Festival Time

Festival Season Begins

Festival season officially began this week in India. With the help of Wikipedia, I will attempt to explain without totally butchering Indian tradition. Navratri is the longest Hindu festival celebrated all over India for nine consecutive nights in praise of Rama and goddess Durga. Dandiya is a featured dance of Navratri in Western India. The dancers use decorated bamboo sticks called dandiyas to interact with the other dancers to the beat of the music. We were invited to two dandiya dances last weekend. The first, on Friday night, was in our nanny’s neighborhood. Chris was not feeling well, so I took the kids with our friends Jeff, Jena, and Kai. It was an incredible experience. The dresses were amazing and we were treated almost like royalty. We were taken to a VIP area and introduced to the crowd. We were also presented with flower bouquets and coconuts. The second dance, on Saturday night, was held at a co-worker of Chris’s apartment complex. This time, Anna decided to play (dance). It was a lot of fun, but Max slept through most of the festivities. Sunday was Dussehra, which is the culmination of Navratri. Hindus regard it as a celebration of life and use the occasion to strengthen family and social relationships. It is also the beginning of the year in some Hindu calendars. On Sunday evening, we attended a Dussehra event here in Magarpatta City which included a burning effigy of Ravan, a Hindu antagonist, and some fireworks. All of this leads up to Diwali, which comes exactly twenty days after Dussehra. Known as the "Festival of Lights," it symbolizes the victory of good over evil, and lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for humankind. My friends and I spent an afternoon shopping for these lamps/pots where they are made. Diwali is the major holiday here; much like Christmas is in the U.S. I plan to sign Anna up for Diwali camp during the first two weeks of November so that she can have some fun and learn about this local tradition. I got Anna signed up for preschool today at Kangaroo Kids. It’s a really nice place with a great sandbox. I think that’s what sold Anna. She will attend Monday thru Friday from 11:30am until 3:00pm and is looking forward to making a lot of new friends. She will officially start December 1st, but we are attending a Diwali party there this coming Saturday. In addition to all of the celebrating we did this past weekend, we also went to the Pune Zoo and Snake Park. Amazingly it cost 12 rupees (30¢) for all of us to enter. It wasn’t quite as fancy as the zoos in the U.S. and the animals were quite a bit different, but we had a great time. Toward the end of our zoo trip we rented a paddle boat. The water was filthy, but it was nice to be out on the water. Since I’ve been rattling on for quite some time, I’ll wrap up by saying that Chris is still working late, I am enjoying the friends I have made, Anna is excited about her new school, and Max is nine months old and getting into everything. All is well here and we hope it is where you are. Until next time, keep us in your thoughts and prayers and keep the comments coming, we love them!

Lots of Fun

A Hectic Week

What a week we have had. Max ran a high fever Friday night, but felt fine all day Saturday. Saturday night the fever was high again, so we made our first trip to an Indian hospital Sunday morning. We chose Noble Hospital because of its close proximity to where we stay in Magarpatta City. After a short wait we were called into a small office where a doctor was sitting behind a desk. She had us lay Max on the table and she took his temperature, which was 103°. Then she looked in his ears with a flashlight and said they looked fine. She gave him an injection to reduce his fever within thirty minutes and two prescriptions, an antibiotic and a fever reducer similar to Tylenol. Once we had the medicine we went to have Max’s blood drawn. He obviously didn’t care for that and we were both in tears by the time we left. We were told to return the next day at 9:00am to receive the results of the blood test. All of the tests came back normal and the fever broke Tuesday and a rash showed up. The best we can tell is that Max had Roseola, which is a viral illness that Anna had when she was eighteen months old. Amazingly, this entire three-trip-to-the-hospital experience set us back only about $10.00 and Max is back to his usual self. While he was feeling fine on Saturday, we decided to brave the Shivaji Market. Our caretaker/cook Dinesh took us. He’s an absolute treasure whom we will miss terribly when we get our own place. The best description I can give about the Shivaji Market is that it is a cross between a flea market and a farmers market. There are good deals to be had, if you can get past the crowds and the smell. We bought some produce and Anna got a henna tattoo. It was so much fun, she was so into it. On Monday we checked out another preschool. I was told to bring Anna back in February to register for school in June. She is so in need of social interaction that we decided to keep looking. On a similar note, Anna made her first real friend here. Her name is Rathi and she is almost nine. She played here for a while and then we went down to meet her mom and the girls played there for a while. Rathi and her family lived in New Jersey for a time and thus speak very good English. Chris continues to work long hours, but I think he enjoys what he is doing. We have no news on our flat (apartment) except that the paperwork is traveling the required channels. Hopefully we will hear something soon. Until next time, take care and keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Servant's Heart International

