Departure Day

so It begins again. My feet are off the ground, and I am running... hopefully. I write this first post of the continued journeys of michael Le Chevallier from the PDX airport. This is the best Airport in the world, not because i'm still starry eyed over OR, though that will always be the case, even with our dubious mayor in portland, our colorful personalities in the east, and our notoriously non-diverse state (i do like things in threes) but instead because it has Free WIFI, offering me this last chance to touch base before lift off. I have quite the gauntlet ahead of me. I fly off first to vancouver, where i will walk around the terminal in order to appreciate the mountainesque views. From there it is on to London, then 7 hrs later to Mumbai.I have convinced the person at the flight desk to send my baggage all the way through to chennai, so hopefully I will be on the plane with it.at least this way, if it doesn't come with me to mumbai, it will somehow continue on. So what am I doing in India? I was given a grant from the ministry program to engage in research regarding international issues somehow touching on questions of ministry. I am exploring crosses between inculteration work and interreligious dialogue. I will be spending 2 weeks in chennai, then on to bangalore, followed by a month in Bede Griffiths Monastery in Tamil Nadu. After that, it is a bit of a mystery. I'm happy to have at least 7 weeks planned, however, given that I wouldn't have been able to say that 4 weeks ago. India has been a place i have wanted to travel to since I met a missionary from there when i was in Tanzania. I almost went when ethiopia was approaching war with Somalia, but, of course, the US supported Ethiopia would never land on the US travel warning list for a measily issue of war.
Back to the matter at hand: 10 weeks in India... I'll keep you updated. Now I'm off. Good bye!




mike.lechevallier@gmail.com