Chicago & Fremont Review

 Hi all, 

It feels like we haven't posted in a bit. I can't believe it's already almost March of 2021! It's been a year of the pandemic and shelter in place. We are currently in Eugene, OR on our way back to Sequim, Washington. We were hoping to still make it to India but that ended up not happening. We sent out a few feelers to friends in Sequim for places to stay and found a woman that has bought farm land and will be out of town for 5-6 weeks. She has some animals that need watching over and then once she returns, we will all be living together. More on that in a bit once we actually get there and get re-settled. 

For now, I wanted to do a quick review of what we've been up to since we left Sequim. We left mid December to make it in time for Amaani's birthday. We stayed in Fremont for about a week and ate a lot of mom's food, hung out with Ish/Saavi/Ami/Amir and unpacked/re-packed for Chicago. We hadn't gone to Chicago for Thanksgiving so were spending Christmas there instead. 

We quarantined for 4/5 day's at my brother's place, got tested and then headed out to Naperville for the rest of the time. Amaani loves snow and we actually got a decent amount of it while we were there. We got to go sledding, hiking and made a snow person! I think I've mentioned this in the past but going back to Chicago and not seeing everyone is weird. It's home for me and is always filled with making lots of plans to see people. I was still determined to see folks though and called friends up to go for outside walks. To all my girls that I was able to see, I'm grateful. To the people I missed, next time. 

 

Us being home is so good for my dad. He stays busy and the house is full. Arpit, Sam and Bodhi spent the entire time there as well and Amaani was OBSESSED with her little brother. We took him out on our outdoor adventures as well :) During all of this, there was always a little background anxiety in what's next for us. Spending time with family is great but there's a certain idleness that makes me crazy after a bit. I found purpose in focusing on my bread baking skills. We brought the wheat from Sequim to Chicago with the starter and there was a point that I was baking daily. We went out to a mill about an hour away to get more local wheat! I learned a bit about the transition from one wheat to another and really focusing on getting the starter nice and healthy. My bread was getting this dense spot but by the end of our time in Chicago, that went away and overall taste had improved! I think each friend I met up with got some bread along with some neighbors :) Lots of outside time for us as a family. We went to Starved Rock twice! Frozen waterfalls = COOL! My dad has upped his cooking game and makes some mean chole bhature. Amaani made a friend with the neighbor next door and that was nice for her to have another kid around. Bodhi turned 1 while we were there :) Various art and knitting happened while there as well. Rest of pictures here. Was grateful for the time to spend time there.

Then we headed back to Fremont. We had applied for Amaani's Overseas Citizen of India and were hoping to see if we get a response soonish. Our ideal would have been going to India. We realized that once we get back to life in Oakland, we won't get the opportunity for a while. Unfortunately, it didn't end up being in the cards. Due to coronavirus, everything took longer and we ended up deciding on returning to Sequim. Similar feelings of going a bit crazy came up and a general uninspired state. Old habits return while living with parents. In hindsight though, we still did a lot. Raj planned out building a raised bed for the Fremont back yard! He did all the planning and we got to build it together. Replaced circular chain saws, cut wood, and used a drill. These are all things we never did as a kid and becoming the tiniest bit fix it saavy is an improvement. He also learned and built a full irrigation system! I got to take a wood working class at the Crucible! Lots of outside adventures, birthday celebrations and outdoor meet ups with friends. Amaani spent a ton of time with her cousins. Lots of art and slime making. Lots of reading. This "time off" is filled with mental ups and downs. There are periods that are filled with joy and gratitude to take a step back and slow down. To sit down and think...what do I want from life? What drives me, us as a family, etc. Observing and learning with Amaani on this unschooling process is a constant journey. Then there are moments in what are we doing? We need to get back to Oakland and dive back in. Each day is filled with the ups and downs but in hindsight it's a wealth of memories and opportunities that push us forward. I always wondering what seeds are being planted in Amaani during this time for her future. What will they sprout? How will they show up for her? What will she remember? Forever thankful to Raj. Our tagline for this blog has held true :) Excited for the next set of adventures.  Rest of pictures with links below: 

Quaranting via HipCamp

Fremont

Woodworking

WE STARTED OUR JOURNEY WITH A UNIFYING THREAD THAT DRAWS US TOGETHER: THE DESIRE TO LIVE MORE MEANINGFUL AND CONSCIOUS LIVES AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS A COUPLE AND NOW AS A FAMILY. THIS BLOG SERVES AS A REMINDER OF THAT GOAL. 

