Day 6: A Day of Laughter
Written by: Anvitha Voruganti
The first few days of camp had run on the same schedule. However, this day was one of my favorite days since it was filled with so much laughter and the presence of girlhood.
Morning Time
The Geckos rose up and quickly showered early in the morning and went to the Mandir. Sitting in the mandir might have been one of the most calming parts of camp. Being in front of Baba, soaking in his presence and beauty makes me appreciate the fact that I am able to even sit in front of him. From my experiences from camp last year I gained this connection to Baba that I never truly had. My time with Baba at the mandir grew my love and connection to Baba and Guruji.
After mandir time, we all went to the bonfire area to drink some tea. Sipping hot tea with all the geckos and laughing about stupid things was always the catalyst to a fun day. After some minimal yoga, I served breakfast! Serving breakfast was something that I enjoyed a lot and I am so grateful that I was able to serve food for Ammamma! Sruti Akka was not able to join us this morning since Akka was still recovering and needed to take rest. We all missed Akka but wanted Akka to be healthy and recover.
Madhyan Arati and Flower Gathering
We then went to GTR to learn and practice Madhyan Arati. Ammamma was so patient with us and helped us pronounce each word of the Madhyan Arati correctly. Learning the Madhyan Arati everyday was so nice and such a special experience that I cherish so deeply. While we were learning Madhyan Arati, Sruti Akka came to join us! We were all so happy that Akka was feeling better and we were so excited to spend time with Akka! We then practiced Arati a few times and then went to the farm to gather flowers for flower pressing! As we walked around the farm for greens and flowers we ran into Satish Uncle and one of the workers who showed us a fruit. We tried the fruit and it was bitter and tangy but has a rich orange/yellow color. After we gathered our flowers we put them in the fridge and went to lunch.
Lunch
Lunch was filled with laughter, singing, and jokes. It was so nice to sit with Sruti Akka and all the geckos while eating amazing food made by Ammamma and all the volunteers. It was genuinely such a heartwarming experience. Being able to be so comfortable with everyone, laughing, being our own true selves, not afraid of judgment was so peaceful in the most chaotic way. We all were having so much fun that we sat in the kitchen and spent time there all the way through our break.
Flower Pressing
We then made our way to GTR where Sreedevi Aunty and Pradeep Uncle showed us how to do flower pressing. Sruti Akka, Sreedevi Aunty, and Pradeep Uncle spent so much time researching and getting this project together for us and we were all so grateful. We had such a fun time placing the flowers and pressing them down. As we were adding layers to the flower pressing we all shared our celebrity crushes and laughed at each other.
Bakery and Photography Workshop
After flower pressing we made our way to the Bakery where we all painted the walls. Painting in the Bakery was so much fun and we all enjoyed working together! Painting the flowers was my favorite because it was the easiest to not mess up! I also loved painting other things but the flowers were my favorite. We then went to the photography workshop with Dev uncle. Today was our last day of the photography workshop. We went over the photos that we took today and everyone was able to explain their photos!
Throw-up Night
We then ate some very yummy dinner and had a long gratitude circle filled with laughter. Some of the girls were not feeling well so Sruti Akka came to our room with homeopathy medicines, biscuits, and juice. Slowly one by one, each one of the girls started to throw up. We all helped each other, holding others' hair up, cleaning the throw up, and making sure that everyone was ok. The aunties and uncles helped us so much and Ammagaru and Sruti akka did not sleep at all. Everyone was looking after each other to make sure we would be okay.
