Caterpillar Curls

Poonimi.

2012-02-07T22:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight for full moon fun night we went to the Hindu temple here in Vegas because full moons are extremely auspicious.

It was very different from the temples in India, but I kind of expected that. It was gorgeous inside, but they didn't allow photos... come visit and we'll take you.

We had a great time sharing things that were a big part of our life in India with my sister Claire and cousin Wes.

The whole time we were there Chloe kept asking for her bindi (the red dot on the forehead). Poor baby is going to be so confused...she is a blonde Ecuadorian that insists on wearing a bindi.

Guess we better start saving for therapy.

Weaned.

2012-02-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

I nursed Chloe for the last time tonight.

Growing up I never thought I would nurse my children for very long...6 months... maybe a year.

And now, here we are and my baby isn't a baby anymore. She is over a year and half and I still get to enjoy those mandatory quiet moments where we just cuddle and giggle and smile.

I have loved those moments.

Those moments gave me strength when I was a new mom.

Those moments gave me time to look at my baby and figure out ways to be the best mama for her.

Those moments gave me purpose and confirmed my decision to become a mother.

Those moments gave me confidence in my ability to care for my child.

Those moments gave me the opportunity to nurture a sweet angel.

Those moments gave me peace, especially as we travelled around the world.

Those moments defined me.

To be honest, I am nervous to embark on this new part of our journey. Nursing has been a major part of my life, our life, for a long time. I am going to miss it.

I am going to miss it a lot.

But. The time has come my friends.

And I will embrace it. And we will grow. And we will make new giving moments. And we will cuddle and giggle and smile.

Rhythm.

2012-02-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

We've all been finding new rhythms now that we are semi settled.

Chloe has her own little routines, favorite places, and preferences.

She has a new obsession with blankets. She is now inseparable from one of her pink blankets, at least in the morning. She will wrap anything and everything in a blanket. She is very meticulous about it too. The blanket has to be absolutely flat before she will wrap a baby in it. She also likes to wrap herself up and then just lay there.

She also loves my parents' dogs. They are all pretty much bff. I don't know if it is because she feeds them half of her food, or because we take them on walks everyday. Maybe both. Either way it is adorable. She loves to rub their bellies and pat them on the head. She is working on throwing toys for them.

Other than that she is just a cute, funny, well tempered kid. I love playing with her all day. I am finding that we have more in common than I expected. We don't look anything a like. Duh. But if Chloe even sees anyone wipe something she will shriek until she gets her own towel to wipe something clean. If she sees a piece of trash anywhere she will pick it up and take it to the trash. And before she moves on from playing she will usually put all of her toys away...without being asked.

The poor dear. Why couldn't she have just gotten the curls?

Merging.

2012-02-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Now that we are back in the states I have struggled with the process of merging different aspects of our life together to make our new post-India life here in the US.

I don't wear the clothing anymore, but I have taught several people how to tie a sari.

I don't eat curry at every meal everyday, but I love the weekly curry dinner we have with my family.

I don't get to go to the open markets anymore and bargain with little old ladies, but I do get to do bountiful baskets with my mom.

I don't chop vegetables on the floor with my best friends, but I get to cut vegetables on the counter with my family.

I don't do muggu on my porch every night, but every once and a while my sister and I will pull out the chalk and do a giant colorful muggu on the street or driveway.

It has been, and continues to be, a process. But I am enjoying figuring out where the pieces of our life fit now.

Yesterday we decided to do a huge muggu on our driveway and we invited a young girl from our church who loves India.

I had so much fun watching as a big part of my life in India surged with life again here in the US. Most days muggu is just something I think about, but yesterday I was back in India with my friends laughing and debating which designs to use and where to put different colors.

Our muggu turned out beautiful.

But I think the memory is even more beautiful.

Gingerbread Man.

2012-02-02T08:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I ran.

One and a half miles. At a decent pace. Without stopping. Or dying after.

Now, before you marathon runners start laughing and click the little "x"... hear me out.

I haven't run in years. Like since my sophomore year.

Of high school.

How lame is that?

Super lame.

Anyway. Yesterday I ran. And I actually really liked it. I might even do it again sometime.

Bathing.

2012-01-30T21:59:00.001-08:00

We didn't have a tub in India. Even if we did I don't think I would have let Chloe take baths. The water was pretty gnarly. If we're going to be honest.

Now that we're in a place where we can take baths Chloe takes at least one a day.

Normally more.

She loves it. A lot a lot.

Her favorite thing in the entire world is when we jazz it up with bubbles so she can make fake beards.

On this particular night we were watching Harry Potter so we gave her a wooden spoon to help teach her the proper "swish and flick" form that will be necessary if she wants to excel at Hogwarts.

My favorite part isn't necessarily the bath itself...it is right after when she is all clean and jammied and we get to snuggle before we say goodnight. Magic.

Bad Luck.

2012-01-25T08:35:00.000-08:00

Hello dear friend.

Please pardon my absence; we have been catching up with family and friends, crying for joy at the presence of toilet paper in our lives again, eating bread, and taking lots of long hot showers.

I'm sure you understand.

Today I'd like to share a story about a streak of bad luck changing.

Brad and I have had a streak of bad luck with homeless people.

For example, one night we were walking to our car from the state fair and we saw a homeless guy so Brad went over to give him our bag of cotton candy. The man looked at the bag and then handed it back and said, "Aw naw man. I'm a diabetic. I will straight up die!"

Fail.

We have continued trying, but with little success.

The other day I was driving home from helping at a tennis tournament and I saw this poor man on the side of the road. His sign just said, "Food, Men's Clothing." Something about the expression on his face really struck me. You could just tell life had been rough on him, but he still had hope.

I rushed home and told Brad about the man. He went through his clothes to find some things to give him and I put together a bag of food.

As we drove back to the corner I saw him on I was convinced he wouldn't be there because of our bad luck streak. When we saw him standing right were he was when I passes I started yelpin' for joy.

We pulled into the nearest parking lot and Brad gathered the stuff to take it over to him.

While Brad waited to cross the street the man started to walk away, so far that I couldn't see him anymore. Then, right before Brad was able to cross the street he started coming back! Once Brad reached the man he gave him the shirts and food and the look on the man's face was shocked gratitude. He immediately cracked open the Dr. Pepper we brought and started chatting with Brad. Then his brother came over from the other corner.

Turns out they lost everything, including their IDs, and they have been living on the streets ever since.

When the brother got there he asked Brad, "Do you know our father?" Brad told him he didn't think he did. Then the brother said, "I think you do, or else you wouldn't be doing this." Brad laughed as it clicked and then responded, "Oh! That Father. Yeah, I know Him."

A little more small talk and that was it. Our luck changed and hopefully they got to sleep with full bellies.

The Taj.

2011-12-31T08:36:00.000-08:00

On our way out of India we took a trip to the Taj Mahal.

I talked to a few people before we left about going to the Taj Mahal and they all said they were disappointed when they went because they thought it would much bigger than it was. I tried to keep my expectations low to keep from being disappointed by what is supposed to be one of the wonders of the world.

We hired a car and drove the five hours from Delhi to Agra.

Our driver dropped us off at a random gate in the middle of Agra and said it was just through there.

We walked through the gate and saw all of the camel carts that we could hire to pull us up to the Taj Mahal. We decided to walk, a decision I would later regret when we saw the first of many monkeys. Luckily they didn't bother us, that doesn't mean I didn't cower behind Brad every time I caught a glimpse of one.

I thought we would finally turn a corner and then it would just be standing there. Every bend left me with great anticipation as I craned my neck to see if the Taj would be waiting for us behind that curve.

Eventually we got to the ticket counter. We bought our tickets and got through security and it was still nowhere to be seen. We walked up to this building and we could finally see what looked like the Taj Mahal in the far off fog. I was already overwhelmed with how purposeful it all was. Everything was symmetrical and thought out. I was stunned.

And then, like magic, there it was.

I seriously almost started crying. It passed all of my expectations. It was giant. It was romantic. It was majestic. It was beautiful. It was art. It was history. It was a creation.

And I was there.

We were freezing, but we were all so happy to be there. There was a sort of overwhelming reverence as you walked through the archway and it came into focus. Everyone was stunned. Everyone was amazed. Everyone was respectful.

Even the landscaping and plants were symmetrical and well planned.

On each side of the Taj Majal there are buildings made out of sandstone and marble. I almost liked these more because of the contrast between the red and white. They were just as ornate and impressive.

This is a close up of some of the marble designs.

The sandstone and marble building from the Taj.

The amazing archways in the sandstone and marble building.

One of the domes.

More of the detail work.

We couldn't take pictures inside the actual Taj Majal. I wish we could have. It was just as impressive as the rest, if not more so. I guess you'll just have to go see for yourself.

This is an experience I will keep in my heart always. The beauty is paralyzing and the story is enchanting. It connected me with the past and with humanity.

But most of all when it came into view something made my heart beat faster and my eyes widen. It rekindled something in my soul. It inspired me and touched me in a way that I forgot was possible.

It was a great way to end a great adventure.

Onions.

2011-12-19T08:39:00.000-08:00

We left Vizag today.

It was a sad goodbye, but we'll be okay. I may be leaving friends, but I've learned that as long as I have my love, my baby, and my memories I can be happy.

We've made good friends here and it's hard to leave good friends. It was hardest to say goodbye to all of the cooks. They have all become some of my best friends.

We spent countless hours in the kitchen together cutting vegetables, washing dishes, laughing, crying, teaching, learning, sweating, and smiling. We built a sisterhood.

Our sisterhood didn't happen right away. It took a quite a while before it felt natural. I remember the first few times I helped in the kitchen; it was awkward and I felt like an outsider. I was an outsider. I didn't understand what they were saying, I didn't know how to cook Indian food, I had never even cut vegetables on the floor. But everyday we worked at it. We learned each others native tongue. We learned to cook each others favorite dishes. We learned to be friends.

Durga and I were probably the closest.

We spent the most one on one time together and it really gave us time to figure each other out.

I remember one day where I was just feeling like a total failure I went into the kitchen to cut onions and grate carrots for dinner. I needed alone time where I was still doing something. Durga could tell. Somedays we would laugh and dance and joke and talk, but somedays we just stirred the curry in silence. This day was a silent day. Durga and I were standing next to each other at the stove stirring our different dishes when Durga without looking up said, "Emily ma'am, good wife, good mother, good friend, good cook, good dancer, good student."

And like that, my heart felt better.

A couple days later Durga's son got sick, and she was dealing with some family issues and it was my turn to break the stirring silence. "Durga ma'am, good wife, good mother, good friend, good cook, good sister, good daughter, good tailor."

And she smiled, I hope because her heart felt better.

This became our little routine when we could tell the other person was having a rough day. Sometimes we'd mouth it across the room, sometimes we'd whisper it during a hug, sometimes we'd yell it as we were leaving the room. It didn't really matter how it was said, just that it was said.

I found myself repeating those things to myself when it felt like I was messing everything up.

Today when I hugged Durga goodbye I whispered in her ear, "Good wife, good mother, good friend." And by then we were both sobbing too hard to finish.

There are so many reasons I'm grateful for the friendship we created. I'm grateful that we embraced the differences that could have divided us. Instead we let them strengthen us.

We might look like night and day, and we might worship in completely different ways, and we might not be able to understand each others marriages, and we might not dress the same way, and we might not like the same music or movies, and we might prefer different flavors, and we might come from different backgrounds, and we might have completely different ways of understanding the world but....

we all cry when we cut onions.

Vuda Park.

2011-12-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Vuda Park.

Only I kept accidentally calling it Voodoo Park.

It was so fun. It was way more beautiful, clean, and peaceful than I expected. Chloe loved it too. They had a ferris wheel, a train, paddle boats, a ton of play equipment, and a lovely little path that wound all the way around the park and was stroller friendly.

We didn't ride any of the stuff because it was all shut down for maintenance or something, but it was still cool to look at.

This was the entrance.

One of the paths.

The park went all the way to the beach so we got to enjoy the amazing beach breeze which we loved because today was really hot. I have absolutely no clue how we are going to survive when we land in Salt Lake City in flip flops and short sleeves.

Some of the paths has mosaic tile designs.

