Ashram Life

I have had two expirences of ashram life. One living in an ashram in India, a very rustic, simple life which I have already talked about a lot. And then numero dos My american ashram life. Now I think I have already explained this, but for the sake of this entry I am about to explain it agian. My family used to have an extreanly 'green' almost hippy (in my opinion) life. We lived in the village of Yellow Spring, home of bicycles and tie dye. I walked to school every day and my family bought almost everything right in town. Going to mall or walmart was extreamly rare.
Then we met Swamiji and two years later moved to the very conservetive VERY American town of Delaware. At first my sister and I were so furious and angery at our parents. I lot and i repeat a LOT has happened since then. I started going to high school, I have been to India twice, my connection with swamiji is not a tread anymore, but a rope of steel. Oh yes and I started to meditate. Well anyhow lately I have been so appriciative of living so close to the temple. It's not really an ashram, well not like Bidadi anyway with a fenced compound, a welcoming gate ect. But it is an ashram all the same. My house is a 10 minute walk from the temple down a pretty country road. Same as the distance from my dormatory to the temple in India. There are many days, like tonight where i will come home from school, tired and a bit stressed. Pack up a few items for school and then walk to the temple. There I will eat a snack and then sit sometimes right in the sancuary to do my homework. It gives me a lot of calmness. Like just being there makes me settle, sometimes this is obvious on the outside, and sometimes not. Sometimes it fills me brimming with energy and I get really hyper, but on the inside I am still very calm. At the temple there is always someone I can talk to if I am having trouble with something. Sometimes it is a person, another volunteer, but sometimes I get even better help. Help from the divine!
So overall ahram life is great! I am not saying it is all calmness and fun though, it can be really hard seeing the same people EVERYDAY sometimes it is really hard, and plus its not just seeing each other, like in school, but everyone is working on their spiritual path and so sometimes people have really unexpected emotions. Ok thats all for today!!