It's hard to believe the program is only starting its third week. We've been incredibly busy learning about our new home in Auroville, India and beginning our academic work.  So far, I count well over 30 seminars or activities students have engaged with to help them land and orient.  Topics include:

Group building: Sharing "Life Maps", "Base Group" sharings, Full group sharings, Community meetings, One-on-ones with faculty advisors, and seminars on Decision-making, Norms and agreements, and Non-violent communication

Auroville Orientation: Visitor's Center, Solar Kitchen (and learning about it's 14m solar collector), Philosophy of Sri Aurobindo, Matrimandir, Tour of Kuilyapaliam (our neighboring village)

Academics: Overview of Living Routes, Pedagogy, Courses, Assignments, Assessment, Intention setting and "Individual Learning Plans", "Sustainability in Action Research Projects and Presentations", and Seminars on Ecovillages, Systems thinking, and Cross-cultural understanding

Site Visits to Potential Service Learning Sites and Community Stays: Center for Scientific Research, Life Education Center, Solitude Farm, Buddha Garden, Kottakarai Organic Food Production Unit (KOFPU), Auroville Radio, WELL Paper, Upasana Design Studio, Verité Community, Thamarai School, Botanical Gardens, Revelation Reforestation Project, Sadhana Forest

Bioregional Explorations: to Mamallapuram (where we visited historic sites and watched an Indian Dance performance) and Pondicherry (where we visited the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the local temple)

Wow!  Having written it all down, now it's even harder to believe.  In addition, we volunteered at Auroville's first all-day "Litter-Free" event (I'll post a video in a separate entry), started morning yoga and meditation practice, watched a Tamil movie, and - somehow - found a few days to relax.

Students have now begun their Service Learning Projects, where they will work and learn at each morning for five weeks. And this weekend, half of the group will travel to Tiruvannamalai to visit Ramanamaharshi's Ashram the Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Temple, and to circumambulate Arunchula Mountain (thereby burning off all remaining Karma - or so the story goes...).

The students are wonderful (and healthy!) and it's a true privilege to be doing this work together!