Sunday, July 31, 2005
July Update
July 2, 2005
Had my belated Mother's Day present this weekend--went to the Leela Palace Hotel from Saturday 12:30 pm until 2 pm Sunday. It was a bit like the overnighter I had at the Windsor Sheraton for my birthday last November. Badri took Molly for a car ride when bringing me to the Leela. She loves car rides about as much as anything else in the world these days, and to go on one with both Mommy and Appa all to herself--what a treat! Plus she loves going to hotels. The three of us wandered around the Leela for about an hour. She loves the big open space of the bottom level of the Galleria (the shopping area)--holding hands with both Appa and me (imagine--she's almost three and it's only in the last month that she's held both our hands while walking along. It seems ridiculous, but because of going in the car and strollers all the time, she'd really refused to hold anyone's hand walking down the street until last month. I remember one evening we were walking home from Pizza Corner and Badri and I both looked at each other out of the corner of our eye in amazement because she'd taken both our hands for the first time.)
Other things she really loved at the Leela: going out onto the patio and looking out at the trees swaying back and forth in the breeze, eating the complimentary cookies and fruit that came with the room; and when we went down to the outside grounds, walking around the paths and the grass (which you don't find much in India--grass you can walk on, I mean) and staring rapt at the dozens of waterfalls.
After Badri and Molly left, I went for a swim then a jacuzzi. Had a massage at 5 pm, then went for dinner at 7 pm. Ate at Zen, the Japanese restaurant. I was seated inside, but asked to be moved outside. The hostess said it was too windy and wet, but relented. It was a beautiful night. After the day's rain the air seemed cleaner. Had delicious sushi. Went back to the room and borrowed a DVD from the hotel: Cold Creek Manor. Mildly entertaining with two actors I like: Sharon Stone and Dennis Quaid.
Another funny Molly-ism she started saying this week: "I want to sleep on the trouble bed". About six months ago we bought a trundle bed for Maya to sleep on, reasoning that the bottom bed can be used for sleep overs or for Molly when she grows out of her crib. I told her that she'll be able to sleep on the trundle bed when she's in big girl undies and she has her third birthday.
On Sunday morning I had a nice soak in the bath (I last did that when Badri and I were in Delhi not so many months ago) then went for breakfast at Citrus, another of the hotel restaurants. Sat outside next to the waterfall and enjoyed lovely whole wheat bread with various cheeses and fruits, followed by eggs benedict. While eating I read in the local newspaper about a school that had been shut down just outside the city limits. Parents were protesting the fact that school administrators wouldn't add on more grades (beyond grade 7) to the local school. Local officials said the children could walk to the next closest upper grade school, which is 10 kilometers by highway. Also in the news, a train derailed in the heavy rains of Gujarat and was stuck overnight without any help. There were heartwarming stories about the passengers who banded together and switched off all but one cell (mobile) phone at a time in order to conserve batteries so that they could contact those who would eventually rescue them.
Later took another swim, then Badri came to the hotel with Maya and Molly. It was a breezy and cloudy day, so the pool was out. Instead, we borrowed "Mulan" from the hotel DVD collection, and the girls loved snuggling under the blankets and watching the movie. Later Melvin, the driver, brought Charlie to the hotel. We checked out and wandered around the grassy grounds again, finishing up strawberry shakes and coffee at the Barista cafe.
Monday, July 4, 2005
Went out on a fun date this evening with Badri. There was a 4th of July party at the Mynt restaurant at the Taj West End hotel. We had a table for two, which was nice, and also met up with people we knew there. Now that I come to think of it, the people we knew and saw there were all Sri Lankan, British, Belgian, Irish, Korean, French--just so happened, not an American among the bunch. Caught up with Ani and Kim and their two girls, who are heading off to Bali for a mini-vacation this week. They asked how our Spain trip was and sympathized with us, saying they understand how traveling with young'uns is, having done it with their two when the youngest was six months.
My Belgian friend, Muriel, was there and introduced us to her friend, Muriel and her husband (what are the odds of two Muriels at one social occasion?) from France and Israel. The latter two have four children: two toddlers and two teenagers. I thought that was a pretty interesting offspring combo.
Wednesday, July 6, 2005
Said goodbye to another close friend, Aarti, today. She and her family are leaving Friday to go back to England. I met with Aarti and our mutual friend, Laura, for coffee this a.m. Aarti talked about what a wonderful experience this year has been for her, and how she would gladly come back if her husband landed another job here.
