Tidbit Pictures

India Tidbits

Greetings from across the world! Since I don’t have much in the exciting and new category, I will regale you with a few things we found interesting about attending a movie in India. Chris and I and our driver Kiran attended the new James Bonds movie last week. Instead of first-come first-serve, seats are assigned here. This means that in most cases you end up waiting in line for quite some time while people choose where they want to sit based upon availability. You also usually end up sitting next to a total stranger. While this might seem like no big deal, cell phones go off in big numbers during most movies and people generally answer and hold a conversation. Before the movie starts, a disclaimer is given that if the power fails during the first forty-five minutes of the film, a refund will be given. If the power fails more than forty-five minutes in, you are out of luck. I will now fast forward to the end of Quantum of Solace. There is a key scene at the very end with what I presume is the “punch line” for the entire movie. Coincidentally, the sound failed at that very moment and we were left in bewilderment. We are not sure, but we think James Bond lives to see another day. Early in November Chris’s department moved to a new building and he now has an office with a door and a window. What a lucky guy! The following week Anna somehow got her hair all tangled up and after an hour of tedious combing, we decided that cutting was the only option. My friend Lucinda was kind enough to fix the damage that our scissors caused. Considering that this was only the second haircut of her life, Anna did pretty well. Chris had a party with his department on Saturday the 16th at a disco tech shaped like a space ship. It was an interesting experience that included dinner, games (thus the straws in our hair) and a talent/variety show. Anna sang her heart out in front of two hundred people, making her mom and dad as proud as either has ever been. Check out the video! The following weekend we went antique shopping and purchased a neat old cabinet that needs a lot of repair work. We’ll include a picture when it is finished. On the way home, Chris spotted a man doing auto body repair on the dirty, dusty street and had to take a picture. A bit further down was the mutton shop, which I refuse to elaborate on. Yuck! That Sunday we accompanied our friends Preety and Suresh and some of the Servant’s Heart kids on a picnic for one of their birthdays. We picked up two of their girls who attend St. Andrew’s school on the way. St. Andrews is a one hundred year old boarding/day school in the Pune Cantonment area. It’s a nice place, but the classrooms looked pretty bleak to me, considering the classrooms I have had the privilege of using. The picnic was fantastic, complete with lunch and a pony cart ride. We got a kick out of the sign that we saw near the entrance. We weren’t sure what was funnier, the message or the misspelling. This week was spent making plans for our trip to Goa this weekend. We were all jolted on Thursday with the madness in Bombay/Mumbai that I’m sure most of you have heard about, but our plans to Goa remain unchanged. We will update you on that adventure next time. Until next time, please keep us and the people of India in your thoughts and prayers.

Holiday Pictures

Diwali and Halloween

Greetings once again from the India Davison’s! With the busy festival season winding down, I hope to have more time to keep you all updated on our comings and goings. Most schools are closed for a few weeks to celebrate Diwali, much like Christmas in the U.S. Like last year, I agreed to help my friends at Servant’s Heart International children’s ministry with vacation bible school. I was, however, unaware that the format this year was an overnight camping trip. Last year was two hours each day, Monday through Friday. Needless to say, I went camping, in India! After getting past my anxiety over killer mosquitoes, I had a fantastic time. The kids enjoyed bible verses, crafts, dancing, singing, skits, and swimming at a local waterfall. Chris and I decided early on that camping with the kids here is a bit too risky, so Anna and Max got to spend a weekend home alone with Dad. They made chocolate cupcakes and a mess and had a wonderful time. October 28th was Diwali and everyone had the day off, including our driver. We were sure that we would be stuck at home all day, but our friends Andy and Emma and their kids came to the rescue and we all went to brunch at a local hotel. Later that evening, Subbu, a man that works for Chris came to our flat to help us celebrate Diwali in the traditional way. He brought with him Pascal, a John Deere employee from France. Subbu and Anna lit twenty-five Diwali pots and placed them around our balcony. We then ate sweets and watched the fireworks, which are huge here and last well into the night. Friday was Halloween and we were invited to our friends the Paulson’s for pizza and treats. Anna dressed up as a ballerina and Max was a skeleton. On Saturday we had a party at our house with almost thirty guests. The kids all dressed up as did a few adults. Anna dressed up as a ballerina, a butterfly, a duck, and a skeleton. She just couldn’t decide on just one costume. Max started out as a pumpkin, but decided on the skeleton again after about three minutes. Unfortunately, our camera was set to the wrong focus and none of our pictures came out. Regardless, a good time was had by all! Next up for our family is a trip to Goa, then Thanksgiving, and then we’ll be home for Christmas. The countdown has begun! Please take care and drop us a line whenever possible.