Finally leaving the school!

Hi all,
Sorry I have not shared any news or fun tidbits as of late. But now that my time in India is coming to a close, I thought I'd post an update. As many of you have likely intuited, or directly heard from me, I have not been thrilled out of my mind here in this small village in southern India, so, though I have shed a few tears, I am feeling happy to be moving on from Aranmula tomorrow.
I decided to take it easy, considering the upcoming flight back to Paris and then train down to the center of France in the next 2 weeks, so I won't be taking the 17-hour train up to the "ideal" beach. Instead, I'll be going to the "touristy" beach only 2 hours south from here, relaxing for a few days, if that's possible, and then will head 4 hours back up north to fly out from India at 5 AM Thursday morning.
I wore my sari for the first (and only) time yesterday, when a group of us went to a temple concert to hear the singing teacher from the school perform. I quickly learned that a westerner wearing a sari in these parts gets alot more attention than a westerner wearing the less formal pants/long shirt combo. Along with the general stares, I got a number of head nods and "OK" signs from women. :)
I hennaed my hand today (will it survive swimming in the ocean for a few days?), ran around to say goodbyes and do last minute shopping, etc. etc. I have many photos I would love to share from various dance and theatre performances I've seen during the last few weeks, but my computer memory is full, so we'll all have to wait!
I arrive back in Paris next Thursday, where I will spend 4 too-short nites back in the company of my newfound friends there, and then down to Moulin de Chaves near Bordeaux (www.moulindechaves.org) to start work on April 30. I hope I remember how to cook! Or for that matter, how to be an employee again (albeit, one who doesn't receive paychecks...). I am greatly looking forward to eating plenty of leafy greens. The food here has been delicious, healthy and amazing, but despite the fact that the fare has been vegetarian, there hasn't been much in the way of leafy goods.
I hope all are well, and I will write more once I get settled again.