Lisa Gallant Fouche' AES Class of 1977 LRSlippers@aol.com

Boy, its tough to do an update after almost thirty years! My aunt and uncle, Carobel and Leon Daniel (UPI), generously invited me and my cousins, Helen and Susan Edwards to live with them and attend AES for the 1973-74 school year, in hopes of giving their precious only child, Lillian, the full experience of having siblings. Up to this point, Lillian had had no one to hang her dolls by their necks from her fan and she had never had her hand put in warm water while she slept.

Coming to India changed the world for us and always made Asia seem like a second home. There were so many opportunities and great experiences to be had while we were at AES. In South Carolina, I would never have been offered hashish while with my grandmother. In South Carolina, she would never have said yes. Thank goodness she had some right-thinking 14 year olds to keep her straight.

I cherish the memories of the friends I made in India and of each wonderful teacher. I spent half a year in India, a homesick wallflower, counting the days until I could return to SC. I then spent the next 25 years plotting a way to return. I had to marry someone, Heyward Fouche', before I could talk anyone else into such a long trip. Heyward and I went to India in 2001 for two weeks.

Stepping off the plane was like stepping back into 1973. Bob Dow gave us a fantastic tour of the school and it brought back such vivid memories. Does anyone remember the student announcement, "Monday, nothing, Tuesday, nothing, Wednesday, nothing, Thursday for a change, a little bit of nothing..."or something like that. And I remember riding with John Parker and some others, ON TOP of the bus on the way home from a field trip. Did all boys in Mr. Mehotra's (bad sp.) science class set their arms on fire?

For the last thirty years I have stayed in touch with Nanak Chand, a wonderful fellow who worked for my aunt and uncle. Heyward and I visited him in the servant's quarters where he now works, an embassy whose name I could never understand over the phone, "the Pilipinian Embassy." We arrived and armed men took us up to his room. I asked again, "now exactly where are we?" Nanak replied, "The Palestinian Embassy, you know, the PLO".... Poor Heyward, I am not sure I am the wife he signed up for!

The trip was all we hoped for and much more, including my second visit to the Pushkar fair. We were on a biking trip but it ended up being more of a cultural experience than an athletic one. Many things are unchanged; there are no friendlier people in the world and peacocks still sit atop garden walls. In fitting contrast, Heyward and I got separated in an airport and put on different planes. The engine on his blew up and fire came out as they took off. But again, in fitting contrast, it got him another night at Rajvilas and a wild ride back to Delhi by car, passing the hours by counting how many people could fit in a jeep or on a scooter.

We go to Asia as often as I can talk Heyward into it and frequently travel with three people we met on one of these trips. We went to Thailand in February, by way of Korea where I completely lost consciousness for several minutes at lunch on the floor of a very nice restaurant. The others are all doctors so they took good care of me and then made relentless fun of me for the rest of the trip. I reenacted the fainting for a photograph and now David, the technological one, has incorporated me into many of the Wonders of the World.

If anyone is still reading, I think my sister and I, and maybe our brothers and spouses, are coming to do a Habitat for Humanity build in India in October '06. It would be great to have old friends join in. The rest of my update is: USC Law School (South Carolina, not Southern California), Assistant Public Defender, Attorney for Guardians ad Litem in abuse and neglect cases, runner (Marine Corps and Chicago marathons, Columbian Hash house Harriers), rider (see attached photo of Posh), picker-upper of all things stray (usually animals), and bad housewife. My current area of expertise is Frequent Flyer Points.

I hope everyone has a wonderful time at the reunion. And I would love to hear from old friends again. Hello, Sheryl Quarmyn!

Lisa

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