Is it okay to put your shoes in the Puja room?

Our house isn't a large mansion with walk-in closets and vast amounts of storage space. Sorry, Tom, I don't even have a garage to clutter. Having packed our closet from Minnesota, we were immediately challenged with the question of where we should put things; and, thus have kept much of the hanging cloths in the boxes they were shipped in (the rooms are only provide with an amoire each to accommodate, well, everything).

We have a small enclave on the main floor that we started using to put our shoes in and I had been wondering how I could add hanging rods and shelving to have someplace to hang some of the clothes stashed under the bed.

The owners had told us that we shouldn't hesitate to talk to them about how we can make the house more comfortable as they said that the place was intended by them to be rented to westerners. So I asked about making the changes, but my request was rebuffed because the owners had intended that the room be a Puja (blessing/prayer) room, typically housing a statue and/or picture of the god most closely associated with by the resident. That, of course, explains why the "closet" had the best light fixture in the house.

We do have a Ganesha in the house near the front door, but that is about as far as I (and I would wager, ANY foreigner) would be willing to go to putting up Hindi shrines in the house. .....So now we are to using loose rack fixtures to help with the storage challenge....The shoes will have to stay in the Puja room.

Field Trip

Some of us are old enough to reminisce on those summer days of our youth when we would go to the playground with our classmates, friends or family and play on the metal slides, climb jungle gyms that were a grid of metal bars and swing on metal swings, all over dirt packed hard enough to be considered concrete in some parts of the world. I sometimes wonder how I made it without more injuries playing on what may be outlawed in some states in the US now.

Those are memories that Caden and I will share:

Friday was a field trip day planned by Caden's summer school. Already having a van-load, we met the rest of the children and teachers at the park. Unfortunately, the park was closed; the playgrounds/parks here will often have hours where they are closed, usually during the bulk of the day so they are open only at 4pm to 8pm. Of course as we are in India, we didn't let the fact that the park was closed stop us and we found a way through the gate and had all the children running about, swinging, climbing and sliding before you could say Rumpelstiltskin.

The playgrounds here are the ones I remember from when I was Caden's age. The equipment is all metal (remember sliding down the hot metal slides in summer?). The squeaking of the metal on metal also brings back memories.

And, of course, what field trip wouldn't be complete without a picnic?

Caden and his friend, Kay, enjoyed a spot they'd picked out for a snack:

Summer Fun

Since Angela's last post seemed a little bit of a downer, I thought I would provide a little commentary on Caden and my adventures for the Summer (a little more uplifting).

Caden had a great time with his new friend, Craig and a visit to the Aeronautical Museum: Did I mention that Caden really likes going there? Craig and Caden had some trouble getting their F-15 to take off and land on the HAL flight simulator - the controls were not responding. This resulted in a number of fiery demonstrations

Caden was pointed with the HAL staff present that he expected the maintenance on the equipment to be performed before his next visit and that they would have to use a screwdriver and a "bammer" to remedy the problem.

Thanks, Craig and Michelle, Caden had a great time and talks a lot about his friend Craig and the big airplanes that take people places.

Today, we went for a visit to Cubbon Park. It is on the other side of town and we were all ready to get out by the time we got there. A few amusement rides entertained the kids; I enjoyed the train, but Caden said that his favorite was the ride on an over-filled boat in stagnant, putrid water and no safety measures (no life jackets, and a reckless driver). Go figure.

Caden's cheeks were a bit sore after the park and he is now in a number of strangers pictures as the extra stand in - there is a strange interest in having a blond child in pictures. Children's cheeks get pinched in India for good luck, and sometime it can be painful. The challenge is to see it coming and take evasive action. Caden and I have been working on "no pinching," but sometimes in his enthusiasm of exploring a new place, he lets his guard down. It is really annoying and while I am generally respectful of tradition, this is one that should go. Warning to Indian Readers: This behavior will get you a visit by the police in Western countries.

But then, we try to tell the mosquitoes, "no biting" too. So we will continue to take each day for what it is; a new adventure.

On a few things you take for granted

This will barely touch the surface, but thought I'd make a few observations on things I've recently noted that had not previously been noteworthy (to me).

