Is it just me or has it been years since I last updated you on my life? Quite a lot has happened, so I think I'll gradually tell you about my adventures so as not to completely overwhelm you!
So, where did I leave off?
As I said before, I stayed here in Durban over the semester break because I figured it would be best since I had (count 'em!) four papers due the following week. Now, I do not want to trick you into thinking I actually worked on any of those papers over the break. (Oops?) Regardless, I'm glad I stayed in here because there was beautiful weather all week. Why would I want to stress myself by travelling somewhere with cooler weather when I could just relax on the beach right here? It just doesn't make sense. For me, the beach trumps pretty much anything else.
What's better than waking up with absolutely no plans? Waking up with absolutely no plans nine days in a row! I can't remember the last time I've had that luxury.
The first Sunday of my break I decided to go to the Hare Krishna temple in Chatsworth. It was apparently a spectacle to see, and my nerdy religion side was intrigued. I called up Mutu, our trusty cab driver, who I suspect might have been laughing when he got off the phone with me. When I got in the cab, he asked if it was ok if he picked up some friends. Of course I had no problem with that, so we headed off to get them while joking about Danny and Jill's upcoming epic drive from Cape Town. (They did survive.)
His friends were kind of slow in getting out of their house, but it was ok. No plans! Of course, they inquired about my American-ness, and since they were all jazz musicians, they quizzed me about some American jazz artists. I'm quite sure I embarrassed myself, but, hey, some people are jazz nerds, some people are religion nerds. The world needs balance.
When we arrived at the temple, there were cars parked everywhere. I was surprised, but maybe that was normal? I had no idea. I started walking around, trying to take in my surroundings and ignore how utterly out of place I was feeling. After passing the same guy twice, he stopped and asked me what I was doing, so I admitted my touristness and out-of-place-ness (my diction is full of creativity today). Aiden and I got to talking, and it turns out I'd walked in on a pretty important religious festival celebrating Radharani, the Supreme Goddess and consort of Lord Krishna. What luck! He took me over to meet his wife (Tracy) and friends who were waiting in line for food.
Food! Free food, guys! There was a giant, unorganized mass of people waiting to get plates of the delicious meal. Aiden even admitted that food played a role in joining the Hare Krishna movement for him. They fed him food and stories, and he kept coming back. Pretty cool, right?
They told me that even the preparation of the food is done in devotion to God (in the form of Lord Krishna for them). The cooks take special care to not taste the food and to not even enjoy the aroma. Abstaining from the human pleasure helps them to focus their thoughts and actions on God in true devotion. Even when eating the food, one is not supposed to enjoy it to please the senses. Everything is to be done with the focus on God. (Aiden did assure me that if I just enjoyed the food because it was really good, that was ok. Whew!)
Because we waited in line for a long time, it was hot, and I hadn't eaten any breakfast, I started to get light-headed. This wasn't really a terribly good excuse since everyone else there had apparently been fasting all morning as well. Regardless, Tracy and Aiden graciously marched me to the front of the line to get food. As I walked along the line of tables, my styrofoam plate was slowly filled with rice and curries and things that smelled too good to bear. How on earth did people cook this stuff without smelling and/or tasting it? That is true devotion, guys.
We ate out on the grass, and my goodness, the food was amazing! Of course, it was all vegetarian, and they told me that they ate with their hands because feeling the sustenance with their fingers supposedly helps with digestion. Tracy was so kind to offer me the spoon she had brought along since I was less experienced with the proper, not-getting it-all-over-myself finger eating technique.
Another lady joined us, and I internally gave myself a pat on the back for recognizing that her accent was different. (Previously, I'd just been able to tell American and not American. I'm skilled.) She sounded Australian, but I found out she was from New Zealand. (Close enough!) And let me tell you, this lady was a storyteller. I could have listened to her for hours on end. She gave us her own take on some of the stories of Lord Krishna and Radharani.
It is amazing to me that stories that people shared thousands of years ago are still entertaining today. That's something that I definitely appreciate about Hindu texts - they can be fun. The holy one(s) are so much more approachable when they are presented as being as silly as you and me. Still other-worldly and to be revered, but genuinely near and dear to the hearts of Hindus everywhere. (Ok, religion nerd moment over. Sorry.)
Once we finished eating, I got to take my shoes off and go inside of the temple. Tracy assured me that it was fine for me to take pictures, and she really wasn't kidding. At least three people saw me with my camera and told me to take pictures. I happily obliged! I took a seat next to some elderly ladies sitting on the periphery of the temple to watch the goings on. Multiple people had their cell phones out taking pictures of the states of Krishna and Radharani. (See what I mean about near and dear?)
After taking all of that in, I left to look at some of the stuff they were selling outside. I bought some really beautiful yellow sari fabric and the lady then offered me free bracelets. I love bracelets and can never turn down free stuff!
In all, it was a great day, and I'm so thankful to Aiden and Tracy for making me feel so much less out of place. As I was waiting to leave, a man came up to me specifically to invite me back again. What started as a day of touristy intentions turned into an opportunity to meet some truly gracious and loving people. If you're in Durban, this temple is definitely worth a visit!
I'm sorry my blog posts always turn into borderline novels. Congratulations if you made it through the whole post!
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