Saturday, November 8, 2008

hindi

spirit -
भावना
heart -
हृदय
soul - आत्मा
breathe -

साँस
peace -

शांति
harmony -

सद्भाव

Sunday, August 31, 2008

sorry i've been neglectful

here i am back in france... and it's hard to believe that only a week ago we were still in india.

the transition is very difficult. everyone wants to know how ryan is doing, if she saw improvement, how am i, did i have a life-changing experience in india, etc. The answers to all of these questions is an emphatic 'yes.'

now i just have to sort out my life after two months of being elsewhere and see where the wind takes me.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

just another day in the pool


Today, much to the dismay of the Indian "lifeguards" (I put that in italics because I'm not convinced they actually do any life-guarding - it appears to me that many of the swimmers are nearly drowning and no one jumps in to save them), I taped Ryan and Michael swimming in the pool. Much of the audio on the videos I took includes me attempting to reason with the lifeguards about why I should be allowed to break the rule of "nothing on the deck" - which appears to include towels, bottles of water, apparently cameras, and, at one point, wheelchairs. I finally was able to convince them I should be able to tape by explaining that the doctors wanted to see Ryan and Michael's progress (this was not entirely true, though Dr. Ashish did express his interest in seeing the footage later.) This permitted me to tape for a few minutes, but then I was told my time was up. Lame.

But here is a video of Ryan swimming breaststroke. It's hard to see her hips moving forward like I mentioned in my last blog - I can see that best when I'm underwater. But she does look pretty freaking fast, and I think you all can agree (particularly those of you who have seen her swim breast before she came to India.) Even she says that her breaststroke feels faster.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

ryan's hips don't lie


This morning we went swimming and while Ryan was diligently doing her workout and I was playing around in the pool, I happened to catch a glimpse of her breaststroke under the water. It was pretty unbelievable - her hips were actually part of her stroke. I really can't explain it very well, but at the point in her stroke when she would normally kick - her hips jutted forward. Of course, then her legs just kind of followed along, but there was definitely an active movement forward of her hips.

Perhaps this doesn't sound like such a miracle - but I've never seen her swim like that. Before, it was obvious that her hips and legs were just following her upper body on her stroke, but this was definitely different. Her hips were moving forward in an active motion. Does that make any sense?

I watched her do some butterfly and it was the same thing - though already her fly has improved immensely since she's been here. Her whole body is undulating, moving in and out of the water in a wave-like motion - but there it was again: at the point where she should have kicked, her hips popped forward.

It kind of freaked me out a bit! I've been watching her swim for the last 10 years, and I've never seen this before. Crazy... and great! Now if only she could feel it...

In another note, my birthday was fairly tame but still fab. Thank you all for the birthday wishes, they are much appreciated! Be sure to wish Ryan a happy 28th tomorrow (Monday 18 August)!

Friday, August 15, 2008

the countdown begins...







It's remarkable to think that we only have 10 days left to spend in India. The last month and a half haven't exactly flown by, but I feel like I've just really gotten accustomed to living in India, seeing Ryan do physio and walk in her calipers, and trying to fit everything in that we want to do. It's weird to think that we have less than two weeks left to do that. There seems like so much more to accomplish - both physically for Ryan and in terms of what we want to do in India before we go.

The last few days have a been a bit of a whirlwind. Erin left on Wednesday morning, and on Tuesday I found out that Kanako's dog is really ill and she needed to get home immediately. After a few days of going back and forth to the airport, calling the airlines a million times, and finding numerous inexpensive tickets online that disappeared as soon as
we tried to purchase them, we finally got Kanako home on Wednesday night. Her puppy is happy to have her home.

With Kanako leaving, I've moved back into the hospital (or at least I'm in the middle of doing so.) I have a lot left to do at my apartment (namely laundry and cleaning) but I figure I have about 10 days to do it, so I'm taking my time.

Today (15 August) was Indian Independence Day, and we celebrated with a great party at the hospital (complete with a band singing crazy English songs) as well as with birthday cake for Ryan and I (it was actually for Kanako, whose birthday is today, but since she left early, we had to celebrate Ryan and I's.)

