a little heavy --

the last night in chennai was really great ...
a nice dinner at the hotel over looking the
beach.
is this my life?


we spent our last day in chennai visiting a school.
bonnie got the contact due to the fact that a girl her and
liz have been sponsoring goes to a school that has ties
with the school in chennai.
bonnie had emailed with the school,
and all we knew i that, they were expecting us
and that the girl was coming to meet us from
her school which was about 6 hours away.

so we have a driver and a person accompanying us
to the school.
and as we are driving through chennai
we get into a neighborhood that all of the sudden
feels completely different.

i don't really have words to explain it,
but all i can say is.

my eyes saw a lot,
and my heart just felt so heavy.

and it is a feeling i have never felt before.

it was a little hard to pick ourselves up after the experience getting to the school,
but once we felt the energy of the headmistress & the teachers.
it was really great.
they were really proud of their new library,
and their work is admirable.

the neighborhood that the school is located in is in what they call the platforms.
basically -- it is a neighborhood that consists of homeless people,
that live on the street.
and the parents typically keep their kids out of school
to help them in their shops.

so this school is there to help educate those kids,
on a secondary & high school level.

and meeting with the girl that liz and bonnie sponsor was really special.
she was adorable and so sweet.
definitely ended up being worth the trip.

i had such a great time in india.
lucky enough to have gained a little piece of their culture.
met some really great people from bangalore & chennai that i hope to keep
in contact with.

and some really great people from target.
we already are planning a dinner back in MN :)

late last night we got to the chennai airport,
and it was FULL of people.
everywhere.
all going their own ways.
and i pointed out --
this feels normal now.
masses of people, traffic & cows.
feels fine.

flight to malaysia wasn't bad.
all of the sudden i hear... strawn, elizabeth
over the loud speaker.
i got upgraded to business class -- not bad.
bonnie thinks that is because i was traveling alone.
and there happened to be a lot of,
we think ... monks?
they were all ages, men.
all dressed in long skirts -- beards.
long hair.
bare feet.

different world.
seriously... 70 percent of the people on the plane were not wearing shoes.
lets just say that i am the minority.

so far malaysia feels great.
a completely different vibe from bangalore/chennai.
a lot cleaner & more western.
and seeing a friendly face was nice too.

peter's digs are great.
he is letting liz & i crash here,
while bonnie and kathy are at a hotel not far from here.
he is allowing me to use his computer -- i am thankful.

i have felt a little disconnected from the world outside
of my current bubble.
but it has been nice.
i don't miss my phone.
you realize that you gotta rely on trust.
so that people are there when they say they will be.

and this trip has made for some great conversation.
thanks to my handy dandy chat pack (a box with conversation starters)
conversations have been wonderful & insightful.

today,
we are just relaxing here a little,
liz & peter are taking naps.
i probably should too -- haven't slept for a day or two.
then going into kuala lumpur for the evening to hang out.
then tomorrow we are going to the rain forest for a few days.
so i probably won't be able to update until i get back from there.

maybe post pictures soon?
i don't know.
i might just wait till i get home.

love,
xo.

p.s. -- i am missing school tomorrow.  i wish i could be there.
i am being serious.