Wednesday, June 06, 2007
June 2007 Update from Bangalore
Friday, June 1, 2007
Getting back into the swing of India after a month away. As much as I enjoyed our time in New England, it's nice to be back. I ran into an Indian woman who now lives in Arizona, but comes back to Bangalore every summer with her two kids for a couple months. She asked me how I liked living in India and when I told her how much I like it, she seemed quite surprised, "...but all dust in the streets..." I suppose it does take some getting used to, especially after being back in the states for a long time.
Took the kids swimming today and it's as though Maya and Molly were never out of the water. As much as I tried to get them swimming lessons when we were on vacation, I never succeeded. The usual crowd was at the pool, mothers and one or two kids each. Really a challenge to keep an eye on all three of mine. Lucky for me, Charlie doesn't venture into the water much unless I'm holding him.
In the afternoon Kirsty came over for our weekly playdate that we'd missed when our family was gone. As soon as they arrived, Charlie and I had to run out the door to meet his new teachers at Neev--just a short introductory meeting. He was excited to see his new classroom in the upstairs of the school.
Badri went out for an after hours work meeting, and my friends Deborah and Alla stopped by. They'd just been to a jazz concert at the Max Mueller Bhavan German center around the corner. They were disappointed by the performance and dropped by here for a visit. Always a nice surprise to have visitors drop in unannounced. Alla was in NY the month before, and Deborah was in Thailand and Laos, so they were filling me in. Also, they had some interesting gossip about a friend in the neighborhood and her driver. The driver has been working for her for a couple of years, and the friend and her husband are relocating to London soon. They thought they'd gift the driver their car before leaving, but he said, "No thanks. I'd like a new one." And here I was thinking: Geeze, someone's giving me a car. Nice deal
Saturday, June 2, 2007
In the morning went to Neev with Molly to meet with her new teachers. She's very excited about the new year, and all the teachers are talking about what a change they've seen in her since the summer school program. Let's just hope she stays on the right track! I think she turned a corner when Amba had the great idea of giving her more leadership responsibility in the classroom a few months ago, at the end of the last school year.
Went swimming at the Leela pool and there were half a dozen families there. Grand old time, until Nicolas slipped into the water when Kirsty and Andrew were tending to Chloe and Angus. Jennifer Austin dove into the water to pull him up. I had been in the bathroom and came out to hear him crying, when I found out what had happened. A real wake up call, as Kirsty said.
In the evening, Badri and I went to Kirsty and Andrew's for dinner. They're in the midst of trying to get an extension for Andrew at Honeywell. If they can't, they'll leave at the end of this year. That would be quite sad. Kirsty's one of my closest friends here.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Speaking of close friends, we joined Kirsty's family in a bon voyage brunch for Jennifer Austin and her family, along with Gabriela and Jolene's families. It was a gorgeous sunny day when we drove up to the Hotel Grand Ashok and saw lots of police and security in front of the hotel. Gabriela went to the Aerosmith concert last night, and it was rumored that the band was staying at this hotel and thus the extra security. Found out later that the security was for a South African cricket player.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Charlie and Molly returned to Neev School today, Charlie to pre-kindergarten and Molly to Kindergarten 1 (K1). Molly ran in and never looked back, while Charlie was a little hesitant at first. There are 15 students with two teachers in Molly's class (Shweta and Vinita), and 30 in Charlie's class with five teachers (Amba, Pam, Sadhya, Kavery, and Aparna--Molly had had all of them last year, except Pam). Parents were asked to stay close by on the first day, in case the students got nervous. Kirsty and I went to Cafe Coffee Day across the street for a chat. Her son Nico is one of Charlie's closest buddies, also in pre-k, and her son Angus is in K2. They come over every Friday for a playdate. She's also looking at getting back to work part-time, either in human resources or law.
Just after noon Maya and I headed up to Yelahanka to the Mallya Aditi International School where we had a few things to do: get the invoice for fees, have Maya measured for her uniform, and get to know the campus a little better. On the way there, Kumaresh the driver tried to pass a truck on the overpass (flyover) only to find a horse cart pulling long metal tubing was there. He jammed on the brakes, missing the tubing by a couple feet, and we were rear ended. Quite the scene. After a while, police arrived at the scene. Maya was quite upset, especially when a policeman got in the backseat with her to talk to the driver. I asked him to get out, and he very reluctantly did so.
There is only damage to the bumper, but it's still a good thing we had seat belts on. Tempers were flaring in the heat, and we had to go to the nearby police station so Kumaresh could fill out a report. After waiting there a while I called a City Taxi who brought Maya and me to the school where we did what we needed to. The taxi driver asked me to tell his company, if they called, that when he reached me there was no need for a taxi, so I had sent him on his way. I didn't bother asking why. I suppose he wanted to pocket the money I paid rather than handing it over to his company.
We had been delayed enough by all this that Badri picked up Molly at school since I couldn't get there in time. She'd had a great day. She and Charlie met us at the pool after he woke up from his nap, and we all had a swim.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Today was Maya's last day to sleep in before the start of school, and she milked it for all it's worth. She slept until 9:30! My Argentinian friend, Laura, came over for a coffee and dosa for a brief visit before she's off to Goa then the U.S., Argentina, Uruguay, and Europe. She left Sun Microsystems last year with a great package, so is enjoying her sabbatical. Went to Thailand and Laos with Debora last month, then spent some time in Bali, where she did a writer's workshop that sounded very interesting. She'll be stopping in Uruguay where she bought some land on the coast, then in Germany where she'll study German. She says that Uruguay is a great place to invest in land--where she bought it's still reasonable. Up north a bit further it's become quite expensive.
Maya and I did a few errands around the neighborhood, getting groceries at Hema's and chicken at Frosty's on Krishna Temple Road. Then we went to Tangerine Sizzlers on 100 Foot Road for lunch. Maya had her favorites: tomato soup and pasta with lots of cheese, then finished it off with a brownie fudge sundae with vanilla ice cream. She's very good company. I know she must be nervous about starting yet another new school, but she really keeps her chin up. After lunch we walked over to the toy shop to buy a gift for her friend, Hannah, whose birthday party is coming up on Saturday.
We picked up Molly at school then headed over to the pool to swim. Poor Molly--such a long day. She's at Neev until 3 p.m. The teacher assured me it's all art, music, and fun in the afternoon, but you can tell she's pretty tired at the end of it all. We reached the front of Leela and she started crying because I didn't have her favorite bright pink bathing suit. A woman sitting close by suggested I take some rose petals from the floating basin and try to distract her--to no avail.
Got into the pool and all was well. Rita came later with Charlie after he woke up from his nap, but he wasn't interested in coming in. We had the whole pool to ourselves most of the time. Gorgeous day in paradise under the frangipani trees.
Came home and the kids were very excited to make their own pizzas for dinner. But it just wasn't as fun as it was at Auntie Mary's, where they'd made them with cousins Max and Alex in Andover, Massachusetts.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Today is Maya's first day of school at Mallya Aditi International School. Badri joined her on the school bus to help her ease into it. The bus stop is closer to the house now--no need to drive there. She catches the bus at 7 a.m. and should be home by 3:50 p.m. She knew one of the girls on the bus from a previous summer camp at her old school, so that's comforting. There are 36 students in her class and two full time teachers. All the of the students are local Indians or returned NRIs (non-resident Indians who have lived overseas and returned). In some classes there are expatriates, up to five per class, I think.
The bus was to arrive at the bus stop at 3:50, but it didn't come back until 4:20. While I was waiting, I met Vidya (aka Kitty) whose son, Prithvi, is in Maya's class. They live four doors down from us and we'd never formally met them. I think Maya and Prithvi have hit it off immediately--they're both extroverts and keep each other good company on the bus ride.
We stopped over at Jennifer Adair's for circle time, where Kirsty and a couple other moms were with their children. Molly and Charlie really look forward to this time, singing, listening to stories, and dancing.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Out on a hunt for sweatpants and polo shirts for Maya to wear to school. There was some design snafu with the school uniforms, so for now they're being asked to wear solid color pants and shirts. Went to Bossini's nearby and was happy they were having a sales promotion: you pick out what you want to buy, then step on a scale. If you weigh 60 kg (132 lbs.), you take 30% 0ff the sale price. I thought it was pretty clever. Got her a nice shirt and pants for $15.
Sarah came over with the kids to play in the afternoon, and as soon as Maya and Prithvi got home from school they wanted to go over to his house. I invited him to join us here. They have become quickly inseparable! And in keeping with the two degrees of separation (as opposed to Kevin Bacon's six degrees of separation--it seems to be two degrees of separation in India--everybody is either related or knows each other somehow), the owner of the house we live in is Kitty's husband's uncle.
