my room and to the trailer at the back
of the property for the week. This wasn’t so bad
because Agnes (the dog) came out and slept with me
there each night. But the trailer was in a spot that
didn’t get much breeze and it was a hot week. I mean,
HOT. I was near 40 degrees Celsius everyday (that is
around 104 Fahrenheit). So we didn’t so much sleep,
as roast in the trailer. And, of course try to avoid
the bugs since there is a small (read: large) ant
problem. But I’m not complaining…. well, ok, maybe I
am a bit.

The group did Sadhana every morning in the meadow and
a bunch of other YOGA classes outdoors. They also did
some painting exercises, took a trip to a pool and a
day trip to Assisi. So all in all it was a busy week
for them. So busy in fact that very few of them got
massages form me…which made me sad because I would
have liked to give more massage…plus it would’ve meant
less time in the kitchen. Oh well, all according to
God’s plan.

The other fun (read: challenging) part about the group
being here was all the stairs. The kitchen is on the
2nd floor and the large dining room is in the
basement. So we were up and down stairs many, many
times for each meal. At least I didn’t feel like I
needed to go to the gym afterwards!

One of the group leaders was from Holland and everyone
else was from Germany. It was certainly interesting
to see the difference between these guests and the
Italian and American guests we have had here before.
Let me preface this by saying: this is commentary
totally in broad strokes and was just my general
observation of the individuals I have had the
opportunity to meet. No more than that. I found the
Germans to be a bit more private and serious than our
other guests. It wasn’t until late in the week that
many of them opened up to each other or to us at all.
I think it was Thursday before we heard laughter
coming from the dinner table. And, Hariang (the Dutch
leader) commented that a German group really likes
order, they want to know the schedule and they want to
know the “right” way to do things…and you bet they are
gonna do ‘em just the way you tell ‘em to.
Interesting….no?

The group left Saturday morning and the three of us
spent the rest of Saturday in a slightly vegetative
state. It was not to last however, because Sunday was
a rush of packing for the Sada Sats. They left Monday
to go to the European Yoga Festival. They run the
children’s camp there so they had another huge chunk
of work cut out for them. They will be gone two weeks
and it will be just me up here on the mountain.
Sometimes I am excited about two weeks to myself to
really do anything I want and to keep directing that
focus inward so I can hear when God calls out that
next step for me. And other times two weeks up here
just seems down right lonely. But I will go into town
a lot and am planning a couple of day trips etc…so
never fear. (Although I’d love some emails to respond
to…)

OK. I think that’s it for now. Next time: My 23rd
birthday! (Am I really that old? Am I really that
young?) And other activities since the SS’s departure.

Hope all is well for you,
Sat Nam and Blessings,
KNL

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

She’s Alive!

It’s been so long since I posted that many of you must
be making that comment to yourself. Well, indeed I am
still alive, still in Italy and still having a rocking
time. I’ve just been a busy worker bee since the last
post and haven’t had a moment to collect my thoughts.
But now we shall remedy all of that…


First of all, an announcement: I have decided to
extend my stay in Europe by about 2 months. The
opportunity came up where the Sada Sats needed someone
who could stay at the Borgo and I will be able to take
another Level 2 course and do some more studying with
them…and I just couldn’t pass it up. So I won’t be
state side again until after Thanksgiving. A few
practical matters related to this new development. I
was planning to run a massage special in October (see
my website for details www.flow-harmony.com), which I
obviously will no longer be able to do. However, I
will be running an equally exciting Holiday Special
when I return. If you would like to take advantage of
that opportunity please email me your mailing address
and you will receive a postcard when the details are
finalized. (Email: lumpkin_k@yahoo.com) Also, I will
begin teaching yoga classes in the Twin Cities again
in January 2008. I am very much looking for new
spaces to rent or teaching opportunities…so if you
hear of anything please let me know!


Ok business is done… On to the stories at last!

My second day in Lucca was a pretty lazy one. The 4
km wall that surrounds the city is completely intact
and you can walk (or jog or bike) along the top. It
could usually be completed at a fairly easy pace in
about an hour and a half. I took all morning…and a
good chunk of the afternoon. I stopped often to take
photos, to sit and people watch or to read my book. I
walked down into town at one point, found a grocery
and bought a picnic lunch, which I ate back up on the
wall. It was really quite a lovely day.


But I really felt like in the day and a half I had
been there I had seen all there was to see of Lucca.
So I decided that I would head back to Pisa a day
early… at least seemed to be a bit more vibrancy
there.


That evening as I walked around Lucca I saw in one of
the piazzas they had brought in a big boxing ring and
were having fights. It was a bit surreal to see this
disgusting, barbaric modern entertainment in the
middle of these ancient, beautifully crafted
buildings…but there it was. And it certainly had a
crowd…although I was not one of them. I almost went
and saw an Italian movie…but I didn’t think it was
worth 7 euro to sit in a dark theater utterly confused
for several hours…so I just headed back and went to
bed. (I did, however, have a fantastic risotto dinner
that night…mmmm)


The next day was Sunday and I had coffee and breakfast
(a croissant) in town before heading out. I happened
to be at a bar with wifi and noticed an American
tourist next to me on his computer. I asked if he
would check the train schedules for me, which he
gladly did. It really is amazing how kind and
generous people are if you just allow them to share
their grace with you.


