Trip Planned

Well, a new trip is planned for May 2010 - Yellowstone. Not many details yet but more will be coming.

The gang is almost all here . . . 10 people missing

Travels this Year

In 2009 I haven't had a trip as exciting as the one to India. But we went to Nebraskas in April to celebrate my mother's 80th birthday. I enjoy getting a chance to see my 7 siblings, their spouses, by 21 nieces and nephews and the evergrowing number of great nieces and nephews

Two pictures from the Taj Mahal

In the September trip I went with two colleagues - Pete and Russ.

My favorite picture of me at the Taj

January Followup

It is hard to believe that a year ago I had never been to India and now I have had two trips. Both were wonderful experiences. If I had a chance I would go back again. Reflecting on my experiences after several months - the people were wonderful, the food was fanstastic, the country does have a wide disparity in income levels, and I still would not drive in the country (even being a passenger was hard). I finally scanned in some pictures of me at the Taj Mahal which I am posting

Friday - Bangalore

Today was another great day in Bangalore. It is hard to believe this was our last day. My next post will probably be from the USA. Our plane leaves Bangalore at 6:15 pm tomorrow and arrives in Asheville on @ noon on Sunday. However, we gain 9.5 hours so our travel time will be 28 hours +++. The journey is Bangalore – Mumbai (Bombay) – Newark – Asheville. So if you see me Monday excuse my tiredness.
Today we had meetings at IAA followed by their Fresher’s Day Celebration. This is held close to the beginning of the semester and greets new students as well as providing entertainment. Russ, Pete and I were included in the ceremonies including lighting the lantern at the opening of the ceremony and presenting gifts to students.
The program lasted about 3 hours and included skits, welcome talks, awarding of certificates, dances, and the selection of Mr. and Ms. Fresher 2008 (Fresher is the equivalent of our term for Freshman).
The day included a lot of dancing, humor and talks. I have included some pictures. I also received flowers – now I have about 4 dozen flowers in my office. I LOVE it.
After the ceremony we had lunch. Then Russ headed for the airport and Pete and I went back to the hotel. We went out and about a bit tonight. Tomorrow we are meeting with Dr. Raja in the morning and he will take us to the airport to begin our trip home.

More pictures - Friday

Traffic is still the most intriguing thing for me. It is SO heavy - but manages to flow