Report of 2 Sept 2018
Good evening!
I am home! I tried to do the sea-from-the-balcony thing and poured sweat out there, so I am under the fan. My very Caucasian husband is bravely withstanding the heat; he does truly love Christmases here, where he does not have to scrape ice off the windshield or struggle to hold his footing when venturing out.
The flight back was uneventful - the best quality in a flight, the 3 Weiss men and I decided. Scott was at the airport and Naren asleep; we saw Naren later at his friend's wedding. In Indian culture - and in others, I imagine - the children's friends are also our "family" and we (parents) attend their joyous weddings, also. Ujwal, Naren's friend, is a first-rate playwright and actor, and we enjoyed meeting his new wife, Indou. The venue was lovely and Scott and I lingered.
The next day, we bolted to Madurai and saw my father. He is well and appreciated seeing Naren. My sister's son, Aditya, was also there, my Dad was happy to see him, too, and it was a merry gathering. We drove back the same day and my jet lag caught up with me, leading me to understand full well why experts suggest driving non-sleeping babies around. On Sunday, we veged out, gabbing and eating and laughing. It was nice to cook here again, with 2 ravenous men wolfing down my fare. And I have eaten mangoes - bliss.
The 25th anniversary celebrations of the Banyan had to be postponed for a variety of reasons, including devastating floods in our neighboring state, Kerala. So, I did not go to the B in Mogappair on Monday, 27/8, the actual day of the anniversary. Naren and I read lines (i.e., for a play), then I dropped him at the airport; he is back in Brooklyn now. Scott and I went to Kovalam with some dates (the dried fruit) in the evening, just to wish everyone there and to revel privately in the momentous occasion of 25 years of this magnificent organisation.
Before I left the U.S., I had some fine times with Shilpa Mallur, Diane Healey, Robert Love and Olivia Fondoble. All doctors, I just realised. We got to talk and laugh, and share experiences. Olivia is kind enough to store my things, for which I am grateful. I was back at the hotel that I really like - the Residence Inn on Meridian - and got to gab with the familiar staff there, too. I drove to O'hare, being a recent convert to driving being a tad more reliable and pleasant than domestic flying, and got on the plane; the flight home was fine.
I went to Adaikalam, the Banyan's facility in Mogappair, on Tuesday. That was grand. All the staff and patients to see. It was nice to practice medicine in that setting again - you know, the one where everyone does for someone else, no one gives a rat's patoot about how little money each one earns, how no one is trying to document just so to satisfy billing requirements for massive reimbursement. There were blood tests to see, patients to examine, and mentally ill women to take care of - their own families are not doing this, and it is our privilege to do so.
We "hung out" with Navin earlier in the week and that was grand: lots of chatter and laughter. The boys can unfailingly make each other laugh - such a gift, to themselves and to us.
The rest of the week was spent doing other things. There was a death in the Banyan family and I went to condole with the colleague who lost her father. Then we had 2 weddings to attend, both of which were enjoyable. We took a colleague with us to one of the weddings, that of a health care worker, and had fun on the drive and at the event itself. At the last wedding, I got to see my sister and her family, and that was nice: the nephews are affectionate, fun, genial folks and we enjoyed hanging out with all.
Unw -
R
I am home! I tried to do the sea-from-the-balcony thing and poured sweat out there, so I am under the fan. My very Caucasian husband is bravely withstanding the heat; he does truly love Christmases here, where he does not have to scrape ice off the windshield or struggle to hold his footing when venturing out.
The flight back was uneventful - the best quality in a flight, the 3 Weiss men and I decided. Scott was at the airport and Naren asleep; we saw Naren later at his friend's wedding. In Indian culture - and in others, I imagine - the children's friends are also our "family" and we (parents) attend their joyous weddings, also. Ujwal, Naren's friend, is a first-rate playwright and actor, and we enjoyed meeting his new wife, Indou. The venue was lovely and Scott and I lingered.
The next day, we bolted to Madurai and saw my father. He is well and appreciated seeing Naren. My sister's son, Aditya, was also there, my Dad was happy to see him, too, and it was a merry gathering. We drove back the same day and my jet lag caught up with me, leading me to understand full well why experts suggest driving non-sleeping babies around. On Sunday, we veged out, gabbing and eating and laughing. It was nice to cook here again, with 2 ravenous men wolfing down my fare. And I have eaten mangoes - bliss.
The 25th anniversary celebrations of the Banyan had to be postponed for a variety of reasons, including devastating floods in our neighboring state, Kerala. So, I did not go to the B in Mogappair on Monday, 27/8, the actual day of the anniversary. Naren and I read lines (i.e., for a play), then I dropped him at the airport; he is back in Brooklyn now. Scott and I went to Kovalam with some dates (the dried fruit) in the evening, just to wish everyone there and to revel privately in the momentous occasion of 25 years of this magnificent organisation.
Before I left the U.S., I had some fine times with Shilpa Mallur, Diane Healey, Robert Love and Olivia Fondoble. All doctors, I just realised. We got to talk and laugh, and share experiences. Olivia is kind enough to store my things, for which I am grateful. I was back at the hotel that I really like - the Residence Inn on Meridian - and got to gab with the familiar staff there, too. I drove to O'hare, being a recent convert to driving being a tad more reliable and pleasant than domestic flying, and got on the plane; the flight home was fine.
I went to Adaikalam, the Banyan's facility in Mogappair, on Tuesday. That was grand. All the staff and patients to see. It was nice to practice medicine in that setting again - you know, the one where everyone does for someone else, no one gives a rat's patoot about how little money each one earns, how no one is trying to document just so to satisfy billing requirements for massive reimbursement. There were blood tests to see, patients to examine, and mentally ill women to take care of - their own families are not doing this, and it is our privilege to do so.
We "hung out" with Navin earlier in the week and that was grand: lots of chatter and laughter. The boys can unfailingly make each other laugh - such a gift, to themselves and to us.
The rest of the week was spent doing other things. There was a death in the Banyan family and I went to condole with the colleague who lost her father. Then we had 2 weddings to attend, both of which were enjoyable. We took a colleague with us to one of the weddings, that of a health care worker, and had fun on the drive and at the event itself. At the last wedding, I got to see my sister and her family, and that was nice: the nephews are affectionate, fun, genial folks and we enjoyed hanging out with all.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu at
6:59 AM
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