Went out for drinks at Hotel Ista's cool bar with Gabriela, Marylouise, Priya, Jenn Austin, and our significant others. Had a terrific time--outside, great ambiance. One of our favorite places.
Friday, June 8, 2007
BESCOM, Bangalore's electricity provider, sent a collector to our house today who threatened to cut our power if we didn't pay a 14,000rs ($341) deposit. This is something you pay annually based on your previous year's electric usage. Our watchman, Suleman, fended him off, and I got a phone call about it while I was picking up Charlie from school. I brought him home, then had to go to the bank to get a bank check for the amount (they wouldn't accept cash or personal check). At the bank, I was directed upstairs, where you push a button on a machine to get a number based on what service you're there for. When your number shows up on the TV screen, it's your turn. It didn't take too long.
Then went over to BESCOM where I waited in line for half an hour and made it in time to pick up Molly at Neev. She was the second to last one to get picked up, so I wasn't too late. (I later found out from Badri that it is the landlord's responsibility to pay this deposit.)
Molly was very excited to go swimming, of course, and I told her we'd go after picking up Maya. At the bus stop, I spoke with Maya's classmates mother, Kitty, and she told me she had an extra ticket for a shadow puppet play at the Ranga Shankara theatre tonight. I'd seen it in the newspaper today and thought it'd be interesting for Maya, so it was nice she got invited! She and Prithvi are becoming inseparable.
Kitty also mentioned something I thought was interesting: she said that expatriate students can choose French or German as a second language rather than Hindi or Kannada. I didn't think the European languages were an option until 5th grade, but I think I'd like Maya to learn more Hindi here, anyway, since French will more likely be available in the U.S. when we return as opposed to Hindi. I also learned the difference between the local and expatriate fees for the school--nearly $10,000 difference!
Molly, Charlie, and I went to the pool around 5pm and Badri met us there. Kavita, the founder of the kid's Neev school, and her family were there. I hadn't seen her since April, so it was nice to catch up. In the changing room, she referred to swimming at Leela as an oasis. And how! You're completely removed from the chaos and dust of the streets of Bangalore.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Did the pool thing again today. In the afternoon went to Hannah's birthday party at Embassy Woods (Marylouise's daughter and Maya's buddy). Caught up with a lot of people we missed while in the U.S. for a month. Of course, a lot of those people are just going on their vacation now, since there are two school calendars here: international schools, which have July and August off; and local Indian schools, which have April and May off. Now all three of our children are on the same calendar, although Maya's is technically called an international school (Mallya Aditi).
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Molly started a fever yesterday, and it continued today. Viral, I'm sure.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Molly home from school today, with fever, vomiting, and sore throat.
I took Charlie for a haircut, which he loves these days. The next day at school one of the moms said, "Boy, does he have a lot of hair." They should have seen how much he left on the beauty salon floor!
Molly had another playdate at Berkley's. Those two just love each other. Definitely Molly's first best friend (besides Maya and Charlie, of course).
Went to a workshop sponsored by SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education, Training, and Research) at the Alliance Francaise. Melanie Martinelli was the trainer, and the workshop was "Coconut Meets Mango." Saw a few familiar faces, including Brian and Kendra, who are both trainers (graduate school at School for International Training in Vermont and Lesley College in Massachusetts, respectively). Lots of people starting their own cross-cultural training consultancies. The workshop took a look at how we perceive our own personal culture and how we interact with those who are different. We split into two groups: those who considered themselves a "coconut" (tough on the outside, etc.) and those who considered themselves a "mango" (sweet but bruise easily:).
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Another circle time at Jennifer's. Charlie has started to choose favorite books of hers he just can't live without. She let him take home Olivia and the Missing Toy today.
Went out to dinner at the Olive Beach flea market with Kirsty, Marylouise, Gabriela, Ilsa, and Susan today. This place really knows how to do it up. Ambience to the max: lighting, music (way too loud, though--we were inside and are usually outside where the music doesn't hit you like such a hammer). Excellent food! My favorite waiter, Amar, came over to say hello, and thanked me for a comment I'd made about him being a great waiter in one of my blog entries. I figured that'd be a good time to ask him if he could find a jacket for me to wear (a/c on high) and he obliged.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Went swimming in the rain at the Leela pool, then dropped into the Overseas Women's Club for a bit. Met Monique, from Australia, whose husband works for IBM. We'd seen her at the pool many times with her two kids, but we met for the first time today. The perennial question: where to send the kids to school. She's trying Canadian School in August, then will see what happens with Mastery International School.
Also talked to Kavita, a woman I'd met before because she moved into a friend's house in the neighborhood. The last time I saw Kavita was at yoga, and I can't believe it was two years ago. Time really flies!
Spoke with Fiona, another Australian, who had recently gone trekking up in Himachal Pradesh for two weeks. The folks she went with laughed at her because she brought gators (to keep boots/socks/pants from getting wet in the snow), ski poles, and snow goggles. Well, they ended up at over 4,000 meters in heavy snow and they weren't laughing then--she used every bit of equipment she schlepped up there. Also, I learned that you don't need oxygen tanks until 15,000 ft., and they were pretty close to that. Some of her team got altitude sickness, but she didn't because she'd taken some medicine to prevent that. It also helped that they took a 16 hour bus from Delhi north towards the mountains--going that slow route helps you adjust more quickly to the altitude than if you flew in.
The reason I'm going on about this is because Debra (Canadian), Alla (Latvian), Alla's nephew, and I are thinking of going up north hiking for a week. I defiinitely don't want to get into the snow, but Fiona and her crew hadn't expected snow in June where they went, either!
Picked up Charlie at school. Met Veronique, a recent arrival from Toulouse, France. She lives in our neighborhood and her son, Matthias, is in Charlie's class. We plan to get together to improve each others French and English. Charlie and I went to met Badri and Rich Deal (V.P. of Human Resources at Fair Isaac) at Leela's Citrus restaurant. Just had time for a brief chat with the two of them then they had meetings to attend.
Charlie was asleep by the time we got home (only took 10 minutes!) and I put him down for a nap then went to Neev for a curriculum meeting all the parents were attending. I feel like an old hand, attending the same meetings for three years running now. Thank goodness for some continuity somewhere!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Went for a teeth cleaning and x-rays at Dental Lavelle this a.m. The main dentist always asks about Mom--he did major work on her a couple years ago and neither of them will ever forget it. His son, also a dentist, is visiting Bangalore. He set up his practice in the Boston area, and is just moving from Back Bay to the South End of Boston. I mentioned to the father that he'd paved the way for his son (he'd moved to the U.S. in the 1970s, one of the first big waves of Indian immigrants), and he talked about how he worked for little over $1 an hour (minimum wage back then) to save money for dental school on the west coast, and now look at his son, living in the Back Bay one generation later.
Kirsty and family came over for Friday afternoon, but this time there was an added bonus--a sleepover for all! Andrew is still in China, and we thought it would be fun. Angus slept in Maya and Molly's room, Nicolas slept on the trundle bed in Charlie's room, and Kirsty and Chloe had the guest bedroom. It was lots of fun, until Charlie woke me up at 6am on Saturday morning! God knows when Maya and Angus woke up--by the time I came downstairs Maya had already done three pages of Hindi writing practice (now that's my idea of a fun Saturday morning!).
Later in the day we went to Dhruv's birthday party in Langfordtown and Maya looked completely exhausted. Sure enough, by evening she was feverish. Really hadn't slept much the night before. After the party the kids all took naps.
Badri and I stuck to our plans and went to the Leela for an overnighter, a belated Father's Day gift. Had a great time relaxing, watching multiple episodes of 24 (U.S. television series--we have 2001 and 2002 seasons on DVD). Went down to the Library Bar for a drink (I love the ambience there--not the prices), then to Zen for some sushi.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Slept in--'til 8:45am! Went downstairs for the always heavenly Sunday breakfast. Started off with a plate of cheese, fruit, and bread, then on to eggs benedict. Rita brought the kids over at 11am and we met them at the front of the hotel. So excited they were! You'd think this was their first time to the Leela. We hung out in the room while they watched Angelina Ballerina and had dosas and fruit that Rita and Jayama had packed.
