Zoo...Boooo...Two

Well, if you haven’t noticed I have been out of touch. A lot has happened in two weeks and I haven’t been able to sit down and write anything. We went to a zoo in India, got our things and Veda turned two! I will do a separate blog on our home some other day.

Where to begin…ah, the zoo. Bottom line…not my most favorite place, but the kids loved it. We had to walk through a small outdoor bazaar area where they were selling corn on the cob and sugar cane juice. The corn looked SO good, but we didn’t want to risk getting sick, so we just ate samosas in the zoo (that probably wasn’t the best idea either, but it’s too late and we are fine.)

We then hopped on a “Grand Safari” bus which took us around the area adjacent to the to see ‘free roaming’ wildlife.

Let’s just say it wasn’t the greatest ride, but again the kids had a blast. Not only did they get to see lions, tigers and bears right next to the feet of our bus, they also got to see cobras, pigeons, guppies, monkeys and birds. And for some reason the birds were the biggest hit. Who knows!?! Here are some pictures from the zoo.

This bear walked up right next to the bus.

Sweet white tiger.

Another white tiger from the bus.

Kids standing next to worthless fence looking at crocs.

Guppies are usually the main attraction of any zoo?

There was NOTHING but a fence between the bear and us.

Pigeons are the second main attraction.

Ro and V couldn't keep their hands off these very clean fences.

Samosas were yummy....cross your fingers!

Popsicles are the BESTEST!
So…Martin and I went to the shipping docks to “receive” our things. Come to find out we weren’t getting anything – BOOOO!!!. We were just watching the guys move our boxes from one shipping counter to the other, while Customs could went through it. That was a disappointing day. We had to wait another three days and then it came!!! OUR STUFF. I have to tell you….you just don’t realize how much you miss home until you see your belongings. Don’t get me wrong, India has been wonderful to us, but to see my couch and bed…..YAHOO!!! It was the best. It sounds so bad and I thought about this a lot, but I really think it has to do more about making such a drastic change and not the actually the things themselves. I mean the smells of our things, the feel of the cloth, the pictures, the taste of foods and our bed really just made me (and Martin and the kids) very comfortable. We sent Rohin and Veda out for the day, so we could unpack the boxes. The house was still empty when they left, but when they arrived back their rooms were unpacked. Rohin ran upstairs and said “OH WOW!!!!” It was pretty cool to hear the little guy so excited about something. And his bike! Geez….he rides around on that thing like there is no tomorrow. He actually has little buddies here that he goes bike riding with. It’s so cool.

Queen Veda has her wagon now so I don’t have to pick her up and carry her everywhere. She can now be carted to her important appointments-HA! I will write a separate blog on our home. All I can say is we are very blessed.

Ms. Veda has turned two. I can hardly believe it, but it is true. We had a little impromptu party for her on Sunday (the day before her real birthday). We invited some families that we met here. Veda had a great time. I ordered cupcakes, brownies and cookies from a Western bakery (side note: we don’t have an oven in our home yet). All the goodies were a hit and the kids ate them up. Thanks to our friends here in India for celebrating Veda’s birthday. My cousin Mistu was there too and he got roped into playing Wii with Martin. Martin was so happy.

If I haven’t already mentioned this when we first got to India, Veda started to take an interest in making food. She would run to the bare walls of our home and make “kunch kies” (or French fries) by waving her hands up near the wall. It was really sad, but SO cute. Before we left the US, I bought a little kitchen for Veda and on her birthday she received it! She was in heaven. She is making “kunch kies” and pancakes all the time. She also got a couple of other cards from the US..it was great! We ended the night with some “Little Mermaid”. Rohin’s vote was Cars the movie, but since it was Veda’s birthday he got overruled. Though, he still made a last ditch effort and said “Mom….I think Veda really wants to watch Cars.” It was cute, but it was V-day, so Cars that night.

First Time For Everything...

When Martin and I came to India in May he saw a man with a stick in a traditional Indian store. Martin had to have it! I was completely against it because frankly, it scared me. Long story short…we have our first “Indian” thing in our house. Meet Mr. Makbar. By the way...Veda calls him "my man". It's pretty funny.

We…or should I say Rohin had his first “artistic expression” moment. He drew Mom some train tracks. They were great! Oh, did I mention they were on four white walls of our home! Brilliant!

Here in Bangalore apparently “Sunday Brunch” is a big deal, so we decided to give it a go. We went with some other expats and their families to a very fancy hotel and had “brunch”. The brunch was good, a little over priced, but we had mimosas and ate fancy food. I have to say there is still nothing like the Pancake House back home! The kids had a great time. Rohin tried cotton candy and ran around in the garden area. Veda ate ice cream and loved every bite.

