Chicago or Bust

Technically, my flight doesn't leave until 12:15am tomorrow, but I'm considering today my last in India (for nearly three weeks). While I've been out of the country since my arrival in early January, tonight's trip marks the first time I board a plane for home. When I arrive in Chicago tomorrow morning, it will be exactly nine months to the day from when I left. Of course, I was in the U.S. one day after that, thanks to some passenger's pesky little urinary blockage over Hudson Bay causing a diversion to Boston. Regardless, I'm calling it nine months.

The next three weeks will be a whirlwind tour; starting with a round of golf five hours after arrival with my father-in-law (not a bad way to stave off jet lag) and ending with lunch with my parents before heading back to the airport on October 26. Sandwiched between those events include a birthday dinner with the mother-in-law, a long weekend in Moline with my family, a few days of work back in Chicago (each night scheduled full with dinners; the wife, she's kind of a planner), a Saturday of college football and cards in the city, a fire pit evening in Lake Zurich with the Williams clan, and another half day of work before heading to South Carolina for a week split between Lindsay's parents and my retarded college friends. Bottom line, I can't complain. I'm hitting all the good stuff.

Even though (outside the five days of work) it's more of a vacation-type trip than actually "living" and I like to think I'm going to be too busy to experience any kind of reverse culture shock, I'm sure it will be there to some extent. There will be things about India I miss and things about America I don't understand.

That's a small risk to take; I'm ready for some time at home.