Badri took off for Delhi in the afternoon, and we had a laid back rest of the day.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Kept Maya home from school today. While I was walking back from the bank, I ran into our neighbors, Mike and Lynn. They're one of the two couples I know here in Bangalore where the dad's stay-at-home (Phil and Marion are the other--both couples from the UK). Invited them in for a coffee and found out they'd already had overseas assignments in Sri Lanka and Thailand, and hope to have many more.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Dropped off Molly and Charlie at school. Kept Maya home again since she still had remnants of the cold. Veronique stopped by with her little girl, Marie. It's only been a few weeks since I heard of Ladakh for the first time, and today Veronique tells me that she's going there trekking with her husband in August. Her parents will come for a few weeks and watch the kids. She offered me her down sleeping bag for our trip, for which I'm very grateful.
Heard back from Melanie Martinelli, the trainer who led the cross-cultural communications workshop a couple weeks ago. Turns out SHE'S also going to Ladakh--this Saturday for a couple weeks of trekking and cycling. July/August is definitely the high season up there, in the heart of the Himalayas, so if there's anyone going, it's usually around now.
Alla came over and we went to a couple outdoor adventure shops to see if we could get things for our trek. Slim pickings out there. We figure we'll make do with what we have. Bought a head lamp at Wildcraft in Cambridge Layout. Then we picked up Alla's dog Bruno (to keep Maya company) and we came to my place to book our flights on Air Deccan for Bangalore to Delhi and Delhi to Leh and back. We'll leave July 4 and return by the 13th.
I've been trying to find a piano teacher for Maya for the past year. Generally the teachers around here are all booked up. I tried Raj Shekar again, a guy who turned me down last year (since he said no to me, I heard he was teaching Naomi, Molly's friend, so I figured I'd try again). This time, he said he'd take on Maya as a student, on Mondays at 4pm. He suggested I buy a Yamaha 403, so I called around yesterday.
Today Maya came with me to pick up Molly from school and we went over to Shiva Musicals in Frazertown. Picked up the keyboard, stand, stool, adapter, and carry bag for a little over 17,000rs. Has more bells and whistles than we'll ever need, I know, but when we got it home and set it up, Maya had such a blast with it, while Charlie and Molly danced around to her music.
Badri back from Delhi.
June 29, 2007
Visited Gallery Sumukha. For the most part I'm trying to convince Badri to visit the galleries now more as museums, resisting the temptation to buy. But there's a lot of beautiful Indian art around town.
dress-up time
Maya and Molly
Molly loves to dance
Hanging out with Appa
Badri & Charlie
Maybe we should move to Seattle--Charlie loves his rain jacket & umbrella so much!
Friday, June 1, 2007
Getting back into the swing of India after a month away. As much as I enjoyed our time in New England, it's nice to be back. I ran into an Indian woman who now lives in Arizona, but comes back to Bangalore every summer with her two kids for a couple months. She asked me how I liked living in India and when I told her how much I like it, she seemed quite surprised, "...but all dust in the streets..." I suppose it does take some getting used to, especially after being back in the states for a long time.
Took the kids swimming today and it's as though Maya and Molly were never out of the water. As much as I tried to get them swimming lessons when we were on vacation, I never succeeded. The usual crowd was at the pool, mothers and one or two kids each. Really a challenge to keep an eye on all three of mine. Lucky for me, Charlie doesn't venture into the water much unless I'm holding him.
In the afternoon Kirsty came over for our weekly playdate that we'd missed when our family was gone. As soon as they arrived, Charlie and I had to run out the door to meet his new teachers at Neev--just a short introductory meeting. He was excited to see his new classroom in the upstairs of the school.
Badri went out for an after hours work meeting, and my friends Deborah and Alla stopped by. They'd just been to a jazz concert at the Max Mueller Bhavan German center around the corner. They were disappointed by the performance and dropped by here for a visit. Always a nice surprise to have visitors drop in unannounced. Alla was in NY the month before, and Deborah was in Thailand and Laos, so they were filling me in. Also, they had some interesting gossip about a friend in the neighborhood and her driver. The driver has been working for her for a couple of years, and the friend and her husband are relocating to London soon. They thought they'd gift the driver their car before leaving, but he said, "No thanks. I'd like a new one." And here I was thinking: Geeze, someone's giving me a car. Nice deal
Saturday, June 2, 2007
In the morning went to Neev with Molly to meet with her new teachers. She's very excited about the new year, and all the teachers are talking about what a change they've seen in her since the summer school program. Let's just hope she stays on the right track! I think she turned a corner when Amba had the great idea of giving her more leadership responsibility in the classroom a few months ago, at the end of the last school year.
Went swimming at the Leela pool and there were half a dozen families there. Grand old time, until Nicolas slipped into the water when Kirsty and Andrew were tending to Chloe and Angus. Jennifer Austin dove into the water to pull him up. I had been in the bathroom and came out to hear him crying, when I found out what had happened. A real wake up call, as Kirsty said.
In the evening, Badri and I went to Kirsty and Andrew's for dinner. They're in the midst of trying to get an extension for Andrew at Honeywell. If they can't, they'll leave at the end of this year. That would be quite sad. Kirsty's one of my closest friends here.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Speaking of close friends, we joined Kirsty's family in a bon voyage brunch for Jennifer Austin and her family, along with Gabriela and Jolene's families. It was a gorgeous sunny day when we drove up to the Hotel Grand Ashok and saw lots of police and security in front of the hotel. Gabriela went to the Aerosmith concert last night, and it was rumored that the band was staying at this hotel and thus the extra security. Found out later that the security was for a South African cricket player.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Charlie and Molly returned to Neev School today, Charlie to pre-kindergarten and Molly to Kindergarten 1 (K1). Molly ran in and never looked back, while Charlie was a little hesitant at first. There are 15 students with two teachers in Molly's class (Shweta and Vinita), and 30 in Charlie's class with five teachers (Amba, Pam, Sadhya, Kavery, and Aparna--Molly had had all of them last year, except Pam). Parents were asked to stay close by on the first day, in case the students got nervous. Kirsty and I went to Cafe Coffee Day across the street for a chat. Her son Nico is one of Charlie's closest buddies, also in pre-k, and her son Angus is in K2. They come over every Friday for a playdate. She's also looking at getting back to work part-time, either in human resources or law.
Just after noon Maya and I headed up to Yelahanka to the Mallya Aditi International School where we had a few things to do: get the invoice for fees, have Maya measured for her uniform, and get to know the campus a little better. On the way there, Kumaresh the driver tried to pass a truck on the overpass (flyover) only to find a horse cart pulling long metal tubing was there. He jammed on the brakes, missing the tubing by a couple feet, and we were rear ended. Quite the scene. After a while, police arrived at the scene. Maya was quite upset, especially when a policeman got in the backseat with her to talk to the driver. I asked him to get out, and he very reluctantly did so.
There is only damage to the bumper, but it's still a good thing we had seat belts on. Tempers were flaring in the heat, and we had to go to the nearby police station so Kumaresh could fill out a report. After waiting there a while I called a City Taxi who brought Maya and me to the school where we did what we needed to. The taxi driver asked me to tell his company, if they called, that when he reached me there was no need for a taxi, so I had sent him on his way. I didn't bother asking why. I suppose he wanted to pocket the money I paid rather than handing it over to his company.
We had been delayed enough by all this that Badri picked up Molly at school since I couldn't get there in time. She'd had a great day. She and Charlie met us at the pool after he woke up from his nap, and we all had a swim.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Today was Maya's last day to sleep in before the start of school, and she milked it for all it's worth. She slept until 9:30! My Argentinian friend, Laura, came over for a coffee and dosa for a brief visit before she's off to Goa then the U.S., Argentina, Uruguay, and Europe. She left Sun Microsystems last year with a great package, so is enjoying her sabbatical. Went to Thailand and Laos with Debora last month, then spent some time in Bali, where she did a writer's workshop that sounded very interesting. She'll be stopping in Uruguay where she bought some land on the coast, then in Germany where she'll study German. She says that Uruguay is a great place to invest in land--where she bought it's still reasonable. Up north a bit further it's become quite expensive.
Maya and I did a few errands around the neighborhood, getting groceries at Hema's and chicken at Frosty's on Krishna Temple Road. Then we went to Tangerine Sizzlers on 100 Foot Road for lunch. Maya had her favorites: tomato soup and pasta with lots of cheese, then finished it off with a brownie fudge sundae with vanilla ice cream. She's very good company. I know she must be nervous about starting yet another new school, but she really keeps her chin up. After lunch we walked over to the toy shop to buy a gift for her friend, Hannah, whose birthday party is coming up on Saturday.
We picked up Molly at school then headed over to the pool to swim. Poor Molly--such a long day. She's at Neev until 3 p.m. The teacher assured me it's all art, music, and fun in the afternoon, but you can tell she's pretty tired at the end of it all. We reached the front of Leela and she started crying because I didn't have her favorite bright pink bathing suit. A woman sitting close by suggested I take some rose petals from the floating basin and try to distract her--to no avail.
