We're Back!

Hello again from India! I cannot believe how much has changed here since our last update. We are in our new flat and our shipment arrived on schedule November 21st. We were astounded! The moving process went smoothly, but do check out what passes for a semi-truck here. I thought my dad would get a kick out of that. All of our pieces fit into two trucks and about fifteen people were here to unload. Most everything came up in the elevators, but the big things were hauled up all seven flights of stairs. Thanksgiving was fun. We finally received our Halloween package from Gramps and Grammy. Check out the adorable costumes! We dined with a group of about twenty expatriates from John Deere and General Motors at a nice hotel called Le Meridian. There was an actual Thanksgiving buffet, complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and a bunch of other very comforting foods. It was a bit pricey, but worth every penny. We met a very nice family from England at Anna’s preschool and have spent some time with them recently. They are around our age and they also have two children. They have been here longer than we have, so they have lots of good information. Chris went to Germany last week, which was a bit harder for us than when we were in the states. We couldn’t run off to Kansas City or Michigan like we used to. Some shopping and a few play dates got us through. Chris’s trip went well and he returned safely early Saturday morning. I picked up Anna’s preschool information on Saturday and found out that her school is vegetarian, like many places here. I got a day-to-day list of what to send for her lunch. I am not even sure what a few of the items are, thus continues my Indian education. This past Monday was her first day. She did great right up until it was time for me to go. She looked like she might fall apart, but her teacher whisked her away to the sandbox and all was well. When I picked her up, she said she had fun and got a smiley face sticker for dancing really well. Our new car arrived last week, so we have permanent car seats again and we’ve been assigned a regular driver, for which I am extremely grateful. Everything seems to be in place and running smoothly for the moment. We are planning a short excursion over the Christmas holiday, but we are not sure where yet. We are attempting to curb our home-sickness with a change of scenery. Chris remains busy at work and I am planning to be with Sister Preety at Servant’s Heart during the Christmas break, much like I was during Diwali. The kids are getting bigger and brighter every day and continue to amaze us with their good spirit and tolerance. Anna has been busy re-discovering all of her books and toys. Max is almost twenty pounds now, is almost walking, but still has only one tooth. In closing, please feel free to send good thoughts our way, and remember that we cherish any connection to home (telephone calls, emails, letters, etc.). Our address and telephone number are listed in the first entry dated September 24th, just click on the “September” link on the right side of the blog. The only change is that we are now 11½ hours ahead of Central Standard Time. Please take care until next time. Love and good wishes!