Travel and Arrival

Preparing completely  for this trip is impossible, I’ve had to accept. The stack of unread books, some of them are coming with me. The phone calls to contact people, some of them will have to be made when I get there. Right up until the day before I left, I was visiting the classroom, leading field trips, helping my replacement teacher adjust to the challenge, giving my neighbor instructions to take care of my little pet.  So many details and impossible to get to them all, so just let go…

My nerves had been rumbling as the days counted down. Massages helped. Grabbed an Uber to get to the LAX airport 4 hours early, an hour in LA traffic and an evacuation in the security line didn’t phase me.

I slept some on the flight to Heathrow and felt pretty good on the layover. Had an indulgent meal at Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food as I waited.

On the flight to Delhi I took off my eyeshade long enough to see where I was.

The arrival was pleasant enough, the line for immigration went fairly quickly, the same could not be said for the wait to get some coveted Indian cash. The weekly limit at the airport is 5000 rupees ($80).

Found my bags easily and my made way out to the arrival area but after several parades through could not find my pickup so went in a cab. The next two hours or so I kept my eyes closed for much of the way. The driver didn’t speak much to me and didn’t seem to know where he was going, pulling over for directions several times. Amazed that I didn’t observe an accident, the concept of traffic lanes is mere suggestion.

Blessedly we found the USIEF building and the guesthouse, an oasis of peace and comfort in this frenetic environment. My first look at the room was pleasing:

The grounds are nice and green.

Edible greens grow in front of the Cafe.

The air is cool with a smell of smoke, as expected.

I slept well and am now getting ready for my first breakfast and my briefing with USIEF this morning. I haven’t really spoken with anyone yet, being a somewhat introverted person can be a challenge. Once I start talking though, I’m hard to shut up, as those who know me will agree. I’m sure today will be an adventure! Leave a comment, question or suggestion below. Bear with me as I  learn WordPress!