atheist blog
This week I am taking a huge road trip on my own, sans kids. My DEAR FRIEND Ilakshi is in country from India.
Ilakshi and I became friends in about 2002 or so, our daughters were in preschool together. She and I met before and after preschool classes and started to really enjoy one another. Learning about cultures and families and childhoods and countries and likes and personal styles and social mores and music and religion and science and Hunduism and parenting and marriage and food and culture and literature and education and friendships and purchases and yard sales and movies and personalities and more and more and more.
Back in 2002-5 Ilakshi and I spent so much time together, especially learning about each other's cultures and cultural identities. I found our friendship incredibly expanding and wonderful. We learned to much about one another. We were very open with ourselves. Ilakshi learned so much about America through me. I learned so much about India's history. I became a huge Bollywood fan. She loves Arnold Schwarzenegger. I learned more about the social mores in India and within Hindu families. She learned about secularism and astronomy, especially Saturn. She learned about the American identity. I learned that I am not capable of learning another language not of Indo-European foundation. Ilakshi and her family improved their already-amazing English. I learned that Shakrukh Khan is the biggest and best star on the planet and that I am his biggest fan.
Urska is his second biggest fan.
When Ilakshi and her family moved back to India I felt like a part of me was gone. We just had such a wonderful time together, learning about one another and about ourselves, and we were incredibly close.
ANYWAY, I visited with her in 2011 when she brought her daughters to the US to visit her brother, her sister-in-laws, and her parents in New York.
It was a wonderful visit that ended too soon. The pictures with this post are all from that visit.
Well, guess what?! She is visiting her family again...this week!
Tomorrow I am flying to New Jersey (they've moved) for a week long visit.
In the next week or two I will be posting some pics and you will be wondering why I am doing cool travel and touristy things without my kids. Elizabeth is still in school and John has friends in town. So I am going alone.
I can honestly say that I am nervous to be away from home for so long, away from the kids and from Jerry. I know it will be OK and wonderful, but it's hard to leave them!
Ilakshi and I became friends in about 2002 or so, our daughters were in preschool together. She and I met before and after preschool classes and started to really enjoy one another. Learning about cultures and families and childhoods and countries and likes and personal styles and social mores and music and religion and science and Hunduism and parenting and marriage and food and culture and literature and education and friendships and purchases and yard sales and movies and personalities and more and more and more.
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| Ilakshi and I, 2011 |
Urska is his second biggest fan.
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| Ilakshi and Auntie |
ANYWAY, I visited with her in 2011 when she brought her daughters to the US to visit her brother, her sister-in-laws, and her parents in New York.
It was a wonderful visit that ended too soon. The pictures with this post are all from that visit.
Well, guess what?! She is visiting her family again...this week!
Tomorrow I am flying to New Jersey (they've moved) for a week long visit.
I. Cannot. Wait.
In the next week or two I will be posting some pics and you will be wondering why I am doing cool travel and touristy things without my kids. Elizabeth is still in school and John has friends in town. So I am going alone.
I can honestly say that I am nervous to be away from home for so long, away from the kids and from Jerry. I know it will be OK and wonderful, but it's hard to leave them!
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| Rachana and Ria with Karen Auntie |
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| Ria and Ilakshi |
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| Ilakshi and her sister-in-law Radhika |
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| Ilakshi's brother Tajesh |
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| Ilakshi's Mother, Narmala |
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| Ria |
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| Rachana |
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| Rachana |
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| Rachana and I playing some game |
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| Ilakshi's Dad, Mansook |
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| Tejash's turtles: Karen and Ilakshi |
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