Speaking of birthdays, mine is tomorrow (I'll be 26) and the anticipation of it has to be the most anticlimactic thing I've ever felt. As I've aged, I've tended to feel much less excited anticipation before my birthday, but this year is just crazy. It's like I have no connection to the fact that it's "my special day" whatsoever. Perhaps it's because this trip is really not about me, but it's somewhat refreshing to respond to the question, "what are you going to do for your birthday?" with "well, I think I'll go watch Ryan do physio, maybe go swimming, and go over and do some laundry at my apartment." I feel so mundane.

Ryan and I will have Ayurvedic massages on Sunday and then we'll go out to dinner at the Imperial Hotel to celebrate the anniversaries of our birth, so don't worry.

Anyway, life, as always, is exciting here in India, and I'm looking forward to seeing with the home stretch has in store for us.

Monday, August 11, 2008

spendo in vasant vihar

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging lately. Things seem to be happening too quickly to record them accurately.

On Saturday night, we had a spendo at my apartment in vasant vihar. I had invited the ladies over to watch the Olympics on my fabulous TV and couches - of course, without first checking to see if my apartment had cable (I swear the woman whose house this is said something about cable) but unfortunately there was not. So instead we tried to watch a Bollywood film on the DVD player instead, but because we bought it on the street for 69 Rupees, only about 69% actually worked.

So, without much to do but lots of energy to expend, we decided to do some masks. Doing face masks is one of my most favorite pastimes, and I am glad that I always encounter other people to enjoy them with me.

For the record, Kanako and I are wearing a Himalaya Herbals Almond and Cucumber peel-off mask (it's a mask, I promise we're not just that sweaty) and Erin and Ryan are sporting the Oriflame Tomato Clay mask. After a photo shoot and about 30 minutes of giggling, our skin was as soft as a baby's butt.


Thursday, August 7, 2008

crazy street dogs


Here is a photo I took of a street dog waiting for the bus. I hope he has correct change.

work AND play in India

The view from my "desk"



I've been struggling quite a bit with the amount of transcription work I have and how I feel like that sort of pulls me away from being able to spend time with Ryan (I miss things like swimming, yuck) - balancing that with the need to make some extra money so I can actually afford to be here in India with her.

Today I found a pleasant balance when we went to Lodhi Gardens an hour before sunset so that Erin could take some more photos. The Lodhi Gardens are located strangely in the middle of smelly Delhi, with hundreds of species of trees and birds, and littered with Mughal ruins. They are gorgeous.

This afternoon, I brought my computer with me to the gardens and while Ryan, Erin, Kanako, Michael and his girlfriend Shaney (sp?) walked around the park, I plopped down on a bench near a ruin and worked diligently on my two-hour transcription. It was lovely.

After about an hour or so, Erin came and got me, and the lovely Indian man sitting on the bench next to me told her that he had been meditating next to me while I was working, and he could tell that I had really great energy. He then proceeded to give Erin a tidy primer on Buddhism.

His lesson for Erin also reiterated many of the things I got from the I-Ching today about my life, so it was interesting to hear at this point. More confirmation that I need to be patient and that everything will work out the way it is supposed to. Just what I need to hear. Again!

Hitchcock's The Birds?

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

this might be another kooky one...

I suddenly find myself, once again (it seems like a lot for someone of my young age) at a relative crossroads in my life - both figuratively and literally. I did the free 3 card tarot read on www.tarot.com tonight and one of my cards came out as this:

Judgment
in the "Self" Position
Main (positional) Meaning: A gathering of lost fragments allows you to connect to your Higher Self. The card in the Self position reveals aspects of how you perceive yourself right now. The Judgment card symbolizes redemption -- a wake-up call combined with the re-integration of missing parts of your self. The common image of people rising out of the grave symbolizes various aspects of the whole self returning to consciousness: subconscious contents, dream time visions, the emotional body, the soul itself. These are aspects of you that had been neglected, sacrificed, sublimated, destroyed, lost or simply undiscovered. A process of transformation allows you to access them consciously. The experience of subtle dimensions is a mystery words cannot explain. One can only be receptive to profound moments of reckoning when they come.