Before we left the cooks brought Sidu, who they occasionally dress up like a girl, over to our house and asked us to take pictures of him. This one is my favorite. Chloe loves loves loves giving people kisses on the cheek.

Tomorrow is our last real day here in India. I am torn. I want to be home with family so badly, but I love it here and I really don't want to have to say goodbye to all of our friends. It makes it easier knowing that there is Diet Coke in the US and that we'll be back here for Brad's PhD research.

But still. It's tough.

Coconut water.

2011-12-15T07:18:00.000-08:00

My latest obsession has been coconut water. There are little old men that have carts with mounds of coconuts all over here. You give them 20 cents and they cut off the top and give you a straw. It is the best. It has just enough flavor to satisfy my taste buds. Delicious I tell you, delicious. Chloe loves to share it with me, so much so that I've debated the idea of getting her her own. She always seems to guzzle mine. Next time I suppose.

The cooks also love coconut water so whenever we're out with them we'll treat them to one. Whenever we buy Durga one she tilts her head back and while raising her hands towards heaven says in the most sincere voice, "Thank you God."

Yes, thank God indeed. I will surely miss fresh coconut water.

AIDvertisementS.

2011-12-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

AIDS is a big deal here in India.

I'm not sure if I mean that in a good way or a bad way.

There are advertisements all over the place about AIDS. At first I was kind of shocked by all of the waving condoms and "Talk AIDS, Stop AIDS" signs , but then it just made me laugh.

The wording is usually what gets me.

My favorite slogan is this:

"Avoid sex with strangers.

Avoid AIDS."

Avoid? Really? That's it? Avoid? Avoid sex with strangers? HAHA.

I think they could have picked a better word that was a little more forceful. Avoid makes it seem like something you should try not to have sex with strangers, but if it happens then oh well.

Brad is laying on the floor right now giving me a list of words to use instead of avoid.

Denounce sex with strangers.

Refuse sex with strangers.

Don't have sex with strangers.

Bemoan sex with strangers.

Run away from sex with strangers.

Be wary of sex with strangers.

Abstain from sex with strangers.

Shun sex with strangers.

This is getting out of hand.

You get the point.

This is Brad sitting in front of one of our favorite local AIDS signs. It says, "I have AIDS please hug me I can't make you sick!"

And there you have it.

Amu.

2011-12-13T10:03:00.000-08:00

This is Chloe and her best friend Amu.

They really are best friends. They love each other so much. Whenever they see each other they start calling out each others names and waving frantically. They are always giggling and hugging and playing.

It will be a sad day when we have to say goodbye.

This is the besties with their mamas.

I sure do love a good friend.

Crap.

2011-12-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

Today started out great.

Chloe not only slept through the night, but she also slept in past 6. This was amazing.

We got to skype both of our families, which we always love.

We hit the one week countdown.

Chloe took a great morning nap.

Brad and I went on our date. We went book hunting and then we got pizza. It was really fun and we were laughing to whole time.

Then we went to see the public library and it was closed.... because it is some sort of holiday or festival. We should have known better. December, like November, is a very auspicious month.

From there it kind of went down hill.

We came home to find out that Chloe had a huge blow out (her poor nanny) and she had been redressed in some ghetto fabulous Utah jersey thing that one of the previous students had brought for Sidu. It was beyond words. I should have gotten a picture.

We played with Chloe for a bit and put her down for her afternoon nap. Then we took little cat naps which were really quite lovely.

Don't let that fool you though because once woke up we really started getting momentum on that hill we were descending.

We left to go get some dinner at a charming little restaurant in the neighborhood. Seriously right after we placed our order Chloe had another blow out, only I didn't realize it was a blowout until I was walking outside with her on my hip and I felt it start to slide down my arm. Ew. Ew. Ew. Gross.

The restaurant doesn't have a bathroom so I had to go outside and change her on the ground. So grateful for the travel diaper changing pad. Such a life saver.

So there we were outside, poop everywhere and my sweet angel lying on the ground in India. Not exactly ideal. The blow out was so bad and runny that the poop flowed out of the diaper and started running down the side walk.

Have you ever tried to hold on to a white one year old who is covered in poop and determined to go exploring while you try to wash poop off of her, yourself, your diaper changing pad, and the sidewalk outside a restaurant while not attracting a crowd?

I have. It's tough.

The bad news is they didn't have a garbage can outside. The good news is there are open sewers everywhere here so I could just throw the dirty diaper in there and not think twice about it. This is the first time those open sewers have come in handy for me.

We ended up getting our food to go because Chloe and I smelt terrible and I felt terrible.

When we got home we saw that a dog had pooped on our door mat. Always a welcome sight. Not.

The hoodlums weren't on our steps so I figured they had already returned to their orphanage. About ten minutes later they showed up calling for Chloe so I told them to wait two minutes so I could pop some popcorn for them. I ran into the kitchen, popped the popcorn, divided it up and went to take it out and they were gone. Of course.

Normally I would have just eaten the popcorn with Brad and Chloe, but tonight I wrapped it in newspaper. That is how they do it here. If you go to the temple or buy food off the street they wrap it in newspaper. It's pretty convenient when you have tons of old newspapers you're just going to throw away and you need something to carry popcorn in... but I just can't bring myself to eat something after it's been wrapped in that. I feel dirty just after touching newspaper so I'm definitely not going to eat something that has been soaking in it. Yuck.

Anyway, then after Chloe was all washed and tucked in bed Brad and I were sitting on the couch and we saw a rat run out of our bedroom and into the office.

I think I could handle any one of these issues no problem, but when they are all compounded into a couple of hours it leaves me feeling a little defeated.

Hopefully Chloe will find a better way to get attention and a wardrobe change, the dog will consider its territory marked, and that stupid rat will eat the arsenic we shoved down it's hole.

Happy Monday.

Full moon fun night.

2011-12-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

I have this really awesome Uncle. Well, I have a lot of really awesome uncles.

But this one started this thing called "full moon fun night" with his family.

It's pretty much the coolest thing ever.

Every month on the night of the full moon their family does something fun.

Sometimes they go get ice cream. Sometimes they have air soft gun wars. Sometimes they buy those cheap planes from the dollar store and fly them out of the second story window and have competitions. Sometimes they go star gazing.

Basically they do cool, out of the ordinary stuff as a family.

I love this idea. Brad and I have tried to incorporate it into our family. I like that it is family time without being your "Monday night family home evening." And, it's only once a month, so it's often enough to be routine, but rare enough to maintain some sort of magic.

For the full moon fun night this month (which was tonight, by the way) we decided to go for a walk up to the beach and watch the lunar eclipse. How awesome is that? This one was supposed to be super amazing because it was going to be really long.

We walked up to the beach and guess what. It was way too overcast to see anything. So we went an got veg burgers and ice cream instead. Which was awesome, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't as breath taking as a lunar eclipse... unless, of course, you count the fact that I ate way way way too much and was out of breath carrying the stroller up like 3 stairs.

Can't believe I just admitted that. Moving on.

When we got home we went up on the roof and saw this:

At first it was the completely dark moon, but we couldn't really get a picture of that. I was so excited that we got to see the end of the eclipse. It really was stunning. Over the next hour we went up on the roof several more times to watch the progression.

Ta-Da! Full moon restored to 100% visibility.

Look at how cute they are. Just look.

I love them. And I love full moon fun night.

Good night dear friends. I hope you have a magical full moon fun night with your families as well.

Good night moon.

Hoodlums.

2011-12-08T06:56:00.000-08:00

At the Krishna temple near our house they worship several times a day.

First they walk around the god while chanting and banging things together. Then they stand in front of the god and chant. Then they go up to the priest and he pours water three times in their hand from a special brass cup. Then they drink the water and do namaste while they bow their head. While they bow their head the priest puts a brass hat-ish cover thing that has feet on the top of to symbolize putting your head to the feet of the god. Then they get prasad, which is usually rice, and represents the essence of the god.

Or at least this is all how I understand what I have seen and had explained to me.

In our neighborhood there a bunch of mangy looking hoodlums, that are simultaneously disgusting and adorable. They are young girls and boys that run around the neighborhood all day. They walk around the park with us when we go walking. They always say hi to us. They collect the almonds that fall from the trees in the parks and eat them. They pee and poop on the side of the road. They always look dirty. They cough and it sounds like they are trying to cough up lions.

But they are still adorable. And they love Chloe. And she loves them.

Every night they go to the temple to participate in worship and get the prasad, because it is essentially free food.

After they get their dinner they come eat it on our porch.

Initially, I'll be honest, this irritated me. They got rice everywhere and left their trash. This didn't last long because I realized this is probably their only chance at getting dinner.

A few days ago Brad suggested doing a sub-for-Santa here in India, but we rationalized not doing it because everyone here is Hindu and we won't even be here for Christmas and blah blah blah.

But then we decided to give the prasad eating hoodlums something extra every night.

Tonight it was rice and popcorn.

This is only a few of them, normally we have at least eight... the others were still in the temple when we took this.

It has given us something to look forward to each day and they seem to enjoy it.

I hope it helps. Just a little bit.

Bats.

2011-12-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

We have been trying to make the most of our last few weeks here in India, so each day we go on at least one little outing.

A few nights ago our outing was to get ice cream and watch the bats fly up the street.

I don't know why I love doing this so much. Why is it so mesmerizing to watch bats?

I think it's something about how right at dusk, the second you are sure the sun is about to slip behind the horizon, they start coming up. At first it's just a few small ones, and then in groups of at least twenty they start emerging and gliding across the sky.

The bats we watch are huge. Their wingspans are like 4 feet (that estimate is from Brad, so it's probably pretty accurate). There were easily 200 that we saw this last time we went.

Here is a really terrible picture to show you. I tried my hardest to get a good picture, but I just failed miserably.

Yes, I'm going to miss ice cream and bat watching.

Rain dance.

2011-12-05T07:54:00.000-08:00

We've been in a bit of a water crisis here lately.

It hasn't rained since Diwali and it was really starting to affect us. This week it got pretty bad.

We didn't have water to wash dishes with.

We didn't have water to bathe with.

We didn't have water to flush the toilet with.

Luckily we did have drinking water, which was comforting.

This lasted for two days.

And then, dear friends, it rained.

It rained hard. It rained all day. It was fabulous.

I even did an interpretive rain dance to an Enya song as part of the celebration. Chloe joined in for a little bit, but her dance looked more like a rain dance that would be choreographed to a song by Beyonce... but whatever. We weren't able to finish the entire song because we were all laughing way too hard for the performance to be given the proper respect that it deserved.

Until the next rain I suppose.

Aside from the things listed above it also influenced our power. We were having at least 6 hours of power cuts a day because the power source is hydroelectric. And can I just say that I would so much rather have water than power. Cut the power all you want, but please let me take a proper shower.

On the upside I have gotten really good at washing my hair and shaving my legs using less than 3 gallons of water. I think I'll put that on my resume. On second thought maybe I wont. I don't think I will be applying for jobs where they care about my shaving habits any time soon.

Navy Day.

2011-12-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

Today was Navy Day down at the beach so we went to check it out.

Nobody really would tell us what Navy Day meant, but they were all really excited. There were people all over the beach and the road.

They were all watching the different ships and planes that were out in and above the ocean.

From what I understand it was like a parade/fire drill for the navy. It was entertaining for us. They blew something in the ocean up. The explosion was huge and it left a very large plume of smoke.

This morning we went to a naming ceremony for one of the local Brahmin families. I didn't stay for long because Chloe was super restless, but Brad got to stay for all of it. I say "got to" but Brad might say "had to." One of the ladies there said that if he left her mother-in-law would scold her so he stayed. What a good gentleman I married.

Cake and Indian trail mix.

2011-12-03T06:55:00.001-08:00

A few days ago one of our neighbor boys invited us to his birthday party. He was turning 9. He is probably my favorite of the neighborhood boys. He is always so polite and considerate and he always gives Chloe candy and gifts for the different festivals.

What's not to love?

So of course we agreed to go... not entirely sure what to expect.

We bought him a gift and some candy and showed up 20 minutes past when they said the party would start.

Silly us.

We should have known to wait at least an hour past "fashionably late." They weren't even home!