Invited a prospective Bangalore couple over for dinner. Raj was in high school with Badri in Delhi, his wife, Gina, is American, and they have two sons, 7 and 8 years old. He works for Dell and they're trying to figure out what the cost of living would be here because he has to be prepared to accept a "local" package. There are two ways of getting paid here if you're an expat--either a local package, which comes with a lot fewer benefits, or an expat package, where many things are covered, such as: car, gasoline, driver, allowance for domestic staff, apartment or house rent, children's tuition, etc. Aarti's husband Dipak was told he could stay on at Capco in Bangalore if they were willing to take a local package, but they decided against it. More and more, people are coming to Bangalore to live and work and are happy to take the local package, especially NRIs (non-resident Indians).
Raj and Gina have been living in Austin, Texas, and think this would be a great opportunity for them and their two boys to live in India for a couple of years.
Thursday, July 7, 2005
Tonight we had Mark Nunes over for dinner. He's the brother of a friend from the U.S. He's traveling on a one month trip with a university group, looking at life in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore. Enjoyed our evening with him, and the kids had a great time coming when we went to pick him up at his hotel, calling him "Uncle Mark" even though they'd never met him before.
Saturday, July 9, 2005
Early last week I was in quite a funk for various reasons, and I feel more fit for the challenge this week, as I write this at 6:10. Charlie woke at 5:30 this morning, which is consistent with his 5:08, 5:09 wake ups this week. Lately, I get up and get him the instant I hear him calling for mama and bring him into the bed. It's clear that he's not going to fall back to sleep in his crib. I snuggle him in close next to his Appa (Badri), and either lay there resting for a while, get Molly when she wakes, or come downstairs for early coffee and email.
Charlie is now officially a car fanatic--brings one wherever he goes, whether in the car or in the crib. What's his word for cow? "Cah!" What's his word for car? "Cah". He's a New Englander at heart, or at least linguistically.
I hear Molly stirring, so I'll try to touch on my cultural adjustment issues later. Actually, as I told Raj and Gina, who were here for dinner this week while on a reconnaisance trip to Bangalore, I would be feeling down and blue like this wherever I was: whether San Diego, Boston, or Bangalore. It's simply a function of the ups and downs of staying at home with three children under 5. I think about my mother, who raised four of us born within four years of each other (1960-1964), and my mother-in-law, who raised three boys born over the same timeline. And they did it without nannies, maids, housecleaners, etc. Imagine bundling up four kids to go out in the snow, then turning to the task at hand of hanging out clothes on the line, which you'd look out and see frozen stiff a short while later (the clothes, not the kids). And think about the labor intensive task of preparing three vegetarian meals a day with three rugrats under foot, with no dishwasher, no mixee (I'm assuming Amma didn't have a food processor in the 60s to make all her wonderful masalas [gravies]).
Monday, July 11, 2005
Rita, the new nanny, seems to be working out nicely. There's a nice chemistry building between her and Charlie. She's here from 8 am to 6:30 pm. I've asked her whether she can handle the commute (2 buses, around 2 hours each way), because I'm really afraid of Charlie getting attached to her and then her leaving because she finds something closer. Little by little Molly's warming up, too, and Maya has a fine time reading and practicing writing with her.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Had a terrific yoga class today. Four fun women there to make it more interesting (occasionally I go to the 10am class and I'm the only one there--just me and "sir" [Acharya, the teacher], not very exciting). Two of the women are co-sisters, meaning they are sisters-in-law, married to brothers. Unfortunately, one is returning to Chennai next week, and the other will go back later this year.
This morning I glanced at the sports page of the newspaper and saw the latest young badminton champ, a face that looked vaguely familiar. Turns out, it's one of my yoga friend's daughters, Taanya Ravi, who is so good, at 11 years old, that she's going to the nationals in Pune soon. She studies at one of the top local schools here, National Public School. It's so rigorous academically that they don't allow sports. So Taanya has gone all this way in badminton without any help from her school. I recognized her picture in the paper because she's often training in the children's park where we go with our kids.
I'm gobbling down an onion dosa (dal and rice pancake) with raita (yogurt with tomatoes, carrots, onions) before I have to run and get Molly at school. Meanwhile, the construction workers next door are hammering away like crazy. It's never ending. But at least it's quiet at night.
Had a new cook start working on Monday (Regina Mary) but she didn't show up yesterday or today. Vani's still here 'til the end of August to train anybody who starts new, so I'm not too worried. I guess the work was too hard for Regina, according to Vani, and she complained about her back paining.