I feel like this trip has really solidified this transitory experience for me. Being here, supporting my best friend in her quest for who-knows-what, being constantly amazed by the minor (and major) miracles created by stem cells, spending time with people who feel as close to me as family, learning about a new culture, constantly living outside of my comfort zone (I'm so tired of haggling for a decent rickshaw price!), having so much time to think and contemplate what it means to walk, to run, to think, to love and to live... I am so fortunate to have this experience.

I'm constantly amazed by the religiosity here in India. Even without knowing what the statues, prayers, and songs represent it's difficult not to be moved by the temples on the corner each afternoon filled with worshipers and the presence of religious iconography in every rickshaw. I've never seen so many protective mantras and so much blatant faith as I've seen in India. And regardless of its intent, it's inspiring.

There are so many things that I am going to take from this experience. I can't tell you how thankful I am that I've been fortunate enough to take the time off from my job to spend the summer here supporting Ryan. I cannot even fathom being anywhere else right now than playing on the parallel bars in the physio room, watching Ryan walk in her calipers in the mirrored walls. Everything about it is inspiring.

I hope that the tarot card is right - that being here supporting Ryan and experiencing a culture like India has really opened me up to a new part of my life, complete with undiscovered aspects of my true self!

I hope that being a part of Ryan's journey, and continuing on my own journey, will give me the wisdom and the courage to open up to this new phase of my life and whatever the universe has in store for me next.




who is taller???

Monday, August 4, 2008

the gang at the mall


Apparently, in India, the 3rd of August is Friendship Day. I post this photo in honor of that very special holiday.

Ryan is a side-stepping fiend

Here is a video of Ryan side-stepping, a new skill she picked up this morning. Please keep in mind this was her first time, and she will inevitably improve immensely over the next few weeks.



On another note, I'm happy to report that Ryan is recovering nicely after today's procedure at Gautam Nagar hospital (sans internet access). Today's procedure was probably the most intense of all of them - Dr. Ashish injected stem cells directly into Ryan's spinal cord at about L4 (as opposed to the spinal muscles and the cerebral spinal fluid of the earlier procedures.)

After the procedure, Ryan was invited to lie flat on her back, inverted, without moving ANYTHING for five hours, an invitation she graciously accepted. She had been warned by our friend Michael that the only way to avoid a massive headache and a bout of nausea was to keep her head perfectly still for those five hours, which she was somewhat able to do. Luckily, by the time I left the hospital tonight at around 9:15, she was not suffering from any side effects.

Ryan and I also got quite intimate this evening when I helped her pee three times (remember, she can't move her head or anything.) In fact, what I got most intimate with was Ryan's pee - all 12 gallons of it (she's on bottle 4 of a saline IV drip to keep her hydrated.) Once again, I'll spare you the details, but if Ms. McLean ever asks you to hold the bag when she has to pee, I suggest you get a chair and you wear gloves!

Thursday, July 31, 2008

when in Rome...

...do as the old men do.

I am now a redhead. Thanks to Ryan, Erin, Kanako, Michael, Fake Rita and henna, my hair is orange. It is kind of growing on me. (Don't worry Clemens, it only lasts a month!)

BEFORE

















AFTER


Wednesday, July 30, 2008

musings

It's interesting to think that had I stuck to my original plan, I would have left India last week, be back in France at Dechen Chöling and preparing to start the Dathun this weekend (a monthlong meditation retreat.)

I can't even imagine how I could have left last week, but it's strange because my new role (no longer Ryan's official caregiver, but a friend who is living in Delhi) is rather discombobulating. It is particularly confusing after being so directly involved for the first month of Ryan's treatment - I think I might feel differently if I was in Erin's situation (who has always lived outside the hospital.)