Eventually they came home and we went over. First they burned a candle and some incense for the specific gods that the family worships and for the birthday boy.

Once the proper respects had been paid to the gods and birthday boy we all took turns putting rice on his head while we wished him well in his studies, or with good health, or a hott wife, or whatever we felt like.

Then they lit 9 candles on the cake and we sang happy birthday while he blew all of the candles except one out. They let that one burn the entire time they cut the cake.

The cake cutting was very much like that of a wedding in the US. The parents and the boy cut the cake together and then they each took a turn feeding it to each other. And then he fed his brother and aunt. Then they served all of us. Luckily we didn't have to do the whole feeding each other thing. The birthday treats were two cookies, a piece of cake and masala flavored trail mix. SO YUMMY. It all went surprisingly well together.

This is the family cutting the cake. The smallest boy is the birthday boy.

This is Chloe giving the gift to the birthday boy.

The rest of the party was spent laughing, eating, and everyone loving on Chloe (and the birthday boy... we didn't steal the whole show).

And this is just a cute picture for the heck of it.

I wore white to a wedding.

2011-12-01T05:50:00.000-08:00

Today we went to a traditional Indian wedding.

We all got dressed up in our traditional clothes for the event. Brad is in a kurta, I'm in my Kerala sari, and Chloe is in the traditional dress for young girls.

This is the back of my Kerala sari.

This is me with the cooks, the program director, and his brother.

This is how we knew we were at the right place when we showed up at the event location.

First we grabbed some breakfast. This is where all of the meals were served.

Then we went into this auditorium to listen to the wedding puja. They had two bands that played at the same time. Go figure. And they had a full on camera crew. Once the wedding ceremony was over we went up on stage and threw rice on the head of the groom and the bride, three times on each head... it's more auspicious that way.

This is the couple. They are such awesome people. We are so excited for them and we're glad we got to experience their wedding.

Once we had sprinkled the rice on their heads we snagged some chocolate and went home for a nap. After that we went back for lunch and one last well wishing to the happy couple. It was such a great experience. It was probably the only time in my life that wearing white to another person's wedding won't be a complete disaster.

Sikh and ye shall find.

2011-11-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

Before we came to India I asked my awesome 14 year old sister what she wanted from India.

She said a turban.

I laughed and asked her what she really wanted.

She said a turban.

So when we got to India I kept my eyes open for turbans. After several month of no luck I decided we needed to be more agressive if we were going to pull through on the turban for Claire.

We figured the best way to find where people buy turbans was to ask someone who wears one and we figured the best way to find someone who wears one was to stalk the local Sikh temple.

And that's just what we did.

After five trips to the temple and a personal "turban tying" lesson from the main guru we finally got Claire's turban.

And it's yellow.

Brad decided he also needed one, but decided to go with a more subtle black because let's get real.... a 6'6" white guy walking around with a yellow turban on is just much too flashy. We wouldn't want to make a spectacle of ourselves now would we?

Brad is wearing Claire's turban in the picture above because the guru tied it for him. I'm wearing Brad's because we wanted to try it ourselves.... that's why mine looks pathetic.

Purpose.

2011-11-29T02:10:00.000-08:00

Previously in my life I have just found purpose.

It's always just been sitting there waiting for me to find it and fill.

It's always been rather convenient.

And then we came to India and there wasn't a ready-made "purpose" waiting for me here.

I tried looking for it. I spent a few days awkwardly trying to makeshift some sort of purpose based on my life in the US but it left me feeling empty and, well, purposeless, so I abandoned that idea.

And then it hit me.

Sometimes you find purpose.

Sometimes you have to create purpose.

There wasn't a mold for me to fill here. There weren't any expectations. There wasn't a standard that I could use.

I didn't have any of my normal responsibilities (aside from being a wife and taking care of Chloe). I didn't have to cook, wash clothes, clean, shop...etc.

Essentially I could have sat in a corner all day and it wouldn't have mattered. Life would carry on without my assistance, and this fact bothered me.

And so I started creating purpose for myself.

I made toys for Chloe.

I learned to use the sewing machine and started mending/tailoring for the program.

I carved a random piece of wood (that I got permission to take).

I started learning to cook.

I made friends.

I planned dinners and parties for the program student.

I started walking everyday.

I took dance classes.

I created purpose.

I found happiness.

I found self worth.

I found friendship.

I found life.

The Jew Park.

2011-11-27T05:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to the zoo park. Only here they can't really say the "z" sound so they call it the "Jew park" and it makes me laugh. Every. Time. It sounds funny, and politically incorrect, and terrible all at the same time.

All of the cooks all morning kept asking, "Ma'am, today Jew?"

At first I was super confused and kept saying, "No, I'm still Mormon."

Then I finally realized they were saying zoo. Baha.

It was a great day. We took all of the cooks with us as a sort of celebration because all of the students left this week. The celebration was more that the semester was a success, not necessarily that the students are gone.

The zoo looked like this:

Pretty much they just went out in the jungle, dug some trenches, put up some little rails, threw in some wildlife and started charging people. It was amazing. It totally beats any zoo I've been to in the states. The animals had tons of space to roam and they weren't in cages (except for the birds).

These are the awesome star turtles.

This is the idiot man that climbed over the railing to get a better look at the huge bear that was down in the trench.

Have you ever seen a sloth bear? They are adorable. Forget a puppy, I want a sloth bear. Look how cute!

My favorites were the white tigers. They were so so so beautiful.

At the end of the day we were all happy and exhausted.

As a last note can I just tell you that Indians even eat curry on picnics at the zoo.

Genetics.

2011-11-26T08:08:00.001-08:00

Guys, this is serious.

From the back which of these babies looks more like mine?

Baha.

Top three.

2011-11-23T06:51:00.000-08:00

Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving.

I thought about making a giant list of all the things I'm grateful for, but then I realized that my list would probably be the same as yours.

Instead, I took a picture of my top three for this year.

1. I'm grateful for my amazing husband Brad.

2. I'm grateful for my adorable (and extremely entertaining) daughter Chloe.

3. I'm grateful we will be home for Christmas this year!

In the picture Chloe is holding up her finger because we only have one month left.

Will someone please enjoy some stuffing for me tomorrow? Thanks.

Day job.

2011-11-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

So we ended up being in that soap opera I mentioned the other day.

How funny is that?

It was hysterical. I could not keep a straight face at all.

If I thought for half a second about what we were doing I just lost it.

So they sent a car for us Monday morning. They drove us to this random hill with a bunch of call centers on it. They told us we were going to be the hero's international IT buddies. Then they asked if we brought our formal clothes.

Formal clothes? Um. No. Were we supposed to?

Well then the wardrobe/costume man pulls out a bunch of bags full of suits that I'm pretty sure even DI wouldn't sell and he starts sizing us up.

Brad ended up wearing a tux that was about three sizes too small. With brown sandals, and a brown plaid half collar shirt, and a blue striped tie.

I ended up wearing a men's suit that was about three sizes too big. With flip flops, and a tunic top.

We looked ridiculous.

But the wardrobe guy thought we looked great and kept giving us the thumbs up. It should be noted that this guy didn't know how to tie a tie so Brad ended up tying everyone's ties for them. I have no clue how this man got his job. Family connection maybe?

Once we were dressed they had us do this scene where we followed the hero into the building.

And then this scene where we followed him out of the building.

And then this scene where we ran down the street with serious looks on our faces and empty binders in our hands.

And then this scene where I opened the empty binder and the hero guy pointed at something in the book and then something on the horizon.

And then they said we could go.

Thank heaven.

We had to meet them at the beach later that night for one last scene. They said it was a boat scene. I was expecting something kind of James Bondey, but we just showed up to some random fishing village.

The boats went two miles an hour. Maybe.

And I'm pretty sure the boat we were in was sinking. The water line inside the boat kept rising.

Once we were all in the boat we just drove around for like 15 minutes in what I call "the formation"... it was how we were supposed to stand in every scene.

The Formation.

Every so often the hero would put his leg up on the bench, take off his glasses, look around, then put his glasses back on.

Then we were done.

When we got in the other boat to be taken back to our car there was another boat next to ours and somehow they accidentally untied the wrong boat. How? I'm not sure. But it made me laugh so. hard. I seriously almost fell over. I mean seriously, just picture this for me and try not to laugh:

Brad is in a tux, I'm in a huge suit, we're both sitting in this ancient rowboat with a guy that is carrying a metallic purse and this little 12 year old boy that is our driver. Then they untie our boat and try to push off only to find that the other boat is drifting off to sea. The next 15 minutes consisted of frenzy as they tried to wrangle the tiny boat back to shore, an old man yelling in Telugu and almost falling into the ocean, me busting a gut, and this little girl on the shore yelling bye a million times.

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

What a classic day.

And we made like 20 bucks. Woot.

Don't worry, if I had a day job I would keep it.

Kitchen.

2011-11-20T05:45:00.000-08:00

Now that the students are gone we are doing all of our own cooking.

Previously we went to another house for all of our meals and our kitchen was used as storage.

Last week we cleaned out our kitchen, put a stove in, and now we're all set to cook!

I forgot how much I love to cook my own food. Before I just helped cook at the other house, and took care of the occasional Sunday dinner, but nothing really consistent or that important.

It has been so awesome to have the freedom that comes with having your own kitchen. We are happy campers.

Below are some pictures of our kitchen. I'm sorry they turned out a little grainy.

They also do muggu on the kitchen countertops here... that's what is drawn all over the place. :)

Calling.

2011-11-18T04:11:00.000-08:00

The other day I was in our bedroom getting dressed when I heard Chloe calling me from the front room.

It was the, "Mom.... mom...." call.

You know. The one where you can tell everything is alright, your baby just wants an audience.

So I finished getting dressed and came out to this...

When she saw me she just said, "Hi." She didn't even get up.

She even stayed that way long enough for me to go and get our camera!

When I asked her to smile this is the face she made.

Gracious, somedays she makes me laugh.

In other news, last night a man came by our house and asked one of our cooks if Brad and I would be in his soap opera. So we've got that going for us.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas.

2011-11-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. So is Brad.

Chloe not so much.

It's kind of weird not going home for any holidays this year. I thought it would be harder than it has been.

I mean, we miss you guys, don't get me wrong.

It just isn't as painful as I thought it would be.

I think it helps that it doesn't feel like the holidays at all here. It still feels like June. Or July.

Whichever is hotter where you live.

There aren't any decorations, we aren't cold, we can't make any of the treats that you make during holiday times, there isn't snow, the shops haven't changed, there isn't any of the stuff that makes Christmas feel like Christmas.

And not in a bad way either.

If I sit down and think about what it would be like if we were back in Utah then it gets a little weird and sad, but if I just carry on with what I have here in India it doesn't really matter at all.

We're pretty much skipping the holidays, and I'm not sad about it. At all. Really. I'm not.

Instead of trying to replicate things I can't replicate here, we're just going for completely different.

For Thanksgiving we might mix it up and go to Pizza Hut. Or maybe we'll have curry. Or maybe we'll fast. We haven't decided yet.

As for our white Christmas, since we can't have a white Christmas that looks like this....

We're going to have a white Christmas that looks like this...

photo

We're going to the Taj Mahal for Christmas! I am so excited! It is going to be a fabulous adventure and a great way to mix it up.

Yeah, this is a white Christmas I've been dreaming of for a while.

Salmon Room - 2

2011-11-16T08:57:00.000-08:00

For our last FHE with the students we did another Salmon Room. Most of the students performed songs, we ate delicious food, and enjoyed one last hurrah before they all go home.

Brad and I did the skit where you turn your chins into faces and talk upside down. It was pretty funny. Brad grew some facial hair and then shaved it to look like a mustache when we was upside down. So. Funny. Before we performed we decided to rehearse at home. We spent a good half hour laughing like little girls on our living room floor. It was fabulous.

I also performed a dance with the other girls that I have been taking dance classes with.

It will be weird when they all go home. I'm kind of excited for a little bit of time to ourselves though.

Super Auspicious.

2011-11-15T06:30:00.000-08:00

A cow took a dump on my muggu.

I feel so blessed.

I don't think it gets more auspicious than a holy cow relieving himself on your magnificent muggu during the month of November.