Our Best Day Yet

Yesterday was by far our best day in India. We found a nice lady named Mary to watch the kids a few hours a day. She came recommended from some good friends of ours, Jena and Jeff. This will allow me some time to join an international women’s group, volunteer, and have a bit of a social life. I have met a few John Deere and General Motors wives and they seem like a lot fun. Our air shipment finally arrived and we tore into it like it was Christmas. Anna was so excited to have more books and toys. She made a fort out of one of the really large boxes. We can’t wait to take Max out in his new backpack carrier. He seemed to enjoy the test ride. The best news of the day was that we are very close to having our own apartment. A John Deere representative went to sign for it last night. Today, Friday, is a Muslim holiday so we probably won’t find out for sure until Monday. The apartment is on the seventh floor and has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and two balconies. The balconies overlook the Indian Olympic training center and there is a small grassy courtyard for the kids to play. There is also a pool and fitness center included in the rent. We are definitely keeping our fingers crossed. Early this morning Chris went to practice with the John Deere cricket team. He had a great time and made a pretty amazing catch. He claims he is a horrible bowler (pitcher) and not too good at batting, but a good time was had by all. After cricket practice, Chris, Jerry, and I went to visit the Servant’s Heart International (http://www.servant7.org/) children’s mission. A wonderful lady named Preety (which means love in Marathi) runs it and she is amazing. The mission is located across the street from a slum and serves around five hundred children. I think this will be a great volunteering opportunity for me and a great place to donate the kids’ clothes and shoes as they grow. Please check out the website and give if you can, the need is so great here and the kids are so beautiful. They loved having their pictures taken and quickly learned the term “uncle, one more!” Here, the word uncle is used as a term of respect. Most of the slides are of the kids and one is a picture of the slum in which they live. Given such deplorable living conditions, it is amazing how happy the children are. Tonight we are planning to order pizza from Pizza Hut, which tastes very similar to that in the U.S. Tomorrow we have been invited to dinner and a party with our friends Jena and Jeff. They are having their nanny stay late to watch the kids so we can have an adult dinner before the party. Evening activities start and go very late here due to the long work hours. Overall, we have felt very welcome by everyone we meet. If you overlook some of the conditions here, India is a truly beautiful place to be. Blessing to you all!

Check Out Our Slide Show!

Our First Week

We made it through our first week in India. The flights over were very long, but the kids were great. We couldn’t have asked for more. We arrived early Monday morning and got a few hours sleep at a beautiful hotel in Mumbai (Bombay) called the Leela. After a delicious breakfast, we headed to Pune via automobile. The drive took almost three hours, and the traffic is insane. Along the way we saw cows, dogs, goats, horses, and monkeys. We arrived at the John Deere guest house around mid-afternoon. The guest house is in an area called Magarpatta City, which is a self-contained community centered on a large business district. It has some shopping, a restaurant, a park, a fitness center, and a pool. Unfortunately, there isn’t much housing available at this time. Tuesday was Gandhi’s birthday, so Chris had the day off. A friend of ours, Depak, took me and Jerry shopping and sight-seeing while Chris and the kids stayed home. Jerry is a friend from John Deere who travelled with us from Moline and has been very helpful. On Wednesday, the kids and I went to see two flats. One was perfect, but has since been rented to someone else, so hunt continues. We checked out a preschool Thursday, but there are no openings at this time. Friday, the boredom set in for Anna as our air shipment has not yet passed through customs. Two dollars worth of play dough later, she is fine. We checked out a grocery store on Saturday and realized that anything “American” is way over priced here, but anything Indian is very reasonable. We also had dinner with some friends. On Sunday we visited the Sinhagad Fort (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinhagad). It was very high up and very beautiful. Anna and I went for a short horseback ride. Afterward we went to a true Indian restaurant. The all-vegetarian food was delicious, and surprisingly not too spicy. Overall, things are good here. The kids are starting to return to their regular sleep habits, Chris works crazy long hours, and I am trying to make sense of it all. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and remember to call, email, or write often. We miss you all!