It was still within the first week so I was in the ‘Honeymoon About to Wane’ phase. Feeling assaulted mentally from what I was experiencing here, I was becoming stir crazy on top of it. So I threw myself on the mercy of the dancers to ‘babysit’ me so I could go out & play. They had already gotten used to the fact their guest teacher was a bit off her kilter so my plea was quickly answered.
Happy that folks were steppin’ up to the plate to coddle their teacher; I was able to relax as I was driven back to the guest house. I began to really take in the women’s attire on the street & the colors are extraordinarily vibrant: gorgeous greens, & vivid violets, opulent oranges, amidst raucous reds. Covered from shoulders to ankle & sometimes from the head, they saunter down the sweltering streets in flip flops, alone, sometimes with children & in pairs, the easy camaraderie evident. When a car honks which is always, they casually yet sternly give a side glance as they continue on their fluid way.
After 3 days of what felt like captivity, I managed to get out today with Amit without the ‘h,’ [there’s an Amith too] one of the dancers with the company I am guest teaching for called The Danceworx. He as well as others have been kind enough to volunteer to ‘babysit’ by showing me the sights, & equally important, to take me shopping. The first place he takes me is to the Lotus Temple or the Bahá’? House of Worship. And as you may have guessed, it’s in the shape of a lotus flower. According to the literature, it is the latest of 7 structures built in different parts of the world, each with a distinctive design. The intention is the invitation to all people of all religions & races to worship the creator of the Universe in on common house. The other structures are in Apia, Western Samoa; Sydney, Australia; Kampala, Uganda; Panama City, Panama; Frankfurt, Germany & Wilmette, USA—sadly to say, I have no idea where Wilmette is, nor have I heard of it!
The Lotus Temple is a beautiful building that was dedicated in 1986. The grounds are magnificent & the temple itself is surrounded by 9 pools of water—9 is the highest digit symbolizing oneness & unity. One large open room inside to pray in silence or meditate. Before entering, or even getting close, you must remove your shoes. Some folks leave them on the side of the pathway which wasn’t advisable by Amit due to theft & after my last trip to Bogotá, the ‘T’ word is a 5 letter curse word [that will be talked about in my upcoming posts about Bogotá so stay tuned]. So I followed him down some steps where there is an underground room to check your shoes & you receive a ‘ticket’ which you turn in for the receipt of your foot coverings on the exit side of the pathway.
Photo by Jacquie Bird