Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Many wishes for the New Year!

Happy, happy new year! Hard to believe it is here, but there you go....

One last blog post for 2008 (today has been a flurry of posting- be sure to scroll down for two other new posts).

From Madurai, I took the overnight train to Thiruvananthapuram (better know, for obvious reasons, as Trivandrum). I've discovered I sleep really well on trains. In the morning, I hopped another train to Chengannur and from there took a quick bus ride 11km back to Aranmula, where the cultural centre is.

I was planning to stop by here at some point to see my friends and pick up some stuff I'd left with them. I decided to stop by now partly to celebrate New Year's Eve with them! (I figured it would be nice to celebrate one of the big three winter holidays in a semi-normal way.) We are having a dance party tonight with traditions from all over -- Jannet made a pinata and there will be an Indian style pinata as well. More on this once I actually see it :) I also needed a few "days off" so to speak and decided that familiar territory would be the nicest place for that. I'm hoping to mail some packages, backup and clear my camera memory cards, edit my grad school application (I wrote the essays in September before I left but couldn't really wrap my head around finishing something that wasn't due until February).

My timing turned out to be especially great-- there is a trip to Varkala planned for this weekend. Varkala is a beach town-- something I often skip when I travel, since I've from a great beach town and since they tend to be touristy places. But at the moment, I'm looking forward to seeing a different part of India and spending time with friends. A perfect start to a new year!

I know I've said this before, but so many things in life remind me that I must be the luckiest, most loved girl in the world. And all of those reminders come from you! My cherished friends and family. So even from far, far away, I want to say thank you and tell you unequivocally that I celebrate all of you. I hope that your New Year's Eves and Days are filled with celebration and that the upcoming year is overflowing with an abundance of all the gifts that are truly best in life.



"Celebration: Take time to recognize and savor what is important to you and honor it with festivities. Rejoice, have fun, and enjoy the party."
- a meditation card at my yoga studio

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy, Happy New Year to you, too!
A pinata and dancing, followed by a trip to the beach with friends - what more could you ask for?
Mom xoxo

Unknown said...

Happy New Year, Bri! We froze our behinds off in Brooklyn this year, at a party that I think you would have enjoyed. But as your post lets me know, you are not wanting for fun and that makes me very very happy :)