This is going to be quite a trip for us. Going Des-ward as a family after almost 4 years. I did sneak a solo trip 2 years back. This one will be different.
I am very very curious to see how Rebecca will take it. She is excited and looking forward to it. Yesterday, I went to her school, and it looks like she's told the whole school about her trip. Of course being there is totally different.
Dreading how Nathan will do the plane travel. Usually, he's prompt with his sleep schedule. Except the last couple of nights. Seems as if he senses the preparation at home, and doesn’t want to miss it!
Almost all the places that we are planning to visit has a long history and several layers of perspective to it. I don’t think I have a strong sense of belonging to any place. That comes out more prominent and obvious, Iam told in the South. So, Iam trying to condition myself not to be a tourist in my own native place this time. All for the sake of the kids L
We are hoping to attend the 'asanam'- the church feast - at my Dad's village. It’s been ages since I last went for that. Hoping to meet several of my Dad's siblings and my 30 or so cousins and their kids. We will all miss my chittapa (Dad’s younger brother) who passed away recently. I don’t think any of us have make peace with his demise. The hardest hit is my father to whom he was a close friend too. For me, the loss is crazy, and I am worried about the effect on my father. He has always been tough, but this is a cruel one.
I miss my Mom tremendously whenever I think of Tamil Nadu in general. Because she's been the bridge for us all the time. Since we visit TN only on vacations and such, the in-between fillers were always my Mom's doing. She followed all the weddings, births and all the general events closely. And so, thanks to her, I guess I know all my clan, even if I haven’t spent much time with all of them. And now that she is gone the gap is getting a bit scary and too real. It is unnerving to say the least.
Apart from seeing close and not-so close family and friends, Iam looking forward albeit with some hesitations the changes happening. Like the last time I visited, I got a kick seeing auto-rishaw guys and maids using cell phones. I stared at them unabashedly. It’s nice to see technology being put to use like that. And then there were well marked trash cans in several places. The malls in Bangalore as hip as the ones here, young twenty-some things (IT, I am sure) zipping past in their cool cars, the consumer market expanding and meeting the quality demand. I am hoping not to see the mad mindless rush to ape the west. Handling break-neck progress while staying rooted has a titillating edge to it.
It’s really not to best time to go home. The intense heat in south and the pouring rains in Goa are not exactly fun. Add to that being wrapped in a sari day long and add to that heavy jewelry and being mindful and watching the kids and... What the heck, I will crib, but I can hardly wait!