We also decided to venture out with some friends we met here in Bangalore. Joanie and Pete are from San Francisco and have a beautiful daughter named Isabel. Rohin and Veda have become very good friends with them. So, we put the kids down and headed out for dinner. On our way we saw a local club that looked very interesting. Half way through our dinner we decided that we would hit up the local joint! After a few cocktails we were ready to try it out! As we pulled up to “Fuga” we noticed the people that were coming in and out of the club. Honestly, we could have been in Detroit, everyone was dressed in very Western styles. After paying the 500 rupees ($12.50 US) each, we walked into a red tunnel that was filled with a cloud of smoke! (And just like the good ol’ days, I will smell like an ashtray when I leave.) As we walked in, Martin and Pete went to get drinks and paid $75 US for four drinks. The import prices are great! To give you the short version…it was very crowded, very smoky, some guy was doing hip thrusts as a dance move, and we had a good time! Definitely worth going once and definitely was like every club back home except for more of my kind of people J Our first club in Bangalore was a success. Oh yeah and we were home and showered by 12:30 am. Everything here closes at 11:30 pm, so a little different than home.

Martin got his first haircut in India! He needed it…we all needed him to get his hair cut. If we had to listen about another story of his long hair!! Just kidding! Five US dollars later “Prakash” had hooked Martin up with a head massage and a sweet new hairdo! Yahoo!

On the way out to visit a school for Rohin there was a temple. It was for Lord Hanuman. Rohin and I (well, more me) decided we would go in and check it out. My driver pulled up to the temple and as I got out (with my shoes), I noticed my driver taking off his. So, I asked him “Ummmm…Krishna, why are you taking off your shoes?” and replied “because you can’t walk in with them”. Now mind you…I know this rule. I grew up with this rule, but outside of the temple! Outside….100 feet from entrance! Outside…where there is goat, cows and stray dogs hang out! Let’s just say the answer was yes. So, Rohin and I took off our shoes and left them in the car. As I set my bare foot on the sandy and rocky earth I saw two things…one, my driver watching my every move to see if I was going to freak out (I didn’t!) and two, a pile of who knows what right next to the car. Every step was very calculated all the way to the entrance. I didn’t make a face because I didn’t want to be disrespectful, but WOW I have to say I don’t think I could have done that in any other circumstance! My first time on Indian soil without shoes was definitely worth it!

One Day in India...Since None Are the Same

Well, I usually wake up around 7:20 am, so I can beat the kids up and get their breakfast together. Then I wake up Ro and V and we watch Tigger and Pooh or Dora the Explorer. The only problem with Dora is that the show is dubbed in Hindi, but they didn't take out the English and Spanish! You can't understand anything, but the kids still watch it. Oh and yes, I now know EVERY song by heart. It’s not good or cool. During the show, the kids usually eat and get changed. Oh, and if you think for one second that either of these two activities are done independently by the children then you are CRAZY. And the only way Veda will let me change her diaper is if I sing the “Think, Think, Think” song from the Pooh TV show.

Side note: If I haven’t told you all before we live in a VERY empty home with very little things. We been eating off of the same plastic warped plates and bowls for every meal. We also have very nice plasticware from Costco and plastic glasses from Kroger. We are living the life. We have also been wearing the same 7 outfits for 7 weeks. We have learned to mix and match, but there is more mixing and less matching if you ask me. We do have normal showers so no “Fill-a-bucket” for those of you who know what that means, which is good. Bottom line, we have been “house camping” and it is SO fun! Ha. Actually, we just found out that our sea shipment has arrived in India!!! It's amazing how I miss our "stuff". I don't think it's the actual stuff I miss, but the fact that it's a piece of home that makes me so happy. Our pictures, our pillows, our furniture...this move was so different and so drastic that having some of home will be great!

My day then resumes with random men showing up at my door to fix this or that, but of course they don’t have the right tools so they have to come tomorrow. These are just a couple examples of work being done…

Drilling one hole,

putting in one AC unit and painting one wall.

Are you noticing a trend? In order to get one job done it requires a gang. It’s quite humorous really. It’s usually one or two guys doing the actually work. Everyone has been really nice, so that could mean two things….they are nice friendly people OR I am totally paying too much for the job!!

It’s also really fun to talk to these guys. I speak to most of them in Hindi and then I am always using a formal address with them and they laugh. Let’s just say they know I am not from here, but I can hold my own in crunch time. I am sure you going to be shocked, but I tend to ask for completion times from these guys and there answer is always “An hour madam.” It’s funny because I don’t think ANYONE has every left my home in an hour, but hey what ever. The greatest answer ever was given to me one day when I asked the electrician what he is was going to do to fix our generator issue and he said “I am going to fix it perfectly”. Just to let you know we still have a generator issue.