And then. On the way back to the hostel I saw that
the clock tower in the center of town, which had been
closed the previous two days, was now open. And since
I happen to know a particular watch/clock
maker/repairperson…I thought I ought to climb the
tower for his sake. (Wes—I tried to get good pictures
for you…their on www.kelseylumpkin.shutterfly.com).
It was certainly a cool view of the city… and I
happened to be up there when the clock chimed…and
besides scarring the bee-geezes out of me, it was
really rather astounding. In another example of the
kindness you encounter when traveling; a nice
Australian couple took my photo and explained how to
set my flash to take a better shot in those particular
lighting conditions…neat.


Took the train back to Pisa…the only other person on
the whole train sat right across from me and chatted
the whole time. (Daniello, studying to be an
engineer, from Sardinia but going to school in Pisa,
hates Pisa, was in Lucca to practice soaring…or
whatever it’s called when they fly those planes that
don’t have engines…Mom…you know like Mark does…)

Got back to the same hostel/campground and actually
was in the exact same trailer, this time with 3 girls
from Ireland (my sisters homeland). They were a lot
of fun and I spent the next day hanging out by the
pool , wandering around Pisa and playing cards with
them. Going back to Pisa was a good choice because I
was able to go to the grocery stores and cook my own
meals rather than eating out all the time like in
Lucca…so I saved some moola.


The next day I returned to the Borgo, which was a long
day of traveling. And it was nice to be ‘home.’
Especially sine the next day was the 4th of July and
we had a rip-roaring barbeque! Ok…well…not really
rip-roaring. More like the three of us eating tofu
hamburgers, eating chips and drinking caffeine free
coke…and then watching the fireflies for fireworks.
But we still celebrated the heck out of America! Yea!
J (I think there are also pics of that on
www.kelseylumpkin.shutterfly.com)


The next week the Sada Sats had been hired to teach
morning yoga classes every day to a family who had
rented out a Villa about an hour away from us. When
this family heard that they had a massage therapist
living with them they also wanted me to come over
everyday. So for the next week and a half we were all
up and out of the house by 6 am and I sometimes stayed
and did three massages which meant that I wasn’t home
until late afternoon. But it was really great. And
it really reminded me how much I like giving massage
and how fascinating it is to work on different bodies
and figure out what is happening in their tissue and
(hopefully) make a positive change in the way they are
feeling. Man! Massage is so great!


Also in that time span we watched a couple of movies.
Gone with the Wind (which I had never seen all the way
through…can you believe it!?!) And the “Borat” movie.
Have you seen this? It is a movie that is so
incredibly offensive…and at the same time amazingly
funny. Most of the time you feel bad that you are
laughing…but you can’t stop laughing either. (I
especially like the scene where he is having dinner
with a southern family…they are just trying to be so
kind and open hearted…. Bless their souls).


We also spent part of a day in Assisi. I remember not
being so impressed with that town before. So this
time I decided to climb up to the fort overlooking the
town rather than force myself to go through the
churches. And it was WAY cooler. An amazing view and
I just find it so neat to see how they constructed
these passageways and lookouts…super cool. J

There was also part of a day in Arezzo. SSK and I saw
her chiropractor…and my body was SO happy about that.
My foot (which had been acting up due to an old
injury) hasn’t felt this good in a LONG time! Yea
Doctor Roger! I also bought a new pair of walking
shoes in Arezzo… which is probably helping the foot
thing too…


Ok I think that is enough for now. Coming up next
time: The Green Week Group arrives!


Hope all is well with you all wherever you are. I do
love getting emails and updates from home…(I don’t
usually have access to a newspaper so current events
are nice too).

Love and Blessings,
KNL

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Pisa…Like “The Leaning Tower Of”

Time for another great adventure into the Italian country. Travel this time was relatively easy…bus to Arezzo, train to Florence (after much confusion in the Florence train station), and train to Pisa. I think I will travel with a lot less stress if I start to look up the names of the stops just before mine. Because now when it gets close to the time I should be getting off the train at every stop I get up and peer nervously around… “Where are we now?!?” “Is this my stop?” “Did I even get on the right train?” “Are we still on earth??”

