Saturday, April 28, 2007
Is it okay to put your shoes in the Puja room?
Field Trip
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:
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Summer Fun
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
- 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.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Kabini R&R
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....

...We joined a couple organized safaris to see the wildlife on converted pick-ups or boats.
Friday, April 20, 2007
A Day in Wade's Life
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.

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).


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).
Caden and I miss Angela during the day as we see and do things:
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Other Spring updates
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?
Caden's first day of summer program
So naturally, he wanted to look his best for the big day.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
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
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’amSunday, April 1, 2007
Sorry Mom!
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!