'Till mid-October...

There are clothes strewn all over my childhood bedroom. I have re-stocked the band-aid supply in my toiletry case. I have a new sleeping bag that stuffs smaller than I thought possible. Three days ago I was immunized for typhoid.

Tomorrow I leave for India where I will spend the next four weeks. I fly to Chicago and then direct to Delhi. Once there, I will fly up to Dharamsala where I am enrolled in the 10-day Introduction to Buddhism course at Tushita Meditation Centre. There I will learn about the religion, meditate, and not talk (although I may be allowed to for an hour a day for the first seven days). After my retreat I fly back to Delhi where I will join a two-week small group tour that travels between Delhi and Varanasi. I'll see the Taj Mahal, numerous temples, go on a tiger safari, and float down the Ganges.

Going to India has been a dream of mine since college. I will likely have little to no email access while I am there. I am a little nervous. I am excited. I am going to India.