Went out to dinner with Laura, Lorna (Indian, who I met in yoga class, and whose husband works for Laura's company), and Laura's sister-in-law Melanie. Ate at Shiok, a Thai/Chinese restaurant close to us. Melanie is Indian, from Bangalore, and Laura's brother, Dave, is American. It's like Laura's looking out for me--before we parted ways after dinner, she made sure we all had each other's email so we can stay in touch and get together if we want to. She reminds me a lot of my sister Patty, with her great sense of humor and sweet way of taking care of others.
Thursday, June 14, 2005
Went to Laura's for the last time with Maya, Molly and Charlie. They had a great time playing with Kaleb and Lucas. The rain came pouring down as we were going, so Molly and Charlie had a great time getting soaked splashing in the puddles as we walked into their apartment. And, three months shy of three years old, Molly went down the slide in their living room (without holding mama's hand) for the first time.
Friday, June 15, 2005
Tonight Badri and I went out to dinner with Laura and Kevin for the first time. We've always gotten together with just the moms, or just the dads, or the whole of both families, but never with just the four of us. Had a nice time at a place called Indi Joe's, where they serve lots of sizzler plates (vegetable, chicken, steak, or seafood) that come to your table steaming like crazy. I really will miss those two. When they return they'll be going back to Banff in Canada. Laura's baby is due in October, and sometime in the year after they'll probably go back to Florida where Digital Juice (their company) is located.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Went over to Ani and Kim's in Koramangala for lunch. They live at the Acropolis, a massive apartment complex right next to the Forum Mall. Maya had a great time playing with Isha and Gaya, and Molly mostly hung out with mama.
In the evening, went out to dinner with Nina and Sandeep, the American/Indian couple we met on the plane coming home from Spain last month. Went to Fiorano's, an Italian restaurant in Koramangala. Drove home in the pouring rain, with partially flooded streets along the way. Reminded me of coming home from Valentine's dinner in Mexico, oh, about eight years ago.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Amma and Appa (Badri's parents) came in on the train from Chennai last night. When the kids saw them downstairs this morning there were resounding screams bouncing off the walls.
Charlie's obsession with cars is now officially over the top. He walks around the streets pointing at cars and saying "Car! Car!" and won't go anywhere (including for a car ride, or to bed) without a car in his clutches.
This afternoon Janaki, Amma's cousin, and her husband, Babu came to visit. Richi, who is Janaki and Babu's son, also came with his wife, Cajoli. Janaki and Babu have recently moved from Chennai to be close to Richi here in Bangalore. Completing the group of relatives visiting were Srinath and Madhu, Janaki's nephew and niece, and Srinath's wife Mrinalini (Mini). You'll see a picture of Maya and Srinath below. Maya took to Srinath, Mini, and Madhu immediately, and was crushed when they left.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Met with Maya and Molly's teachers today. Thank goodness Molly has a patient and understanding teacher, because Molly doesn't like to be made to sit at circle time or basically any other time. Priti, her main teacher, has let the other teachers know that they shouldn't try to pick up Molly and move her where they want her to go--they'll only have a screaming child on their hands. She'll come when she's ready and she sees the others having a good time. She definitely most enjoys rhyming and singing time. Just jumps right up and joins in.
I enjoyed meeting with Maya's teacher, Malithi. She emphasized again how much Maya loves to draw. I think it's partly because of the phenomenal art teacher, Neelu, at the school. They do art every day and Maya comes home in the afternoon and tries to replicate the project they've worked on each day. Maya's learning to write letters in the sasoon style, with little curves so they'll transition to cursive easily later. It's exciting to see her learning to read, too. Amma and Appa brought some books for the children, and they're very contextual, with simple pictures and words. But lots of the words are the sight words she's been practicing at school, and she loves to be able to read them.
Laura came by this afternoon with Lucas and Kaleb for a last playdate before they head off to Canada. Maya is anxious to see them again, as well as her teacher, Ms. Mudhar, from the Canadian School. She knows they're both in Canada, so we've planned that once we return to the U.S. we'll fly to Canada, then take a train from Laura's house to Ms. Mudhar's house to visit everybody. But as I look at a map, I see that a train ride from Alberta (where Laura's family lives in Banff) to Ontario (where Ms. Mudhar is, in Toronto) would be way too long.
Today we had a new cook, Patricia, start. She lives a 20 minute walk away, in Indiranagar. That's very refreshing, because Vani and Rita have to come from so far away. Mala, the housecleaner, also lives in Indiranagar, about 10 minutes away. Mala started last month and she's very sweet. Twenty-six years old, lives with her mother and father. She agreed to come in the morning to clean, then return from 6 to 7 pm to wash dishes and clean the kitchen floor. We were lucky to find someone who can come and go like that, especially with Vani going on her 7th month of pregnancy.
