Arrival Survival!

July 10, 2014

Nearly a decade ago I first arrived in India: an immense stranger to me at the time.  Apropos then that I arrived in the dark of midnight.  Two hours or so I sweated through an intense line for immigration, wondering what I was getting in to.  It took nearly another hour to get my bag.  Fortunately I was greeted by a super patient person.   We were whisked into a van, drove the deserted streets of this geographical monster of a city and tucked away for a quick sleep in the back rooms of a school, although I did not know that at the time.

Less than a year later I returned again, to a smaller immigration line, an earlier arrival and the friendly face of people I now knew.  Two years later the line lasted just 20 minutes and my then good friend came to pick me up.  By the certain roadways looked familiar and it was easy to get out and about almost immediately.

So here I am again arriving in Chennai.  The line lasted but 2 minutes, which is good as for the first time I have an immediate connecting flight out of the city.  The immensity is now personified by the new terminal which is an impressive building that I watched being built during my previous visits.  So much cooler, spacious, welcoming.  And I have arrived in the light of day, which is symbolic in some manner.  Sadly, I meet no one here that I know. Instead, I reminisce about the past adventures at this airport, one I have formed a strong relationship with.

The good part is that I will be met by a friendly face at my ultimate destination… Something that has happened every time I have visited.  Which is why I continue to visit.