Got into the pool and all was well. Rita came later with Charlie after he woke up from his nap, but he wasn't interested in coming in. We had the whole pool to ourselves most of the time. Gorgeous day in paradise under the frangipani trees.
Came home and the kids were very excited to make their own pizzas for dinner. But it just wasn't as fun as it was at Auntie Mary's, where they'd made them with cousins Max and Alex in Andover, Massachusetts.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Today is Maya's first day of school at Mallya Aditi International School. Badri joined her on the school bus to help her ease into it. The bus stop is closer to the house now--no need to drive there. She catches the bus at 7 a.m. and should be home by 3:50 p.m. She knew one of the girls on the bus from a previous summer camp at her old school, so that's comforting. There are 36 students in her class and two full time teachers. All the of the students are local Indians or returned NRIs (non-resident Indians who have lived overseas and returned). In some classes there are expatriates, up to five per class, I think.
The bus was to arrive at the bus stop at 3:50, but it didn't come back until 4:20. While I was waiting, I met Vidya (aka Kitty) whose son, Prithvi, is in Maya's class. They live four doors down from us and we'd never formally met them. I think Maya and Prithvi have hit it off immediately--they're both extroverts and keep each other good company on the bus ride.
We stopped over at Jennifer Adair's for circle time, where Kirsty and a couple other moms were with their children. Molly and Charlie really look forward to this time, singing, listening to stories, and dancing.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Out on a hunt for sweatpants and polo shirts for Maya to wear to school. There was some design snafu with the school uniforms, so for now they're being asked to wear solid color pants and shirts. Went to Bossini's nearby and was happy they were having a sales promotion: you pick out what you want to buy, then step on a scale. If you weigh 60 kg (132 lbs.), you take 30% 0ff the sale price. I thought it was pretty clever. Got her a nice shirt and pants for $15.
Sarah came over with the kids to play in the afternoon, and as soon as Maya and Prithvi got home from school they wanted to go over to his house. I invited him to join us here. They have become quickly inseparable! And in keeping with the two degrees of separation (as opposed to Kevin Bacon's six degrees of separation--it seems to be two degrees of separation in India--everybody is either related or knows each other somehow), the owner of the house we live in is Kitty's husband's uncle.
Went out for drinks at Hotel Ista's cool bar with Gabriela, Marylouise, Priya, Jenn Austin, and our significant others. Had a terrific time--outside, great ambiance. One of our favorite places.
Friday, June 8, 2007
BESCOM, Bangalore's electricity provider, sent a collector to our house today who threatened to cut our power if we didn't pay a 14,000rs ($341) deposit. This is something you pay annually based on your previous year's electric usage. Our watchman, Suleman, fended him off, and I got a phone call about it while I was picking up Charlie from school. I brought him home, then had to go to the bank to get a bank check for the amount (they wouldn't accept cash or personal check). At the bank, I was directed upstairs, where you push a button on a machine to get a number based on what service you're there for. When your number shows up on the TV screen, it's your turn. It didn't take too long.
Then went over to BESCOM where I waited in line for half an hour and made it in time to pick up Molly at Neev. She was the second to last one to get picked up, so I wasn't too late. (I later found out from Badri that it is the landlord's responsibility to pay this deposit.)
Molly was very excited to go swimming, of course, and I told her we'd go after picking up Maya. At the bus stop, I spoke with Maya's classmates mother, Kitty, and she told me she had an extra ticket for a shadow puppet play at the Ranga Shankara theatre tonight. I'd seen it in the newspaper today and thought it'd be interesting for Maya, so it was nice she got invited! She and Prithvi are becoming inseparable.
Kitty also mentioned something I thought was interesting: she said that expatriate students can choose French or German as a second language rather than Hindi or Kannada. I didn't think the European languages were an option until 5th grade, but I think I'd like Maya to learn more Hindi here, anyway, since French will more likely be available in the U.S. when we return as opposed to Hindi. I also learned the difference between the local and expatriate fees for the school--nearly $10,000 difference!
Molly, Charlie, and I went to the pool around 5pm and Badri met us there. Kavita, the founder of the kid's Neev school, and her family were there. I hadn't seen her since April, so it was nice to catch up. In the changing room, she referred to swimming at Leela as an oasis. And how! You're completely removed from the chaos and dust of the streets of Bangalore.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Did the pool thing again today. In the afternoon went to Hannah's birthday party at Embassy Woods (Marylouise's daughter and Maya's buddy). Caught up with a lot of people we missed while in the U.S. for a month. Of course, a lot of those people are just going on their vacation now, since there are two school calendars here: international schools, which have July and August off; and local Indian schools, which have April and May off. Now all three of our children are on the same calendar, although Maya's is technically called an international school (Mallya Aditi).
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Molly started a fever yesterday, and it continued today. Viral, I'm sure.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Molly home from school today, with fever, vomiting, and sore throat.
I took Charlie for a haircut, which he loves these days. The next day at school one of the moms said, "Boy, does he have a lot of hair." They should have seen how much he left on the beauty salon floor!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Met Jessica at the Max Mueller cafe. Gotta love that bacon and eggs breakfast. She and David just bought a house in Sweden, with much the same plan as us--move in in a couple years.Molly had another playdate at Berkley's. Those two just love each other. Definitely Molly's first best friend (besides Maya and Charlie, of course).
Went to a workshop sponsored by SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education, Training, and Research) at the Alliance Francaise. Melanie Martinelli was the trainer, and the workshop was "Coconut Meets Mango." Saw a few familiar faces, including Brian and Kendra, who are both trainers (graduate school at School for International Training in Vermont and Lesley College in Massachusetts, respectively). Lots of people starting their own cross-cultural training consultancies. The workshop took a look at how we perceive our own personal culture and how we interact with those who are different. We split into two groups: those who considered themselves a "coconut" (tough on the outside, etc.) and those who considered themselves a "mango" (sweet but bruise easily:).
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Another circle time at Jennifer's. Charlie has started to choose favorite books of hers he just can't live without. She let him take home Olivia and the Missing Toy today.
Went out to dinner at the Olive Beach flea market with Kirsty, Marylouise, Gabriela, Ilsa, and Susan today. This place really knows how to do it up. Ambience to the max: lighting, music (way too loud, though--we were inside and are usually outside where the music doesn't hit you like such a hammer). Excellent food! My favorite waiter, Amar, came over to say hello, and thanked me for a comment I'd made about him being a great waiter in one of my blog entries. I figured that'd be a good time to ask him if he could find a jacket for me to wear (a/c on high) and he obliged.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Went swimming in the rain at the Leela pool, then dropped into the Overseas Women's Club for a bit. Met Monique, from Australia, whose husband works for IBM. We'd seen her at the pool many times with her two kids, but we met for the first time today. The perennial question: where to send the kids to school. She's trying Canadian School in August, then will see what happens with Mastery International School.
Also talked to Kavita, a woman I'd met before because she moved into a friend's house in the neighborhood. The last time I saw Kavita was at yoga, and I can't believe it was two years ago. Time really flies!
Spoke with Fiona, another Australian, who had recently gone trekking up in Himachal Pradesh for two weeks. The folks she went with laughed at her because she brought gators (to keep boots/socks/pants from getting wet in the snow), ski poles, and snow goggles. Well, they ended up at over 4,000 meters in heavy snow and they weren't laughing then--she used every bit of equipment she schlepped up there. Also, I learned that you don't need oxygen tanks until 15,000 ft., and they were pretty close to that. Some of her team got altitude sickness, but she didn't because she'd taken some medicine to prevent that. It also helped that they took a 16 hour bus from Delhi north towards the mountains--going that slow route helps you adjust more quickly to the altitude than if you flew in.
The reason I'm going on about this is because Debra (Canadian), Alla (Latvian), Alla's nephew, and I are thinking of going up north hiking for a week. I defiinitely don't want to get into the snow, but Fiona and her crew hadn't expected snow in June where they went, either!
Picked up Charlie at school. Met Veronique, a recent arrival from Toulouse, France. She lives in our neighborhood and her son, Matthias, is in Charlie's class. We plan to get together to improve each others French and English. Charlie and I went to met Badri and Rich Deal (V.P. of Human Resources at Fair Isaac) at Leela's Citrus restaurant. Just had time for a brief chat with the two of them then they had meetings to attend.
