More Catching Up - Indiana

By mid-August, we were in Indiana. Internal US flights seem so easy when you’re used to long international ones. Upon arrival in Louisville, we were well received by the whole clan and off we went to settle in for a couple weeks.

presenting your newest relative

Summer in southern Indiana is generally quite sultry. Compared to the intense heat that we faced in Idaho, it turned out to be milder – at least for the first week or so. It was still very warm but not the punishing warm that can be the case during the summer.

the return of Thelma and Louise

In addition to hanging out with family and allowing everyone to get to know their new relative, we had a chance to do some things that I hadn’t done before. One stop was the Falls of the Ohio which, among other things, you can view fossil beds that date back to 387 million years ago, or so they say. It’s a pretty precise number for something so far back in the past if you ask me. Anyway, old fossils at a picturesque spot on the Ohio River.

Kiran is not yet a history buff so, for accommodating her parents’ interests, she was rewarded with a big messy ice cream cone afterwards. 

cooling off in a fountain

On another day we took a riverboat cruise on the Ohio River. It’s also something we hadn’t done before and it was quite nice. I’m sort of a history buff and given the rich history of the area, it suited me. I might have done things a bit differently if I’d been running the tour but generally it was good.

We were also blessed to be at Priya's parents place during the time that they received a visit by a friend of theirs from India. I had met Stefan during a previous visit to India in 2009. It was very nice to see him and hear about his work.

Stefan and the family

Not long before we had to leave, on Labor Day weekend, we were able to fit in an afternoon at an international festival called Worldfest. By this time the heat that we’d been more or less avoiding was very present. We had a good time anyway, visiting booths, chatting with people that had some connections with Africa, eating some interesting food, etc. but eventually it was time to go find some air conditioning.

 We also attended a very large church festival, by far the largest I'd ever seen. Thousands of people. Impressive to say the least. Unfortunately there was a bit of confusion - I suppose comical in retrospect. When we tried to meet up with the other half of the family at the festival, cell phone frustrations mounted. Couldn't seem to find each other. Confusion over points of reference.  I had assumed it was due to the massiveness of the grounds and the hordes of people. In fact we would later find out that we were at two different (but related) large events at different churches. What are the chances.

taking the train with Kiran - a bit different from my train travel years ago in Europe

As we rolled into September, Kinaya's passport finally in hand, we were ready to board the plane and head back to Africa. My longest "break" ever drawing to a close. So much had happened. Overall we were pleased with how everything went. But it was time to get back and continue our lives, now as a family of four. Crazy.