I went back to Kerala a few weeks ago. The timing couldn't have been worse. Right before I left, there was this massive plane crash in Ahmedabad. People were absolutely shook about it.

But being on that flight from Bangkok to India? Everyone was on edge. I heard these passengers next to me debating whether we were on an Airbus or Boeing. And of course, because it's monsoon season, we hit some serious turbulence. The kind where you're gripping your seat and thinking "okay, maybe those people had a point about being nervous." Not exactly the smooth ride you want when everyone's already freaking out about plane crashes.

But whatever, I made it back home and that's what mattered. Spent a few weeks there and actually ended up meeting some people about potential GIS work. Wasn't really planning on it, but you know how it is when you're back home - connections just happen.

The best part though was finally bringing my mom to that church in Mahe she'd been wanting to visit. We went to Mahe Beach too. She was so happy about it, and honestly, seeing her that excited made the whole trip worth it. Then we did this drive to Valparai through Palakkad. All those paddy fields, then you're climbing up this mountain, and suddenly you're looking at this incredible view. Coming back through Athirapally forest was pretty amazing too.

The flight back was rough as well. I was running on maybe an hour of sleep from the night before, and during that first leg from Kochi to Bangkok - a midnight flight - I kept having these nightmares. Couldn't shake them. Just kept waking up feeling awful. Even when I got to Chengdu, it continued for a couple of days.

So yeah, I'm back to regular life in Chengdu now. Trying to decompress from everything. There's actually more personal stuff from that trip I want to write about eventually, but right now I'm just focused on getting back to normal.