I am getting ready to return to Chennai,India,after more than 2 months in the US.This has been one of the most satisfying and productive periods in my various visits to this country.There has been plenty of learning through participation and corresponding with the ICA community.The 6 week course on Train the Trainer which I particpated in was an icing in the cake to the experience in the ICA commuity so far!! All of this has opened up a lot of opportunities for me in my future career planning, as I get ready to do a rethink on where I want to be, a better assessment of the kind of person I am, and a better appreciation of the kind of profession for which I have a passion and keen to work in!!
The other enriching experience has been the one with my children and grandchildren.This adds another dimension to my learning and feeling experiences!!I thought I had a lot of patience and resilience but as I interacted with my 4 year old grand son and 1 year old grand daughter, my level of awareness and resilience were riased to much higher levels for which I will ever be grateful to them and also my daughter who made this possible!!
As soon as I return to Chennai, my highest priority is to establish contact with my 83 year old mother and also reorient myself to taking the supervised coaching sessions, as a step towards graduation this December. The other requirements for the graduation will also be focused on as I move along in the journey towards graduation. It has been an exciting journey so far!!
Returned to Chennai
I am gradually settling down to a routine and have just participated in the first of my Supervised Coaching sessions!!More on that separately!!
Delighted to get reconnected with my mother.The unconditional love that gets showered on me when i pay her visits every day energizes and enthuses me to keep moving forward towards my goals!! She says she feels more secure and energetic too!! Is there a violation here of the Laws of Thermodynamics which says that energy is constant and cannot be created!!
The support systems here in Chennai are different than the ones I have in the US!!All my siblings, consisting of three sisters and two brothers, born to the same parents(!!)are here and though we do not get to meet often we manage to stay in touch thanks to the advent of emails and telephone connections that work!!
We have come a long way from the early 1960’s when I left the Indian soil for the first time as a graduate student, after getting admission from the Johns Hopkins University!!The only way I could afford to communicate in those days was through the US postal service using what wass once called the “aerogram”!!My mail used to take 10 days to reach my family in India and their response took another 10 days!!
As I recall those days, I remember my father whose 93 rd birthday we celebrate today!!He was very prompt in his communication and was one of the few who stayed in touch with me, making me feel connected to all “at home”!!I have come a long way since those days, since I now feel “at home”both in the US and in India these dyas.Both my children are happily settled down there with American partners!!