Brighton. Doug. Li. Transitioning.

Abel's Index

Number of months in India: 8
Number of states visited in India: 4
Number of states in India: 28
Average temperatures in Chennai in December: High 27C, Low 21C
Average temperatures in Chennai in May: High 36C, Low27C
Average amount (in Indian Rupees) spent on cell phone per week: 121
Number of times cell phone stolen while in India: 2
Cost of a Masala Dosa in Chennai: Rs28 / $0.70 / £0.35
Cost of a Masala Dosa in New York City: Rs270 /$6.75 / £3.39
Cost of a Masala Dosa in London, UK: Rs875 / $21.86 /£10.99
Number of days taken off from work: 19
Number of times I beat Kovitz at ping-pong while in Thailand: 4
Number of times Kovitz beat me at ping-pong in Thailand: Dozens
Number of train rides while in India: 6
Number of plane rides while in India: 6
Number of bus rides while in India: too many to count
Number of road accidents personally experienced while in India: 2
Number of journals completed while in India: 2
Number of trade book fairs attended as Tara's representative: 2
Number of trade book fairs attended in life: 2
Number of months until seeing Gita and Sirish at Frankfurt Book Fair: 6
Number of times appeared on Indian national television: 2
Number of books read while in India: 12
Number of times Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino read while in India: 3
Number of boxes of books mailed from India home to Seattle: 5
Average number of Hindi classes per week while in Chennai: 2.5
Average number of cups of coffee per day while in India: 4
Total weight in kilograms of luggage when leaving India: 27.3

Tamil Nadu, tu vas me manquer beaucoup!

Tonight - well, technically tomorrow morning at 4am - I board a flight to London's Gatwick airport. My time here as a Tara intern has come to an end. It breaks my heart to leave these people and this microcosm of happiness, even if I am leaving for all the right reasons.

Actually, it feels as if I have been punched in the gut. What to do?