• Education: Mine and my driver's. Lokesh is quite talkative as driver's go I've learned. One of the first billboards we passed on the way home was a aged photo of Rajkumar, a movie star that died of old age last year... Lokesh comments - "doesn't he look like James Bond?" Angela - "uh, (pause) he's very handsome, yes." A few miles down, another billboard from a recent movie. Lokesh tells me it's very popular in London - this is very big because it's been on the news (aren't all things on the news I think to tell him - there were three weeks of Elizabeth Hurley's wedding). I say that is very exciting. Lokesh asks "are London and England the same country?" I think apparently the British haven't left their mark afterall. I explain the difference between cities and countries with an analogy of Bangalore and India (I think I must be smart). Lokesh asks "Is England the same as your country?" Angela: "uh, no - my country is much further away - England is about a 14 hour flight, and my country is almost 24 hour flight" (Again think I'm smart using these terms) Lokesh: "can you take the train there?" ... When we got home, I borrowed Caden's globe for a brief lesson on geography. Lokesh seemed to appreciate...I wonder about the Indian education system... for drivers anyhow. And what about me - getting my "education" from him?
• Privacy: On the bright side, Lokesh tells me EVERYTHING Wade and Caden do during the day... no secrets here. "Sir was asking about that jewelry shop there - very good gold there" "We did so much of shopping today - spent so much of money." "Today we got vouchers for 500 rupees from the store since so much of shopping" "Sir is learning Hindi from a book" "Hindi is our national language - if you know Hindi you can go anywhere in India" (I don't tell him actually there are 18 National languages and 1,600 minor languages and dialects - some things probably should be kept to one's self.)
• Fairness: Today Wade hired a new maid to start Wednesday (Tuesday is a holiday). Our current maids are a mother/daughter pair. The daughter, Sonia, is supposed to come in the morning and clean. The mom, Jessie, usually comes in the afternoon and cleans up after her and helps "look after" Caden some. Sonia is rarely on time, and frequently doesn't make it at all. She will do little that Wade doesn't directly tell her to, again. Jessie generally works really hard and tries to remedy this. To get "rid" of Sonia, we fire the pair (I wonder what to expect - Sonia makes $20 a week for six days plus gets fresh water and to take our used toothbrushes, etc.). Still, Wade is in charge of the house now (this is our agreement) and he has had it with trying to "coach" her performance. I think she's not exactly comparable to a junior consultant, but I understand his frustration. So, in a nutshell, we're switching out maids and Jessie gets fired along with Sonia. (Yes, mom, it's always the mom's fault.) Anyhow, without belaboring it, I feel really sad about this - it just doesn't seem fair no matter what you do. We've decided to give them both a month's "severance" pay - this seems to make my sense of justice feel even worse....Very little in the world keeps me up at night (I'm an excellent sleeper), but this troubles me profoundly. Somehow I've taken for granted that I know "the right thing to do."

I hate to end with that nagging thought, but truly, I realize that I've come to take a great many things for granted. I've decided my "capstone" blog will be on "the Ten Things I've Learned in India" - when it's time to move back to the US, or as soon as I figure them all out.

Kabini R&R

On the 16th we packed up our gear and headed for the hills. Our destination was a Resort called Cicada in Kabini, along the Kabini River, which runs between Bandipur and Nagarahole, two of the richest National Parks at the foothills of the Western Ghats in Southern India:

India.http://www.cicadaresorts.com/kabini.html

After our Hampi adventure, it is safe to say that we over-packed and were pleasantly surprised by the wonderful accommodations.

We invited our friends, Tom, Tracy, Jimmy, Kay, and Bill to play at the pool with us, but alas, it was a challenge to get anyone to sit still enough to get a group picture....

Except AngelaWhen we weren't cruising around the resort on our rented bike...

...We joined a couple organized safaris to see the wildlife on converted pick-ups or boats.

Which took us to see lots of elephants, deer, peacocks, wild boar, crocodiles and water buffalo - but no tigers.

Yes, we found our rest and relaxation for a few days along the shores of the Kabini

A Day in Wade's Life

Well, we have a number of posts by Angela working into the wee hours of the morning to keep people informed of our events here. Thankfully, she has been tireless in the effort as I am somewhat lax in my efforts to do likewise. Just for everyone wondering what my day is like here, I am providing a typical day scenario:

My days start, like Angela's; after coffee. Angela car-pools with Tracy to allow Tom and me a vehicle to get the kids to school in. If we are using our car, only one parent gets to take the kids in as there are already four kids jumping around in the back seat, so only the passenger seat is left. I am sure that there are a few safety issues here, but they only put 3 seat belts in the back seat, so someone inevitably has to go without.

We cruise to the school, which starts around 10 am in Whitefield. Our driver is ever diligent to point out that it is named such because of all the white foreigners that settled here - okay I got it the first time, although I cannot figure out why the Indians felt it necessary to settle the foreigners under the airport flight path. Hmmm.

The school is reached by traveling down a dirt road lined with trash, stray dogs and a construction shanty town - a small settlement of hap-hazardly strewn together shacks of corrugated aluminum and plastic; there are no utilities. Trash is typically burning along the streets even in front of the school (note the black marks on the wall surrounding Caden's school).
Our driver tells me that 10 years ago the area was essentially farmland and undeveloped property. The lake nearby was said to be used for irrigation and was clean enough to swim in. Now the water is foamy and the color of antifreeze, providing a pungent odor. We won't be doing any fishing there...
The area has grown faster than the infrastructure and the results are apparent. I asked our driver to stop washing the car in the street with soap to keep the runoff from going to the storm drain, but he looked at me funny, saying that the lake is already dead, what's the point? He still doesn't get to let the wash water run off to the drain.

