The Way Back

I'm back in brown town! Here are 3 things that helped me know I was home before I even got here.

 1. The Search-for-Peace Lounge

 (At the airport in Bangkok) I changed seats the first time because I had this group of men sitting right behind me loudly tallying an endless list of expenses that they'd apparently raked up in Bangkok. My new seat gave me the vantage point of observing a very young couple. I hope I'm forgiven this unkind generalization, but it's a common dynamic I've seen. He's this spindly fellow who can't believe she's letting him do things to her, if you know what I mean, as you can see from his eyes that follow her and fingers that pick at her hair or corner of her dress. She knows she's the better looking one and therefore, has most or all of the power in the relationship, as evidenced by the fact that she barely acknowledged his attentions and when she does, there's this slight disdain on her face. I remember being fascinated by symbiosis when studying Biology in school, and as I grew up, the kinds of symbiosis that human psyches are capable of have become equally fascinating. But there's only so much of that one can take. I changed seats again. The couple I sat next to this time cruelly pulled out a two year old from between them who decided his life's work would be to bang metal things together and if denied that pleasure, scream. The lady had a high-pitched nasal voice which she used to beg her son. Together, their symphony was like the musical I'd imagine accompanying a specter of death. I didn't change seats again. Buddha, or some other nirvana success story, said that if you have inner peace, outside disturbances do not matter. They won't affect you. So I didn't move. I tested myself. So basically, I just sat there and prayed for the apocalypse. Then I got on to the airplane.

 2. The Imported Swiss Mountain Echo

When things happen to me, I don't get subtle. I get swamped. So of course, there were men on board,chock full of fascinating conversation separated from each other by the pesky aisle, who of course weren't about to let that deter them. I heard a lot. I'm really truly glad, because I found one of them fascinating. He was the listener and this other guy was enlightening him with that air of having been blessed with divine knowledge. Listener guy apparently acknowledges people by echoing them, with emphatic head nods. The conversation, translated from Tamil, was like this-
They take a straight 5 hour flight which is non-stop.
Listener: Non-stop
They even have a hotel called transit
Listener: Transit
They mainly prefer Germany
Listener: prefer
Everything has changed
Listener: changed
.....
(The exact moment the flight landed, the oracle spoke again)
Ah, In Chennai, we have landed.
Listener: Landed

I hope they didn't see me hunched forward, shoulders shaking. It was a hilarious exchange. I can't wait to try it out on an unsuspecting someone and see how they take to being echoed this way.

3. The Gender Swap

I had the aisle seat on the plane, and it was next to a couple. When I reached it, the woman was near the window and the man was in between. He looked at me, had a whispered conversation with wifey and with great difficulty they switched seats. Therefore, I remained pure throughout my flight.

 Like I said, I'm home, and truly loving it ;)