Saturday, August 23, 2008

The adventure begins

En route to India

Finally, after more than six months of planning, research, and consideration, we are on our way to India, where several wonderful women and a group of doctors will help us to have a baby. You. It seemed like an easy decision at first – we wanted a baby, and this would be faster than adoption and would bring us a newborn baby, who we would know from the very start of his or her life.

But we’re the type of people who weigh our decisions carefully, and fear making decisions we regret, so the discussion continued even as we boarded the plane: were we ready for the sleepless nights, the hard work, the commitment and devotion required to raise a good kid and a successful person. These are questions that all parents face, but because we know how worry-free and easy our childless life was, it seemed much more of a sacrifice.

I reminded Adam that we will make very good parents, giving our child a fun life and the best opportunities that we can afford. While a bit afraid of the sleeplessness and crankiness of children, I don’t think we fully understand the increased joy that seeing them grow and develop will bring us.

So here we are, 20 minutes from landing in India, for what’s suer to be the start of a huge adventure. We have 2.5 days planned in Mumbai, then three days at a beachside yoga center. In fact, the adventure has already begun: we had a 12 hour stopover in London. The air was crisp and cold, the parks so green and clean – quite a change from 28 years ago, when I spent a year in college here during the era of punk rockers, economic malaise, bland food, and resistance to the 20th century. Now, the city glistens; additions like the Tate Museum, the London Eye, and new office towers have modernized the skyline. We spent a lot of money very quickly during our 12 hours, walking around Westminster Abby, taking a double-decker sight-seeing bus, and eating fish and chips, and mutton stew.