Panic attacks aside, I arrived in Pisa Centrale, and as usual, wandered around for some time trying to figure out which bus to get on. Once I was on the correct bus the directions to the hostel were very good and I walked right up. This “hostel” was actually a campground with “bungalows” (read: Trailers) that they rented out as hostel rooms. Fine by me, I got a kitchen and access to a pool! This made me think that the next time I travel in Europe it would be fun to rent/buy a big conversion type van and stay in campgrounds like this one…isn’t it funny how one trip just makes you want to take more and more and more trips?? (Also I think in my next trip I will travel in October…way fewer tourists around. And bring a bike…).
I rented a bicycle from the hostel/campground and set off to explore Pisa. First things first I found “The Tower.” And sure enough it’s a tower and you know what? It’s leaning, all right. I wonder what it says about me that when I first looked up and saw it I was reminded of a Simpson’s episode where they show the Leaning Tower of Pisa… The tower has been closed to tourists for some time so I was excited to see people going in to climb the tower. Yea! They had re-opened just in time for me! So I went over to the office to buy the ticket. 15 euros to climb the tower!!! 15!! That is insane. That is the most insane thing I have ever heard of. (Needless to say, I didn’t climb the tower). I did get a good laugh out of the street of people all trying to take one of those pictures where it looks like they’re holding the tower up. “No Marge, move your right hand over…no no too much!” “Come on kids really lean into it!”

I also did go into the Cathedral (which I reluctantly coughed up 2 euro for). Wow, that was a waster of 2 euro. It was slightly less impressive then several other churches I had seen and it was made worse by the several large tour groups being lead around by guides who were really speaking too loudly. I guess if you want to go to church and pray you shouldn’t do it in Italy in July or August. Geez….

The one fun part about the cathedral was that they had these special little disposable wrapper things for people who were not properly attired. (See photo on www.kelseylumpkin.shutterfly.com). It was pretty funny to see a bunch of light green blobs walking around the church. (Maybe THAT was worth the 2 euros).


I got back on my bike and pretty much covered the whole of Pisa in about an hour. It really is a cute little city. And I had some of the best gelato yet. (Have I said that before??) But seriously any good I do eating all the fantastic yogic/ organic food up at the retreat I undo by serious quantities of gelato when I am off the mountain. What can I say? You only live once…well…not really…hmmm… that’s a topic for another day.

My favorite thing I saw in Pisa’s shopping district was a t-shirt that said “Cheap and Chic” and cost 126 euros. Where do they come up with this stuff? Anyway, after my tour of Pisa I headed back to the campsite/hostel to make myself some dinner. Then got “dressed up” and headed back into town for a concert under the tower. I just happened to see a poster for it earlier in the day and the show just happened to be the one night I was there…so I decided to go.

The concert was a trombone quartet. I am not kidding. And it was fantastic. It was a really beautiful setting in the garden of the Opera Museum with the Tower lit up behind the musicians. (Again see photos) Have you ever been to a concert that was so fascinating that you almost felt a little heartbreak as each song ended? These four men were completely captivating and their music was a delightful mix. Everything from Hayden, to Stardust to Hey Jude…and their encore (again, I am not kidding), The James Bond Theme song. Wow.


After the show it was basically back to the hostel and to bed. The next morning I got up and headed off to the “other” train station in Pisa that was supposed to be a lot closer to the hostel. Well, I had pretty crappy directions and so just barley made the train I was trying to catch. (But, to be fair, the station really was much closer). When I arrived in Lucca the first thing I did was to cough up 5 euro for a good map of the city. And let me just say it was worth every penny. If you are traveling, pay the extra for the good map. Do Not by any means settle for one of those artistic type maps sold along with a tourist information book. Just get the good old road map. You will be much happier. I certainly was.

Found the hostel in Lucca…a bit strange and certainly understaffed. But clean and actually quite a nice space. Most of the day I just sort of wandered around Lucca (with my trusty map in tow). (Should that be toe? Or tow?) Man! There are a lot of churches in this town. A wall that is 4km long surrounds the whole town and there must be 50 churches inside. Besides having a lot of churches Lucca takes the prize for best street entertainment. As I was walking up to one of the main piazzas I heard a live band playing the “When The Moon Hits Your Eye Like A Big Pizza Pie” song. I felt like I had just walked into a movie scene or something. Does this really happen? Oh yes it certainly does. And later on in that same square I saw a modern dancer performing on a bit of Marley he had rolled out on the ground. And he was no slob…he actually had some decent dance training both ballet and modern and was (a bit overdramatic…but) quite good.

Other than that on my first day in Lucca things were somewhat underwhelming. The duomo was ok. (Notable mostly in how much they didn’t even attempt to be a church and had completely sold out to the commercialism/museum-ism. You had to pay 3 euro to turn on the lights and look at many of the paintings. Ewww.) The “botanical gardens” were basically a dusty field with some kids playing soccer. And the amphitheater from roman times was basically an oval shaped piazza; nothing is left of the actual theater.

So I had a fantastic dinner and headed back to the hostel to sleep.


I think that’s enough for now. Still to come in the catching up blogs: the rest of my trip in Lucca and back in Pisa, our 4th of July BBQ and plans for what’s next at the Borgo. Hope everyone is doing well.


Love and Blessings,
KNL