life in the month of october

oh blog. you totally overwhelm me. i think about you all the time, and how funny this or that would be to post, but somehow it never seems quite so easy.
this month was one of the most overwhelmingly satisfying and tiring months ever! since i came back to india thinking it was my last year, i quickly filled up each three day weekend with a trip. here is that experience, in a nutshell...
trip 1: dharamshala, home of HHK the Dalai Lama, travel companions Thinh and Laura.
there are so many funny parts of this trip. starting with the fact that both laura and i had packed our bags and brought them with us on friday. i had a middle school dance to run, she had a concert to attend, then we rendezvoused and headed to the train station. funny part #2. laura booked a little later than us, so she had a 2nd class bunk while thinh and i had first class. all our worrying was without when we discovered that the conductor didn't even care that the cute blond was on our bunk without a ticket. so laura and i had our first shared bunk experience after a very healthy dinner provided by thinh of doritos, pigs in a blanket and nuts.
our trip in dharamshala was incredible. we laughed a lot, we caught up with each other, we reminisced about the 'early india days,' and just enjoyed each other's company. laura and thinh also made me climb a mountain, thanks guys.
the 'flawless' trip ended quickly at the airport when we found out our flight was cancelled and we had to take the train back. the 3 hours of waiting at the train station were EQUALLY as fun as the entire trip....ahhhh. love it!

trip 2: dubai to visit maureen's friends
meeting maureen's life in dubai was fabulous. it was so nice to put faces to names, and spa experiences to spa experiences:) we spent a VERY indulgent 3 days with her friend erika and her two children. we ate well, drank well, shopped well, and laughed well. a mighty fine trip indeed! this trip ended with a lovely experience at indira gandhi international when i was pulled aside for swine flu screening. a week of quarantine flashed in front of my eyes as they busted out the MERCURY thermometer. really india? stick that in my armpit. thank goodness i was not febrile.

trip 3: goa. oh goa. you rained on us the entire time. dang you. better luck next year.

retrospectively i wouldn't plan three in a row again. it was too crazy. but really? when else in my life will i have three weekends in a row to travel in and around india?!?!?! maybe next year. yup, that's right. i'm staying for year 4. i fear that leaving next year will be so sad. my friends here are just phenomenal, and they're really more like family. i'd be crazy to leave now......

well, it's time for dinner here @ parent/teacher conference world. so i'll go for now. i feel like there is so much more i could write.

MUCH LOVE to all of you who are still logging on!!!!!!!!! besos y abrazos.