Sequim in Pictures - the Connections

We knew about Sequim because of our friend, Ankur... who I met in India about 15 years ago! We haven't stayed in the closest touch since then, but it was amazing to be able to reach out to him, and for him to open an invitation to us. This is about the PEOPLE we spent time with, and the connections we made. 

For the first couple of weeks, we stayed in Ankur, Miriame, and Jasmine's Octagon Guest House in their backyard. One of Amaani's first adventures was creating a see-saw in the backyard with some found materials! 

After quarantining for a few days, it felt like we were living in an extended family situation with Ankur, Miriame, and Jasmine... and what made it amazing are the shared values -- good, organic, fresh food; connection with nature; justice-mindset; equanimty and love. For me, that's the dream... to live on some land with a community of like-minded families.

The People

Playing banana tag in Eden's backyard! Tapping into Ankur's network and community, we were able to connect with some creative, active, fun kiddos! 

Hot tub in Ankur & Miriame's backyard. 

Ankur-bhai tries to go on hikes/outdoor adventures with his little one Jasmine every Friday, and then usually does a hike on his own or with friends over the weekend. =)

This was the view from the back of the home we stayed in after we left Ankur's place. This is Bharti Auntie's home (Ankur's mom), and I am so grateful that she let us stay here. This woman is a strong woman... living alone out here for many years, and still hiking over 4 miles EVERY day. It was like we had a "mother" out there in Sequim. 

Nephews, Anshal and Harshal, from Seattle came to visit! We had an awesome two days with them - apple pressing, hiking, crossing rivers, etc.

Amaani is with here with Olivia and Zoe under this spectacular rainbow. Olivia, Zoe, and their parents, Balyn and Ellie, live on their family farm with a couple of horses, some goats, and chickens; and homeschool/unschool their kids. It was amazing spending time with kindred souls weekly.

So grateful to the Bridge's family! Lisa and the kids were so warm and welcoming from the moment we met them. And so was Joe once we met him as well. We hung out outside their home, had game nights, and went out numerous outdoor adventures. Much love to Olive, Ivan and Charles (or the "Runny Boys" as Amaani likes to call them) and Joe and Lisa. 

Because of the wonderful connections made, we were able to organize an outdoors, socially-distanced, masked Diwali celebration with story-telling, rangoli, and diya painting! 

We met so many wonderful families and kids, and we painted these rocks with the kids' names on one side, and a word that comes to mind when we think of that child on the other side. It was our way of saying good-bye and letting them know they touched our hearts.

When I compare their childhoods (kids in Sequim) to the childhoods of the kiddos in inner-city Oakland that I've gotten close to over the years, it's such a stark difference. I know that this isn't something that people don't know... but the opportunities the Sequim kids have to be outdoors, to be free, to be safe.. is amazing... it's what leads to healthy kids.. mentally, physically, and emotionally... and eventually healthy adults. "School reform" is spending so much time, money, and effort to help these "inner-city" kids get to college... and not only are they failing at that goal as so many students are being underserved... but they're not doing anything to help save their childhood... all socio-emotional work and everything is in service of succeeding at school, not in service of being a happy and healthy human being. This Covid situation and virtual schooling is another ridiculous thing.. expecting kids to just sit at screens all day. 

My next step, after this year, is to partner with like-minded BIPOC and design a Natural Learning Center where our Oakland kids can be kids, can be free, can pursue their passions, can have fun, and can learn and grow.

Many families that we met in Sequim are trying to make sure that their kids have the above opportunities that I just mentioned in different ways. I enjoyed talking to parents to see how they're making it happen, and learning a little bit about the different education opportunities/schools that exist there.

Overall, it felt really good to be able to quickly form pretty deep connections with people in Sequim and have regular outdoor hang-outs and adventures. Sequim feels like a place we can go back to and be in community. THANK YOU

Bye Bye and Thank you Sequim!

