The flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco was good. Sometimes I just end up feeling so restless, tired and claustrophobic on long flights but this one was ok and the time passed with relative ease.
I sat next to a young man from San Jose who had been traveling in India with his college class and also an Indian man who works in the software industry in California. 2 meals, a few naps, some chapters of my book and 3 partial movies later, I was here.
Susie picked me up and we went straight to my favorite restaurant for pizza and wine and then to her house for a delicious nap. She was so sweet and took such good care of me. I borrowed a thick flannel nightgown from her and didn't get out of it for 2 days. It was great and was exactly what I needed. Susie made me mashed potatoes and salad for dinner and bacon for breakfast. I was in absolute heaven. It has been raining non stop since I got home so it was easy to stay inside and do nothing.
It's been a bit strange and has taken some days to readjust. I felt like I have been straddling two very different worlds. There is such a huge difference in the way people live in America and especially in the Bay area. So much privilege here. I'm not judging. It's just the way it is. But being in India has opened my eyes. I will never again take forgranted all the things I am lucky to have here at home. Clean water, hot showers, very clean air, orderly traffic on the well maintained roads, and most of all not having to worry every time I put anything in my mouth. It was very stressful to have to think about food so much and wonder if it was going to make me sick or not.
It's been good to reconnect with friends and be able to have long conversations. Most of my communication in India had to be very basic so that I could be understood. I had to become sort of a different person there and use different techniques and different parts of my personality. It's nice to see the old American me again.
I got on a scale today and was surprised to see that I've lost 15 pounds. But it doesn't feel that way on my body. I think I've lost a lot of muscle because I was not really getting good exercise or eating any protein. I look forward to going on long hikes in the hills, getting back to my yoga practice and firming things up.
And I can't wait to get to Utah to get my hands on my darling little Julian. God, I have missed him so much. It will be so sweet to see him and play with him and see all his new tricks. And his grandma will have some pretty good stories to tell him :)
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