Christmas comes twice a year

Caden had been determined to play in the snow when we got to Minnesota. I of course was trying to tell him for the past several weeks that there wouldn't be any snow in MN in late April...but what do I know? As further proof that the little one gets nearly everything he wants...I for one am thinking, bring on Spring.

Snaps from the journey home

After a couple hours in Bangalore, hanging out with the last crop of Bangalore mosquitoes in the main lounge (since the AC in the first-class "lounge" was broken and there was nowhere to sit)...we were on our way to Delhi.
On reaching Delhi, we had a good final "India" moment trying to navigate the bureaucracy of switching terminals and understanding when was the shuttle coming - "just coming" really...and figuring out what to possibly eat (I know, I know, before boarding to settle into our comfortable business-class seats where I know we weren't going to starve or anything, but still, that's quintessential - maddening bureaucracy, crazy juxtaposition of wealth, delays and a healthy dollop of perspective...or lack of at times!).
For his part, at 11pm local time (WAY past his bedtime except that it's 9:30am MN time), Caden got on the plane and fell asleep well before boarding finished. He proceeded to sleep most of the way to Chicago (man is that a long ride), then wake up to charm the flight attendant into multiple rounds of pancakes.Wade and I were watching the in-flight monitor a bit and when I first noticed we were "out of India" -- we were flying over Afghanistan! (Now again about that perspective).
And when we landed in Chicago, wow was it a great sight! Walking through the terminal, with pastries and bagels, and sausage and Starbucks; my stomach switched instantaneously to local time and I could barely decide where to start eating. We ended up with classic breakfast (and a big bill - are you sure that's not in rupees?) but made it to Minneapolis a short puddle-jump flight later. Wow. What a journey.

Farewell Parties

A notable feature of our experience was always the parties - India certainly knows how to throw a party! Our departure in fact, seemed like a series of parties and farewells for about a month! I couldn't even begin to do it justice to describe the hospitality displayed in honor of our departure. It was a whole lot different than the typical farewell happy hour or party in the US where people show up if they can... the effort and sentiment were truly touching.
For my part, I did a terrible job of capturing these moments in pictures, although we will remember and treasure them forever!
Some of the highlights...
Thank you to Ashish, Shailaja and Ansh for the great time, wonderful hospitality, fantastic meal and vase - things we will treasure and we truly hope to see you for our tour of the US!This photo is from Gerald's bday party - I was too busy crying to get a good picture of our final good-byes with the Fuch's. One of the coolest and best families in the world - I know our paths will cross again one day (and I'd love it to be in Bavaria)! And I will remember my farewell tour on Gerald's motorcycle forever - it was so fun. Somehow I missed all the other pictures from our final visit and brunch at Taj West end - a fantastic farewell with the expat crowd - Murphy's, Hegde's, Fischer's - great times to be sure. Caden did his final photo in the golf cart with a full belly...At work my last week, a formal attire day and photo was arranged - my last opportunity to be tied in sari. Of course, I opted for the very trendy alternative tie rather than the traditional South Indian for my last time (courtesy of Ms. Pinto and a thousand safety pins). On the way, I picked up my carpool buddy for the last commute... Mark, my replacement was handed the torch is regal fashion...And is this a sharp team or what? It was a privilege to work with you all, and I learned so much and grew so much from the opportunity to know you better.After work, there is nothing to compete with unwinding at the Murphy's - and Tom was ready!As were the kids... Kay, Bill, Jim, Caden and Roshan.Caden certainly misses his friends, Bill, Kay, Cody Webb and Jim...
The official farewell party, hosted by the Murphy's with assistance from my team and with flowers from Gerald and Petra, was AMAZING! I could not have asked for anything better.
Lokesh served as bartender that night, and did a great job - it's tough to describe this one... He made me crazy with his lack of time and driving and he challenged all my thoughts on fairness and rank and justice in the world and he was so sweet and loyal that I wondered how I could not be more generous and giving. And, he loved my son...The efforts from the team to make my departure special started with a special outing for lunch and bowling (no pictures from that, but it was super fun) and gifts, including a great framed photo from our ethnic formal shot. Along the way, Rohini helped with negotiating the price of a special marble elephant (likely made in her home state of Rajastan) for my mom. Not only did the team show up in full force, but brought along arranged DJ and video along with another round of very special gifts.
Alkesh, Harsh, Jamie and Carol...Gaurav in front of the party...Navneet (my boss for most of my time in India) made an appearance along with Lalit (our President), (VP) and Arundhati (my current boss and VP)...quite an honor.The crowd gathered to watch the video...a really moving 15 minute video with clips from my fellow team members across the office, followed by a hysterical tribute to my vain attempt to find a haircut I'd like in India (a 3 minute series of mug shots with fake hair-dos, set to music).
There was also a poster board with pictures from the full year and great special moments. And a book full of profiles and thoughts from the team.It was a fantastic party and really meant a lot to me - thank you to Tracy, Tom, my team and everyone who attended and made this a great capstone to a great year!!
And with all that (and more I'm sure I didn't capture in film or words), it was time for the final pack-up and departure. Murphy's, Ms. Pinto and Ambika were all there for the very final good-byes -- and it was really something to think of how much we were settled into our life. And once again, 15 short and lifetime months later, we were headed into another adventure and unknown - moving back to the US.For Caden's part, as we pulled up to our first stoplight, Wade asked Caden if he knew where we were going - to Caden replied: "nowhere, we're just sitting here." Then Caden turned to me and said, "Dad's not too smart, huh?"We took some pictures along the way though... And the final departure sign before the long trip home...