My friend Laura loves to joke about the number of staff, and the rotating door here, with people coming and going. Badri thinks we'll need to continue having a nanny when we go back to the U.S. He also reminisces about how wonderful Karen was. Karen Sweeney was our nanny back in San Diego, and she could either cook or watch the children, depending on what I felt like doing at the time (she worked with us from Mon.-Fri. from 9-5 for 3 months, from when Charlie was born until after we were in India for a few weeks).
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Brought Amma and our nanny Rita to Maya and Molly's school and introduced them to the teachers, so they'll be familiar faces when they pick up or drop off them off.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Charlie's new words: auto (autorickshaws are all over the place, and we call them auto for short) and cockroach (there was a big one on the floor when we came downstairs this morning, and Maya had Charlie saying the word in no time).
Charlie's sleep schedule is ever changing. For the last month he'd been waking up at 4 or 5 in the morning. Amma and Appa got up with him for a couple days, thinking with some warm milk he'd nod off again, but once that boy is out of his crib, there's no getting him back in. He cried for a bit this a.m. and went back to sleep. When I woke I didn't hear him, so I went into his room before going downstairs and he was fast asleep, mosquito net off and car on the floor. Eventually woke at 7am!
He can only wear long pants these days, no matter what the weather, because he runs all the time then rips the skin off his knees on the rough asphalt of the street.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Went out to dinner at Vil'age, a north Indian restaurant in the neighborhood, with the whole family, Amma and Appa, and Sangeetha, Tutu and their two girls. All the kids were well behaved, but Charlie just didn't want to sit in the stroller to eat. At 18 months, it's a tough stage to be trying to get him to sit and eat in a restaurant, especially after his bedtime. We had the kids take late naps so we could go to dinner at 7 pm. Very few restaurants open before that time.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Knock on wood, one week later his sleep schedule is still good (for me)--it's 6:35 am and he's still sleeping! He's generally down to one nap a day, which can be as little as an hour, but sometimes two and a half hours. That doesn't sound like much, compared to the 3-4 hour naps that Maya and Molly used to take, but for Charlie, who's never slept for more than an hour, it's terrific.
Went to playgroup at Phil and Benedict's today with Charlie. Phil and his family are from England, and his wife, Marian, is director at Reuters here in town. Met a very interesting American woman, Karen, who is taking care of the little girl, Reagan, who her daughter is in the midst of adopting.
Our new cook, Patricia, is working out very nicely. She's worked for a few foreign families before (French amongthem) so has a nice repertoire of western dishes, as well as excellent Indian cooking. She made two heavenly soups yesterday, pea and tomato, and is catching right on about how much (or little) chili we like in dishes.
Saturday, July 30
The whole family went to the ISKCON Temple 45 minutes north of here. Amma and Patricia, our cook, dressed me in my new sari, and Molly and Maya were in their pavadi (Indian dresses). The priest did a puja for the family (I think Amma specified it be done for our anniversary). Charlie fell asleep in the car on the way there, so missed out on the temple because he slept in the car. ISKCON stand for International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Lord Krishna is one of the most commonly worshipped deities in the Hindu faith. He is known for destroying evil powers throughout his life.
Sunday, July 31
Went to an event coordinated for Badri's office out at one of the Taj properties, Taj Kuteeram (1 1/2 hours from here). It is very close to the dance village, Nrityagram, that we as a family went to visit at about this time last year. Two of the lead guys from Fair Isaac U.S. were in town, so an evening of entertainment was set up. There was a phenomenal dance troupe that performed dance from all over India, among the regions: Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Kerala. And the grand finale was a beautiful performance of bharatnatyam. This is the most ancient of all the classical dance forms in India. Badri and I realize that we've been here over a year now and haven't been to nearly enough dance and musical performances.
I'll end this month's update on that note. Hope you're all enjoying your summer.
Hugs. Namaste.