Charlie was asleep by the time we got home (only took 10 minutes!) and I put him down for a nap then went to Neev for a curriculum meeting all the parents were attending. I feel like an old hand, attending the same meetings for three years running now. Thank goodness for some continuity somewhere!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Went for a teeth cleaning and x-rays at Dental Lavelle this a.m. The main dentist always asks about Mom--he did major work on her a couple years ago and neither of them will ever forget it. His son, also a dentist, is visiting Bangalore. He set up his practice in the Boston area, and is just moving from Back Bay to the South End of Boston. I mentioned to the father that he'd paved the way for his son (he'd moved to the U.S. in the 1970s, one of the first big waves of Indian immigrants), and he talked about how he worked for little over $1 an hour (minimum wage back then) to save money for dental school on the west coast, and now look at his son, living in the Back Bay one generation later.
Kirsty and family came over for Friday afternoon, but this time there was an added bonus--a sleepover for all! Andrew is still in China, and we thought it would be fun. Angus slept in Maya and Molly's room, Nicolas slept on the trundle bed in Charlie's room, and Kirsty and Chloe had the guest bedroom. It was lots of fun, until Charlie woke me up at 6am on Saturday morning! God knows when Maya and Angus woke up--by the time I came downstairs Maya had already done three pages of Hindi writing practice (now that's my idea of a fun Saturday morning!).
Later in the day we went to Dhruv's birthday party in Langfordtown and Maya looked completely exhausted. Sure enough, by evening she was feverish. Really hadn't slept much the night before. After the party the kids all took naps.
Badri and I stuck to our plans and went to the Leela for an overnighter, a belated Father's Day gift. Had a great time relaxing, watching multiple episodes of 24 (U.S. television series--we have 2001 and 2002 seasons on DVD). Went down to the Library Bar for a drink (I love the ambience there--not the prices), then to Zen for some sushi.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Slept in--'til 8:45am! Went downstairs for the always heavenly Sunday breakfast. Started off with a plate of cheese, fruit, and bread, then on to eggs benedict. Rita brought the kids over at 11am and we met them at the front of the hotel. So excited they were! You'd think this was their first time to the Leela. We hung out in the room while they watched Angelina Ballerina and had dosas and fruit that Rita and Jayama had packed.
Badri took off for Delhi in the afternoon, and we had a laid back rest of the day.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Kept Maya home from school today. While I was walking back from the bank, I ran into our neighbors, Mike and Lynn. They're one of the two couples I know here in Bangalore where the dad's stay-at-home (Phil and Marion are the other--both couples from the UK). Invited them in for a coffee and found out they'd already had overseas assignments in Sri Lanka and Thailand, and hope to have many more.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Dropped off Molly and Charlie at school. Kept Maya home again since she still had remnants of the cold. Veronique stopped by with her little girl, Marie. It's only been a few weeks since I heard of Ladakh for the first time, and today Veronique tells me that she's going there trekking with her husband in August. Her parents will come for a few weeks and watch the kids. She offered me her down sleeping bag for our trip, for which I'm very grateful.
Heard back from Melanie Martinelli, the trainer who led the cross-cultural communications workshop a couple weeks ago. Turns out SHE'S also going to Ladakh--this Saturday for a couple weeks of trekking and cycling. July/August is definitely the high season up there, in the heart of the Himalayas, so if there's anyone going, it's usually around now.
Alla came over and we went to a couple outdoor adventure shops to see if we could get things for our trek. Slim pickings out there. We figure we'll make do with what we have. Bought a head lamp at Wildcraft in Cambridge Layout. Then we picked up Alla's dog Bruno (to keep Maya company) and we came to my place to book our flights on Air Deccan for Bangalore to Delhi and Delhi to Leh and back. We'll leave July 4 and return by the 13th.
I've been trying to find a piano teacher for Maya for the past year. Generally the teachers around here are all booked up. I tried Raj Shekar again, a guy who turned me down last year (since he said no to me, I heard he was teaching Naomi, Molly's friend, so I figured I'd try again). This time, he said he'd take on Maya as a student, on Mondays at 4pm. He suggested I buy a Yamaha 403, so I called around yesterday.
Today Maya came with me to pick up Molly from school and we went over to Shiva Musicals in Frazertown. Picked up the keyboard, stand, stool, adapter, and carry bag for a little over 17,000rs. Has more bells and whistles than we'll ever need, I know, but when we got it home and set it up, Maya had such a blast with it, while Charlie and Molly danced around to her music.
Badri back from Delhi.
June 29, 2007
Visited Gallery Sumukha. For the most part I'm trying to convince Badri to visit the galleries now more as museums, resisting the temptation to buy. But there's a lot of beautiful Indian art around town.
dress-up time
Maya and Molly
Molly loves to dance
Hanging out with Appa
Badri & Charlie
Maybe we should move to Seattle--Charlie loves his rain jacket & umbrella so much!
Monday, June 04, 2007
May 2007 Update from Bangalore and New England
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Left the house around 4:30 a.m. and took a 6:30 a.m. flight on British Airways from Bangalore to Boston via London. The first leg to London is the longest: 10 1/2 hours. Landed in London at 12:35 pm (4 1/2 hours time difference between Bangalore and London). Had a four hour layover in Heathrow Airport in our usual British Airway lounge. I say usual, but I should say privileged. We flew business class and the waiting lounge is amazing. There's a children's play area with easy chairs, a train table, carpeted floor, and TV. There's a full refreshment stand and buffet where you can have anything from pasta to fruit to wine and beer--all "free".
We left London at 4:30 p.m. and landed at Logan in Boston at 7:45 p.m., all on the same day. With Bangalore 9 1/2 hours ahead of Boston, when we head east we gain time and leave and arrive on the same day (May 2). On the return trip home, however, we leave on May 28 from Boston and arrive in Bangalore May 30!
We rented a van at Budget for $1125 for the month--not too bad--including car seats. Drove the 45 minutes to Mom's house. No traffic on the road at that hour travelling north on 93 and 495. Very happy reunion at Nannie's house (that's what the kids call my Mom. We called our grandmother Nana, but the first grandchild in the family, Katie, called her Nannie, and that stuck.).
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Cool weather here in New England. They had an odd winter this year. It didn't freeze until January (about two months late) and it snowed through April. We wore long sleeves and pants most of this vacation. The buds are just coming on the trees, and the kids are enthralled by all the green grass. We took a walk in the neighborhood, and Charlie is most amused by the mailboxes on the street, one for each house.
Went to Newton-Wellesley Hospital this morning for a pre-op appointment with Dr. Stephanie Morris, who would do my hysterectomy. Odd, when we get to the age where our doctor is younger than us! In this case, by about ten years. Did all the blood work, an ultrasound, etc. Judging by the ultrasound, it doesn't look like the lupron shrunk the fibroid much, but Stephanie still thinks she can do it laparascopically.
Friday, May 4, 2007
All five of us went to Lexington to meet with Elizabeth Crampton, our realtor. We decided to look at Lincoln, a town we'd decided against (we were heavily leaning towards buying a house in Lexington because of its proximity to Boston and great school system). Elizabeth brought us to look at a house on 248 Lincoln Road and we immediately took to it. It's a 1962 house that's been recently renovated by a contractor. There are four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, and dining room. The basement is clean and dry, and there's an acre of land in the back which includes grassy area, some woodsy area, a shed for storage, and some planting beds. Other bonus: gorgeous oak wood floors throughout, with pergo (fake wood flooring) in the playroom between the kitchen and garage.
248 Lincoln Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts
After looking at the house, Badri went on to look at Arlington with Elizabeth while I met Mom at her house and we met my sister Mary and her son Alex at the Weathervane Restaurant in Salem, New Hampshire. If you've been reading this blog since last summer you'll know I'm a fried clam fiend, and this is my very favorite restaurant where I used to work (in the Kittery, Maine, branch) 30 years ago!
Sunday, May 6, 2007 Heavenly spring in New England
I was very lazy about writing things down on this vacation, so there may be gaps in the days where I forget exactly what happened. But we generally had a fun, very busy, sometimes chaotic, time. The kids were so happy to see their cousins Max, 7 years old, and Alex, 6 years old. They adore their Aunt Mary and Uncle Andrew, as well as Auntie Patty who came up for four days, and Uncle Ski and Auntie Elena, who live up in York, Maine--only an hour away.
Charlie, Maya, Alex, and Molly in Andover at my sister Mary and Andrew's house
Charlie asked to go on frequent walks in the neighborhood to look at mailboxes, and one time Maya even went with him and brought a clipboard so she could note the number of boxes.
