Hello From Chennai

Hope you are well.

 I have arrived in Chennai where it has been raining this past week and temperatures are in the low 70s. I am staying in a serviced apartment until my household goods make it by the end of December. I am going to spend Christmas with my sister and her family in Kochi and be back here in time for the movers to show up.

I am adjusting to the slower pace of life and trying to relax in the face of things promised but not being delivered on time!!

 I must say that my last few days in the US were probably most fulfilling since I got to spend quality time with both my daughters Suma and Priya and reminisce on days gone by...

 Thank you for being in my life and for your friendship and caring that has supported my journey in the US these past 35+ years.

Reflecting on my 35 years in the US, I recall wonderfully joyful, playful, poignant and challenging experiences that tested my core identity yet helped me understand that I am indeed one of God’s creations. I came to the US with expectations of great adventure and possibilities- it has been all that and more! Being a woman and seeking to create my own “model” that transcends gender and the “looking glass self” has probably been the most challenging and revealing of life in the US. Setting aside some of the blatant encounters of racial and sexual prejudice that my bi-racial daughters and I have faced, my greatest learnings have been around the cultural nuances that permeate my bi-cultural and sometimes tri-cultural existence in this society.

I find that humor and food are perhaps the best connectors to the human spirit- being able to laugh at myself, enjoy a good joke and some of the finest cuisines of the world are pleasures that I will always carry with me. 

I realize that change is inevitable- so why not embrace it and love what it does for you- strengthening you and preparing you for the adventure!

Creating teachable moments when I can- the ‘three second pause’ that equates to taking a deep breath is an incredible tool that helps me share insights with others.

Forgiveness has been a virtue worth developing since I live in an enriched, diverse and increasingly challenging world.

I look forward to the next chapter in my life going back to my roots in India where it all started…

Happy Holidays and a great New Year in 2011...