We are on our car ride back to Fremont today. We ended up spending a good two and a half months in Sequim. Prior to our plans, I had no idea where Sequim was, nor did I know anything about the region. I knew that Ankur mentioned he grew up there and we were invited to his wedding there (which unfortunately, we didn't get to attend). And now Sequim has left a permanent impression on my heart, a world of new connections/relationships and countless memories. 

I want to organize this post based off a book that I just finished reading. It's called The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. This entry isn't going to be about the book itself (although I highly recommend it). I want to use the section titles of the book to organize my thoughts around Sequim. 

The Things We Carried

We carried a lot into Sequim! And we didn't literally carry it but packed our newly bought 2016 Honda Odyssey. We didn't exactly know what we were going to be doing in the next few months but we packed for every possible scenario we could think of. We packed all our camping gear. We packed rain gear, winter gear and clothes that would fit various situations. Amaani and I love doing art and I made a whole art box with crayons, colored pencils, scissors, glue, paper and our favorite doodle pens. Lots of books! Harry Potter 6 & 7 along with the Torchbearers and Ellie for Amaani. Some books on unschooling, a translation of the Gita, the Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh. And a bunch of fiction reading for me. Food and all the cooking gear with camping. Usually our camping meals are simple but knowing that we would be away for a bit, I actually packed the main Indian spices that are needed for most dishes. Miss Amaani carried plenty of her own things as well - mainly related to her LOL dolls. A computer, chargers for phones, and bikes as well. Phew!

It felt like a lot and it was a lot but still felt simplified and not a whole house full of stuff!

The Things We Learned

There are so many things. The initial ones will be the major ones and then it might get into list form. 

• One of the major themes of the trip was food sustainability. We really got to hone in on our intention of eating what's local, seasonal and doesn't create trash as much as we could. Raj was volunteering at River Run Farm and bringing home fresh veggies. We were menu planning around those veggies. We realized that Indian cooking really allows for some amazing meals that don't need extra ingredients that come in boxes. We learned how to make roti from organic wheat grown in Sequim from Nash's Organic Produce! Usually at home we buy this packaged roti that we can warm up but it's processed, packaged and not fresh. We got into a bartering system for fresh bread in exchange for Indian food that I would cook. This linked into a vision/dream I've had of having tasty, healthy food be part of building community and wellness practices. I got to practice it in smaller scale. I've had this long standing idea to menu plan with folks. Understand what food is their comfort food, what is their budget and trying to create meals and menu plan and grocery shopping for the week to fit that. And then getting to cook together. With the pandemic, cooking together isn't happening but I got to learn how to consistently cook for others on a weekly schedule. I think food and sharing food is a pathway to people's heart and this practice is something that is planting seeds for the future. We made our own salsas instead of buying store salsa. Raj made some damn good granola bars. Before we were obsessed with Z-bars. Delicious but individually wrapped. I watched Ankur make bread and I hope to continue it in Fremont. This is being written once we have reached Fremont and I have succeeded in making 4 loaves so far!!

• Raj and I have always loved eating out. With eating out though comes unhealthy food, eating        larger quantities and more trash. In Sequim, we were able to mostly stick to eating out to once a    week. I am always tempted to eat out. I get hungry, we may not have packed food, sometimes it's  just a distraction thing. But in Sequim, we had a routine down. We packed our food for the day    and got back early enough to cook dinner together. There is a long way to go in this completely  healthy, sustainable, food journey but I'm so grateful to what we've taken with us so far.

          

• Some fun food related new creations have been curtido and this buttercup squash in a paneer makhni sauce. 

• We continued our connection to the Earth and it's capability to grow food. As mentioned earlier, Raj was regularly volunteering at a medium sized organic farm. I won't speak too much on his behalf but he got to see how it was run and the non-Latino migrant farm workers. He would harvest veggies for 4 hours twice a week. Rain or shine. Cutting brussels sprouts, kale, chard, cabbage, and salad greens. I usually have been one to be more likely to stay in the house but in Sequim, I pushed myself to partake in various farm related activities and I enjoyed it. I learned how to plant garlic. I cut off the bulbs for iris flowers and replanted them. There was a community run farm there and various harvesting activities that happened. It was all this meditative process. I still prefer cooking with the food but I hope to be more involved with Raj when he does all his gardening. 

