As I sit in the airport lounge in rainy San Francisco, heading to India via Helsinki, I can feel my excitement to go to India finally building. Although I feel terrible leaving my two pets for 3 weeks, this trip has been 6 years in the making! I am finally thrilled that I have been able to get myself strong enough to not my disease dictate my life (did I tell you guys that I have stage 4 metastatic breast cancer of the bone & 2017-18 was touch and go!). Even though the day of the trip is here, it’s been quite a chaotic day. Since I left home this morning, I have given a phone interview en route to the John Wayne Airport (keeping my fingers crossed to see I make the next round of the promotionally interview :)); handled some very heavy suitcases (I mean really heavy ones) including my carryon; tactfully avoided the extra weight charges by having to really sweet talk the agent!; had my flight to San Francisco (SFO) diverted to San Jose; having had to retrieve my bags which I thought were booked to Delhi; then bussed to SFO; had to wait again for couple of hours to have the Finnair counter to open (and deciding to take advantage of the food court and try San Francisco’s clam chowder, which I must say was D-E-L-IC-I-O-U-S!); again dealt with saga of the suitcases and avoiding $100 charge….phew! Finally, I am cosily settled into the lounge with a warm cup of tea and a crostini, and contemplating the joys of travel 🙂
Update on the travel – My Finnair flight got into Helsinki ahead of schedule. I now have couple of hours of transit and I am enjoying the Ikea-ish minimalist but stylish decor. The landscape has a dusting of snow and I am trying not to do any duty free shopping 🙂 All I can say is that this is the final leg & I am half-way to India! So before I know it I should be in New Delhi and seeing my gorgeous sister Neenu after such a long time. She is one of the most bravest, honorable & feistiest person I know. She has handled life’s lemons so gracefully and with great inner strength, and I just simply love my little sister 🙂
Okay it’s 8:20pm Finland time & the flight is full, boarded and on the verge of takeoff. So here I come India, like it or not 😜
Erudite Kahani 