On Nannie's front steps
Gave me a good part of the day to relax. Finishing Kiran Desai's Inheritance of Loss. Very intense book about a young woman growing up with her emotionally distant grandfather on the Indian side of the Himalayas.
Badri had to go to the Lincoln house for the inspection, where an inspector goes over the house carefully to see what might need to be done to the house before the sale. It looks like it's in great shape.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Met Mary at the Weathervane restaurant for lunch again.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Spent the day at Mary and Andrew's house for a dual celebration: Alex's 6th birthday and Mother's Day. Andrew's parents, Susan and Chris, came from Holden, MA. Ski and Elena came from York, ME, both about an hour away. Mom's only about 20 minutes away, in Methuen.
Went to Mary's house for dinner and the kids had their usual great time running around, playing with other people's toys, watching Spot the snake get fed, etc.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Drove to Cambridge and visited my cousin Maureen Manning. She and her husband Mike live in a gorgeous house that's over 100 years old. They bought it about five years ago and did quite a bit of renovation work. We had a couple hours together to chat and have lunch, then I got to see her kids Alice and Daniel for the first time since Maya's first birthday party at Mom's house in Methuen in 2001! She showed me their elementary school class pictures and I was amazed at the diversity of their classrooms at the King Open School. Evidently parents list the schools they'd like for their children, then there's a lottery after some dividing up is done based on ethnic and socioeconomic background. Looks like only about 15 kids to a class, too.
Tonight it poured and poured. Visibility quite bad on the highway. But it's so nice to be driving! Really gives you a feeling of independence that you don't have in Bangalore.
I actually met Maile through her daughter, Anya, many years ago. A bunch of friends from Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Boston, Massachusetts were flying up to Montreal then taking a train to Quebec for the winter carnival. Anya and I met that weekend sometime in the 1980s and we've been friends ever since.
Another very cool woman, my sister Patty, arrived in Boston today for four days, from Naples, Florida. I begged her to come up to Boston so we could see her on our one month back in the states. The kids adore their aunties--they're so much more fun than their mom!
Friday, May 18, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Mom, Mary, Patty and I left the children in the able hands of Badri and Andrew, and we headed up to Portsmouth, New Hampshire for coffee, lunch, and shopping. My favorite shoe stores are there and we hit all of them. Had lunch at the Ferry Landing, where we met a fellow diner, Karen, a woman from one of the English channel islands (Guernsey or Hershey) who was vacationing here in the seacoast area.
Patty, Mom, Kelly
Patty, Kelly, Mary, Mom
Met the house seller, Joe Blair. He filled us in on lots of useful people: plumber, carpenter, landscaper, electrician. He's the one who bought the house in 2005 and then renovated it. He had considered moving his family in, but they have five children and it would have been too small.
Monday, May 21, 2007
After lunch at the Weathervane, Mary brought Patty to the airport with hours to spare before her flight. We give her a really hard time about how she likes to get there three hours before the plane takes off. I think she just really enjoys the down time between the chaotic visit and going back home to work and family.
We got back to Mom's house to find a dozen messages left by realtors and lawyers saying we were going to close on the house today rather than tomorrow. Mom took over watching Molly and Charlie, Maya was at Mary's, and Badri and I rushed to Cambridge to the offices of Clark, Hunt & Embry for the house closing. Gorgeous view from 55 Cambridge Parkway to the Charles River and the Boston skyline.
Charlie and Patty
Maya and Kelly
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Went to the Children's Museum down on the waterfront in Boston, near where I used to hostess at a restaurant called Victoria Station about a million years ago (1983, after I graduated from Colby). The kids LOVE this museum and we'll definitely have to get an annual pass when we move back to the area.
After the museum, took a drive over by the Public Garden. Maya loved that it's the Make Way for Ducklings park. Badri and the girls got out while I stuck by the car and Charlie napped. Badri then took off to go meet one of his old St. Stephens (college in Delhi) buddies, and I drove back to Mom's with the kids.
Molly and Maya in the Public Garden
When we got home, Aunt Peggy's old Mercedes Benz was parked in the front of Mom's house. Uncle Stan is a whiz with cars and fixed this one up for Aunt Peggy years ago. Very classy looking car. The girls enjoyed seeing her, and Charlie eventually warmed up enough to sit on her lap while she read him a story.
Charlie with Aunt Peggy
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Drove down to Newton for my follow-up appointment with Dr. Stephanie Morris. All is well. I healed up just fine.
Went to Lincoln to meet Lisa and Scott McKee, who will be renting our house for the next year. The funny thing is, they just sold their San Clemente, California house last year--only about an hour north of the San Diego house we sold in February. They seem like they'll keep the place in great shape: no kids and no pets.
Met our neighbor who lives across the street. He's about 90 years old and still doing his yard work. I introduced myself, then Badri and the children.
Headed over to Sudbury to have dinner with my graduate school friend, Lucie, and her husband Larry, and three kids: Christopher, Nicholas, and AnnaMelora. Maya and AnnaMelora became fast friends, and Charlie and Molly couldn't get enough of the cat and dog. From their place to our Lincoln place is about 15 minutes drive.
Badri, Kelly, Larry, and Lucie
Thursday, May 24, 2007
This last couple weeks have been a whirlwind of phone calls and appointments getting the new house set up, closing done, and utilities arranged. Still managing to have good fun and quality time with Mom.
I set up the kiddie pool we bought last June when we visited and Molly and Charlie had fun splashing around and cooling off.
Our realtor, Elizabeth Crampton, gave us a gift certificate to Max Stein's, a restaurant in Lexington, so Mom watched Charlie and Molly again (Maya at Mary's) and we went out to dinner. Nice place! Had a heavenly dinner at a romantic corner table--Thank you Mom and Elizabeth.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Badri gave me a gift certificate to a spa near Mom's house and I went for a pedicure, manicure, and facial today. It really felt decadent, especially since I can get the same thing done for a fraction of the price in Bangalore. But, boy, did it feel good!
Went to dinner at yet another St. Stephen's alumna, Srini's, house in Wellesley. Two other Indian couples there in addition to the hosts. One couple lives in Winchester and sends their twin six year old sons to a private school--gobs of money in a district where the schools are supposed to be terrific!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
We all went up to Ski and Elena's in York, Maine for a barbecue. Aunt Barbara, Kristin, her boyfriend, and Jeffrey and his son Phin also came, along with us and Mom. Just another day in paradise. Kids put on their bathing suits and ran around, lounged on the hammock.
Andrew, Molly, Phin
Ski and Elena
Molly, Maya, Max, and Alex
Molly
Aunt Barbara and Mary
Alex, Maya, and Ski
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Drove up to South Berwick, Maine, passing York on the way, to high school friends Sandy and Mark's house. Sandy and I have known each other since junior high actually, when we played field hockey together.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Mom put on a heavenly pork roast for our send-off lunch. Once again, we had far too much stuff to fit in the suitcases we brought. Mom, yet again, lent us one (or two?!) of her suitcases. Mary led the way to Logan Airport with her van so that all our luggage AND children could get down there. We left at about 5:30 or 6pm to get in to Logan in time to turn in the rental car and check in for the 9:15 flight.
Molly said, "I wish I could stay at Nannie's house forever."
Badri, Molly, and Charlie eating breakfast in Mom's backyard
Maya, Molly, and Charlie drawing in Mom's backyard
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Marylouise stopped by here for a visit after her physical therapy. She's decided to switch her children from the Canadian school (CIS) to the new Mastery International School. Just about all the expatriates and the teachers alike are making the change. I think there are serious administration issues at CIS, as well as problems with the curriculum, where most parents feel their parents are underchallenged. It will be interesting to see how the new school pants out.
Went swimming in the afternoon with the kids and spent time with Berkeley, Atticus, and their dad Sam, our neighbors from Arizona. Berkeley told me it was her dad's birthday and I invited them to join us for dinner. Mom Jennifer is out of town, in Greece for meetings, so Sam brought his birthday cake over and we all celebrated his 31st birthday together.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Today is May Day, a holiday in India. I went for my monthly pedicure at Woodlands Hotel then came home and packed. Finished in time so that I could take the kids for one last swim before going to the U.S. tomorrow. At bed time, dressed them in comfy street clothes, like sweats (called "tracks" here in India), so we could carry them straight from bed to car in the early morning.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Left the house around 4:30 a.m. and took a 6:30 a.m. flight on British Airways from Bangalore to Boston via London. The first leg to London is the longest: 10 1/2 hours. Landed in London at 12:35 pm (4 1/2 hours time difference between Bangalore and London). Had a four hour layover in Heathrow Airport in our usual British Airway lounge. I say usual, but I should say privileged. We flew business class and the waiting lounge is amazing. There's a children's play area with easy chairs, a train table, carpeted floor, and TV. There's a full refreshment stand and buffet where you can have anything from pasta to fruit to wine and beer--all "free".