• Communication as a family has been an ongoing theme as well. We had the time and mental space to talk how we wanted each day to look for each family member. Asking Amaani what she wanted to do, what each of us wanted to do and figuring out how to make it work. Raj and I had our mornings to touch base and we also have been reading the Gita together, meditating together daily and building our spirituality together. 

• We learned to live without internet and a phone connection. This was truly a blessing. It made for a few more complications in coordinating hangouts but the phone is such a black hole for being present and mindful. I felt liberated without it. 

• I have never had a time that I am not doing anything. I've gone from college to medical school to residency to working. It's taken me a LONG time to reach a state where I know where I fit in the world of medicine but despite having talked about it for years, we never took a full gap. I always was working and we always chose to stay rooted in the community. I am learning to just be. Initially in the trip, I was definitely having anxious moments in what the heck am I doing sitting idle. I wanted to have an agenda, I wanted to have an end productive point that I could say I did x, y and z. I had a hope of starting to delve into the world of wood working. But then I realized that isn't fully feasible. I'm learning that all these little things are enough. I don't need to do anything to prove my worth/value to the world. I'm working on myself and we are getting to get closer as a family to build the foundations to have the strength and resilience to continue what we do in Oakland. I have also been on anxiety meds for the past two years after years of trying to manage with other skills. It has been a game changer but I wanted to try to taper off my meds. There are no pressures and I wanted to see if I can build my own strength to do it without. As I write this, I've tapered off and it's no joke without the meds. But taking the moments in Sequim to hold on to. Raj and I are also being good about meditation. 

• We built community with the help of Ankur's network and that in it of itself is an ongoing journey. To make new friends, open yourself up, spend time. We learned we still have it and it was amazing to see how Amaani is able to befriend so many! 
  

• Will finish with some fun other stuff that we learned - how a goat is milked, trampoline jumping, how to differentiate between a Sitka Spruce, Douglas Fir and Western Hemlock, how nursery logs in the Hoh Rain forest create new life. 

The Things We Didn't Know

• We didn't really know anything about Sequim. We didn't know how long we would stay, what our time there would look like and what we would do. We were worried about being in a mostly White space coming from Oakland. Prior to coming we didn't know if Trump or Biden would win and how we would feel being in Sequim instead of Oakland if Trump did win again. We didn't know how beautiful the Olympic Peninsula is. 

 What We Lost

We thought we lost Valley BB (an LOL doll) in the Hoh Rain Forest but she made her way back!! On the last day we lost Amaani's gloves. We lost my gloves in the Dungeness Spit. A sled in Hurricane Hill. All in all... not bad considering Raj and I are both so absentminded when it comes to things. 

What We Carried Out

All the things we carried in minus the stuff we lost and add a new Instapot, a lot more food and Indian spices. Ankur's fresh bread and a starter that dates back to the Gold Rush. And an intention to continue meditation, local seasonal & less trash creating eating, making fresh bread, conscious phone usage and continue spiritual growth. 

Full link to our photo albums: 

Sequim

Thanksgiving

Hoh Rain Forest

Diwali 2020

Post-Election

 Deep sigh. It looks like Biden is going to win, and then Trump is going to fight the results in the courts (and hopefully lose that battle), and finally leave office. He’ll feel like the court system and the “deep” state backstabbed him. Of course, that’s what I hope will happen... I dread that he might find some loophole, take it to the SC, and they’ll side with him because the court has a 6-3 conservative majority. 

Astha and I wanted to do a little something so with VoteForward, we sent letters to people in Arizona and Georgia to motivate them to get out and vote... 

It looks like the The Senate will be Republican. If Biden is president, maybe that’s what this country needs to heal it’s great divide... a Republican Senate and Democratic president to work together. From what I’ve seen, that usually doesn’t happen though. The result in the past few presidencies have been bickering and finger-pointing. And if this ends up being the case, Biden will also have a hard time getting his judges confirmed and all that. 

I think the hard part for me is holding the values of love, compassion, and understanding at the same time as holding the values of justice, solidarity, and decolonization (not sure if that last one is a value). But, in the big picture... I think this is my goal... what I wrote above basically is the definition of being a spiritual activist. 

