Good Bye and Good Riddance!

As we prepare to leave India after two years, I wanted to note the impressions I have formed while being here. Since I always like to end on a positive note, I'll start with the good riddances: things I hope I NEVER encounter again:

GOOD RIDDANCE TO:
"Public" bathrooms (as in on the side of the road!)
Blowing snot onto the sidewalk
Mangy dogs and worse
Chilies in ANY form
Rotting garbage
Reading frequent newspaper articles about caste discrimination
"Self-immolation"
Beggars---esp. "fake" ones
Honking horns
Songs blasting on the PA system in the street
Locking cabinets when staff comes in.
Reading or seeing the morning paper and wanting to hurl breakfast. (some things are better left unsaid)
Seeing men whose legs are skinnier than my arms and not knowing what to do about it.

And now to the goodbyes: things or people I have come to truly appreciate in the this crazy yet amazing country:

GOOD BYE TO:
Indian smiles
Beautiful saris
Asian travel
Priya, Elu and Raj - our housekeeper and drivers
AISC school
Best and cheapest massages in the world
Farid's amazing office and staff
And mostly--- wonderful friends from around the world---you know who you are. Please stay in touch and you're welcome in Kentucky anytime!

All that being said, I have to say India is a wonderful, amazing and often mystifying place and I'm grateful that my family was able to have this experience. I'm "looking forward to looking back" on this time in my family's life!