I'm elated that Kanako is here and she's doing an amazing job as Ryan's second-in-command, but it's hard not to feel somewhat removed from the situation when I live so far away and can't be there with Ryan all of the time. This is all compounded by the fact that I'm all of a sudden having a lot of freelance transcription work to do (which is a good thing because then I can afford to be here for an extra month), but I feel sort of out of the loop and on my own most of the time.

I don't mind being on my own (in fact, I rather like it) but then I start to feel confused about what I am doing here. What am I doing here? Supporting my best friend Ryan as she receives stem cell treatment. But it seems like such a huge challenge to truly do so when I live so far away, am often busy with work or going to the gym, and am wanting to give Kanako the space to support Ryan in the way I was able to for the first month.

It's a tough situation to be in. I miss "checking in" with Ryan every night before we went to sleep and being there for late night fun with the webcam and ice cream runs. But I had my turn, and now I have to figure out how to support Ryan in a different capacity.

With all of that said, I can't even imagine leaving now or last week - I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to stay for the second month of Ryan's treatment. I can't imagine being anywhere else while she's going through this.

I suppose it will just take some time to sort of reassess my role here, and until then I'll continue to bumble around, say the wrong things and feel slightly uncomfortable until I figure out where my new place is.


four people and one wheelchair in a rickshaw

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

as promised, photos of my apartment

my bedroom, with an air conditioner (!) and my beautiful new quilt I bought at Fabindia. (Don't tell Clemens or my mother, please.)

the living room, with a real TV and dvd player - I haven't used them yet, but I'm looking forward to the Olympics

the terrace, with lots of nice green plants like okra and eggplant



the bathroom, with one of the most interesting placements of an electrical socket I've ever seen - actually IN the shower. How can that be safe?


I don't think this map turned out at all, but it gives you some sort of idea where everything is in South Delhi. To give you an idea, it costs me around $1.25 to get to the Green Park Hospital from Visant Vihar. It costs Erin around $1.00. It costs us about $.75 every time we go to the Siri Fort Sports Complex to work out/swim. Not bad.

Monday, July 28, 2008

i miss my grams


It's very strange, but being in India makes me really miss my grandmother, who passed away in May of 2007. It's remarkable how many times she comes to mind while I'm here in Delhi.

Part of the reason is that they use a lot of mothballs in India, and so many places I visit smell an awful lot like my grandma's house, which of course brings her to mind.

I also think of my grandmother a lot here in India because of the prevalence of elephant iconography in Hinduism (and India in general.) My grandma collected all things elephant (but only with their trunks up!) and every time I see an elephant (which is like every hour or so) I think fondly of my grams. It's been over a year since she's been gone, and I still forget and think about buying her something beautiful with elephants on it whenever I see it here.

Another reason I think she comes up a lot is because I'm once again spending lots of time with my dear friend Ryan. Ryan and I have quite an understanding in terms of our relationships with our grandmothers as her grandma passed away just a a few months before mine did, and we both know how difficult it was for each other. For that reason, being with Ryan makes me often think about our grandmas and inevitably that makes me miss mine (and Mildred too!)

There are parts of India that would very much appall my grandmother, raised in the Midwest during the Great Depression. The poverty, the filth, the smell - I really can't imagine how she would react to those things (but probably not too favorably.)

But there are so many things here that I know she would have loved: the colors, the (good) smells, the beauty, the shopping and bargain hunting, and just the very fact that I love it so much.

One of the most notable things for me about being at the Taj Mahal this weekend is how much my grandmother would have liked it. Not necessarily for its seeming permanence or meaning, and particularly not for its Islamic Mughal origins (Grams was quite a Christian.) But I know she would have been in awe over the sheer majesty of it. It was just so large and visually compelling, and I really think she would have been enamored.

I talked to Ryan about this later and realized that this was probably my favorite quality of my grandmother's: the ability to be genuinely moved by so many different things. Ryan mentioned that she loves that about my family at Christmas - we all relish each and every present that we open, and spend the time genuinely thanking each other for our gifts. (I hope it's authentic relishment and gratitude!) She mentioned that my grandmother was always the best at this - every gift she opened was like the best and most amazing thing she had ever seen - and it was entirely authentic enthusiasm.

