The biggest Ferrero Rocher in the world

Last Sunday there was a big festival here in Sadhana. About 300 children from different schools came to celebrate the first birthday of a project called Children's Land. It's a part of the forest that children can create and use as they want to. Some of the people (of the long-termers) living in Sadhana are responsible for this project, and they guide and support the children that come here. But for the birthday the help of all of us was needed. There were different workshops: music, sports, handicrafts, games, a clay village, face painting, and boat building (which Simone was a part of). It was a very very exhausting day, but also full of energy. It was so good to see how happy the children were  - even though they were really uncontrollable!

And then, this weekend, we finally made our way to the centre of Auroville: the Matrimandir. It's this Ferrero Rocher-thing you see in the picture, and it's Auroville's most important sacred place. Inside (but it is very difficult to get permission to go inside; we even had to watch a movie just to see it from the outside) there is the world's largest crystal. The Matrimandir is also used as a place for concentration and meditation.

Now we are half way through our stay here in Sadhana. By the way: New Year's was good. We didn't make it until the next morning, but we had some dates and cashews as a special dinner, and we chanted into the new year while dancing around a bonfire in the forest together with the other volunteers. (and we did Blei giessen!)
So happy new year to all of you!