I think this is a sign of good things to come.

Magnum Opus.

2011-11-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

Today I completed my muggu magnum opus.

It is my first completely original muggu. I drew it out on paper a while ago and I have just been waiting/debating when to actually do it on the street.

While tomorrow isn't a festival for anyone else here in India (surprising, I know) we are having one last party with the students before they go home, it is one of the girl's birthdays, and this is the last week they will all be here.

So tonight it was.

It is huge.

I hope you understand that I really mean it when I say it is huge.

Maybe ginormous is a better word.

It had a 712 dot grid I had to draw before I could start drawing it. Most normal muggu only have around 50. A big one has around 200 or 300.

It took up the whole street.

By the time I was done drawing the dots I had attracted quite the crowd. All of the people in the surrounding homes were out on their balconies and roofs. There was also a group of people out in the street. All of the women wanted to help so I let them fill in the color and help add the flowers.

It was so much fun to work together with all of my neighbors. I had originally planned on doing the whole thing by myself and didn't really want any help, but I'm so glad that they ended up helping. It was way more fun doing it together. It was really funny to listen to a group of 8 grown women discuss which color should be where and why.

This is us standing by the finished product (well, almost finished, I still have to add a few flowers... all of the pink ones at the market today were gnarly so I'm going back tomorrow for fresh ones). This picture doesn't have all of the women that helped in it.... but at least you get to see some of them.

Once we were done we all just stood around looking at it. Then one guy said that I needed an applause so the whole neighborhood started clapping and cheering for me. It was so awesome. I felt like a rockstar.
India is at the center of this muggu (it's upside down in the picture above). Around India there are people holding hands and hearts. A variation of the people and hearts is repeated around the edge. There are also sunflowers... duh.

Basically it is of all of my favorite things right now: India, friends, love, and sunflowers.

What do you think?

Grumpy.

2011-11-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

Today I was grumpy.

It was hot.

I had to run errands.

The employees were driving me crazy.

The other customers were on edge.

It took forever to haggle with the rickshaw drivers.

The rickshaw we ended up taking stopped half way through to get gas so we got out to find another rickshaw because we had ice cream and it was melting because it was so. hot.

I wasn't in the mood for what we were having for lunch.

I haven't had an appetite for a while because I've been sick for a few weeks.

Chloe was particularly clingy.

Blah. Blah. Blah.

That's enough complaining. You have bad days too, it's not like I need to explain what goes into it.

Moving on.

The point is, it was a rough day, but this evening was a magical rebound.

When we went to the other house for dinner all of the cooks got really giddy when I went in the kitchen. Normally I try and help prepare the meals and they are always really happy to let me, but today they were like really super happy.

Then Durga told Brad a secret like a little school girl.

Then every time they looked at me they smiled.

Then the vegetables were all cut and they didn't need my help anymore so I played with Sidu and Chloe.

Then dinner was ready and I saw that they had prepared all of my favorite dishes. And they bought chocolate cake. Just for me. No other reason.

Then I realized that people here care about me. Enough to do something when they know I'm having a bad day. And it meant a lot.

Like a lot a lot.

I'm grateful for the women that have become my best friends here. I'm grateful for all of the things that have made us closer. I'm grateful for their goodness. I'm grateful for their concern.

I'm grateful for the bond we share. As women. As mothers. As wives. As sisters. As friends.

As people.

Wonderful Angel

2011-11-11T22:27:00.000-08:00

This post is from Brad.

A few weeks ago I thought it would be nice to put together a slide show of videos and pictures of Chloe. They are all of her while here in India. We figured there were at least a few relatives who would like to see it. We couldn't decide on one song for the background, so we picked two instead. The first is "Daughter's Lullaby" by Kory Stevens, our friend here in India. He wrote it for Chloe and me specifically. The second is "Wonderful Angel" by Monk & Neagle. I'm sorry for the poor quality of the video, but anything bigger and it would have taken about 4 hours to upload. Enjoy!

Walking.

2011-11-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

There is a park across from our house, except park isn't really quite the right word.

Garden is a better word.

Secret garden is an even better word (why? because when it will be open is always a secret)

It is beautiful and I love that it makes the area feel less like a city.

I have come to appreciate the garden more over the last two or three weeks because Durga and I have started walking every afternoon.

A few weeks ago she started complaining about pain in her knees (due to, in my opinion, being a tad overweight...she is half a foot shorter than me and weighed 8kg more than me) so I suggested that we started walking everyday.

She has been a good sport and it has been great for our friendship.

I love it because there are no expectations.

We leave at about the same time everyday.

Somedays we walk for 20 minutes.

Somedays we walk for 45 minutes.

Somedays we walk fast.

Somedays we stroll.

Somedays we talk the whole time.

Somedays we don't say anything at all.

Somedays we tell secrets.

Somedays we tell sad stories.

Somedays we talk about our families.

Everyday we laugh.

Everyday I am grateful for our friendship.

Me, Durga, Chloe, and some of our neighborhood friends.

Once the neighborhood kids see that we are walking they all run into the park. They love "helping" push Chloe and running in front of her to make her laugh. I love that we are a part of the community now. I love having a routine with my neighbors. I love being a part of life here.

So far Durga has lost 4kg in just over two weeks. That is almost 9lbs!!! I am so proud of her. She rocks.

Colds.

2011-11-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

It is cooling off here. Finally.

At night it gets as low as 78 degrees.

We're freezing.

We all have colds.

How pathetic is that?

Rememberall.

2011-11-09T05:56:00.001-08:00

Do you ever have trouble remembering certain things?

Do you ever come up with silly ways to remember them?

I do.

For example, we have to take malaria pills while we are here in India. Chloe and I are a weekly pill and Brad is on a daily pill. I wanted to be sure that I would remember which day Chloe and I were supposed to take them so I came up with this:

Monday = Malaria pills.

M. M. Get it?

I haven't forgotten yet! I doubt that would be the case if we took them on Thursday or something.

Here's this for another example, when we first came to India I had trouble remembering the difference between Hindi and Hindu... I knew the difference between them I just had trouble remember which word went with which thing. Here is how I remember it:

I isolated the difference...

Hindi

Hindu

Then I remembered the Spanish word for language is idioma.

Hindi - I - Idioma - Language

Hindu - Religion

Fail proof.

Okay, last example. When we named Chloe we wanted you all to be able to remember that she was cute.

Chloe = Cute

C. C. Get it?

That last one was mostly a joke, but she is kind of cute... is she not?

Auspicious.

2011-11-07T07:58:00.000-08:00

November is a very auspicious month here in India.

If I had a rupee for every time I have heard the word auspicious in the last week I would have a lot of rupees.

There are a lot of festivals in November (surprised? shame on you).

November is also a really good month to get married in. Or have a baby in. Or do anything in.

I went to the post office this month so I'm planning on having a lot of good luck.

There are a lot of different things that go on during festival times.

People fast.

People wear certain clothes.

People change the bindi on their foreheads.

People burn incense (more than normal).

People light firecrackers.

People do pujas.

People do big muggu.

People go to the temples more frequently.

People decorate their homes a certain way.

People have parades.

People offer gifts to their gods.

People go barefoot.

People shave their heads.

People only eat certain foods.

....

We live three doors down from a Krishna temple so we can always tell when it's festival time because instead of just having three chants a day they have like six million.

These chants involve people in the area going to the temple walking clockwise around the god while chanting and banging things together, then they stand in front of the god and chant and bang things in front of it.

Normally they have one at sunrise, noon, and sunset.

Lately they have tripled their efforts.

Usually we can just block it out and go back to sleep, but they seem to have received a burst of energy in order to properly celebrate during this auspicious month because they are really really really loud lately.

While I curse the noise, I applaud their diligent efforts at being righteous.

The entrance to the temple.

The full temple.

The holy cows. They even have the red powder on their foreheads.

Family Rule.

2011-11-05T02:47:00.000-07:00

Today we had to establish a new family rule that I never anticipated we would need.

Don't lick poles that will give you tetanus.

Are you kidding me child?

*Note: Chloe didn't actually lick the pole, but she did get pretty close and kept trying to do it again and again and again. Weirdo.

Explosive.

2011-11-04T04:31:00.000-07:00

I feel like I swallowed an A-bomb.

Ugh.

I'm feeling real grateful for those Tums we hauled half way around the world right now.

Ironing.

2011-11-03T09:30:00.001-07:00

Ironing here is not like it is in the states.

Some people have electric irons that they use in their homes, but most people take their clothes that need ironing to the neighborhood ironer. They use the big steel irons that they fill with coals.

This is Appa Rao. He is our neighborhood ironer. His "kiosk" (as Brad calls it) is right across the street from our house. His iron weighs 9kg (almost 20lbs.) can you believe it?

This is what it looks like from a a little further away. The box on the ground next to the pole are his coals.

Brad and I speculate that he also does part time marriage counseling... or at least that is what it looks like. Everyday several different women come to him, sit down and talk for quite a while. Sometimes they bring him tea. Sometimes they are dropping off clothes. Sometimes they are passing by. Sometimes it looks like talking to him is the only reason they came by. He usually just stands there and listens with a super concerned look on his face. Marriage counseling is the only explanation we can come up with.

This is my favorite souvenir so far. It is my brass iron. It only weighs 3kg. I love it. My grandma has one that is kind of similar that she got when they lived in Burma and I adore it, so when we got here and saw that they used the same kind I decided I absolutely wanted to get one.

Isn't it fabulous?

A doll.

2011-11-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

One of the fun things about living in India is that everyday we get to play dress up. Not in our mom's high heels and fake pearl necklaces... in Indian clothes.

Most of the time it isn't too obvious that Brad is dressing up (unless he is in his man skirt).

I dress up every. single. day.

And now, we have a dress for Chloe to dress up in!

We finally had a traditional Indian outfit made for Chloe. I love it! She looks so cute in it. When the cooks saw her they kept saying,"Chloe, doll!" And then they proceeded to parade her to all of the neighbors.

The poor dear.

Below are some photos of her showing off her new outfit. Doesn't she look so grown up? It's freaking me out.

Coming down the stairs to make her grand entrance.

Look at that face... she is so excited! She loves her dress. She kept twirling around for everyone.

Here I like to imagine that she is saying, "I'm a rockstar! Oh yeah!" The gold ribbon draped around her is not part of the outfit, it's just something she was playing with.

And here is my favorite picture; my little white baby doll dressed up in her traditional Indian dress practicing her traditional Indian dance. :)

Half.

2011-11-01T09:39:00.001-07:00

Today is our half-way point.

Can you believe it?

Did the last three months even happen?

I have a feeling the next three months are going to fly by.

Another Festival.

2011-10-31T09:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was another festival.... only this time it was our festival.

Last night we celebrated Halloween with all of the students, cooks, site director, and his cousin.

It was a blast! It was fun to finally have a festival of our own to share with the locals.

I did special Halloween muggu and had a bunch of pumpkins on my porch (I've had the pumpkins there for a while in an attempt to make it feel like fall... the attempt was largely unsuccessful but I'm not mad because I paid less that $6 for all of those pumpkins!)

Everyone always says Chloe looks like a Barbie so we dressed her up in pink with a ton of bangles and necklaces and put on her sparkly purple shoes that Krishnayyagaru got her. I wore the Halloween looking sari that one of Brad's brahmin informants gave me.

We cut out a bunch of pumpkins on orange paper and hid them around our house and told everyone if they found one they'd get a prize. Our cook Sailaja got way into it and found like 10 out of 15. She got so excited every time she found one. Look at that face! She is thrilled! See the girl to the right? Her name is Katheryn and she dressed up like an Oreo and brought Oreos as her treat for everyone. Isn't that awesome! I loved it.

We taught the cooks how to bob for apples. This is Kory trying to explain to Sailaja how to do it. It was so fun to watch people try to do this.

We also played pin the nose on the pumpkin. Watching this gave me a side ache because I was laughing so hard. The cooks kept tapping the wall with their fingers like they were trying to find a stud or something... our walls are made out of cement. It was just super funny to watch and they loved seeing where they ended up putting the nose.

This is me with the cooks and Krishnayyagaru.

At the end of the night we had a ton of candy left over so we had the little neighbor boys come over and trick or treat. They are always doing stuff for Chloe for their festivals and it was nice to finally have something to do back to them.