I joked that I could have given my grandmother a pile of dog poop and she still would have considered it to be the greatest thing she'd ever received. A letter in the mail could absolutely make her week. Shortly before she died, I sent her a pretty batiked scarf with elephants on it from Nepal and the thank you note I got back was genuinely grateful for such a perfect gift.

I have been known as the "woman of superlatives" - out of laziness and a passionate appreciation for a variety of things, I'm apt to call seemingly mundane things the "best thing I've ever seen" or the "funniest thing ever."

In some sense these superlatives are not entirely unwarranted - I am moved by many things, just as my grandmother was. But I aspire to be genuinely moved by the most pedestrian of items - the ability to be authentically present so that each and every moment - each and every wonder from Taj Mahal to the beautiful saree I see on the street - will move me like it moved my grams.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

"a teardrop on the face of eternity" - Tagore



well. I've finally done it: seen the Taj Mahal.

Despite the drama that ensued during our trip to Agra (please see Ryan's blog, and know that it included Ryan's chair strapped to the roof during rain storms, more than a thousand cows hanging out in the middle of the street, forging rivers that used to be roads in a very small car which later would not start, climbing slippery marble stairs to get to our second floor room which hadn't been cleaned since the last gringo tourists slept there, and EATING AT INDIAN MCDONALDS!) we made it.

It was beautiful, and marbley, and pretty incredible. It also cost like $19 to get in and they made me throw away two packs of gum, my Fruit and Nut bar, and a peanut butter and guava jelly sandwich Ryan had made me. I've also never seen a greater accumulation of white people in one place (except, of course, in Western countries.)

But yes, it was worth it. It was serene and majestic.

And (as always) it was quite an adventure!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

one month down, one to go

Kanako is here! Erin and I picked her up at the Delhi airport very early this morning and I happily passed over the reins as Ryan's official "caregiver."

Today I officially moved into my new apartment. Here are the pros and cons of my new pad.

Pros:
  • I have the whole 3-bedroom apartment to myself, at least for the next three weeks
  • air conditioning
  • wireless internet
  • I am paying much less than it is actually worth (see the first point)
Cons:
  • location - it's a bit farther out than I had hoped for, tonight I had some difficulty getting a rickshaw that wanted to go that far (but I still only spent $2.00 to get there, and it took about half an hour)
  • location
  • location
I accidentally left my camera at the hospital today, so I'll post some pictures of it tomorrow. Instead, please enjoy this photo of two monkeys on leashes, one wearing a dress and the other about to bite me in the face.




Wednesday, July 23, 2008

she's training for the big fight...

And we're back at Green Park hospital with internet access. Phew.

I'm sure you'll read Ry's blog, but just to report she's doing fine, though disgruntled that she is unable to shower for another 24 hours - five minutes after we got back she was washing her hair in the sink.

Ryan's catheter coming out of her back today was pretty much the grossest thing I've seen in quite a while. I won't frighten you with the details, but let's just say it's going to be some time before I'm able to eat Angel Hair pasta again...

On a more pleasant note, here is another video that Erin made of clips from Ryan's physio. This video should be helpful for my little sister, who has agreed to take on the responsibility of being Ryan's primary physiotherapist when she gets back to Colorado (since her primary physiotherapist (Vendena) will be remaining in India and her secondary physiotherapist (me) will be returning to France). So, Emily, and everyone else, enjoy our new favorite Indian song and take notes...it's time for physio!


Monday, July 21, 2008

day one of the three day procedure




I'm back at the Green Park hospital for a bit so I could pick up some necessities that I forgot to bring (namely, toothbrush and toothpaste) and to report that everything is going quite well for Ryan in day one of the three day procedure.

She's not feeling any pain at all, and no headache, which is great. In this procedure, Dr. Ashish (the anesthesiologist) put a catheter in her cerebral spinal fluid (just outside her spinal cord) at L4, and then twice a day they inject a stem cell/saline mixture into this catheter.