I usually try and run one errand a day. Why one you ask? Well, it takes a solid hour and half to run ONE errand. Between the traffic, bargaining and decision making it’s interesting. The kids are usually napping or playing with their nanny during this time.

When I get home I am back to orchestrating the circus of workers and making sure they clean this and fix that. It’s VERY tedious. Then by 6:00 pm everyone usually winds down because it gets dark and I warm up dinner and then Martin and I get the kids to bed. It’s interesting because while I am getting dinner together the local folk’s children are all just going out to play. The families here eat around 8:30 or 9 pm. I have decided to stick to the Western way of living for the kids.

It’s really quite an exciting day! I have to say though...we also have our easy days where we head to the playground and pool and have a great time!

Delhi...Family, Mexican Food and a Fender Bender

This past weekend we headed up to Delhi to see my family. My Mom's brother and sister live their with their families. Honestly, it felt like home...well, except for the fact that it was SO HOT!!! Like...two showers a day HOT! BUT, it was so worth it since the kids got to meet their GREAT grandmother (Nani-Ma)!!

So, we left our home a solid three hours before we had to get on the plane. Long story short, after a two and a half hour car ride (which included the bonus of Veda throwing up on herself ), we got to the airport at 8:00 pm - our flight was scheduled to leave at 8:30 pm. NO PROBLEM! We even had some Indian "fast food" before the flight.

We really didn't know what to expect, but I think we were pleasantly surprised by how "smooth" everything went. Even the kids did well with a little help!

We were greeted by everyone with open arms and the kids were actually pretty receptive too(which I have to say I was a little surprised). My uncle showed Rohin and Veda a picture from my cousin Monu's wedding that Martin and I attended in 2002. They recognized my parents and that broke the ice right away. My Grandma pulled out some more pictures of my parents and Rohin and Veda instantly became friends with her. It was amazing to watch!!! I can't tell you how great it was for me to see them with her. She is an amazing woman!

On Saturday we joined my cousin Monu and her family. She has two boys who are five and a half and one and a half. It was HILARIOUS watching those four!!! Let's just say my Uncle's house didn't look the same after those four were done!

We actually left my Uncle's house and went to Monu's house on Saturday. Along the way we did a little sight seeing around Delhi. I won't bore you with all the details, but I wanted to share one place called the Lotus Temple. The temple itself was gorgeous. And the garden was immaculate! The temple is based on the Baha'i religion. The message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society. Basically, the Baha'i religion recognizes all religions under one God...really an amazing temple both inside and out. To experience the silence and peace in the temple was truly moving. Even Rohin and Veda were quiet...okay, for like 20 seconds, but whatever.

After that we decided to go out to eat and get some Mexican food at RODEO's...seriously, what the heck were we thinking - Kids, Saturday night and Mexican food in India? Four kids and four adults...man to man defense we should be fine, right? We got there and we got the kids drinks at the bar.

Then we were seated. Oh yeah, Monu's husband asked people who were in the middle of their meal to move their table to another table, so we could push two tables together - so they did. You gotta love India! Then the fun began...we put the kids at one end and the adults at the other. Short version of dinner...two dudes sitting next two us started drinking more when we sat next to them, Rohin and his cousin played tug of war with the place mats,

chips and salsa demolished by kids in 1 minute,

Veda invented orange juice nachos,

Veda must stand while eating,

apparently standing on our table during our dinner with bare feet to hook up the TV is not a big deal (yes Shalu, Ruby, Roopal and Rakhi I did almost throw up).

Rohin made friends with the two dudes,

The End.

The next day we also visited my Aunt (my Mom's sister) and her family who lived near Monu.

And then returned with my Uncle to his home. Oh and we got into an accident. We are all okay and it wasn't my Uncle's fault at all. Now you guys are going to love this. My Uncle gets out of the car and starts yelling at the other guy. The guy yells something back. Then my Aunt gets out and yells and then she returns to the car. My Uncle tells the guy to pay him some money. The other guy says something and gets in his car and drives off. My Uncle gets in the car and starts driving and after 5 minutes of silence it is all over and we are cracking jokes with a huge rattle from the fender being cracked and bent. My Uncle got his car hit, but he is still smiling...that is India! I was amazed! Can you even imagine!?? The picture doesn't do it justice!

To sum it all up, we had a wonderful trip and I have to say that we are very lucky to have such a great family in our lives.