Reflections of the First Year

Today makes one year since we moved here(a year and one month for Brian).
As I was thinking about what life has been like I realized that if i could "blanket" the past year, it would have to be described as comparing (India to the U.S) and acclimating. The comparing has tapered off a bit since getting over culture shock around month 6, but it still happens unconsciously, everyday. It feels like most of what I blog about besides our kids is differences b/w India and the U.S. (usually with a bent towards the conveniences of the U.S:) so I thought today I would post what I love about India...
#1 The people. As a whole they are very friendly, caring and serving people. Hospitality is abundant here. They welcome foreigners and do not have anti-west sentiments (or atleast don't show them:)
#2 The culture...tradition, religion, 1000's of years of history, all culminate into a vast, complex and varying land. I've only scratched the surface of learning about Indian culture.
#3 The food. We love it! Cooking here is truly an art, one which I still have yet to attempt, after a year. Yes I am afraid to fail (and work so hard for one meal:) so I leave it to the experts and enjoy it when I get to eat out:)
#4 The Potential. Even though India is centuries old, it's democracy and economic development are still young. The cities are booming and improving. Life for many is much better than it was a few years ago. Hopefully this will continue to trickle down to the poorest people.
#5 A Simple Life. Even though we live very well by Indian standards it is still much simpler and scaled down than in the states. There is no pressure to have a "nice" home, stylish wardrobe or latest gadgets. Even though we weren't really "hip" in the u.s.:) the tempations are still always in your face. But here you can wear flip flops to every event, formal or non-formal, and the walls are made out of concrete so you can't hang anything on them even if you had the latest decor:) (well it is possible but i haven't figured out how to do it:) It's freeing.
#6 Being Sanctified. There's a lot to be "battled" with here. For me it's been being content where God has me vs. where I wish I could be at times. Or grumbling about little conveniences that I was used to having and now don't. Or trying to figure out how a stay-home-mom can help the masses of people living in poverty and then continue to do nothing about it. Or how to break thru in conversation with a Hindu about my faith.

Here are some interesting statistics about India...
It is a nation made up of more than one billion people speaking 1652 languages and living in 17,500 villages, towns and cities in 28 states and 7 Union Territories. On a global scale one out of every 6 persons is an Indian.

So, here's to India and to our next year of learning!

Singing to Haddon

For the grandparents...:)

Haddon Turns 3!

Haddon celebrated his 3rd birthday with 3 days of fun. Friday night we sang happy birthday and ate cake with our church small group. Our friend Sini is making homemade cakes so we could special order a Power Ranger cake. It was the best chocolate b-day cake I have ever eaten!!

Saturday Brian took the day off from work to celebrate. We went to the botanical gardens called Lalbaugh. The boys took their cars to roll down the big hill. We saw monkeys and climbed the roots of a very old tree. After naps at home, we headed to a nearby mall to play in the arcade and eat dinner.

Sunday was Haddon's actual birthday. He opened his present...Power Rangers...the superhero of the month:)...and went to church. All 3 boys got haircuts too. We had a great weekend eating pizza three nights in a row (there's a theme going on here:) and lots of chocolate cake! Most importantly Haddon has lived 3 years of blessing the lives of those around him. He is a precious boy and we thank the Lord so much for letting us enjoy him.

The Wedding Adventure

I like to use positive terms for blog titles (aka "Adventure") even though I will probably be complaining for most of the post:) We definitely set out on an unknown adventure Wednesday morning when I loaded up the boys to journey to my housekeeper's daughter's wedding.

The reception was actually the night before but b/c of the rain (monsoon season) Brian felt like we shouldn't go. His co-worker warned him how long it would take to get there. So the next morning I started out at 8:30 for a wedding that was beginning at 10:15 in the outskirts of Bangalore. I started too late...It took us 3 hours!!!!! It wasn't that far geographically...only 31 miles. But traffic is horrendous! At the two hour mark we hit a line of cars stopped at an intersection. Nothing new there, but a man came up to the car and motioned us to go around the traffic so I did. Come to find a communist party was protesting in the street. They were sitting in the middle of the intersection not letting people pass. Ok, I must confess I went livid at this point. The wedding was starting, I had no idea where I was going, and I had already driven 2 hours with 3 kids....I was GOING to this wedding! I talked to the traffic police and asked him why they were allowing this--he couldn't understand my English:) So I waited a few minutes and when I saw the start of a clearing I inched my way thru, honking people out of the way:) I finally made it out. I was so upset, almost in tears:)--what a bad example for my children, but I was determined:)

So we finally made it to the wedding after stopping to ask a dozen people where the place was. Thank goodness for an invitation printed in the local language. We arrived at what the invitation said was to be the end of the wedding but it was far from being over, thank goodness.

Unfortunately we don't enjoy going to public events very much here. I know that sounds like Scrooge at Christmas but really we are made such a spectacle that it is overwhelming for us all--pretty stressful I should say. The two weddings we have been to have been so chaotic, people whisking away our children, pinching their faces, seating us in the front row (moving people that were already sitting there!), starring at us, videoing us, it's very loud--just crazy. Now I know why celebrities don't go out in public. I don't say that to suggest we are celebrities (ok, maybe Kai:) but just the way it feels makes one want to stay home:) Probably more realistically would be how a physically challenged person feels when people stare at them and their handicap everywhere they go.

So we stayed for an hour and then drove back 2 hours (traffic was a little better). I know our housekeeper appreciated us coming so it was worth it, but I'm glad it's over. Too much for this mom to handle:) I would love to view a wedding here as a fly on the wall:) I'm so curious about the cultural traditions but can't really take them in with so much going on around us. Maybe I'll just have to depend on the internet for that cultural learning.

Happy Birthday India!

Yesterday India celebrated 61 years of freedom!

Olympics in India

Brian and I both enjoy watching the Olympics. So almost each night of the games so far we have turned our TV to the Indian gov't channel that is airing the events. We've come to realize that living in another country means watching the Olympic events that this country prioritizes as "choice" rather than the American go-to's like gymnastics and swimming. During PrimeTime Olympic viewing, India, I assume from what's being aired, prefers air rifle shooting, badminton, table tennis, fencing, boxing and tennis.

Another difference is unedited footage-- i.e. large portions of badminton and table tennis:) I've come to appreciate highlights in the absence of highlights:) And we see news anchors commentating more than the actual games.

Ok, I've progressed to grumbling. Am I a spoiled American (accustomed to the brevity of Bob Costas and the editing of NBC)? YES. But regardless I have still been able to catch the Olympic spirit--mainly from reading the ticker tape at the bottom of the screen (i.e. "Phelps clinches his 7th gold medal":)

Kai Walking

This video is really grainy but thought I 'd post it anyway for the grandparents:)...