Good-Byes and Bananas

It is early Monday morning in India, and early Sunday evening in the US.  Alan is travelling home as I type and I have woken to my first day here without him.  Here is a photo of Alan when he left.  The pundits gave him a travel blessing just before getting into the car for the airport.

Alan looks wonderful; the health retreat and time away from our fast paced life have been great for him.  The doctor gave him a great report when he checked out.  Alan will have an MRI in a few weeks to ensure all is quiet in his head.

I am not wild about being here without him, honestly.  I have done this type of healing in the US several times, so when we talked about me staying a week longer than Alan it didn’t occur to me that being here without him would be an issue.  Of course, I really didn’t think about the implications of being in India!  At least, I know the ropes now.  I leave later on Friday night and I am counting the days (even the hours)!

This time, we know that Alan’s flights will stop in Delhi and Frankfurt, Germany.  It will not be the non-stop flight plane he was promised when he booked the itinerary.  He was able to upgrade to business class, so the return should be more pleasant for him.

BANANAS

Last Wednesday I began the clinic’s unique Banana Treatment to balance my female hormones.  For three mornings I was given a very small piece of banana topped with some secret family herbs.  Again they bless the herbs and then I ask my ancestors for healing before shallowing the small piece of fruit like a pill.   I am permitted to drink a warm glass of milk first thing in the morning and then am given a combination of milk and rice for my two meals each day.  The treatment deeply cleanses the entire body, especially the female reproductive system.  Dr. Raju has said that a single banana treatment has the benefits of two of more intensive PKs (the 23 day cleanse).

I continue to do the massages and other treatments while I am on the banana treatment.  The first thing I notice is that I am incredibly emotional for no reason at all.  It was quite strange, I was almost inconsolable.  Then on the evening of the third night, I became incredibly sick to my stomach.  I assume I must have gotten a parasite, everything comes out and I have incredibly painful cramps for hours on end.  I have been incredibly careful about not allowing any of the local water into my body, so I am quite upset.

It does not occur to me that I am experiencing a very intense cleansing process until the doctors come up the room to check my pulse.  They say my entire system is cleansing, not just my hormores.  I am given a small vile of an Indian liquid medication and told to put a small amount on my palm and lick it every 15 minutes and it will reduce the cramps.  Amazingly it works to decrease the pain over the hours.  I am reminded of being in labor, but there is no baby at the end of this process!

Alan was scheduled to leave the afternoon I have become so ill, and thankfully he was able to change his flight until the next day.  This is no easy feat in India; he took a cab to the Air India office to change the ticket and it takes hours to complete the task.  I am incredibly thankful he was able to remain with me for the additional day, since I was not well and continued to be so emotional!

I will be able to track his flights over the day through the web and will feel better once I know he has landed in Chicago.

FUN STUFF

I did get the clothes I had made at the small tailor at the business center.  Here are photos of one of outfits being made and me wearing them.   I love the materials and style of the black and white one; however it is a bit small for me.  The tailor has promised he can let it out.  The red one fits well and is incredibly comfortable.  It was a fun project, although I don’t think I will be sporting these outfits in Chicago!  At least we will have some fun Halloween outfits this fall!

For the Kolbe fans, I gave my new pal Kim the Kolbe tool last night for fun.   She came out 6293.  I laughed as I always collect wonderful female 9s in QuickStart wherever I go!  Kim is an expert in the enneagram-type personality test, having studied with the originator of it in Brazil for years.  So we had much fun comparing our tools and thoughts about how our insights influence everyone around us!  Kim returns to her home later tonight and I will her company greatly.

Our kids are having a great summer at camp and we have been able to stay in touch through email. The kids write their normal letters, which the camp sends a pdf of them to us.  This works well with Sarah, who writes often.  We have not had a letter from Jacob since we have been in India!  The good news is the counselors send a weekly cabin update and some specifics about the kids.  So we know Jacob has had an amazing summer going on several canoeing and hiking trips.

We will be excited when we are reunited as a family at home!  Our next post should be from Alan stateside.