Kelly
Appa and his girls
Srinath and Maya
A boy and his phone
Charlie, Molly, and Maya at HAL Airport museum
Charlie and his most recent favorite car
Molly still working on the potty training
Grandfather and grandson enjoying the newspaper
Grandfather and granddaughter enjoying moments together
Patti and Maya
Appa in kurta, Charlie and Mama in sari, before going to temple
Maya and Molly in traditional Indian dress, before going to temple
July 2, 2005
Had my belated Mother's Day present this weekend--went to the Leela Palace Hotel from Saturday 12:30 pm until 2 pm Sunday. It was a bit like the overnighter I had at the Windsor Sheraton for my birthday last November. Badri took Molly for a car ride when bringing me to the Leela. She loves car rides about as much as anything else in the world these days, and to go on one with both Mommy and Appa all to herself--what a treat! Plus she loves going to hotels. The three of us wandered around the Leela for about an hour. She loves the big open space of the bottom level of the Galleria (the shopping area)--holding hands with both Appa and me (imagine--she's almost three and it's only in the last month that she's held both our hands while walking along. It seems ridiculous, but because of going in the car and strollers all the time, she'd really refused to hold anyone's hand walking down the street until last month. I remember one evening we were walking home from Pizza Corner and Badri and I both looked at each other out of the corner of our eye in amazement because she'd taken both our hands for the first time.)
Other things she really loved at the Leela: going out onto the patio and looking out at the trees swaying back and forth in the breeze, eating the complimentary cookies and fruit that came with the room; and when we went down to the outside grounds, walking around the paths and the grass (which you don't find much in India--grass you can walk on, I mean) and staring rapt at the dozens of waterfalls.
After Badri and Molly left, I went for a swim then a jacuzzi. Had a massage at 5 pm, then went for dinner at 7 pm. Ate at Zen, the Japanese restaurant. I was seated inside, but asked to be moved outside. The hostess said it was too windy and wet, but relented. It was a beautiful night. After the day's rain the air seemed cleaner. Had delicious sushi. Went back to the room and borrowed a DVD from the hotel: Cold Creek Manor. Mildly entertaining with two actors I like: Sharon Stone and Dennis Quaid.
Another funny Molly-ism she started saying this week: "I want to sleep on the trouble bed". About six months ago we bought a trundle bed for Maya to sleep on, reasoning that the bottom bed can be used for sleep overs or for Molly when she grows out of her crib. I told her that she'll be able to sleep on the trundle bed when she's in big girl undies and she has her third birthday.
On Sunday morning I had a nice soak in the bath (I last did that when Badri and I were in Delhi not so many months ago) then went for breakfast at Citrus, another of the hotel restaurants. Sat outside next to the waterfall and enjoyed lovely whole wheat bread with various cheeses and fruits, followed by eggs benedict. While eating I read in the local newspaper about a school that had been shut down just outside the city limits. Parents were protesting the fact that school administrators wouldn't add on more grades (beyond grade 7) to the local school. Local officials said the children could walk to the next closest upper grade school, which is 10 kilometers by highway. Also in the news, a train derailed in the heavy rains of Gujarat and was stuck overnight without any help. There were heartwarming stories about the passengers who banded together and switched off all but one cell (mobile) phone at a time in order to conserve batteries so that they could contact those who would eventually rescue them.
Later took another swim, then Badri came to the hotel with Maya and Molly. It was a breezy and cloudy day, so the pool was out. Instead, we borrowed "Mulan" from the hotel DVD collection, and the girls loved snuggling under the blankets and watching the movie. Later Melvin, the driver, brought Charlie to the hotel. We checked out and wandered around the grassy grounds again, finishing up strawberry shakes and coffee at the Barista cafe.
Monday, July 4, 2005
Went out on a fun date this evening with Badri. There was a 4th of July party at the Mynt restaurant at the Taj West End hotel. We had a table for two, which was nice, and also met up with people we knew there. Now that I come to think of it, the people we knew and saw there were all Sri Lankan, British, Belgian, Irish, Korean, French--just so happened, not an American among the bunch. Caught up with Ani and Kim and their two girls, who are heading off to Bali for a mini-vacation this week. They asked how our Spain trip was and sympathized with us, saying they understand how traveling with young'uns is, having done it with their two when the youngest was six months.
My Belgian friend, Muriel, was there and introduced us to her friend, Muriel and her husband (what are the odds of two Muriels at one social occasion?) from France and Israel. The latter two have four children: two toddlers and two teenagers. I thought that was a pretty interesting offspring combo.
Wednesday, July 6, 2005
Said goodbye to another close friend, Aarti, today. She and her family are leaving Friday to go back to England. I met with Aarti and our mutual friend, Laura, for coffee this a.m. Aarti talked about what a wonderful experience this year has been for her, and how she would gladly come back if her husband landed another job here.