We left London at 4:30 p.m. and landed at Logan in Boston at 7:45 p.m., all on the same day. With Bangalore 9 1/2 hours ahead of Boston, when we head east we gain time and leave and arrive on the same day (May 2). On the return trip home, however, we leave on May 28 from Boston and arrive in Bangalore May 30!
We rented a van at Budget for $1125 for the month--not too bad--including car seats. Drove the 45 minutes to Mom's house. No traffic on the road at that hour travelling north on 93 and 495. Very happy reunion at Nannie's house (that's what the kids call my Mom. We called our grandmother Nana, but the first grandchild in the family, Katie, called her Nannie, and that stuck.).
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Cool weather here in New England. They had an odd winter this year. It didn't freeze until January (about two months late) and it snowed through April. We wore long sleeves and pants most of this vacation. The buds are just coming on the trees, and the kids are enthralled by all the green grass. We took a walk in the neighborhood, and Charlie is most amused by the mailboxes on the street, one for each house.
Went to Newton-Wellesley Hospital this morning for a pre-op appointment with Dr. Stephanie Morris, who would do my hysterectomy. Odd, when we get to the age where our doctor is younger than us! In this case, by about ten years. Did all the blood work, an ultrasound, etc. Judging by the ultrasound, it doesn't look like the lupron shrunk the fibroid much, but Stephanie still thinks she can do it laparascopically.
Friday, May 4, 2007
All five of us went to Lexington to meet with Elizabeth Crampton, our realtor. We decided to look at Lincoln, a town we'd decided against (we were heavily leaning towards buying a house in Lexington because of its proximity to Boston and great school system). Elizabeth brought us to look at a house on 248 Lincoln Road and we immediately took to it. It's a 1962 house that's been recently renovated by a contractor. There are four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, and dining room. The basement is clean and dry, and there's an acre of land in the back which includes grassy area, some woodsy area, a shed for storage, and some planting beds. Other bonus: gorgeous oak wood floors throughout, with pergo (fake wood flooring) in the playroom between the kitchen and garage.
248 Lincoln Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts
After looking at the house, Badri went on to look at Arlington with Elizabeth while I met Mom at her house and we met my sister Mary and her son Alex at the Weathervane Restaurant in Salem, New Hampshire. If you've been reading this blog since last summer you'll know I'm a fried clam fiend, and this is my very favorite restaurant where I used to work (in the Kittery, Maine, branch) 30 years ago!
Sunday, May 6, 2007 Heavenly spring in New England
I was very lazy about writing things down on this vacation, so there may be gaps in the days where I forget exactly what happened. But we generally had a fun, very busy, sometimes chaotic, time. The kids were so happy to see their cousins Max, 7 years old, and Alex, 6 years old. They adore their Aunt Mary and Uncle Andrew, as well as Auntie Patty who came up for four days, and Uncle Ski and Auntie Elena, who live up in York, Maine--only an hour away.
Charlie, Maya, Alex, and Molly in Andover at my sister Mary and Andrew's house
Charlie asked to go on frequent walks in the neighborhood to look at mailboxes, and one time Maya even went with him and brought a clipboard so she could note the number of boxes.
On Nannie's front steps
All three of the kids love Bootie, Mom's cat, who generally shies away from kids but seems to be very tolerant of these guys, for some reason. Many a morning or afternoon might have been uneventful if Molly and Charlie didn't have Bootie to search for and then follow. Once Charlie and I went for a walk and Bootie stayed by his ankles just as though she were a dog!
Maya had many sleepovers in Andover, Massachusetts (about 20 minutes from Mom's house) with Aunt Mary, Uncle Andrew, and the boys. They have a snake, Spot, in the boys room and Maya got to feed him a couple times (she actually picked up the mouse and put it in Spot's cage!).
The lilacs came out in full force right as we arrived and we changed the vase of lilacs in the house every few days. But a couple weeks into the vacation, the torrential rains were too much for them, and they started turning brown.
Charlie and Molly napping with Nannie
A couple weeks before we arrived, Mom placed an ad in the newspaper offering her above ground pool and all its attachments to the first person who could come and take it away. A young family came and took the whole thing, and what was left? A prize winning circular sandbox! The kids spent hours in that thing, with lawn furniture, sand toys, and buckets. The pool had become too much to maintain for too few weeks to be used in the year.
Nanny and Molly reading and snuggling
Monday, May 7, 2007
Badri drove me the one hour to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for my surgery. I decided I'd stay over a night, although I had the option to go home that day. Met the anesthesiologist, David Hershey, and the assisting doctor, Aarthi. She's of Indian descent, so I felt very much at home. I was out of surgery by 1 pm. They removed the uterus and fibroid, as well as the right ovary which had been crowded out and also had a cyst. As planned, it was all done laparascopically (called laparascopic supracervical hysterectomy), with only four tiny incisions.
Since I'd said I was going to stay overnight, they gave me an extra painkiller. I had a very tough time coming out of it, and Badri stayed with me until 10 pm because he didn't want to leave until I was coherent. I shared a room with a very nice woman, probably around my age, who has seven children and was in because she had just miscarried.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
I was all ready to go home the next day. A little bloated around the belly, but they sent me off with some painkillers to alternate with ibuprofen. My only restrictions were no swimming/bathing or lifting children for two weeks. The nurses were surprised I was asking about lifting children--I guess most women who get this surgery are grandmothers by my age!
Badri was a sweetheart. Brought the kids to Mary's so I could rest for the day with Mom at home. Mary has a great backyard, excellent toys we're not used to having around, and LOTS of sweets--so the kids are quite excited to go there any time. It was nice spending time at home with Mom. Reminded me of the old days when I'd come home on vacation from college, exhausted after exams, and Mom would take care of me.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Gave me a good part of the day to relax. Finishing Kiran Desai's Inheritance of Loss. Very intense book about a young woman growing up with her emotionally distant grandfather on the Indian side of the Himalayas.
Badri had to go to the Lincoln house for the inspection, where an inspector goes over the house carefully to see what might need to be done to the house before the sale. It looks like it's in great shape.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Met Mary at the Weathervane restaurant for lunch again.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Spent the day at Mary and Andrew's house for a dual celebration: Alex's 6th birthday and Mother's Day. Andrew's parents, Susan and Chris, came from Holden, MA. Ski and Elena came from York, ME, both about an hour away. Mom's only about 20 minutes away, in Methuen.
Max, Nannie, Alex
Very fresh day. You can see most people are wearing long pants and some jackets in the pictures. The kids had a terrific time in the backyard. Mary's friend, Cindy, also came with her twin boys. Mom used to babysit the twins when they were born 5 or 6 years ago.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Went to my college friend, Erin Healy's, for dinner. Maya had a great time playing baseball with Erin's kids Sarah and Luke, and Charlie and Molly enjoyed the bird, rabbit, and dog. Erin was giving us a bit of a scare about moving to Lincoln--it's very rural, she said, knowing what an urban dweller Badri is. But we decided it will be good for the kids for a few years anyway, to be out in green spaces, have a place to run around and ride their bikes on the trails.Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Went to the Registry of Motor Vehicles to get my Massachusetts driver's license. I needed more forms of identification, though. A passport and old license aren't sufficient. So I went over to the Social Security Administration building across the street and applied for a replacement social security card (who knows where my old one is?).Went to Mary's house for dinner and the kids had their usual great time running around, playing with other people's toys, watching Spot the snake get fed, etc.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Drove to Cambridge and visited my cousin Maureen Manning. She and her husband Mike live in a gorgeous house that's over 100 years old. They bought it about five years ago and did quite a bit of renovation work. We had a couple hours together to chat and have lunch, then I got to see her kids Alice and Daniel for the first time since Maya's first birthday party at Mom's house in Methuen in 2001! She showed me their elementary school class pictures and I was amazed at the diversity of their classrooms at the King Open School. Evidently parents list the schools they'd like for their children, then there's a lottery after some dividing up is done based on ethnic and socioeconomic background. Looks like only about 15 kids to a class, too.
