Summer's over and I'm back.

India was..nice. Not amazing, but nice.

Yoga class and my wonderful family were both probably the most welcoming features of my two month vacation.

Traffic and pollution? Not that pleasant.

But it's been days since vacation has ended; school has started, and boy am I...confused. We've gotten a new principal, who's changed up all the rules..and it's like I attend a completely different school altogether.

The uniform policy has tightened up, and we have only three minutes to change classes now. We only have five hall passes per week whether it's to go to our lockers or the bathroom. Lunch break is a mere 30 minutes.

Oh,whatever: I've heard people complaining left and right and back to front the entire week (granted that atleast 50% of those complaints were my own, relaying again and again in my mind), so I'm ready to move on now.

Today is Krishna Janmashtami, Lord Krishna's birthday!!

And the "Hare Krishnas", officially known as the ISKON, very grandly celebrate this festival, traditionally spread out over three entire days.

Yesterday we drove to New Talavana, a cow farm and ISKON temple in Mississippi. We didn't get to see the cows, but we were still entertained by the cultural program, and in the kids' case, by the Space Walk.

These Bharatanatyam dancers were not exceptionally learned or gifted in the art, but it was nice to see girls of many different cultures (white, black, and brown) doing Thodai Mangalam together..."Jaya Janaki Ramana..."



The next item, a drama production about the three lives of King Bharata, also put a smile on my face. The lead actor was very generously expressive, and the play had the right amount of comedy and action.

The use of props was especially intriguing. All of the costumes and puppets seemed to be handmade...very ingeniously handmade.

I especially liked the lion costume (above), and the papier mached deer puppet (below).

My Saturday was literally, divine. Yours?