All in all it was a great night. I think it was just what we needed. I made apple cider from scratch and brownies. Everyone brought treats. And we got to spend time with good friends. Doesn't get better than pigging out with cool people.

Us in our costumes (Brad went as a nerd, but he doesn't have to dress up for that).

Hope your Halloween was happy too!

Oh wait! I almost forgot to tell you the most Halloweeny parts of the night!

As I was walking from the program house to our house I almost stepped on a dead rat in the middle of the road.

Then, when I tried to walk from our house to Krishnayyagaru's house to cook the brownies in his microwave a bat started circling around me and swooping down. Can you believe it!? A bat tried to attack me on Halloween.

You can't make stuff like this up.

Snake Festival.

2011-10-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

I know. I know.

Another festival.

This one is part of the Diwali celebration.

In order to celebrate it people go to nearby temples and random street corners that have these volcano looking things by them.

Then they sprinkle cum-cum and turmeric on the volcano thing.

Then they put a leaf at the base with a coconut and a banana with incense sticks in it on top of the leaf. They also put oil lamps, flowers, and cloth.

Then they put some of the cum-cum (the red stuff they use to make the dots on their foreheads) and turmeric (a spice they use in almost every single dish and that they rub on themselves for festivals, it's yellow) that they sprinkled on the volcano on their foreheads.

Then they put sweets, milk, and an egg down the hole.

It's supposed to be really good luck if a snake comes up after you put the stuff down the hole.

The guy on the right in the yellow is pouring milk down a hole. The guy on the left in white and blue is putting an egg down a hole.

As we were leaving the place we went today we saw a live chicken sacrifice.

The poor chicken.

The knife was really really really really dull.

It took forever.

There was blood everywhere.

Ugh. The head is still laying on the sidewalk. They put the body on the volcano thing.

I can't end a post on that note. Sorry.

Here is a picture of two adorable babies to take your mind off it.

This is Chloe and Sidu (our cooks baby... don't be fooled by the bows, he's a boy). They are best friends. Chloe is always kissing and patting Sidu. It. is. adorable.

The Person.

2011-10-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight as we sat on the porch after dinner some of the girls and I talked about getting married and making big life decisions.

It was fun to hear about the things going on in their lives back home, the situations they are going home to, and their concerns about the future.

They asked when I knew I wanted to marry Brad.

I feel like I always knew.

I feel like from the second I saw him as he walked through the door that he just fit. perfectly.

I feel like when we met my heart sighed with relief because it knew it finally found it's soul mate.

I feel like we were meant for each other.

I feel like before we met our hearts called to each other; sometimes their cries went unheard, sometimes they got frustrated, sometimes they wanted to give up, sometimes they tried to settle, but once they met they just knew.

We just knew.

We just knew we had finally found the person that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with.

The person we wanted to be there cheering us on on our good days.

The person we wanted to be there helping us pick up the pieces on our bad days.

The person we wanted to be with, regardless, forever.

Doll Collection.

2011-10-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

On Diwali one of our neighbors asked us to come see her doll collection. She only pulls it out three times a year, on certain festivals. Not quite sure what to expect we showed up at her house later that night expecting to see collectable Barbies, or baby dolls in elaborate dresses or something.

Instead we saw this....

This is not at all what I expected.

She had dirt and rocks all over her living room floor.

There were several glass figurines, but no "dolls".

I'm still unsure of the festival significance.

She was very very proud of it.

It was.... interesting.

Now how is this for a doll:

Diwali.

2011-10-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

A big part of the festivals here is muggu (remember? the chalk drawings women do to the goddess Lakshmi?)

I love this part of festivals. It just makes it so much more exciting to walk around and see huge chalk drawings in front of everyone's homes/shops.

Normally women just do them on their porches and front steps, but for festivals they do them super huge and out in the street. Sometimes they even use color.

Yesterday was Diwali so I wanted to do a color muggu out in the street. I was kind of nervous because I'm still not very good at using the powder and I had never done a color one before, but my friend Mallory was a good sport and sat by me while I did it. Thanks again Mal!

First I drew a big dot grid by dropping the powder on the street. Then I connected the dots in the pattern I wanted. Then I added the colored powder. The last touch was to add some fresh flowers.

If you told me before we came here that I was going to go to India and spend hours out in the street rubbing chalk on the ground with my hands I would have laughed so hard. It still makes me laugh... but I love it!

Me starting to add the color.

A white girl doing art in the street causes quite the scene here.

The finished product. Not super great, but for a first attempt I'm pretty happy.

The cooks had to one up me and do a bigger muggu with more color. Theirs is amazing. It was good to watch them because I got to study their form. Good thing we have another festival on Sunday... I can show them up! :)

Durga and Sailaja doing the initial chalk outlines.

Finishing the color.

The finished product. Incredible huh? It was one million times cooler in person too.

Hope you all had a fun Diwali!

Kerala - Day 5

2011-10-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

This was our last day in Kerala.

We enjoyed breakfast on the top of the houseboat while the sun rose and the breeze wove around us.

We rode for about two hours down some more of the stunning backwaters. Then we got in our car and drove to the beach. Not to swim or anything, but we figured we had to at least see it if we were that close.

The sand was very light and there were literally no waves. So weird. Also, there was a random camel on the beach. Rock on India.

The last item on the checklist was to buy my Kerala sari. Kerala is famous for its specific type of sari. They are white with gold thread designs. They are gorgeous. I'll post a picture of it later; I haven't had my blouse made yet.

After that we headed to the airport and eventually made it home.

While we were waiting in the Hyderabad airport Chloe made a friend. They walked around holding hands for a good 30 minutes. It was so stinking cute! They took turns leading and sometimes Chloe would stop, grab both of the girls hands, and then start walking.

Chloe trying to grab the girl's other hand.

Chloe having a blast. (Sorry for the blurry photos, but I just wanted you to see kind of what it was like)

A very happy munchkin bum.

Not much to report on this day. We loved our trip to Kerala. If you come to India you simply must visit Kerala (after you visit us of course). I hope you've enjoyed seeing what we did.

And now, without further ado....

The Final Barf Count:

Brad - 0

Emily - 0

Chloe - 0

I hope that makes you as happy as it makes me. Chloe was such a trooper this trip (and so was Brad). It was so awesome not to get barfed on (I can only imagine how terrible it is to be the one barfing... poor Chloe and Brad).

Until later, dear friend.

Kerala - Day 4

2011-10-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

Remember the great view from our hotel room? Yeah, well this is the view we woke up to.

Terrible if you ask me.

I hate monkeys.

The night before after we had settled in one of the hotel employees came up to tell us that there are normally lots of birds out in that field in the morning. So, when morning came I kept checking out the window for the birds, but they never came.

Instead the stupid monkeys came.

And they tried to steal my shirt and Chloe's onezie that we had laid out on the chairs to dry (they were still wet from being washed as a result of the puking that occurred on our first day... it was too cold in our first hotel for anything to dry).

Ugh. And then two got intimate. Right there. On our balcony.

And then some started wrestling.

This freaked Chloe out so we shut the drapes.

Then I'm pretty sure one threw another one against the door. Or at least that is what it sounded like.

Stupid monkeys.

But let's not dwell on the wildlife. Instead let's direct our attention to the star of the vacation... the houseboat.

After a quick morning drive we arrived in the beautiful backwaters of Kerala and boarded a handmade houseboat. We spent the whole day, night, and next morning on the houseboat.

It was perfect. The weather was perfect. The food was perfect. The company was perfect.

Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.

We cruised through the backwaters for a few hours while we ate, relaxed and enjoyed the view.

Then we docked, went for a walk through a village, and then went back on board for dinner.

It was magical my friends. If you ever come to India this simply must be on your to-do list. Look at how happy we are.

Chloe even got to drive the boat!

Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is real life.

Barf Count:

Brad - 0

Emily - 0

Chloe - 0

(This is starting to freak me out.)

Kerala - Day 3

2011-10-21T00:47:00.000-07:00

Day 3 of our wonderful Kerala vacation started with a four hour drive through the beautiful countryside to a place called Thekkady.

The drive was great. Chloe slept almost the whole way there and the scenery was stunning.

Want proof?

Okay...

A valley covered in tea gardens.

Some more tea gardens and a lake.

Once we arrived in Thekkady we got to ride an elephant!

Can you believe it?

I was so so so so so excited. This was a huge item on my India check list and I am so happy we got to do it.

It was definitely an experience. Chloe started out riding in front of me, but then Egbert (that was our elephant's name... I think. I'm not great at understanding the Indian accent, especially when it comes to names) lifted up his trunk and she flipped out so we moved her between me and Brad.

It was kind of scary because the elephants are so big, but they don't really move too fast so that helped.

I realized afterwards that Chloe has ridden a camel and an elephant, but she hasn't ever ridden a horse. I don't know if I should laugh or cry.

Our little family riding big fat Egbert.

Brad and Egbert.

Me, Chloe and Egbert.

One of the elephants being bathed and taking a nice drink. He would fill up his trunk and then squirt it into his mouth.

One of the elephants enjoying a snack in the shade.

After the elephant ride we retired to our amazing hotel room. We were thrilled when we got there because we had really low expectations after our first place. I am happy to report that we didn't have to chase any rats out of our room, kill any spiders, or ask for extra blankets. We even had hot water!! It was perfect. And check out our view.

Later that night we went to a dance performance. It was a traditional Kathakali dance. It was really impressive. It is only performed by men. They train for about 6 months, and sometimes even up to a year, just for the facial expressions in this dance. They have to be able to flair one nostril, move one earlobe, jiggle their cheeks...etc. The make-up was awesome too. As for the actual dancing, I prefer just the normal classical Indian dance. This was impressive and all, but it wasn't really captivatingly beautiful. It focused more on expression through the face than expression through full body movements (not that I can blame them, the costuming is extremely heavy). Sorry the quality of this photo isn't better, but you get the idea.

Barf Count (drum roll please...):

Brad - 0

Emily - 0

Chloe - 0

!!!

Kerala - Day 2

2011-10-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

When we woke up we realized why it was called "God's own country."

We still had to drive on the road from hell but we tried not to let that influence our opinion.

In the daylight the road is still terrible to drive on, but beautiful to look at. We drove through acres and acres of tea gardens. Seriously every hill was covered with tea gardens.

It was enchanting.

The road from hell and the beautiful scenery.

Some women working in the tea gardens. The leaves are harvested every ten days. Also, do you see the trees? Those are special trees that they plant in the gardens on purpose. The trees absorb the rain in the monsoon season and then help to water the plants during the dry season.

Brad and Chloe standing in front of some tea gardens.

Once we were back in the main town we went to the tea museum. I loved it. It was so fascinating to see the process.

This is where they blow air on the leaves before they are ground.

Our next stop was a flower garden. It was very pretty, even though most of the rose bushes weren't in bloom.

The pond at the entrance.

This plant just looked gnarly so I took a picture. It looks like it could eat a human. It is actually used for a lot of medicinal purposes.

Brad, Chloe and their new friends.

Doesn't that one look like a zebra? So cool.

After the garden Brad got an ayurvedic massage. I opted out on this one because someone needed to watch Chloe and aside from the occasional shoulder rub from Brad I'm not big on massages.

Brad loved it. Chloe and I had fun exploring the scenery around the massage center.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying homemade chocolate, wandering through shops, eating delicious food, and then resting in our bungalow.

It was a great day.

Barf Count:

Brad - 0

Emily - 0

Chloe - 0

Can you believe it!?

Kerala - Day 1

2011-10-19T01:43:00.000-07:00

We are currently on our one week vacation in Kerala. So far it has been a fabulous experience.

Now, keep in mind fabulous does not mean perfect.

But I am finding with the right perspective fabulous can seem perfect.

Our first day was spent mostly traveling. We had to take three planes and drive four hours to get to our first destination. All of the flying went surprisingly well. Chloe was very happy and content the whole time and it went by pretty quick.

When we landed in Kerala it was almost 7pm so it was getting dark outside. This was nice because Chloe slept almost the whole way to our hotel, but it was also sad because we didn't get to see all of the beautiful scenery.

