Ramana's Top 11

11. The best salads i have ever ingested from the cafe, freshly grown in the gardens (esp since salads are a delicacy in india), and Dil's (the nepali chef)desserts and pizzas.

10. Sunday laundry days and swimming in the Ganges River

9. Hilarious quotes and rudimentary English that have worked their way into my normal speech: "you want?", "it is paining", "i am rounding"-dizzy, "so much noising/smelling", "what it is?", "no problem", "my god", "not possible".

8. Curiosity and brutal honesty of the kiddos: "you have big arms."; "why aren't you married?"; "have you kissed your boyfriend? where?"; "do you live with your parents?"; "do you like white skin or brown skin?"; "katie, i found sooo much blood in my mom's underwear, my god. why?" and after a long discussion of why, "do boys get it too?"; "you have chicken pox too," 9-yr-old Mukhul pointed out during the Ramana's epidemic. i explained through my laughter, "no, it's just acne."; 15 y.o. Gagan confessed, "i thought you were going to be tough when you first came here." perhaps it was my 'big arms'?!

7. Holi, the festival of colors, celebration at the Gangaji River, and perhaps my most memorable day in india. powdered vibrant colors of the rainbow were flying around the entire day, while laughter ensued. the Ganga graciously (and guiltily as we polluted its waters with the paint) provided a refreshing bath for us all before getting hit again. the only interference was a delicious picnic of indian fried goodness - samosas, puri (fried chapati/flat bread), sabji (mixed veg), and fresh fruit.

6. Two words: 1. LICE 2. FARMING

5. Eldon and Hilda, the massive friendly mountain spiders who were an unenthusiastic but reliable audience each day in our bathroom.

4. The furry little friends that live in the cafe and around Ramana's

3. Our morning alarm clocks: the meowing peacocks and the continual searching for Shiva (one of Ramana's mascots), the untrainable but cute yellow lab.

2. Late nights with my fellow staffers (Nepali ladies) spent dancing, doing "the worm", yogaing, laughing, talking.

1. Everything to do with the kids: sleepovers in the girls' rooms, hair braiding, their beautiful voices and the vibrations they create while singing at satsung, their smiles and laughter, and the best hugs in the world!