The Boss

Here's Kai's latest look--wearing his new sunglasses purchased on the side of the road for 50 rupees ($1) which he wears indoors and on top of his head:)

Does he remind you of this famous Indian movie star at all? Don't know his real name...he's just
THE BOSS

Acclimation

I thought about it last month, that things seem so "normal" now living as foreigners in a different culture. Sights and sounds that used to seem strange, silly, unbelievable are now just part of the daily routine. For instance, when I walk through the grocery store, the Hindi music playing overhead doesn't sound funny like it used too. Driving next to an ox pulling a cart full of grass or waiting for a cow to cross the road are everyday events. Sitting for 15 minutes at an intersection just to make a u-turn and go the other way doesn't make my skin crawl anymore:) Seeing the top movie stars doing children's candybar commercials doesn't seem silly anymore--that's just what they do--they do every commercial:) Noticing all the beautiful fabric of the women's saris doesn't happen any longer,sadly, it just blends into the scenery. I've come to expect that my usual buys at the grocery store may not be there the next time so I stock up on all they have:) I've learned what words to use and not use so that people can understand me and I even attempt to add a botched accent to enhance the communication level:). I've stopped worrying about the pollution and it's potential effects.

On the other hand some things have changed in my mind...I respect the culture and people much more than I did the first year. I hate admitting that to myself and others but I think Americans, or at least this American, have a built in pride mechanism. It's an inbred reaction to think America does everything best or better and I've seen that thought process wane in the last few months. (THANK GOODNESS!!)I've come to accept many things that I thought should be done differently.

Some things that I still appreciate and have not just become part of the scenery are...the beautiful people of India who are very accepting and tolerant of foreigners, the ancient history and complex culture, the beauty of converging people groups and multiple languages (many, many languages--and no one is complaining that everyone should have to learn his language to live here--they just all learn each other's and amazingly fast), the gorgeous weather of Bangalore, good Indian food, the survival mentality and ability of so many millions who can't turn to the government or welfare for their needs, my dear friends that are even more special after feeling so unconnected the first few months:)

I think my acclimation explains why my blog posts have gone from every other day to maybe once a week...things are normal--what's there to report?:D But I am going to try my best not to take my time here for granted and continue to observe and celebrate the interesting and unusual-ness of India.

Pizza Mongers

We love pizza! We eat it quite often...every Sunday night... and like this past weekend, also on Saturday night:) We order it enough that Kai has learned to "call" Dominos and request his own pizza (in the video clip) It's a little hard to hear him talking with the tv in the background but he was ordering a Saturday morning snack:) We had fun keeping our friends' girls as they went on a date night this past weekend. We had our own party with Dominos pizza, the CARS movie and Play-Doh:)

Shortages

Last year we were highly-involved-viewers (avoiding the word "addicts":) of American Idol. It played here the night following the US show(s) at 8pm. We weren't really hooked on it when we lived in the states (ok, maybe I was, in season 6 while Brian was taking night classes:) but watching it here gives us a feeling of connection to the U.S. So last night as we sat down anticipating the start of the new season at 8pm we flipped through every channel with no avail. I looked on the internet to find out if it was going to show this season and discovered they have changed the time....to 11pm. I was a little dumbfounded by that one because I believe AI is a very popular show here. So the question was...are we going to stay up til 12 or 1 am twice a week watching the show:) Brian quickly said no:) I wouldn't be a very functioning human being on those 3 nights a week 1st round shows:)
So, we are probably better off not being glued to the tv 2-3 nights a week right? The other question is will we be able to resist not turning on the tv at 11pm as we are getting ready to go to bed? Let's hope! This is where DVR would be great:)

In other equally unimportant news...after 1.5 years I finally figured out how to get nails into our concrete walls to hang things. You call the on-sight plumber, he brings his drill and even the screws and makes holes in about 10 minutes. Now I can hang our Indian decor!

Last week for about 4 days there was an oil workers' strike. Most gas stations had empty tanks. I was soooo thankful we had a full tank--thank you Lord!--b/c the few stations that were open had horrendous lines. On Sunday they reopened.

Branch Visit

Sunday Brian and I visited one of his company's branches. They now have over 100 branches in different areas of Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata and Pune. One branch can serve up to 4,000 clients. At the moment 99% of their clients are women.

