The trip to Chennai, including stops in Washington, D.C, and Frankfurt, took about 25 hours. Though the thought of a trip of that length alone was initially quite distasteful, I adjusted my attitude and decided to enjoy even that adventure as much as possible. And it really was a most pleasant trip. True to form, I got about four hours of sleep the previous night (well, I was packing for six months!), so at certain points I was awfully tired, but the flights were pretty much on-time, and my seat neighbors were pleasant. It was a good experience.

At the Chennai airport, the customs line was long, but uneventful (i.e., they let me in!), and the wait for my luggage was long as well, but my three friends were waiting with a taxi right outside the airport. I was in India, and thanking God over and over for such a good trip. I was in India!