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Agra Diary by Martine Clausen PSM teacher from Holland Delhi, 31st October,
2.50 am |
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Beginning March 2000, Woodstock (GB) |
| After a wonderful residential in Woodstock, we may now call ourselves PSM teachers. We had much fun and studied hard and now we are thrilled by the perspective of perhaps meeting again in Agra coming November. I would love to go, yet I worry about the financial aspect of the trip. | |
| May 16 and 17, Paris | |
| A two-day seminar with Deepak in Paris. This is the first time Erik, my husband, came with me. He was also caught by Deepak's wisdom and chemistry, and Erik even wants to come to Agra with me. We suppose the Universe will supply the necessary funds if this is right for us. | |
| May 20th, Holland | |
| In Paris Deepak spoke about Marshall Rosenberg and his theory. Erik went straight to the library to get the book about non-violent communication. I devoured the book. I decided to now write a final letter to a person who owed us money for the last 10 months, I used only non-violent communication techniques. | |
| May 24th | |
| A miracle happened. The person who owed us called to apologize and consented to pay within a week. Which he actually did! This was so great that I immediately subscribed myself and my husband for Agra. | |
| End of July 2000 | |
| Change of plan. Erik does not come with me after all to Agra. He hates planes, a ten hour flight is a horrible foresight to him. Nevertheless he insists upon my going anyway. I wonder what the Universe means by having me undertake this kind of thing without the care and protection of my husband. On the other hand I like the idea of our children (aged 5 and 8) having at least one parent to stay home with them. | |
| End of September 2000 | |
| That's it, it's final, I booked a flight. Not an easy job as everything seemed fully booked. There was just one seat left on an Air France flight for me. France always seems to pop up in my life. I like the way the Universe orchestrates things for me. | |
| Beginning of October 2000 | |
| I'm starting to fear travelling on my own. I sent a mail to Patty Johnson whether she knows of any person in the same boat as I am in. Just a few days later Patty comes back to me having found 3 American travellers who do not object to my joining them. Bless you Patty! These 3 women will arrive in Delhi a few hours later than me. We will share a room at the Radisson in Delhi. Then there is a woman from Britain who wants to travel with us from Delhi to Agra. Her name is Sheereen. | |
| October 2000 | |
| This months theme is Agra. I pick the right clothes (or so I think, as they turn out to be far too hot for the climate). I buy a shockproof suitcase. I also give another 2 PSM courses. Everybody is excited about me going all the way to India on my own. My parents will take care of our children when I am away and my husband at work. I go to a lecture by Roy Martina. He's fun and looks very healthy. I tell him I will go to Agra, and he tells me he unfortunately has duties elsewhere. As the end of the month now approaches rapidly, I start to get real nervous. I have never taken a flight longer than 2 hours. By now I have read 2 travel guides on India, and I must say they frighten me. They describe all the dangers awaiting the innocent traveller on arriving in India : thieves, cheats, touts, cheating cab drivers and more. I just pray for the Universe to guide me along and decide to practice the law of uncertainty and detachment. | |
| October, 3 days before my departure | |
| Unable to book a flight from Delhi to Agra, I arrange for an Avis car to pick us up at the hotel on the 31st at 11 in the morning. The women who will join me mail me back to thank me and also say no offence is intended but that they want an Indian driver, because driving in India is not quite what we Westerners are used to. So I book a driver, no problem. | |
| 30th October, 5 o'clock in the morning | |
| This is the big day. I hug my husband goodbye and
there I am, all alone at Schiphol airport, with so many other travellers
who will go to heaven knows where. The weather is pure Dutch November
weather: the storm outside makes me wonder about planes being able to
take off under these weather conditions at all. However my trip to Paris
is not delayed. A woman from Bogotha is sitting next to me on the plane.
Her son is 1 and a half years old, and she is 5 and a half months pregnant.
The child does not want to sit on mummies lap. We try to divert it as
good as possible. This makes the flight to Paris pass in no time. Unfortunately
the weather in Paris is even worse than in Amsterdam, storm and rain.
Due to the turbulence, I get real sick. I shrink at the thought of having
a 10 hour flight ahead of me. Why do I always keep forgetting that the
Universe provides for me? Although I am very sick arriving at Charles
de Gaulle airport, the weather conditions are such that the airport actually
thinks of closing for the day. All flights to and from Britain are cancelled.
My flight to Delhi is delayed, nobody knows for how long and whether it
will take off in the end. I thank the Universe for this, because I need
some time to recover from my sickness. I fall asleep. When I wake up I
feel much better. Instead of taking off at 10.15, the flight leaves at
13.45, just at a moment when the turbulence has died away, so the plane
leaves safely and I don't get sick again. Thank you so much for this,
dear Universe! I'm sitting next to a nice fellow from Hyderabad. He has
just been to the US for a week. As he tells me about India, I know that
this will be a major experience for me, major cultural shock as well…
next page: 31st October, 2.50 Delhi |
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