Commuting pics, part 4

Another shot of the popular small temple on the corner...
A scene from a local hall often decorated for weddings quite extravagantly...
Hard to see it, but this is an ironing shop - does it make you think of clean, fresh pressed clothes?
Another coconut stall...
I wish I would have taken all the pictures I could have, to make a book on "things you see on a bicycle or motorcycle in India"
Maybe my driver made me nuts some days, and the ride was long, but at least the seat was pretty comfortable.
Some scenes from the road to Caden's school. Starting with the scary green foamy river...



This is where we got a fair bit of our food after it opened - a very exciting day in Whitefield, India. The store's claim to fame, and namesake - they had freezers!! And with it a decent selection of meat kept under cellophane and a little less scary than the roadside stalls, without the drive to the clear other end of town! Hooray!
So that's the highlights of when I had my camera with me anyhow. It doesn't nearly do it justice, a few snaps and a superficial commentary of the daily, mundane yet "foreign" sensory overload. But at the end of the journey, it seemed fitting to try to capture it at least a little before it faded into smooth highways and orderly strip malls.

Commuting pics, part 3

Another shot on why you may want to consider vegetarianism...I really liked this sign, for the "Hiar cating selun". Hopefully their skill is better than their spelling!
Of course, if you check out the hanging sign, they had it better originally, but it started out as a saloon. :)
There were tons of coconut carts that were really popular and a huge source of debris. Some people really, really loved this fresh coconut idea. Personally, I found it totally disgusting, warm brackish water in a slimy, dirty vessel. Just my opinion.
Tracy and I never did get a chance to stop at one of the many fine bars dotting the commute home. Actually, it would seem no woman ever did. Maybe next century.
Tracy's exclamation as I was taking this picture "NO! You aren't..."
Oh heck yeah I am... we saw some guy or another peeing on the side of the road every single day. How could I not take a picture?
Always good to see the use of bicycles and the attention to safety.Some road-side shopping...
The pull-up on the last commute into Target...
Yet another tasty food option...
Mmmm mmmm Chiken.
A village on the way to work.
and a more temporary version across the road.
Another look down the road on the way to work.
The impression of garbage EVERYWHERE left a lasting desire to generate less waste for me. Seriously consider it friends...
A different tent village.
A flash of color and beauty on the journey...
Up in the trees are massive bees nests - distant for me, but similar versions inhabited one of the apartment buildings downtown making life there more than a little unsettling for their inhabitants.
Meandering between the fuel trucks always left me thinking just a little about the Ganesh idol on the dashboard...