Invited a prospective Bangalore couple over for dinner. Raj was in high school with Badri in Delhi, his wife, Gina, is American, and they have two sons, 7 and 8 years old. He works for Dell and they're trying to figure out what the cost of living would be here because he has to be prepared to accept a "local" package. There are two ways of getting paid here if you're an expat--either a local package, which comes with a lot fewer benefits, or an expat package, where many things are covered, such as: car, gasoline, driver, allowance for domestic staff, apartment or house rent, children's tuition, etc. Aarti's husband Dipak was told he could stay on at Capco in Bangalore if they were willing to take a local package, but they decided against it. More and more, people are coming to Bangalore to live and work and are happy to take the local package, especially NRIs (non-resident Indians).
Raj and Gina have been living in Austin, Texas, and think this would be a great opportunity for them and their two boys to live in India for a couple of years.
Thursday, July 7, 2005
Tonight we had Mark Nunes over for dinner. He's the brother of a friend from the U.S. He's traveling on a one month trip with a university group, looking at life in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore. Enjoyed our evening with him, and the kids had a great time coming when we went to pick him up at his hotel, calling him "Uncle Mark" even though they'd never met him before.
Saturday, July 9, 2005
Early last week I was in quite a funk for various reasons, and I feel more fit for the challenge this week, as I write this at 6:10. Charlie woke at 5:30 this morning, which is consistent with his 5:08, 5:09 wake ups this week. Lately, I get up and get him the instant I hear him calling for mama and bring him into the bed. It's clear that he's not going to fall back to sleep in his crib. I snuggle him in close next to his Appa (Badri), and either lay there resting for a while, get Molly when she wakes, or come downstairs for early coffee and email.
Charlie is now officially a car fanatic--brings one wherever he goes, whether in the car or in the crib. What's his word for cow? "Cah!" What's his word for car? "Cah". He's a New Englander at heart, or at least linguistically.
I hear Molly stirring, so I'll try to touch on my cultural adjustment issues later. Actually, as I told Raj and Gina, who were here for dinner this week while on a reconnaisance trip to Bangalore, I would be feeling down and blue like this wherever I was: whether San Diego, Boston, or Bangalore. It's simply a function of the ups and downs of staying at home with three children under 5. I think about my mother, who raised four of us born within four years of each other (1960-1964), and my mother-in-law, who raised three boys born over the same timeline. And they did it without nannies, maids, housecleaners, etc. Imagine bundling up four kids to go out in the snow, then turning to the task at hand of hanging out clothes on the line, which you'd look out and see frozen stiff a short while later (the clothes, not the kids). And think about the labor intensive task of preparing three vegetarian meals a day with three rugrats under foot, with no dishwasher, no mixee (I'm assuming Amma didn't have a food processor in the 60s to make all her wonderful masalas [gravies]).
Monday, July 11, 2005
Rita, the new nanny, seems to be working out nicely. There's a nice chemistry building between her and Charlie. She's here from 8 am to 6:30 pm. I've asked her whether she can handle the commute (2 buses, around 2 hours each way), because I'm really afraid of Charlie getting attached to her and then her leaving because she finds something closer. Little by little Molly's warming up, too, and Maya has a fine time reading and practicing writing with her.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Had a terrific yoga class today. Four fun women there to make it more interesting (occasionally I go to the 10am class and I'm the only one there--just me and "sir" [Acharya, the teacher], not very exciting). Two of the women are co-sisters, meaning they are sisters-in-law, married to brothers. Unfortunately, one is returning to Chennai next week, and the other will go back later this year.
This morning I glanced at the sports page of the newspaper and saw the latest young badminton champ, a face that looked vaguely familiar. Turns out, it's one of my yoga friend's daughters, Taanya Ravi, who is so good, at 11 years old, that she's going to the nationals in Pune soon. She studies at one of the top local schools here, National Public School. It's so rigorous academically that they don't allow sports. So Taanya has gone all this way in badminton without any help from her school. I recognized her picture in the paper because she's often training in the children's park where we go with our kids.
I'm gobbling down an onion dosa (dal and rice pancake) with raita (yogurt with tomatoes, carrots, onions) before I have to run and get Molly at school. Meanwhile, the construction workers next door are hammering away like crazy. It's never ending. But at least it's quiet at night.
Had a new cook start working on Monday (Regina Mary) but she didn't show up yesterday or today. Vani's still here 'til the end of August to train anybody who starts new, so I'm not too worried. I guess the work was too hard for Regina, according to Vani, and she complained about her back paining.
