So the globe trotters arrived at their favorite holiday destination once again. Alas, this was an easier journey to plan much to our collective relief. For exactly two years ago, a hassled mother a.k.a moi made this arduous journey alone with her baby and little toddler. Holding on to another young mother for support, she just about managed to survive. Since then, a little wiser and older, she was mostly in control.
Now kids aged 2.10 yrs and 5.6 yrs are an interesting race. Not quite old enough to sufficiently empathize with situations beyond their comprehension, they can be a testing experience for a mother. So while they understood the concept of the long distance travel, little did they expect the actual globe spinning effects of the airplane. While sufficiently entertained by the kids channels, the time zone changes just caught them completely unawares, quite literally gutting them out. This was of course a blessing for me except that I had to be quite acrobatic to manage my food with two heads bobbing in and out of my lap.
The other thing to pay heed was the air travel in general. With the numerous accidents of late, I was perennially high strung for any alarming signals. Constantly monitoring air turbulence and the airplane altitude on the monitor, I felt more at peace. Now, its not that I could magically rescue the plane right. But hey, chanting Ramana a zillion times has to help in some way.
So here we are in one piece in singara Chennai. Its almost like nothing has changed here, the heat waves not withstanding. The kids have hit off again with their friends from the neighborhood. Basking in grandparents love, and enjoying the free spirited play, the kids are in sublime joy. They couldn't be further away from the American reality, and yet they have blended seamlessly into the Indian fabric. Call it the genes or anything, my little ones can truly be considered the American Global Desis.
Here’s a revised version of your piece, focusing on improving the flow, tightening the language, and enhancing clarity:
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The globetrotters have arrived at their favorite holiday destination once again. Thankfully, this time the journey was much easier to plan, much to our collective relief. Exactly two years ago, a frazzled mother (a.k.a. me) embarked on this arduous journey alone with a baby and a toddler. With the support of another young mother, I just about managed to survive. Since then, a little wiser and older, I now feel mostly in control.
Now, kids aged 2.10 and 5.6 are an interesting mix. Not quite old enough to fully empathize with situations beyond their comprehension, they can certainly be a challenge for a mother. While they understood the idea of long-distance travel, they were completely unprepared for the globe-spinning effects of the airplane. Though entertained by the kids' channels, the time zone changes hit them hard, quite literally gutting them. This, of course, was a blessing for me—except that I had to perform acrobatics to manage my food while two little heads bobbed in and out of my lap.
Another thing to keep in mind was the air travel itself. With the recent spate of accidents, I was constantly on edge, waiting for any alarming signals. Monitoring air turbulence and the airplane's altitude on the screen gave me some peace of mind. It’s not like I could magically save the plane, but hey, chanting "Ramana" a thousand times surely had to help in some way, right?
And here we are, in one piece, in Singara Chennai. It almost feels like nothing has changed, despite the heat waves. The kids have immediately reconnected with their neighborhood friends. Bathed in the love of grandparents and enjoying carefree play, they are in sheer bliss. They couldn’t be further removed from their American reality, yet they’ve seamlessly blended into the fabric of India. Call it the genes or something else, but my little ones have truly become the American Global Desis.
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This version streamlines the narrative, improving flow and readability while retaining the personal tone and the humor. Let me know how this feels!
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