But Better

It is almost like an ordinary school. There is tuition to be paid, a waiver to be signed. There are rules which are called guidelines, but are rules nonetheless. We are 21 students (3 guys), housed in dorm-like facilities around the ashram, just like a proper campus. There is a real paper uploading system, to which real papers are to be uploaded. We get nervous when a deadline approaches.

Still there are differences. There is an actual Swami amongst the students. We are taught in places like the Radha room or the Temple. We are encouraged to make our own rituals and use the beach prayer room. The girl who wondered whether there is LSD in our oatmeal, jumped in the lake yesterday, and no one thought twice about it. And unlike so many students I have met over the years, we are actually interested in what we are learning...

It is almost like an ordinary school, but better.