A journalist from the Houston Chronicle was in town conducting interviews with Brian and another co-worker from Houston. The reporter is doing research in India to cover several stories beginning Feb 8 in the Chronicle.

When we visited the branch she was able to interview a group of women who had taken out loans. The one woman that is shown in these pictures was a garment factory worker, as were most of the women present in the interview. As you can imagine factory workers have long hours, little flexibility and inadequate benefits. They were able to use a loan (of about $200) to purchase a sewing machine and work in their home tailoring and stitching for neighbors. Most of these women take out loans from several sources like microfinance institutions and neighborhood money lenders. This particular woman started her new business in March of 2008 and has around 50-60 clients. She has 4 older children living with her and is paying off her oldest daughter's wedding that occurred 2 years ago. Her husband is in and out of the home not providing stable financial support for the family. This is common for many poor women. The children said he has a drinking problem which is also typical in this economic level.

In the pictures you'll notice that the machine looks like an antique but it is actually only about 10 months old. It doesn't require electricity so these types of machines are still sold in abundance here.

It was wonderful to see her home (the living room where the machine was located is about 8ft x 8ft) There was a small kitchen and bed room both attached to the living room. Brian said that the women attend weekly meetings to repay loans and contribute to their savings account. Each meeting consists of 25 women which is considered a "group"(so at this branch there are 160 groups) They meet alternately in one woman's home...i really couldn't imagine having to fit 25 women sitting crossed-legged on the floor in this woman's small room but that's how it is done.

After this visit I wonder how I ever find room to complain? Somehow I do. Forgive me Lord.

New Year's Update

Since I didn't get to send out Christmas cards I thought I'd post an update on the Frazier crew. Sadly, we don't have a current family picture to include--mainly b/c I'm always behind the camera, and I forget to have everyone pose together:) I was inspired by my friends who did take pictures for Christmas to have some official family photos taken in cultural Indian fashion sometime soon...gotta go shopping:)

Brian is enjoying his work in microfinance. His company surpassed 200,000 customers last month and is growing exponentially. He has recently been able to hire not one but two managers to aid in his departments which has been long awaited. His love for running has been temporarily stunted due to a knee injury that won't go away:( He had planned on running the Mumbai Marathon this month but b/c of his knee and the events that took place there a month ago we won't be going. We are looking forward to Brian's dad and his wife Joni coming soon to visit us!!

Corban is learning about being (the biggest) big brother and how to take care of his smaller siblings. It's a hard balance being 5 and having to be consider the best for his brothers. He is a wonderful student and is learning to read, add, tell time and write in cursive. (Kindergarten has come a long way since I was in it:) He loves dressing up as a superhero and changes costumes up to three times a day:)

Haddon is our sweet 3 yr old who loves singing, repeating and being silly:) He is light footed and full of energy. He's mastered the computer by playing PBS games on the internet while we do school:) He loves to wrestle with his daddy. His favorite movie is Cars which he watched continuously on the airplane to and from India/US. Hence he loves race cars and superheros. He and Corban are best friends even though much time is spent refereeing them. It must be so wonderful to have a brother by your side each and every day. Haddon has a brother on each side of him:)

Kai said his first two syllable word on the airplane back to India..."ku-kee". And you can tell he likes them:) He is a happy boy working his way into toddlerhood. He is going to be our detailed organizer someday...he meticulously folds his baby wash rags over and over, neatly turns the pages of a Bible one by one for long periods of time, builds color-coded lego towers and loves to pick up toys when it's clean-up time. He's our entertainer and ham.

I'm looking ahead at a year of homeschooling 2 boys and potty training 1. Sound like fun? I wouldn't want to be doing anything else and I thank the Lord for my wonderful life. I'm continuing to learn more and more about the traditions and culture in India. I'm thankful for the friends I have here and also the connections I can keep in the U.S. thanks to email, blogs and facebook! It makes the world feel much smaller. This New Year I'm having urges to create all sorts of goals. I'm not usually a goal-oriented person...I like to accomplish things and try my best but I'm usually a here-and-now girl, not a visionary. For some reason I'm ready to set goals for 2009 and also look back with gratitude at 2008 for all the ways the Lord blessed us.

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior. And we pray for an amazing 2009 ahead.