Two Years in India, Week 92: Farewell Early.

Six hundred forty four days ago, my wife, son, two cats, and I landed in Chennai, in the middle of the night, after 20+ hours of travel, to begin a new chapter of our lives. Everything had changed, new house, new job, new country, heck, new hemisphere. We've had a wonderful time in India and are sorry to leave early. My tour was 24 months long and I originally thought I'd be pushing it to 25. However, my next Post needed me early, so I'm leaving after a mere 21 months. I can't help but feel like I'm "leaving the party early" since most of my friends have 6 or more months left in Chennai.

I've heard India described as "Incredible India" and as "(I)'ll (N)ever (D)o (I)t (A)gain." However, we've recently taken to saying, "India: it's different every time." We'll miss the endless source of entertainment that everyday events here offer through their seemingly random way of getting done. Most of all, we'll miss how friendly everyone has been. As a(n obvious) foreigner, the people in Chennai treated us as honored guests to their country, and we've felt truly welcomed.

Onward to home leave and Buenos Aires, may it be half as much fun as India was!

(PS: The picture isn't actually of me.)

Post Catch Up Series...

Surprise! We're leaving Chennai in less than a month. I've had a bit of a doldrum in my blog posting over the last few months. I guess now's a good time to explain why (aside from my just being lazy). 

Almost immediately after returning from R&R, I received news that my departure date was being pushed forward to help cover a staffing gap at my next post. This effectively cut me from almost 9 months remaining in Chennai... to about 5. I've quit a handful of jobs in my life, and I can tell you, impending departure has a way of sapping your motivation. In an effort to not slow down at work (at least until I'd finished the major projects I was working on), my blog appears to have suffered.

Anyway, that's a long story to explain that between now and my departure date (April 1), I'm hoping to publish an article a day to clear up the backlog of drafts I've accumulated this tour. Hopefully then I can start fresh on home leave or in Buenos Aires!