Went out to dinner with Laura, Lorna (Indian, who I met in yoga class, and whose husband works for Laura's company), and Laura's sister-in-law Melanie. Ate at Shiok, a Thai/Chinese restaurant close to us. Melanie is Indian, from Bangalore, and Laura's brother, Dave, is American. It's like Laura's looking out for me--before we parted ways after dinner, she made sure we all had each other's email so we can stay in touch and get together if we want to. She reminds me a lot of my sister Patty, with her great sense of humor and sweet way of taking care of others.
Thursday, June 14, 2005
Went to Laura's for the last time with Maya, Molly and Charlie. They had a great time playing with Kaleb and Lucas. The rain came pouring down as we were going, so Molly and Charlie had a great time getting soaked splashing in the puddles as we walked into their apartment. And, three months shy of three years old, Molly went down the slide in their living room (without holding mama's hand) for the first time.
Friday, June 15, 2005
Tonight Badri and I went out to dinner with Laura and Kevin for the first time. We've always gotten together with just the moms, or just the dads, or the whole of both families, but never with just the four of us. Had a nice time at a place called Indi Joe's, where they serve lots of sizzler plates (vegetable, chicken, steak, or seafood) that come to your table steaming like crazy. I really will miss those two. When they return they'll be going back to Banff in Canada. Laura's baby is due in October, and sometime in the year after they'll probably go back to Florida where Digital Juice (their company) is located.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Went over to Ani and Kim's in Koramangala for lunch. They live at the Acropolis, a massive apartment complex right next to the Forum Mall. Maya had a great time playing with Isha and Gaya, and Molly mostly hung out with mama.
In the evening, went out to dinner with Nina and Sandeep, the American/Indian couple we met on the plane coming home from Spain last month. Went to Fiorano's, an Italian restaurant in Koramangala. Drove home in the pouring rain, with partially flooded streets along the way. Reminded me of coming home from Valentine's dinner in Mexico, oh, about eight years ago.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Amma and Appa (Badri's parents) came in on the train from Chennai last night. When the kids saw them downstairs this morning there were resounding screams bouncing off the walls.
Charlie's obsession with cars is now officially over the top. He walks around the streets pointing at cars and saying "Car! Car!" and won't go anywhere (including for a car ride, or to bed) without a car in his clutches.
This afternoon Janaki, Amma's cousin, and her husband, Babu came to visit. Richi, who is Janaki and Babu's son, also came with his wife, Cajoli. Janaki and Babu have recently moved from Chennai to be close to Richi here in Bangalore. Completing the group of relatives visiting were Srinath and Madhu, Janaki's nephew and niece, and Srinath's wife Mrinalini (Mini). You'll see a picture of Maya and Srinath below. Maya took to Srinath, Mini, and Madhu immediately, and was crushed when they left.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Met with Maya and Molly's teachers today. Thank goodness Molly has a patient and understanding teacher, because Molly doesn't like to be made to sit at circle time or basically any other time. Priti, her main teacher, has let the other teachers know that they shouldn't try to pick up Molly and move her where they want her to go--they'll only have a screaming child on their hands. She'll come when she's ready and she sees the others having a good time. She definitely most enjoys rhyming and singing time. Just jumps right up and joins in.
I enjoyed meeting with Maya's teacher, Malithi. She emphasized again how much Maya loves to draw. I think it's partly because of the phenomenal art teacher, Neelu, at the school. They do art every day and Maya comes home in the afternoon and tries to replicate the project they've worked on each day. Maya's learning to write letters in the sasoon style, with little curves so they'll transition to cursive easily later. It's exciting to see her learning to read, too. Amma and Appa brought some books for the children, and they're very contextual, with simple pictures and words. But lots of the words are the sight words she's been practicing at school, and she loves to be able to read them.
Laura came by this afternoon with Lucas and Kaleb for a last playdate before they head off to Canada. Maya is anxious to see them again, as well as her teacher, Ms. Mudhar, from the Canadian School. She knows they're both in Canada, so we've planned that once we return to the U.S. we'll fly to Canada, then take a train from Laura's house to Ms. Mudhar's house to visit everybody. But as I look at a map, I see that a train ride from Alberta (where Laura's family lives in Banff) to Ontario (where Ms. Mudhar is, in Toronto) would be way too long.
Today we had a new cook, Patricia, start. She lives a 20 minute walk away, in Indiranagar. That's very refreshing, because Vani and Rita have to come from so far away. Mala, the housecleaner, also lives in Indiranagar, about 10 minutes away. Mala started last month and she's very sweet. Twenty-six years old, lives with her mother and father. She agreed to come in the morning to clean, then return from 6 to 7 pm to wash dishes and clean the kitchen floor. We were lucky to find someone who can come and go like that, especially with Vani going on her 7th month of pregnancy.