Our driver's name is Mr. Sunny. He is awesome. He is probably the best driver we've had since coming to India. I wish I had a "Bop-it" with me because I feel like he would totally dominate. Whenever we are driving he is like clutch-it, shift-it, honk-it, turn-it, brake-it, gas-it, flick-it, tour guide-it. He rocks.

He has also been pretty good at accommodating our sensitive stomaches by driving slower which we really appreciate. I have decided to include a barf count at the bottom of each post because it seems like we can't get in a car here without someone throwing up.

I don't really have much of update for the first day since it was mostly spent travelling in the dark, but I will share one story and a few pictures.

So we had been driving for about four hours and had finally reached the town, Munnar, where we would be spending the night. I was really excited to be there because I was exhausted and thrilled that no one had thrown up on me. Our driver stopped the car and got out, so I started gathering my things because I thought we were at our hotel. Then he told us to stay there while he went to get directions.

What!? Are you kidding me? It's 11pm in the middle of no where and you want to try and find someone to ask directions? How do you not know where you're going!? Eek!

I was not comforted by this pit stop, but when Mr. Sunny got back in the car he seemed pretty confident so I tried to not let it bother me.

We turned around and headed down this sketchy dirt road that was only wide enough for one car and had a bazillion pot holes (no, I'm not exaggerating).

Then we reached a fork in the road. Mr. Sunny stopped, looked both ways, flipped a mental coin, and decided to go left.

Then we reached another fork and I think Mr. Sunny wanted to stick with tradition so we went left again.

Meanwhile the lights were becoming more and more sparse to the point where there were no lights at all and we were in the pitch black jungle driving down a dirt road our driver had never been on before.

I started freaking out. In my head.

Then Chloe started throwing up. On my chest. (And then in a bag. I'm getting better at this.)

There were no lights. No signs. No houses. Nothing. We were all getting sick to our stomaches and I was just ready to be in bed.

Eventually we turned a corner and there were like 5 lights all spread out and Mr. Sunny told us we had arrived at our hotel. We turned down an even smaller, rougher road and crossed our fingers that Mr. Sunny was right.

He was. We found the reception, got our key, and drove another kilometer down the road from hell to our bungalow.

Kerala is known as "God's own country" but last night I thought for sure God had forsaken that country. In the morning my opinion changed, but that post is for tomorrow.

It was freezing and there were a few intruders that had to be squashed or scared out of the room, but after we were bundled up and critter free we were very happy and ready to sleep.

Proof that we all made it alive.

The view outside of our bungalow.

Behind our bungalow.

Come back tomorrow for a more upbeat and exciting post. :)

Barf Count:

Brad - 0

Emily - 0

Chloe - 2

Celebrate.

2011-10-16T08:28:00.001-07:00

This is a special celebrity post by Brad. And by celebrity I mean that quite sarcastically.

It is often hard to see the harsh poverty here. There are lots of beggars, people with handicaps, dejected people sleeping on the streets, entire families that work construction only to earnenough to eat that night. It is all very sad. Yet at the same time it is interesting to see how people are always finding small ways to have joy in their lives. One man said it best when he said, "I like having power cuts, because it gives me something to look forward to when the power will come back on!"

It is no wonder, then, why there are so many festivals. Every week, it seems, there is a new festival. This week was no exception. Several hundred years ago the king of Vizianagaram decided to go to war with the king of Bobbili. His 14 year old sister told him it was a bad idea. Women always know better in these types of situations. The king from Vizianagaram disregarded his sister, went to war, won the battle rather easily (killing all the soldiers in less than an hour, so legend has it), and then camped in the city to rest. That night someone snuck in his tent and killed him. His sister, instead of saying "I told you so!" did what any honorable Indian woman would do, killing herself by jumping in the lake (it's a cultural thing that would need a lot of explaining). The townspeople were distraught at the loss of both their king and their princess. A local priest said that the ghost of the girl came to him in a dream, telling him where her image could be found in the lake, saying that she had been transformed into a goddess that needed to be worshiped. The people found the image right where the priest said it would be, built a temple for it near the fort-palace, and started a yearly tradition.

The tradition involves the priest (and later his descendants) climbing a 40-foot pole with a makeshift seat on it. He holds the image of the goddess while the townspeople push him and the pole down the street to the fort-palace, where the king greets it with a "Namaste". This happens three times. However in order for the people to also participate, they throw bananas at the priest. No one tries to knock him off, but hitting him brings special blessings to your family. Apparently it's a big deal.

This last week I went to this festival to see what it was all about. Approximately 200,000 people show up every year, so Emily and Chloe decided to stay at home. It was a wise choice on their part. We had to push and elbow our way through the crowds just to get to and from our vehicles. We had a special place lined up where we could see the procession without being down in the masses. It was a great thing to watch.

Here is a picture of the priest going by and people paying their respects from different roof tops.

Can you see the swarm of humanity in the street behind the priest? I'm glad we weren't in that.

I asked someone why people throw bananas and was told, "Well it wouldn't make any sense to throw coconuts, would it?" Of course little man, why not?

I wonder if there is a way we can bring this tradition home with us. Any suggestions?

Restless.

2011-10-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

Today we were all feeling a little restless.

On Monday we are taking a family vacation to Kerala for a week where we are going to visit all sorts of beautiful places and spend the night in a beautiful handmade houseboat while we cruise down the backwaters of a place known as "God's own country". It is going to be fabulous. But today time seemed to stop. It felt like Monday would never get here. Ever.

We are ready for a break. We need a break.

So instead of sitting inside listening to the clock tick, we decided to go on a walk up to the beach where we could enjoy the cool sea breeze while also getting out and doing something. Anything.

It was just what we needed.

The temperature was just right. Chloe was in a very happy mood. People weren't too invasive. There were hardly any people on the beach. We had some good laughs. We found some cool seashells. And time sped up.

It was perfect.

There was also a random saddled horse just grazing on the beach, but no owner in sight. He wasn't tied up or anything and there really didn't seem to be anyone close by that knew the horse.

Chloe with her awesome/super attractive daddy.

Chloe with her mommy.

For those of you that are wondering why we don't go to the ocean more often when we live so close, here is picture to show you why. That is raw sewage running down the beach into the ocean. Any questions?

Anyway, have a good one.

Post.

2011-10-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

Today I had to go to the post office.

The post office is just around the block from our house which is really nice. It is just one room with a few desks and a counter where you put your stamps on (you have to use this terribly goopey stuff, yuck).

The man that was working today is a brahmin (the highest caste). Normally this isn't a piece of personal information you find out right away about someone, but this guy is kind of a rare gem of a person that doesn't really fit the mould, which is why he is getting a post written about him.

I just had two things I needed to mail so he asked me to wait five minutes while he finished printing stuff, because you can't print and weigh stuff at the same time.

Duh.

So I just stood in the corner trying to read some of the signs while I waited. Then he started talking to me. He asked where I was from. What I was doing here. Where we lived. If I was going to school here. And a million other questions. My favorite, though, was this one:

"What is your opinion of Barack Hussein Obama?" (but the tone he used was more like he was saying "what are your intentions with my daughter?")

Seriously dude? We were struggling enough to communicate and you want to delve into politics?So I responded that I felt like any person that had to serve this term was going to have a lot to figure out and I feel like he's done a decent job.

Then he went on and on about he is so much better than Bush and how before there was terrorism and now "Barack Hussein Obama has taken great steps to ending it. Osama was a terrorist, and now he is no more. Obama is good."

Rock on dude. Give me my stamps.

Which he eventually did.

So I walked over to the stamp application counter happy to be done with an exhausting conversation. He wasn't done though.

He came over and started asking about my family. He asked where they live, what languages they speak and for one random fact.

My random facts were that my dad is really tall and my mom loves tennis.

Then he asked if I speak Spanish, so I told him that I do. Then he told me that he really wants to learn Spanish and asked me to say something in Spanish. I was not expecting this. I never thought I would go to the post office in India and be asked to speak Spanish. So I spouted some random stuff figuring he wouldn't understand, he just wanted to hear what the language sounded like.

I said, "I am a woman from the United States. I would kill for a cheeseburger right now. I miss my family very much, they are great."

He thanked me and then asked to translate what I said. Oops.

I didn't feel like I could confess what I really said because he is a brahmin and brahmins not only don't eat beef but they are strict vegetarians. So I lied.

In the mean time the time for collecting parcels to be mailed had passed so he couldn't take my stuff and they locked me in so I had to go through the desks and out some creepy hallway.

Here is to hoping I can actually mail my stuff tomorrow and that someone else is working.

Good day.

2011-10-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day.

Most days are good days here, but I think this one just seemed extra good because it was preceded by a really terrible day.

It started with no power cut. Can you believe it!? We had power all morning. For the past week or so we haven't had any power from 6am-9am and 11am-2pm. Can I just say that there is nothing worse than waking up already sweating to death. It just starts the day on a bad note. But today that didn't happen, so we got to sleep in a little and we all woke up happier.

Then Brad went to class and I got to do dishes. Those of you that know me know that I love doing dishes. The cooks put up a fight every time I want to do dishes, but today they just let me do it. It was fabulous. Once the dishes were done Chloe and I went home and spent some time coloring together. And Brad got out of class an hour early. So rad.

Around ten I went to a movie with one of the girls here. This was the first time I have been to a movie in India and I loved it! I got to sit in a recliner in AC for three hours, drink a cold soda, eat popcorn, and a samosa all for less than $4. Good luck beating that in the states. The theater was even clean and I got a free soundtrack of a big movie that is coming out soon!

When we got back it was lunch time, which was delicious, and I found out that the package from my mom arrived. I was so happy! It had brownie mix, ziploc bags, mapeline, gum, and a toy for Chloe. It was perfect. Thanks again mom, we really really appreciate it. Packages are the best. How can you have a bad day when you get a package from far away? You simply can't dear friend, you just can't.

After lunch (and no afternoon power cut) Chloe went down for her afternoon nap and I went to the market with Sailaja, one of our cooks. It was really fun to go with her. Our friendship has really grown the last few weeks and I loved being able to spend one on one time with her. She was really excited that I wanted to go with her. We even found this yummy fruit that looks like a lime but tastes like an orange. Delicious. And we got custard apples, my absolute favorite. I am going to miss custard apples when we go back to the states.

Once we were home and the produce was all put away I practiced for dance class. Brad made good progress on his research and we had a good talk about it.

At four I went to dance, which went considerably better than my lesson on Monday. Monday was a struggle. Today was still a process but it wasn't as pathetic.

Most of the girls went to something for a ward member tonight, so it was a quiet house over at the green house (where we eat). It is really fun to have everyone there, but it is also fun to have a night every once and a while where it is a little quieter and low key. Tonight we made brownies from scratch and cooked them in a microwave (I am saving my special brownie mix from my mom for a bad day, today was a good day so I didn't need to use it). We also made wanna be churros and an amazing grape smoothie. Yum. Yum.

We ended the day watching an episode of the office with some friends. In the middle of it we heard a ruckus outside. This isn't uncommon here. So I went outside and saw that they were taking the big statue of the goddess Durga around the neighborhoods before they took her to the ocean. It was so fun to see. They were blasting music and they had a bunch of people dressed up dancing in the street. Then they had Durga in the back of a truck with someone standing next to her with a pole to lift up droopy power lines.

It was the perfect way to end a good day.

Below are photos of the dancers we saw tonight. Those aren't masks, that is make-up. Amazing, huh?

I hope you had a good day too.

Mothering in India - Part 5

2011-10-10T01:29:00.000-07:00

I know that Chloe is young.

I know she probably wont have any real memory of this first trip to India.

I know that now, and I knew it before we came.

Initially this fact made me sad. I wanted our baby girl to remember this time. I wanted it to be part of who she becomes. I wanted this experience to strengthen her and mould her.

Then I came to realization that while she wont have any memories of her own, this experience will still be part of who she is. It will strengthen her and mould her. Just in different ways, and down the line in her life.

This realization forced me to make some decisions on how I would treat our time here. I could easily sit in our apartment all day and isolate myself, and Chloe, from the experiences, good and bad, that wait outside our front door. I could be overly protective and not let anyone touch her or hold her. I could make it that kind of experience for us.