The catheter then runs from her lower back up her spine (safely secured with tape, see photo) to a little clip thing that is taped to Ryan's shoulder. It's very interesting. Her first injection into this site occurred this morning when Dr. Ashish gave her the catheter and she was crouched on her side in the fetal position. Tonight, he just came into our room at the other hospital and injected the stem cells into the clip on her shoulder while she was lying on her back.

The worst part about this is that she has to lay flat and inverted for a few hours after each injection, I'm assuming to assure that the stem cells have lots of space to do their thing. Lying inverted for that long means that much of the blood rushes to her head, so they make her get up very carefully after each "rest" - lying on her side for a while, then sitting up, and finally getting into her chair.

Today she had to lay flat for something like five hours and they were also giving her an IV with an antibiotic, and we all thought she wasn't going to make it not being able to pee for so long, but she did. And once she got up, oh did she pee!

I have to either come back to the Green Park hospital or find a coffee shop with wireless every day for work, so I'll be sure to post another update with more photos tomorrow.

PS - all of those weird looking things on Ryan's back are just lines from her hospital gown - this was taken about a minute after she got up from lying on her back for five hours. It looks much less scary in person, I promise!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

some more standing... and even a few steps!

Ryan with her physiotherapist Vendana






standing pictures




Ryan has caliper pants!

Please tilt your head to the right, press play, and see Ryan standing!

Monday, July 14, 2008

some pictures from Erin's birthday at the Imperial hotel




super fancy

yesterday we saw an elephant on the road

phew. today was exhausting, and I barely left the hospital.

Ryan had her second procedure today, but thankfully it was a somewhat minor one and we got to stay here at the Green Park clinic rather than going to the Guatam Nagar hospital. She also only had to lie down for one hour after it, rather than six like last week. This made my life much easier, as I was fortunate enough to spend the day as the "official caregiver" of both of my good buddies.

Erin called early this morning to tell me that she was feeling absolutely awful - chills, a fever, dizziness upon standing - the works. She's been complaining of a pretty bad headache for the last few days as well, and all of these symptoms in combination with the fact that she's stopped taking her anti-malaria pill because of the side effects - we were worried.

I managed to find her apartment in Defence Colony, get the taxi driver to wait out front and get her upstairs to bring her here to the hospital. In the clinic, the doctors took some blood and Dr. Shroff insisted that she have her own room, right across the hall from Ryan and I's.

Erin got an IV, antibiotics, the whole shebang, and a few hours ago we found out the malaria test was negative. So apparently she has some crazy viral infection. But don't worry, she's feeling much better now - the medicine has reduced her fever, her head and body ache is gone, and she feels somewhat lucid now. They are even discharging her this evening, but she has to come back for antibiotic injections every morning and night for the next three days.

Edit: I forgot to finish this post last night, so I'm going to do it now. Erin ended up spending the night last night because Dr. Honor said he would take care of her, which made her feel better. She woke up feeling kind of icky, but is about to get her injection and take her medication and then that should make her feel better.

craziness!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Pictures from the Delhi Mango Festival last week





not your average massage - this is LONG


The other night, I was fortunate enough to experience a true unique lifetime experience: an Ayurvedic massage.

Ayurveda, which means the science of life, is an amazing ancient system of health and wellbeing that originates from India. I've been interested in Ayurveda for a few years, ever since I first learned about it from Deepak Chopra, an Indian Ayurvedic doctor who writes and speaks about health and spirituality in the States (http://www.chopra.com/)

Ayurveda is based on the principle of balance, both internal and external. You can learn more about it here: http://www.whatsyourdosha.com/ and even take a test to see what your dosha is, or your basic constitution or mind and body type, and based on that, you can figure out what diet is best for you, what oils and herbs are most helpful, etc.

Anyway, the point is that I've been interested in this for a while, and the experience at the Ayurvedic doctor was really quite fascinating.

So, here I will outline my experience with an Ayurvedic massage:

I arrived at the clinic and was escorted into a small room with a bed that looked a bit like a sleigh (see the photo) and a small bathroom attached. The two lovely Indian women who were going to give me my "synchronized massage" handed me a robe and what one called "disposable panties" and showed me into the bathroom to change.

