Goodbye to India!

Well, this is going to be the last entry I'll post from India. In a couple hours we're going to the airport, arriving with plenty of time to go through security and check our bags and all that. Then, as I've probably mentioned, there's a flight to Frankfurt, a 7-hour-or-so layover there, and another flight to Philadelphia. I hope to be home by dinnertime on Saturday!

India has been truly wonderful, and I think that as time passes, I will continue to reflect on the experiences I had here and they will prove to be a wealth of knowledge. I know that this experience has made me a better teacher and a better person. I hope I have positively affected the lives of the Indian students and teachers I met along the way. I also expect that my experiences will have a positive impact on my own colleagues and students.

Last night, a few of us got mehendi. I got it on my hands and feet- and it looks great. It was a fun experience! The person applying it puts the designs on your hands and feet, then you have to let it dry for a couple hours. When it's dry you apply coconut oil, let it sink in, wait a bit longer, scrape off the excess, and then apply lemon juice and more oil. It darkened overnight and should stay on my hands and feet for a few days. Yesterday was a holiday, so that meant a lot of the mehendi people were busy and unavailable, so we were lucky to find two people who would come to the hotel room and do it- otherwise, you're sitting outside waiting for the henna to dry or trying to make it back to the hotel without using your hands! I got some sweets and snacks, and it was a good time.

Today, it's been packing and hanging at the hotel with a break to go over to the salon and get a facial. My one suitcase weighs 48 pounds, and my second duffel bag weighs about 30. I'd estimate my carry-on is about 15-20, meaning yes, I am carrying almost 100 pounds of STUFF back home. I unfortunately had to leave some shoes and clothes behind, which I feel is a bit wasteful, but if I hadn't done that I wouldn't have been able to bring home all the gifts the teachers at my school gave me! I mean, I can buy another pair of running shoes at home, but gifts cannot be replaced.

So, here I go, signing off from India. I'm hoping for a safe and uneventful journey, filled with lots of sleep and good airplane movies. Wish me luck!