Tonight it poured and poured. Visibility quite bad on the highway. But it's so nice to be driving! Really gives you a feeling of independence that you don't have in Bangalore.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Got together with Maile Jones today. She started her own newspaper magazine for and by women from western Massachusetts called Real Women Press http://www.realwomenpress.com/RWP6-2007.pdf. Such a cool, entrepreneurial spirit Maile is. I think of the courage and energy it took her to start up the magazine, and it gives me the push I need to get back in action on the work front, in something I truly enjoy.I actually met Maile through her daughter, Anya, many years ago. A bunch of friends from Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Boston, Massachusetts were flying up to Montreal then taking a train to Quebec for the winter carnival. Anya and I met that weekend sometime in the 1980s and we've been friends ever since.
Another very cool woman, my sister Patty, arrived in Boston today for four days, from Naples, Florida. I begged her to come up to Boston so we could see her on our one month back in the states. The kids adore their aunties--they're so much more fun than their mom!
Friday, May 18, 2007
Nannie, Maya, Alex, Charlie, Molly at Weathervane restaurant
Charlie, Mary, Alex, Maya, Patty, Kelly at Weathervane
Went to--you guessed it--Weathervane restaurant for lunch. I feel bad for the wait staff at the restaurant, but the kids are getting kind of tired of them bringing out the lobster for demonstration. The waiter asked today, "Do you know how you can tell the male from the female lobster?" and Maya answered, pointing towards the tail, "because on the male that part is harder." For more on lobster trivia, see here: http://www.gma.org/lobsters/trivia.html
Then we went to Mary's for hanging out and then dinner. We're loving the margaritas! Usually when we get together, Badri and Andrew are bonding over their favorite wines. But tonight Badri went into Boston to get together with his old Northeastern University buddy, Frank Gibbons. Headed to a favorite haunt of ours, The Plough and Stars: what used to be a good ol' grimy Irish bar, but has become a bit gentrified.Saturday, May 19, 2007
Mom, Mary, Patty and I left the children in the able hands of Badri and Andrew, and we headed up to Portsmouth, New Hampshire for coffee, lunch, and shopping. My favorite shoe stores are there and we hit all of them. Had lunch at the Ferry Landing, where we met a fellow diner, Karen, a woman from one of the English channel islands (Guernsey or Hershey) who was vacationing here in the seacoast area.
Patty, Mom, Kelly
Patty, Kelly, Mary, Mom
We ran into MaryJane, our cousin, and Audrey, our cousin Billy's wife, and her daughter at Choozy Shoos. They'd just been to the University of New Hampshire graduation (Audrey's son graduated) where both former presidents Bush and Clinton had spoken. There was quite a crowd, of course.
I know Portsmouth will always be one of my favorite places. On the water, great restaurants, friends and family, good jazz and rock music in the bars (or there was when we were growing up anyway). Lots of memories.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Brought Patty to see the Lincoln house. Went armed with a measuring tape to get all the window sizes: hoping to get all curtains in India. Dinner at Mary's. We never get tired of the routine in the month we're here.Met the house seller, Joe Blair. He filled us in on lots of useful people: plumber, carpenter, landscaper, electrician. He's the one who bought the house in 2005 and then renovated it. He had considered moving his family in, but they have five children and it would have been too small.
Monday, May 21, 2007
After lunch at the Weathervane, Mary brought Patty to the airport with hours to spare before her flight. We give her a really hard time about how she likes to get there three hours before the plane takes off. I think she just really enjoys the down time between the chaotic visit and going back home to work and family.
We got back to Mom's house to find a dozen messages left by realtors and lawyers saying we were going to close on the house today rather than tomorrow. Mom took over watching Molly and Charlie, Maya was at Mary's, and Badri and I rushed to Cambridge to the offices of Clark, Hunt & Embry for the house closing. Gorgeous view from 55 Cambridge Parkway to the Charles River and the Boston skyline.
Charlie and Patty
Maya and Kelly
Mom was a dear and put Molly and Charlie to bed so Badri and I could go out in Cambridge. Headed straight to Inman Square, where we thought we'd eat at Jae's restaurant, a sushi place with a huge aquarium where we used to go. It's now a pub restaurant with an amazing list of beers. I ordered a Belgian beer without asking the price. I think it was Framboise, and it cost around $20 for a bottle! Went for dinner at Montien, where we had a yummilicious Thai dinner.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Went to the Children's Museum down on the waterfront in Boston, near where I used to hostess at a restaurant called Victoria Station about a million years ago (1983, after I graduated from Colby). The kids LOVE this museum and we'll definitely have to get an annual pass when we move back to the area.
After the museum, took a drive over by the Public Garden. Maya loved that it's the Make Way for Ducklings park. Badri and the girls got out while I stuck by the car and Charlie napped. Badri then took off to go meet one of his old St. Stephens (college in Delhi) buddies, and I drove back to Mom's with the kids.
Molly and Maya in the Public Garden
When we got home, Aunt Peggy's old Mercedes Benz was parked in the front of Mom's house. Uncle Stan is a whiz with cars and fixed this one up for Aunt Peggy years ago. Very classy looking car. The girls enjoyed seeing her, and Charlie eventually warmed up enough to sit on her lap while she read him a story.
Charlie with Aunt Peggy
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Drove down to Newton for my follow-up appointment with Dr. Stephanie Morris. All is well. I healed up just fine.
Went to Lincoln to meet Lisa and Scott McKee, who will be renting our house for the next year. The funny thing is, they just sold their San Clemente, California house last year--only about an hour north of the San Diego house we sold in February. They seem like they'll keep the place in great shape: no kids and no pets.
Met our neighbor who lives across the street. He's about 90 years old and still doing his yard work. I introduced myself, then Badri and the children.
Headed over to Sudbury to have dinner with my graduate school friend, Lucie, and her husband Larry, and three kids: Christopher, Nicholas, and AnnaMelora. Maya and AnnaMelora became fast friends, and Charlie and Molly couldn't get enough of the cat and dog. From their place to our Lincoln place is about 15 minutes drive.
Badri, Kelly, Larry, and Lucie
Thursday, May 24, 2007
This last couple weeks have been a whirlwind of phone calls and appointments getting the new house set up, closing done, and utilities arranged. Still managing to have good fun and quality time with Mom.
I set up the kiddie pool we bought last June when we visited and Molly and Charlie had fun splashing around and cooling off.
Our realtor, Elizabeth Crampton, gave us a gift certificate to Max Stein's, a restaurant in Lexington, so Mom watched Charlie and Molly again (Maya at Mary's) and we went out to dinner. Nice place! Had a heavenly dinner at a romantic corner table--Thank you Mom and Elizabeth.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Badri gave me a gift certificate to a spa near Mom's house and I went for a pedicure, manicure, and facial today. It really felt decadent, especially since I can get the same thing done for a fraction of the price in Bangalore. But, boy, did it feel good!
Went to dinner at yet another St. Stephen's alumna, Srini's, house in Wellesley. Two other Indian couples there in addition to the hosts. One couple lives in Winchester and sends their twin six year old sons to a private school--gobs of money in a district where the schools are supposed to be terrific!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
We all went up to Ski and Elena's in York, Maine for a barbecue. Aunt Barbara, Kristin, her boyfriend, and Jeffrey and his son Phin also came, along with us and Mom. Just another day in paradise. Kids put on their bathing suits and ran around, lounged on the hammock.
Andrew, Molly, Phin
Ski and Elena
Molly, Maya, Max, and Alex
Molly
Aunt Barbara and Mary
Alex, Maya, and Ski
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Drove up to South Berwick, Maine, passing York on the way, to high school friends Sandy and Mark's house. Sandy and I have known each other since junior high actually, when we played field hockey together.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Mom put on a heavenly pork roast for our send-off lunch. Once again, we had far too much stuff to fit in the suitcases we brought. Mom, yet again, lent us one (or two?!) of her suitcases. Mary led the way to Logan Airport with her van so that all our luggage AND children could get down there. We left at about 5:30 or 6pm to get in to Logan in time to turn in the rental car and check in for the 9:15 flight.
Molly said, "I wish I could stay at Nannie's house forever."
Badri, Molly, and Charlie eating breakfast in Mom's backyard
Maya, Molly, and Charlie drawing in Mom's backyard
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Marylouise stopped by here for a visit after her physical therapy. She's decided to switch her children from the Canadian school (CIS) to the new Mastery International School. Just about all the expatriates and the teachers alike are making the change. I think there are serious administration issues at CIS, as well as problems with the curriculum, where most parents feel their parents are underchallenged. It will be interesting to see how the new school pants out.
Went swimming in the afternoon with the kids and spent time with Berkeley, Atticus, and their dad Sam, our neighbors from Arizona. Berkeley told me it was her dad's birthday and I invited them to join us for dinner. Mom Jennifer is out of town, in Greece for meetings, so Sam brought his birthday cake over and we all celebrated his 31st birthday together.