Anyway, Caden is done from school at 1pm (I am usually trying to get the daily grocery shopping done in the interim - a 3-hour feat with traffic). We try to get some fun in during the early afternoon, such as going to the Aeronautical Museum, where Caden has claimed one of the restorations as "His Plane." (Sorry Jeff, there are no F-15s).
The day will typically wind down with a trip to the pool to cool off. I have really enjoyed seeing Caden get better at swimming and we are often joined by friends who also like to wind the day down near the pool.

Living in Bangalore is interesting. I can't help but think that the world here is not really that flat; I am reminded of this when the Internet goes down (it is a wonder of spider-like strewn cables of CAT 5 spliced and duct-taped together - access to which costs more money than most people's monthy income); or the regular power failures; or just seeing the maids fill up our left-over water bottles to take home with them so that their families to have clean drinking water.

Caden and I miss Angela during the day as we see and do things:

I don't know that the motion of the elephant would do much for Ang, though. There is a lot that India offers and we would like to see as much as we can. We are busy planning trips to see more around the area (with Angela) so stay tuned.

Other Spring updates

In addition to school starting this Spring, we've had a few showers and a few flowers.
Do post-bedtime fries at the local clubhouse count as quality family dinner? They sure are good fries. And we had fun. I got precisely 14 mosquito bites on my right foot and ankle (I counted as I scratched each one nearly off). So I think it worked out. Is that what they mean by karma? Yin and Yang? Easter was another mixed day. The Easter bunny made it to Bangalore - cool huh? Caden never once questioned if he would... he awoke to find his Easter present and candy happily. We had a nice brunch at a nearby hotel with some friends and visitors. Pretty much all Indian food and a glass of champagne. Ok several glasses. It was a bit lonely, and a call home to my grandparents and aunt Julie that evening made me quite a lot homesick. We miss you guys so much! (For those that don't know, Easter would normally be an enormous and fun family affair with my grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins and other guests/friends. And no Indian food - just ham, eggs, and potatoes, etc. - mmmmm.)
Some literal flowers for a literal (baby) shower... I hosted a baby shower with my favorite neighbor, for one of our new neighbors who is expecting a baby girl any day now, and moved to Bangalore just two months ago. Since we couldn't find suitable baby shower decorations or napkins, we got a few flower arrangements to decorate that spruced the place up a bit. I was feeling a bit self-conscious as the event got closer and my camping gear, er, household items started to look a little shabby for entertaining.
The shower was fun and we had some girls come from the nearby salon to do manicures and henna tattoos. The mom-to-be even got a henna tattoo on her belly! It was great to do a little socializing and meet some new people. That is one of the cool things about being an ex-pat here - everyone is so willing to make new friends as everyone is in the same boat.
Otherwise, it has been a good start to Spring. We found out we are getting our first guest, my cousin Sarah! She's coming for the month of May into June so expect some fun trips then as we have cause to now play tour guide along with tourist. Wade had his first poker night with the guys and has been generally rejuvenated with Caden in school and his social life warming up. He tells me he might make blog entry number two to tell you all about it - stay tuned!

Caden's first day of summer program

On 2 April, Caden started his first day of summer program, a 10am to 1pm daily exercise that will not only help socialize and educate our young son, but could save our marriage! Wade has been (not) patiently counting the days, and Caden has likewise been looking forward to a return to a routine that involved more friends.
So naturally, he wanted to look his best for the big day. And spent most of his time with his good pal Jim. Aren't they dudes?
So far, it has been a good thing for everyone and Caden seems anxious to go every day so that's a good sign. It's interesting that April and May constitute the summer program while June starts the school year (and Monsoon apparently, not Fall). But for now, we're making steps toward a normal routine, Caden is busily getting smarter than me, and Wade is making the most of those few, hot midday hours.

Ode to a Hard Freeze

Ode to a hard freeze

You chill the ground with ease

Some complain you kill the flowers

And that you last so many hours

But I note you also kill the bugs

At my heart this kind of tugs

Look at the size of this guy

To grow this big he didn’t try

In this weather, he can thrive

His friends all scatter, fly and jive

In my house they spend their days

At night they scamper in their ways

The mosquitoes will so often bite

We fire up the nerve gas lamps at night

Wade will worry about the malaria

But I’m busy itching near hysteria

And so I toast to you the cold

The way you cover the ground so bold

I can take the snow, no problem Sam

But I do not like these bugs Ma’am

Sorry Mom!

Ok, sorry mom, but since you're vacationing in Florida and I didn't have to pull off a straight face over the videoconference, thought a little April Fool's Day humor was warranted... didn't realize my acting was now so good that you'd believe me that I'd extended our stay in India by three years to start Target's newest office located in a remote fishing village where Wade could also do some work with the locals.
Anyhow, I really appreciate your unconditional support even if! You are a great mommy and we love you all so much and can't wait for your visit here. We miss everybody bunches and are also looking forward to coming "home" to Minnesota. And don't forget we sold our house, so we'll need that place to stay soon enough... no joke!