So how do I do it? I listen to others and read what others write with a goal of understanding their perspective... not a game of “gotchya”. I don’t have to respond each time. I can share that I understand where that person is coming from... if it’s genuine. I can take deep breaths and observe if strong emotions arise... that’s okay. 

I can continue to write, act and work through the lens of spiritual activism. My actions will highlight the need for small-scale, decentralized “new worlds” being created. My actions will be local. 

My writing hopefully will reach a larger audience (even though I’m not the best writer... I’m rather long-winded). Maybe, I can reach out to some film-makers and see if someone can create a film about the Liberated Learning Center we’ll be creating. (https://rkanani.wixsite.com/liberatedlearning/blog ) This work will be based on the values of justice, solidarity and decolonization (I’m using this term instead of anti racism to be more clear), alongside the values of love, compassion, and understanding.

- Raj

Getting Settled in Sequim

Originally, our plan was to camp around in California for a month... I thought that that would get us out of the habits of all the luxuries of life that we get used to (long hot showers, gourmet meals, eating out, Internet, etc) and it would help us simplify our life and our needs and it would get us more in tune with nature and natural rhythms and it would help me build up my routines of sleep, meditation and exercise. I thought that this experience would benefit all there of us in just decluttering our minds and moving forward... freer. 

And I thought that that would help us in our transition to India.

Well, it didn’t play out exactly like that. 

However, as we made our way to Sequim and camped along the CA and Oregon Coast for 10  out of 13 nights... it slowly happened. I was able to build up my routines of meditation and yoga in the morning. My sleep pattern became more regular... and as a family, we started building better patterns of communication. I started disconnecting from my phone and technology a bit... even though we had service.  I started writing more frequently. 

In Sequim, as we stayed with Ankur, these habits continued... connecting with Mother Earth, meditating, Yoga. Consistent sleep patterns, Etc. In addition... we started meeting Ankurs network and seeing what a local economy based on friendship and shared values could look like. Ankur and his network meet so much of their food needs through each other... bartering, gifting and selling goods to each other -  bread, vegetables, eggs, grains, etc... everything grown or produced locally. Our own food habits were changing... eating out less, eating less junk... and I started becoming more motivated to get involved with the cooking. At the same time, I worked a little bit in Ankur garden, and other farms.  Internet-wise, I was noticing that random browsing and all that was starting to increase, though. 

For the past week, we have shifted to Ankurs mom, Bharti Auntie’s empty home on Lost Mountain. It has a gorgeous view... and no internet and no phone service. For a few days, I tried to figure out how we could at least get internet up there so we could be connected... we make plans with people and all... and it’d be much easier if we could at least receive and send messages and things like that. Astha... from the beginning... thought that maybe it’s a good thing that we’re disconnected up there.

After a few days, I realized that it was a blessing. We could just get back home, and focus on family... cook together, eat together, clean up together, play together, read together, sleep together (and on time) and then be able to get up to do my morning routine. 

We’ve slowly shifted from being in “vacation mode” into “life mode”.  Amaani is in a forest school here called Magnolia Forest School and she goes twice per week. I started volunteering on a farm called River Run farms twice per week. We also go on Sundays to a community farm and help out there. We have hiking play dates and have made friends with some on Ankurs friends. Amaani has met lots of different kids that she hangs out with and plays with.

And our food life is amazing! We’re making roti with local wheat... Amaani and I made roti by ourselves... first time ever! (And she ate 5 of them!) Probably over 70% of the food we’re eating is local. Family cooking sessions are awesome... 

Growing your own food and as a community... is the modern-day “charkha”. Why did Gandhiji spin cotton? It was a protest against buying foreign clothing from Great Britain. It was a powerful symbol of self-sufficiency. Today... growing your own food is that symbol of self-sufficiency... not being dependent on the multinationals for what goes into your body and sustains you, building communities of sharing instead of isolated silos, and taking care of the Earth through sustainable practices. It is environmentalism , spiritualism, social justice... all rolled into one. 

It will be important to see how this goes as we stay here for the next month and half... will we seek “escapes” or will we deepen our connections with ourselves, each other and the Earth... and feel fulfilled?

- Raj