Living in Gokulam during Teacher Training
Living in Gokulam is not too difficult for foreigners. This upperclass
suburb of Mysore is easily navigated by foot, but scooters, bicycles,
and motorbikes can be easily rented. To get to Gokulam from Mysore
city, it is necessary to take an auto rickshaw or another form
of wheeled transportation. Yoga India is about 5 km from downtown
Mysore.
The key to living comfortablely in Gokulam is chatting with every
foreigner and Indian that you meet. Many of the foreigners are repeat
visitors to Gokulam and know all the ins and outs of the area: the
best restaurants, good tailors, excursions outside of Mysore, etc.
As a consequence, local auto rickshaw drivers and small business
owners are familiar with the foreign crowd.
There are certain key locations in Gokulam where you might find those
individuals speaking in English or other non-Indian languages.The
internet cafes (Anu's, Rishi Internet, Planet Web), restaurants (Tina's,
Shaila's, Anu's, Chakra House) and other places like the coconut
stand near the Ganesh Temple. By simply asking around, people will
point you in the right direction.
As far as finding a place to stay, your best bet is to go straight
to Gokulam. One man, Shiva, often finds foreigners homes. I found
my room from asking one of my classmates. Most students stay with
families, renting a room in their house ("paying guest" is
the Indian term). Others stay in apartments that are a part of or
adjacent to a family's house. The apartment style living will cost
about Rs 5000/month. A room in a house may cost Rs 4000/month. Depending
on where you stay this can vary a lot. If you decide to stay in Laxsmipuram
(a 15 minute motorbike drive away) you can find a room in a house
for Rs 2000/month. Sometimes you can purchase food at the house that
you live in, sometimes not. Either way, people usually find the best
spot for themselves.
DIET
I arrived in Mysore within two days of getting off the plane from
the US. With the busy teacher training schedule, I struggled to find
a diet that was healthy and simple. I knew that I needed food that
kept my energy high and still provided me with all my vitamins. It
took a few weeks to get into a regular habit so I hope these suggestions
work for the future teachers.
During the morning break after asana class, the students and I would
have a small fruit or nuts and raisins. Nuts and rainsins are a great
anytime snack and plentiful at the Devaraja market and general food
stores. The auto rickshaw ride to Devaraja Market and many of the
Mysore city food stores may cost Rs 30-45. Seasonal fruit is found
at fruit stands, with fruit cart vendors, and the Devaraja Market.
The closest fruit stand, Gokul Fruits & Vegetables, is up the
hill from Yoga India at Doctor's Corner. After completing our morning
studies at Yoga India we would often do our daily shopping at the
fruit stand and stop into Sri Krishna Bakery next door. Sri Krishna
Bakery & Sweets serves fresh seasonal fruit juices, chai, coffee,
and a large selection of breads and snacks.
Eating fresh fruits and vegetables everyday helped increase my energy
and kept my body feeling light and active. For lunch I would often
cook because this was our biggest break during the day. A few simple
recipies are listed at the end of this article.
You can find rice, olive oil, and many other items in the recipes
at Loyal World, the supermarket closest to Gokulam. Just ask any
auto rickshaw driver in Gokulam for Loyal World and it should cost
you Rs 12-15.
A few of my classmates purchased blenders for their dietary needs.
A basic blender costs about Rs. 2000 and will last about one year.
Top of the line blenders are about Rs 5000. The benefit of juicing
is tremendous in their opinion. It is a light lunch or dinner that
gives you all the vitamins. Use almonds, dates, any greens, grapes,
etc. Just about anything you can buy you can blend. At the English
bookstore, Ashoka Bookstore, you can find books on juicing.
Dinners for us were very light. We usually ate late, around 8pm so
dinner was often a handful of cooked food or raw fruits. For something
heavier, we would cook a small batch of noodles with some garlic
and vegetables. I think everyone will find the diet appropriate for
themselves, based on their constitution. The most difficult part
is finding a diet that does not make you lethargic because a lot
of traditional Indian food will do just that. For the teacher trainees,
the priority is yoga so be aware that food is your medicine and eat
appropriately.
RECIPES
-Dahl (lentils): Boil in water for approximately 20 minutes. Add
cooked ginger, garlic, onion, tomatoes, and any other spices. Add
fresh corriander and oil or ghee.
-Guacamole Salad: Mash up an avocado. Mix with sliced onions, tomatoes,
cucumbers, green pepper (capsicum). Squeeze a lemon and drizzle olive
oil on top. Add corriander and garlic, if you wish.
-Salad: There are all types of greens to try, that are very inexpensive.
Use carrots, beetroot, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, peas, green
beans, lemon salt & olive oil.
-Raw oatmeal: Soak oatmeal and nuts, dates, figs, raisins, and/or
fruits mixed together in water. Leave in the fridge for at least
4 hours. The oats are soaked as though they were boiled on the stove.
-Rice and vegetables: Fry any vegetables with garlic, lemon, ginger.
Boil the rice. Add the them together.
-Noodles: Add any veggies to a package of fresh, no preservative
noodles that you can find at a general store.
-Yogurt Salad: For dessert visit a general store for some "curd" (what
they call it in South India, it is a little more watery than yogurt)
and add mashed up fruits and honey.
|
|