Once I changed (I think I was wearing the disposable underwear backwards, whoops) I came back out and one of the women asked me to sit down next to the bed. She then realized that my hair was wet (I had showered before I came) and apparently that was not conducive to an Ayurvedic head massage, so she spent the next few minutes with a hand towel trying to dry my hair, which ended up giving me a distinctive Afro-frizz hairstyle.

Once my hair was sufficiently dry, she poured a bunch of medicated oil onto my scalp and proceeded to give me a very nice scalp massage. The whole point of all of the medicated oil is to get it to enter your skin so it can actually benefit you, so she was really going at it to get the oil to go into my scalp. She then began to whack me all over my head, which at first was a bit disconcerting (but never painful) but then became somewhat pleasurable. I thought she was actually using some sort of instrument (an Ayurvedic head whacking stick, perhaps) but it turns out it was just a very skillful hand clasping that was thwacking my skull. Apparently all of that thwacking helps the oil enter the scalp!

After this part, I was escorted to the sleigh-bed and asked to lie on top of it. I'm not sure you can really grasp the essence of this bed from the photo - it was basically like a typical massage table, but with a very ornate edge to it. I learned fairly quickly that this was to keep all of the medicated oil on the bed and it turned out that the edges helped me (all oiled up) to slide around on the massage table without falling off of the bed.

I was lying there in this sleigh with nothing on but my lovely disposable underwear (backwards). This was the first distinct difference between a Western massage and an Ayurvedic one: there was no discreet sheet or blanket to cover me up - I was lying there on that table in all of my glory. (okay, the head thwacking was probably the FIRST major difference)

At this point, the two women decided to pour medicated oil all over my body - and I mean EVERYWHERE. In my navel, between my toes, on my neck - everywhere. It was great. And this is where the real fun began.

The two women, bless them, then began to exert a full workout on my body. I'm not kidding - they were sweating. And the synchronized part of it was remarkable. They had like a routine memorized. Everything that one of them was doing to one of my legs the other one was doing simultaneously to the other. It was a pretty amazing feeling.

Here is another important difference between Western and Ayurvedic massages: whereas in the West, the point of the massage is to work on your muscle knots and help you relax, as I mentioned before, the primary purpose of these women's work on me was only to get the medicated oil into my skin.

With that said, I was sliding and flopping all over the table while they swooshed all up and down my body. All of my body. I won't go into details, but let's just say there is very little left untouched in an Ayurvedic massage. (But don't worry, it was entirely professional!)

There was one point where I was on my stomach and the women motioned to a part of the top of the bed that was actually designed for me to hold on - I would have slid all over the place otherwise. It was great.

After the women were certain my body had been stuffed with medicated oil, I was able to get up off of the bed (with lots of help because I was totally slimy) and go for my steam. Taking a steam was a bit different than stepping into the 6-person steam room like I do every week after swimming in France. This was a solitary steam box, and since in Ayurveda you are not supposed to expose your head to extreme temperatures, my head stuck out of the box. (If you look at the picture, the steam box is on the back right - with the doors open.) I was still really slimy and oily, and all of the steam made it even worse. It felt great!

After 15 minutes in the steam box where my disembodied head got to watch the women hose down the sleigh-bed, they got me out of the box and one of the women took me into the bathroom. I showered, dressed, and came out to find a glass of hot water with Ayurvedic herbs for me to drink, and then one woman took some red Ayurvedic powder and put it on my head, behind my ears, and made me snort it into each nostril. Then they sent me on my way.

I left the clinic feeling refreshed, energetic, still very oily, a bit confused and elated with my experience. It was so crazy! I came back to tell Ryan and Erin about it, and unfortunately they did not share my enthusiasm (I told them I'd buy them each a session for their birthdays, but they weren't too into it. Ryan has since said she might be interested in the head massage.)

Perhaps I'm a glutton for interesting cultural experiences? That was just too new and weird and exciting. Oh, and for the hour massage and 15-minute steam, it cost me 1000 Rupees, about $25 US. What a steal!

I'm going back next week.