Rain is considered auspicious in Hindu tradition. It signifies renewal. I, however, was silently cursing myself for not packing an umbrella, as my cab maneuvered along the streets of Bali. Thankfully, the heavy downpour reduced to a drizzle as I reached the last leg of my cab ride. As my eyes adjusted to the feeble glow of scattered streetlamps, I could make out the rows of houses with thatched roofs, each ornamented with a bronze-colored roof pinnacle. “Here already.”, the cabbie mumbled, snapping me out of my admiration for the rustic calm. Thanking him and paying my dues, I hastily alighted. As I scanned my surroundings to navigate, I was engulfed in a hug. ”Juhiiii you’re actually here!”, I immediately recognized Saraswathi’s lilting voice. “Yes, finally!”, I replied, almost falling back, as I returned her hug with fervor. I had met her as part of a fellowship in America a year ago. Despite being from different countries, we formed a heartfelt friendship and kept in touch. “I can’t believe the coincidence. You, here, on my cultural birthday – I would have never imagined.”, she gushed, leading the way toward her residence. “I am really excited to be part of one, especially yours. I didn’t know Balinese Hindus also celebrated cultural birthdays.”, I responded, taking in the breadth of her home as we entered through a meticulously-carved doorway. Unlike the street outside, the entire compound was well-illuminated. There was a central open pavilion, with two double-storied housing blocks on each side. Nestled within the pavilion was a lotus-shaped shrine, with freshly burning incense lightly lacing the air. “My room is this way.”, she guided. “We need to get you into a kebaya before we head to the community temple.” I quickly changed into the outfit and couldn’t help but admire how comfortable and weather-appropriate the svelte cotton outfit was. I urged her to use her scooter as our mode of transport, owing to its pragmatic swiftness and to secretly satisfy my excitement of winding through the freshly rain-washed breeze. “We’re here!”, she announced, ending my thrill ride too soon. I climbed off the scooter, scouring for tall, elaborate structures, representative of a temple – there was none. However, the familiar waft of incense was hard to miss. She led me toward an open-air space, enclosed by walls carved with familiar Hindu motifs. Much like the street outside, the compound was dimly lit except three lambent shrines that held several prayer lamps. Each shrine was installed within a dedicated pavilion, surrounded by a perimeter of flowering vegetation. “I shall teach you how to pray in Balinese Hindu method.”, Saraswathi chimed as I gratefully followed her, observing the beautiful harmony of Indic temple architecture and surrounding tropical flora. We were to start with a cleanse at the temple’s model of the holy river Ganges – it was a shallow pond with a majestically-ornamented stone deity of Goddess Ganga rising out in a chariot. “We must take three dips in the water. First, you wash away any greed that festers in your heart. Through the second dip, you drown any jealousy you harbor against someone. In the final dip, you must let go of your ego in these waters.”, she explained. This was unlike the quick washing of hands and feet we would carry out in the Hindu temples back at home – but it reminded me of my grandma, explaining the significance of cleansing before prayer. How beautifully traditions from a particular culture can be preserved in a completely different part of the world, I thought to myself. As I rose out of my first dip hastily, I saw her meditate above the water. It struck me how I performed most acts of faith in a ritualized manner. I dipped in the cold water again, this time, with deliberate intent of truly cleansing with purpose. With my final dip, I felt an inexplicable calmness wash over me. “You don’t pray at all, and yet you consider yourself Hindu?”, my mother would scorn at me back home. Yet, here I was, feeling as connected as ever to my culture, though miles away from home. As I dried myself for worship, it dawned on me, rain aptly signifies renewal.