well. *deep breath* i think this is the first time i've been alone in two weeks. it feels a bit sad and unfamiliar and i have a lonely feeling in my stomach.

After the terrible shock of my uncle's death, i was just hanging on by a very thin thread, waiting for a familiar face. And then family arrived here in full force.

We whirlwinded our way through beach, family homes, old aunties and uncles, new cousins and friends, rural villages, an acre of pineapple, HOURS of dusty roads in our trusty Qualis, jungle, kingfisher beer, excellent shandies, rainforest, leopard(!) and elephants, markets, shopping and more shopping (and more shopping...), plates and plates of indian christmas sweets, litres of tea and coffee, mountain ranges, dosas and more dosas, stories, old and new jokes, and massive cities.

phew.

We travelled by bus, car, jeep, truck, rickshaw, taxi, overnight train, commuter train (in the luggage car, where all the porters shouted at us - oops), small plane, big plane, motorcycle, scooter, and coracle.

i miss them all already, and they just left an hour ago.

never mind. i'm going home on wednesday (!) time flies... this time last year, i'd just moved back from halifax. I was starting my final semester with no clue about what was next. Now i live in india.

It was strange to see the country through their eyes. I didn't realize how much has become normal.

*

perhaps i'm crazy, but i've decided to stay here until august. The work is superbly fulfilling, and the people are pretty great, too. And then there's the food... If i could only stop all these attempts to marry me off, we'd be all set.

For some ridiculous reason, I have to fly back to Canada to renew my visa, so i'll be there on January 14 for three weeks or so, and then (hopefully, thanks to a grant and a new position) i will head back here. Plans are in place for a (fundraising) party which will include tasty indian food and hookas.

it's a crazy time to leave, because it's beautifully cool here right now (25 degrees) and ugly-ly cool at home (-25 degrees). I'll get back here in time for summer, which is should be fun (not), because i feel like i was barely hanging on through the 38 degree heat wave that was Fall.

so looking forward to seeing everyone.

1:58 p.m. - 2004-01-04