Chasing the Light: Chennai friends, here I come!

Santosham! Makizhsi! (Joy! Happiness!) I am excited to be heading to Chennai--this time for a year, taking Tamil language classes here (The Institute of Asian Studies), and staying with friends. In a little less than 4 weeks, I'll be enjoying the summery temperatures of the Chennai "winter"; reintroducing my senses to language, traffic patterns, food, customs, music, and everyday smells and sounds that are different from here, but now will be much more familiar after having travelled/stayed in Tamil Nadu for 5 months.

(A major intersection in North/Central Chennai @ a low-traffic moment)

It will be great to reunite with friends I've already made, and to get to know people better as I get to know the native tongue better through lessons and lots of practice! (I'm very excited to be able to say and understand more than my now limited vocabulary of words that allows me to say important things like, "Give me water (please)," and "I don't understand."

Eating a traditional South Indian meal

(idli, pongal, and coconut chutney)

on the traditional banana leaf. Fun!

January 30th is the fly-out date! Hurrah for a shorter travel time this trip! Instead of the 39-hour trip I took previously, this time I'll be in Chennai only 21 hours after take-off from Seattle.

But... before this... a much greater joy will be welcoming one of my dearest friends from the past 16 years into my family as my sister-in-law! On January 22nd, I get to be a bridesmaid for the second time in only 7 months (in July it was for my sister's wedding). It has been such a blessing to be home while preparations for my brother & my friend Sarah's wedding are underway! The next 28 days are going to FLY.... :-) (No pun intended... maybe....) Congratulations, Ben & Sarah (and belatedly--on this blog--to Brooke and Phil)!! So happy to have a new brother & sister. :-) :-) :-) :-) (Rhomba santosham!)