My friend Laura loves to joke about the number of staff, and the rotating door here, with people coming and going. Badri thinks we'll need to continue having a nanny when we go back to the U.S. He also reminisces about how wonderful Karen was. Karen Sweeney was our nanny back in San Diego, and she could either cook or watch the children, depending on what I felt like doing at the time (she worked with us from Mon.-Fri. from 9-5 for 3 months, from when Charlie was born until after we were in India for a few weeks).
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Brought Amma and our nanny Rita to Maya and Molly's school and introduced them to the teachers, so they'll be familiar faces when they pick up or drop off them off.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Charlie's new words: auto (autorickshaws are all over the place, and we call them auto for short) and cockroach (there was a big one on the floor when we came downstairs this morning, and Maya had Charlie saying the word in no time).
Charlie's sleep schedule is ever changing. For the last month he'd been waking up at 4 or 5 in the morning. Amma and Appa got up with him for a couple days, thinking with some warm milk he'd nod off again, but once that boy is out of his crib, there's no getting him back in. He cried for a bit this a.m. and went back to sleep. When I woke I didn't hear him, so I went into his room before going downstairs and he was fast asleep, mosquito net off and car on the floor. Eventually woke at 7am!
He can only wear long pants these days, no matter what the weather, because he runs all the time then rips the skin off his knees on the rough asphalt of the street.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Went out to dinner at Vil'age, a north Indian restaurant in the neighborhood, with the whole family, Amma and Appa, and Sangeetha, Tutu and their two girls. All the kids were well behaved, but Charlie just didn't want to sit in the stroller to eat. At 18 months, it's a tough stage to be trying to get him to sit and eat in a restaurant, especially after his bedtime. We had the kids take late naps so we could go to dinner at 7 pm. Very few restaurants open before that time.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Knock on wood, one week later his sleep schedule is still good (for me)--it's 6:35 am and he's still sleeping! He's generally down to one nap a day, which can be as little as an hour, but sometimes two and a half hours. That doesn't sound like much, compared to the 3-4 hour naps that Maya and Molly used to take, but for Charlie, who's never slept for more than an hour, it's terrific.
Went to playgroup at Phil and Benedict's today with Charlie. Phil and his family are from England, and his wife, Marian, is director at Reuters here in town. Met a very interesting American woman, Karen, who is taking care of the little girl, Reagan, who her daughter is in the midst of adopting.
Our new cook, Patricia, is working out very nicely. She's worked for a few foreign families before (French amongthem) so has a nice repertoire of western dishes, as well as excellent Indian cooking. She made two heavenly soups yesterday, pea and tomato, and is catching right on about how much (or little) chili we like in dishes.
Saturday, July 30
The whole family went to the ISKCON Temple 45 minutes north of here. Amma and Patricia, our cook, dressed me in my new sari, and Molly and Maya were in their pavadi (Indian dresses). The priest did a puja for the family (I think Amma specified it be done for our anniversary). Charlie fell asleep in the car on the way there, so missed out on the temple because he slept in the car. ISKCON stand for International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Lord Krishna is one of the most commonly worshipped deities in the Hindu faith. He is known for destroying evil powers throughout his life.
Sunday, July 31
Went to an event coordinated for Badri's office out at one of the Taj properties, Taj Kuteeram (1 1/2 hours from here). It is very close to the dance village, Nrityagram, that we as a family went to visit at about this time last year. Two of the lead guys from Fair Isaac U.S. were in town, so an evening of entertainment was set up. There was a phenomenal dance troupe that performed dance from all over India, among the regions: Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Kerala. And the grand finale was a beautiful performance of bharatnatyam. This is the most ancient of all the classical dance forms in India. Badri and I realize that we've been here over a year now and haven't been to nearly enough dance and musical performances.
I'll end this month's update on that note. Hope you're all enjoying your summer.
Hugs. Namaste.
Kelly
Appa and his girls
Srinath and Maya
A boy and his phone
Charlie, Molly, and Maya at HAL Airport museum
Charlie and his most recent favorite car
Molly still working on the potty training
Grandfather and grandson enjoying the newspaper
Grandfather and granddaughter enjoying moments together
Patti and Maya
Appa in kurta, Charlie and Mama in sari, before going to temple
Maya and Molly in traditional Indian dress, before going to temple
# posted by Kelly @ 1:25 PM 
