Academic Affairs

Integrating back into life in Bloomington, IL, has been interesting. The plane ride back to the US was long but I was able to sleep a few hours and watched many movies. Jeanne was on the same flight and waited with me in Chicago until Dave arrived at O’Hare. After a two hour ride home and my first latte in two weeks, I unloaded my luggage and showed Dave all of the gifts. He immediately placed his carved Saraswati on the fireplace mantle along with the three carved elephants that I purchased. The dog hovered around me and leaned up against me several times to get some pets. What an easy life Chase has compared to many people in India! I enjoyed the refreshing shower and brushing my teeth with running water!

We went to Biaggi’s for a nice pasta lunch and a fresh salad. We are so fortunate in the US to have confidence in the food we eat at restaurants and also from the grocery. I was initially horrified to listen to the server describe a “delicious” steak salad after being in a country in which eating beef is taboo. That was my first encounter with problems in re-entry. I enjoyed being in a country that vegetarians are the norm. I spent the afternoon and evening resting and showing Dave all my pictures of the trip.

After a wonderful night of sleep we woke up to over an inch of snow. Another re-entry shock! I miss the warmth and colorful flowers of India. I’m glad to be home but also sad to have the experience end. Tomorrow will bring another re-entry shock with my first day back to work.

This is my last entry for my India trip. Everyone should experience India. It is truly an incredible place.