Howdy From Ohio
Well I thought it was about time to assure all of you in India that I am still alive and thinking about you. 20 hours of solo travel later I missed my connecting flight at Newark back to Ohio so when I finally made it "home" I got to spend my first 10 glorious hours in the hospital hooked up to an IV. By the time I made it back to the States I had one ear infection, an upper respiratory infection, walking pneumonia, gastroenteritis, and I weighed in at a whopping 68 pounds. 68 pounds!!! That's like a baby. Yes Harrison it is true, you CAN lose 5 pounds in 24 hours. I'm at home now watching tv and making a slow recovery. There's two feet of snow in Ohio and it is very cold As much as I desperately miss all of you and India I know that my body was just too sick to continue. For all of you who loaned me Tracy for a three day sleepover in Delhi, Thank You. And Tracy in case you were wondering why I was in your dreams a few nights ago, I woke up four times in the middle of my first night at home and had that weird out of body experience I was telling you about. My body knew I was back in the States but my soul obviously was still in India. When I finally made it to my gate at the Delhi airport I had an emotional breakdown of sorts. I'm sure I looked so pathetic this little sick American girl in a wheelchair sobbing but it offered me a very interesting insight to the thing I love the most about Indians. Although there were numerous American business people waiting to get on the plane first class not one of them gave me anymore than an uncomfortable look. The only person in the entire airport who offered me any sort of comfort was an Indian man who had a juice stand nearby. He brought me a cup of juice and refused any money I tried to give him. He proceeded to check on me every 5 minutes and see if I need more juice. I think that this is the most telling difference between Americans and Indians.
So here I am, trying to figure out what to do next because laying in a bed is getting really old. I wish I had some words of wisdom about karma and the meaning of life but all I know is I hope I have paid my debt to India and when I return I will stay healthy. Team India, please know I am thinking about you and praying for you everyday. For all you parents who are reading this and horrified that someone had to go home after three days in India DON'T WORRY!!!!! Your kids are in great hands, if I had offspring I would not hesitate to trust both Harrison and Tracy with them in any circumstance.
For now, keep in touch and I will do the same. And who knows, maybe I will let my spirit come for a visit tonight.
Much love,
Al
Comments
AL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
man, reading your email almost made me cry. In fact I would have cried if I was not in a public internet cafe! :) I miss you man. But, it sounds as though you are getting better, which is the most important thing for you right now. And part of you will be with us along this whole journey, you are still a passenger on the Shanti Express :)Everytime I see a cow in the street, or almost get killed by a rickshaw I mentally send you a picture, so if you are dreaming of cows in busy streets in delhi, they are from me!
Anyway, I hope that you are feeling well as you read this, and know that you are still very much a part of this journey. Shanti!
love
laura
Posted by: Laura Glass | February 28, 2008 02:08 PM
Oh AL,
you have no idea how happy I am to see your post today on the blog! Not only have you been in my (and our) thoughts non stop since peter and I stood outside the gate at Delhi International Airport until we couldn't see you anymore, but I've been sending you lots of good energy and hoping for your quick recovery. Seems I too caught whatever chest cold you were struggling with, and over the past few days have had some true empathetic experiences while I've been shaking and coughing up a lung. Every time I do so, I think, this is what Al must have been feeling like as she woke herself up every night during our sleepovers. Humbling to say the least... but it looks like I, too, had some karma to burn off at the beginning of this trip. I still feel so lucky to have shared that time with you, burning off karma together ;)
My stitches are out, too, and the doctor says I'm good to go with that!
Well, keep posting, we'll keep doing the same as the adventures continue. I think dreams are the best way to visit each other... let's keep it up!
much love,
tracy
Posted by: Tracy | February 28, 2008 02:47 PM
Ally,
I finally got around to checking up on your blog and I was sad and a little alarmed to read about your health scare. I actually was reminded of you after reading and watching about some of the recent demonstrations in Tibet. I glanced at a few other posts and it sounds like your friends have been fairly close by. Are you going to be able to return, I wonder? I hope your recovery is complete and you are not feeling too disappointed by the unfortunate turn of events. Take care and good luck. Feel free to email if you'd like: kinney.64@osu.edu
--andrew kinney
Posted by: andrew | March 21, 2008 05:16 AM