I decided I didn't want it to be that kind of experience.

I didn't think that would lead to any growth for any of us.

Instead, I decided I could go outside. I could be friendly to neighbors. I could let kids come over and play. I could let people hold and touch her (mind you this does not mean everyone gets this privilege, if I am not comfortable with a person they don't get a pity hug from my baby). I could let friendship be part of this experience.

And so, I have made a very conscious effort to teach Chloe about friendship and acceptance while we are here.

Somedays it is hard. Somedays I just don't feel like letting kids come play. Somedays I don't want to stop and let old ladies touch Chloe's cheeks. Somedays I don't want to make the curious school girls giggle by having Chloe do "namaskaramandi" to them. Somedays it would be easier to isolate my family.

On days like this, Chloe teaches me about friendship and acceptance.

Most days are not like this. Most days I love that we have friends here and that people so openly show love to us. Most days I love waving at all the neighborhood kids. Most days I love letting the neighbor ladies hold Chloe and kiss her. Most days are rewarding. Most days I can tell that something good and pure is being etched into Chloe's heart, and mine as well. Most days I am proud of the experiences we are having.

I'm glad I have tried to make friendship a big part of our experience here. When we first got here I taught the cooks the sign for friends. Every time we would see them they would ask, "Chloe, friends?" while doing the sign. Chloe would nod her head and do the sign back. It was adorable. I loved that friendship was already such a tangible part of our lives here.

Then we taught the neighbor and her daughter the sign.

Then we taught some of the neighborhood kids.

Then they taught some more of the kids.

Then their moms learned.

Then we taught some of the people at the stores we frequent.

And before you know it, we can't walk down the street without someone yelling out "Chloe, friends?" and Chloe stopping to find out who it is, waving, and then doing the friends sign back.

Me and Chloe doing the friends sign with some local children.

The neighborhood boys doing the friends sign with Chloe.

This is a story I can't wait to tell Chloe.

For Blake.

2011-10-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

This picture is for my father-in-law Blake.

We saw it and thought of you. Happy Sunday.

Palace.

2011-10-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week we went to a palace. There are so many details and random snippets of information that I want to share with you, but I fear it would bore most of you. Here are a few random bits of info:

The palace has not been occupied for over 50 years.

It is humongous.

It was really interesting to see the British influence in decor.

There are still servants that take care of it, kind of.

It is by far the largest building in the entire area.

It also has a strong Muslim influence.

It has a giant billiard table.

There were lots of dead animals, which completely shocked me.

Chloe said "Sidu" (the name of our cook's baby) at every picture of an Indian boy.

It had a huge orchard, that despite being neglected for 5o years, still looks pretty impressive.

They used to have elephants and horses.

There was a giant spiral staircase in the middle.

We got a private tour.

They had a way of getting running hot water to all of the palace, this is especially interesting when you consider it hasn't even been occupied for 50 years.

And the highlight for me:

I got to perform a dance to the god Ganesha in the dance room. Who can say they they have performed a traditional Indian dance in a maharaja's palace!? I can! It was so awesome, the floors were made to help resonate the sounds made by dancing so it sounded really cool.

A view from outside.

The servant quarters.

Brad and me on the front balcony.

Our little family on top of the huge palace.

A panoramic view from the top.

The view of the orchards from the front balcony.

Some of the dead animals and a classic old photograph.

Another classic old photograph (this was one of many similar photos).

Dusshra.

2011-10-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been the big Dusshra festival. If you want details on it just google it. It's huge. There are lots of different events that come with this festival. One even that goes along with it that we got to participate in is the dhandiya dance.

It starts late at night, we arrived around 10pm and it was just barely getting started. It went until the early morning. We didn't stay for the whole thing, but I sure wish we could have.

Everyone dresses up in elaborate outfits, they were all so impressive. The dance at it's most basic level consists of a five beat series of stick beats that you just repeat over and over. When I first saw how it was done I thought it was going to be super easy, but the fun thing is you can jazz it up a ton! Some people were doing very advanced and intricate things with their sticks between beats. I was amazed. I definitely need to work on my skills.

Below are some pictures of the night, mind you they aren't great quality. It was hard to get clear pictures of moving people with the lighting we had... but some pictures is better than no pictures, right?

The room.

A few of the more elaborate competitors.

Some girls doing it. You can either do it with one partner, or you can do it in a big circle.

These guys were so funny to watch. They were really good and their outfits make me laugh. Maternity for men?

More of the advanced competitors.

The band. They played continuous live music all night, no break between songs. Can you believe it!?

Impressive costumes.

Tears.

2011-10-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Chloe folds her arms like she is praying. Normally it is when we are actually praying, but sometimes she'll do it randomly.

The other day we were sitting out on the porch and Chloe kept folding her arms. Sailaja, one of the cooks, saw her do it so she laughed and said, "Chloe praying!" Then she began to say her own prayer in broken English. It went something like this:

"Oh my God, I'm eating. Oh my dad, I eat food. Oh my God, grapes, cheese. Oh my God, I'm eating. Oh my dad, dairy milk."

I was laughing so hard I started tearing up. Yeah, I know, I probably shouldn't have found this funny, but I did. It was hysterical. I wish I had recorded it. Her tone was priceless.

Chloe just being silly, adorable Chloe.

**********************************************************************************

We have been having schedule daily power outages.

It started out with just a one hour outage in the evening.

Then we had a one hour outage in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Last week we had two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.

Today we are starting three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon.

It has been pretty rough, especially because last week we got up to 100 degrees and had crazy humidity. That minus power is pretty gnarly. Hopefully it either cools down, or they stop cutting power. Or both. That would be lovely.

Anyway, a few days ago there was a bird sitting on a power line when the power came back on and it killed it. So it fell down into the street and all of the neighbor men that saw it came rushing out to try and revive it. One guy tried pouring a bucket of water on it. Brad swears the man was about to cry.

The bird didn't make it.

It's still decaying on the corner of the street.

**********************************************************************************

In other news, we rode a camel again. Chloe loves it. I'm happy to report there were no tears involved in this experience. What cracks me up about us riding a camel is that here we are the spectacle. The whole neighborhood comes out to watch us ride around on the camel. In the states everyone would be like, "What the heck!? There is a camel walking around the neighborhood." Here everyone is like, "Oh my dear Ganesha, white people!"

Ranch.

2011-10-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

For the last week or two I have been debating whether or not to be super selfish and request a package from the States. There are a few items that I have been really missing the last few weeks that I can't find anywhere here in India. All of the items are food related. Embarrassing, I know.

One of the main items on the list is ranch packets.

There have just been a few times in the last couple weeks where ranch has sounded like a caloric version of heaven. Unfortunately, we don't have an easy substitute. We don't even have most of the ingredients you need to make it from scratch.

Sour cream - no.

Parsley - no.

Basil - no.

Chives - no.

The list goes on.

Yeah, I know. You're probably wondering how a culture with the most flavor bursting food doesn't have some of what we consider to be basic herbs. I have no answer. But I will tell you this, you can make almost any Indian dish with turmeric, chili powder, oil and garlic. They are like the cheese, butter, flour, and mayonaise of US cuisine. Culinary staples.

But alas, I digress. I am not posting this to compare food. I am posting this to spark much rejoicing and celebration. I realize I must give you reason to rejoice before you can commence such jubilation. The reason so smile, dear friend, is this:

I made ranch.

Today is a day that simply must go down in history.

It started with a trip to the market where I tried to find any sort of herb that smelled even remotely like anything at all that I have ever even seen at the grocery store before. This was largely unsuccessful, however, it did start the improv process which got us to the satisfactory end result so I am happy.

We wandered for a while and came home with a bag of fresh produce that cost a little shy of $1. It included 2 cucumbers, 5 green peppers, some cilantro, 5 limes, and 2 mystery fruit (just for the sake of satisfying my curiosity, they ended up being some squash-melon-apple hybrid).

Once we were back home we just started winging it. We used some curd, mayo, garlic, lime juice, onion, cilantro, vinegar, and some salt.

And guess what. It actually tasted like ranch.

I am so proud of myself. It has already started to change lives. And best of all, I don't need to inconvenience anyone else! Yes, today simply must go down in history.

The piles of herbs at the market.

An apple stand and a huge pile of sweet lemons.

A huge and fabulous pile of cauliflower. Cauliflower is easily my favorite vegetable here, it absorbs the flavor so well!

More of the market.

This guy charged me an extra rupee for my mystery fruit so I told him that in exchange I got a picture. One rupee is like 2 cents. Not a big rip off, but a good excuse to take a snap.

Sorry Sari.

2011-09-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

Before we moved to India I expected saris to be glamorous and elegant. The word just sounded so magical and it seemed to capture such a rich cultural symbol. I expected saris to look beautiful and exotic. I expected wrong.

I have yet to see someone here who really looks good in a sari.

There are saris that are made of beautiful fabric.

There are women that are beautiful themselves.

But together it never really looks that beautiful.

Mind you, this is all my opinion.

First of all, the entire mid section is showing, and the rice belly is very prominent here. Not super flattering.

Second, the shape the sari takes after you tie it doesn't really flatter any body type. I've seen huge women and teeny tiny women wearing saris and it always looks a little off.

Third, you have to use safety pins to keep it from falling apart. What!?

Fourth, saris aren't reserved for elegant affairs here. They are like jeans in the states. I have seen women working construction in saris for heaven's sake.

And so, for these reasons and many more, I must say sorry sari.

Saris are not my clothing preference. I adore the fabric, but not when it is used as clothing.

Below is photographic proof of why my expectations were completely wrong.

A woman without a sari blouse on.

A woman carrying things on her head as she walks down the street.

The ever tragic back roll.

A woman riding side saddle on the back of a motorcycle. They actually make motorcycles here with a special foot rest on one side for the women.

Me in one of my saris. So tragic.

Not glamorous or flattering at all.

Yes, I have given up on the sari indeed.

Sorry sari, we weren't meant to be friends.

This is my box.

2011-09-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

Some of our resources are limited here. Yes, if I look hard enough and in the right places I can find what I'm looking for, or something close enough to substitute, but sometimes the price is a little more than I'm willing to pay.

This is the case with children's toys. I think if I had an older child I wouldn't be so concerned because I could buy the cheap toys from the street vendors and not have a second thought about it. Having a one year old changes it because I want to buy toys that I trust and don't have to worry about falling apart, or having a million little pieces, or being painted, or shattering with one throw, or not being durable enough to withstand the love of a one year old. Because of these concerns our options are limited and the toys cost more.

A few days ago I remembered a toy my Grandma made with my cousins for Chloe. It was one of those boxes with the holes for different objects. This seemed like a fun, easy, cheap option so I decided to give it a go.

We got a box for free from one of the local shops. I spent the morning collecting and making different shaped objects. I wrapped some of them in colored paper. Then I cut the holes in the box and taped it shut.

I let Chloe and the cooks color on the objects and the box. They all had a blast. It was kind of funny watching Chloe share crayons with a bunch of grown women.

I think it turned out awesome. Best of all it was completely free.

The objects are made from:

Shaving cream cap

Q-tip jar

Toy ball

Chalk box

Soup box

Medicine box

A triangle made of cardboard

Chloe really likes it and she is getting good at figuring out which objects fit in which holes.

Sometimes half the fun seems to be just playing with the objects.

*Note: If you are going to make a similar toy (which I totally think you should) don't forget to cut an opening that can stay shut while the child is playing, but can be opened to get the toys out. You can kind of see this opening in a few of the pictures, it is on the side of the box. It is a flap with a rope tied through it so I can pull it open easily.

Twenty-two.

2011-09-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

This is Simhachalam, me, and Durga.

Simhachalam is 22. She has an 11 year-old daughter. She is already a widow. She doesn't have a complete high school education. She knows more English than she lets on. She is very happy and caring. You can tell she has been through the stresses of a rough life, but she stills manages to maintain a positive attitude. She is strong. She is beautiful. She is a woman.

I am 22. I have a 1 year-old daughter. I am married to an amazing man that respects me. I have a college degree. I hardly know any Telugu. I have an easy life with comforts unknown to these women. I have seen the world. I have financial stability. I have a loving family. I have independence. I have freedoms. I have hard days, yes, but my life is one that satisfies me and leave me content at the end of the day. I am strong. I am beautiful. I am a woman.

Durga is 22. She has a five month old son. She is married to a washerman with crippled legs because her family situation made that the best option. She doesn't have a high school degree. She knows a lot of English. She is very intelligent. She loves to cook and is always looking to learn new things. She had a miscarriage last year. She has known sorrow and hardship, especially concerning her family and those close to her. The system has not been kind to her. I often wonder what this woman would be in a different situation. She is strong. She is beautiful. She is a woman.

We are strong.

We are beautiful.

We are women.

We are friends.

Terri Sue.

2011-09-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday.

I just wanted to let her know that I think she is beautiful, talented, funny, strong, kind, smart, and basically fabulous.

I wish I could give her a birthday hug, but I can't.

Instead I did a muggu in honor of her.

It is huge.

It has a 496 dot grid system that I had to draw first.

It has spools of thread and little quilts because she is an amazing seamstress and quilter.

It has flowers because beautiful flowers are always striking and impressive, but understated, just like my mother-in-law. She also has a gorgeous rose garden in her front yard.

It has birds because she can whistle like nobody's business and it is always prettier than any song I've heard from a bird.

Happy birthday Terri! We love you.

It is also my sister-in-law's birthday too (how cool is it that they share a birthday!?). We love her too. A lot. My porch just isn't big enough for two huge muggu. Kim, know that we love you and think about you everyday. I hope you had a great birthday. :)

Shipwreck.

2011-09-23T01:18:00.000-07:00

Remember that piece of wood that I got permission to take?

Well I have been working on it and my project is finally finished! Below are pictures of the process but here is a quick rundown of what I did:

I cut the wood to the length I wanted. (When I say "I" I mean me, Brad, Katheryn, Kory, Mallory and three trips from our handyman Ramu).

Then I drew the design I wanted to etch. I did this using a grid system so that the scale would be the same.

Then I spent every chance I could etching it out with a twenty cent exacto knife.

After I had the first grooves made I went through with a screw to make the size of the grooves more uniform.

Then I painted it the color of the boats of the fishing village where we got the wood. (It is like half a shade off, but I had to mix my own paint with a stick using white, forrest green, and sky blue. I am happy with how it turned out. You can see the color I was going for in the picture above.)

The last step was to scrape the paint out of the grooves again.

Check it out!

This is Kory and Katheryn trying to chip away at the wood with rocks and a teeny saw. We did the cut twice measure once method. The initial cut was like 6 inches too long. I refuse to accept responsibility for this; everyone knows I am the worst at judging length and distance. I maintain that it was foolish of them to listen to me in the first place.

The design I used was a recurring pattern from the temple we visited with the fertility pillar.

Initial etching. (Sorry, it loaded a little off)

Post-paint, pre-final etching.

Finished product.

Finished product with a cute model.

What do you think?

Rajahmundry.

2011-09-22T06:35:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been an adventuresome week! We got back from our trip to Rajahmundry last night and while we had a lot of fun exploring new territory, we were ready to sleep in our own bed again. Instead of giving you loads of details about everything we did I thought I'd just upload some pictures because that's the only reason you check my blog anyway, right?

I'm onto you.

Chloe dancing with Kory in the train station.

Chloe and Kory gettin' down.

The whole group in the train station.

Chloe thrilled to be rid of us.

Chloe a little depressed after she found out we'd be taking the snacks with us.

A street in one of the Brahmin villages.

Me, Chloe, and Krishnayya walking through the train station.

A rice paddy field.

Bri and James, this picture is for you. If you don't know why then I might start questioning our friendship.

Chloe and Kory post kiss. If you aren't laughing yet look between their faces. That string is snot. Poor Kory. Chloe is going through a kissing phase. She'll kiss anything and everything. I just hope she is getting it out of her system now.

Chloe making some friends.

Our custom jeweler in his shop.

Hey Syd, is this the kind of burlap your mom was looking for? :)

One of the fruit stands.

Hey! White people that you actually know! That's us on one of the main streets enjoying a cool drink.

A really happy shop owner selling puja items

I hope you enjoyed the photos. Tomorrow I will try and post something of more verbal substance. Have a fabulous day.

A good man.

2011-09-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

Can I be honest?

The last week and a half has been really rough.

It started with the whole throw up road trip extravaganza which, don't get me wrong, was rather funny and a great experience, but let's get real, the circumstances were not ideal.

Then I slipped down some marble stairs while carrying a table and landed flat on my back. This totally sucked. I bruised my back, bum and arm really bad and had to miss dance class for a week because I couldn't stand, sit, or lay down without being in pain... much less jump up and down 1,000 times and stamp my feet all hard for an hour each day. But hey, I can walk, so I'm good. Missing dance class for a week totally beats being paralyzed so I consider this situation a win.

The same day I fell down the stairs Chloe shocked herself and it burnt her poor little finger. Baby girl has been a trooper though. She hardly cried and it is almost all the way healed. (Don't worry, we've got her on antibiotics and I keep it covered, she'll be fine).

A few days after that Chloe got a cough and a runny nose. She is still recovering from this. (Again don't worry, we've got her on the proper medicine and we're making sure she is drinking/eating/resting enough).

And now, to top it off, I have the same cold thing Chloe has. Woot.

In addition to our own little problems, we've had to deal with some social and health drama from the other students (Brad and I are like the RAs for the students here). All of this is solved and taken care of, but it made for some stressful days and sleepless nights. I'm just glad everyone is safe and healthy now and that they feel comfortable coming to us for help.

The point of this post is not to complain, but rather to brag about Brad.

Brad is a good man. I hope you all realize that.

He has been so amazing this whole trip, and especially the last week or two.

He is always concerned about his girls; if we're happy, if we need anything, if there is anything he can do to make it better.

He always puts other people first. Always.

He is always very rational and grounded which makes working through problems easier.

He loves everyone and wants what is best for them. I am always amazed at his concern for others and his willingness to go above and beyond to help others.

He is always willing to do whatever it takes to make a situation better. Whether that means a late night trip to the pharmacy to get some meds, an early morning trip to the store to get some Oreos, carrying Chloe everywhere so I don't have to, or giving anyone and everyone a blessing he'll do it no questions asked.

Brad is a good friend.

Brad is a good husband.

Brad is a good daddy.

But most of all, Brad is genuinely a good man.

Brad carrying his baby girl on his shoulders.

Brad with Raju (our washerman) and Kory sporting some flowers Raju picked for them.

Brad rockin out with some locals in Araku Valley.

Boat trip.

2011-09-18T20:26:00.000-07:00

We are in Rajahmundry right now. It is a smaller city that is a four hour train ride south of Vizag. It is charming and friendly and beautiful.

Yesterday we went on an all day boat ride down a river. It was so fun to see a different side of India. I could ramble about all of the fabulous little details and the different stops we made, but I will spare you.

Just know that as we were headed back down river at the end of the day we were sitting on the bow of the boat with our legs dangling off the front, the sun was setting, dragonflies were darting everywhere, the breeze was just right and life felt pretty close to perfect.

Here.

2011-09-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

We live in India. I know that. But sometimes it hits me.

We live in India.

Sometimes it hits me when we're in a rickshaw and the breeze is just right and Chloe is doing "Namaskaramandi" to every rickshaw we pass. I get a big smile and turn to Brad and say, "We live here."

Sometimes it hits me when I'm in the kitchen laughing and building friendships with women who I don't share a language with. This doesn't stop us because we know we'd rather share a friendship than a language. In moments like this a voice in my head whispers,"You live here."

Sometimes it hits me when I'm covered in throw up pumping water with my husband at a well in some random village. Between our jokes and laughter I can't help but look around and realize we live here.

Sometimes it hits me when we are walking down streets that have become familiar, greeting people that are no longer strangers. I squeeze Brad's hand and am grateful we live here.

Today it hit me while we were on a train passing through the beautiful countryside of India. I was looking out the window at the huts, rice paddies, water buffalo, women washing, men tending flocks, children playing, families working together; my heart told me we live here.

Jasmine.

2011-09-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

The women here wear fresh jasmine in their hair. Normally they do it for two hours in the evening.

We're not talking like one little flower behind their ear.

We're talking like a hundred flowers hand strung together and pinned in their hair.

Sometimes they string their own flowers, sometimes they buy them from this guy that that has them in a basket that he balances on his bike as he rides around the town calling out to the women.

Every once and a while the cooks will buy a whole mound of them for all of the girls in the program.

It looks kind of ridiculous in my hair; it looks way better at the top of a thick, long, black braid. Regardless, they make you smell delicious.

I love jasmine days.

Katheryn, me, and Mallory with the fresh Jasmine in our hair.

This is completely unrelated, but adorable none-the-less. Our neighbor has been letting Chloe borrow their tricycle. She loves it. She will spend hours outside with Chinnari just riding up and down the street.

Chloe and Chinnari

Happy baby.

Mothering in India - Part 4

2011-09-14T00:29:00.001-07:00

One of the best decisions I made before moving to India was the decision to breastfeed Chloe as long as I could. Initially I was just hoping to make it to a year, but now I want to make it through our stay here in India.

Breastfeeding made traveling so easy. I didn't have to worry about whether or not Chloe was going to like the food on the plane, where we would eat in the airport, where we would eat when we got to India, what we would do if the curry was too spicy for a baby, if we couldn't find/make baby food.... the list goes on.

I feel in control and comfortable about the future because I know that as long as I make myself eat and drink enough then my baby will be able to eat and drink enough regardless of where we are or the options we have.

Chloe has been a great nurser from the beginning and that hasn't changed. She was even good through teething!

I'm a lucky mamma.

Now that we are more settled here I am breastfeeding a little less because we have found foods we are comfortable having Chloe eat and that have good nutrients. We've told the cooks and our helper what they can feed Chloe and they have been a great help in making sure our baby is full.

Aside from breast-milk Chloe only drinks water (and the occasiona sip of my banana lassi). Milk here is a different story. Let me just say that it is easier to make myself drink a glass of water-buffalo milk every morning, than it would be to make Chloe. I know I should be giving her regular milk but we have found other alternative ways to make sure she is getting dairy, calcium, and just straight up calories.

Not a day goes by that I'm not grateful I am able to breastfeed and that my baby is willing to drink. It has made our life so much less stressful. I'm grateful for the peace of mind it gives me. I'm grateful for the perspective it gives me on my body. Mostly I'm grateful that I get to feed an exhausted baby at the end of each day and have her look up at me with milk drunk eyes, pull away to say "love you" and then keep eating until she drifts to sleep.

Yep, I'm one lucky mamma.

The Legend of the Mustache.

2011-09-12T03:31:00.000-07:00

I hate to overgeneralize, but pretty much every man here in India has a mustache. Even our cook's five month old baby has a mustache.

No, I'm not kidding.

Apparently you get more man badges the more rockin' your mustache is. Some are pretty pathetic, some make you do double takes. All are worn by proud men.

The other day when Brad and I were on our weekly date I told him the legend of the mustache. He laughed.

Today I'd like to share it with you. I hope you laugh too.

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The Legend of the Mustache

Many, many moons ago there was a short Indian man who had a short Indian son. These men were not considered abnormal because they were short, rather they fit the Indian norm and came from a very long line of rather petite men. In fact, the son had never even thought about his height at all because all of the men he ever interacted with or saw were short as well.

His father was short.

His uncles were short.

His grandfathers were short.

His teachers were short.

His friends were short.

His neighbors were short.

Even people he didn't know were short.

The days came and went, the seasons changed, the boy grew in age, but didn't grow much in height. Eventually he grew to marriageable age and his father sat him down to have a most serious talk.

"My son," the father started, "you are a short man. You likely will not grow anymore. You will always be short, and as you age it is almost certain you will become even shorter. However, your height does not change the fact that the time has come for you to marry. We have arranged a marriage for you to an honorable woman and family, but finding a woman shorter than you proved to challenge us. I must inform you, my son, that the woman you will marry is four inches taller than you. You will be ridiculed all of your days. Your shortness in size will always be dramatized by the fact that your wife will always tower over you. We hope her height will favor your sons and help to give them height, but this does not change your situation.

"My son, we cannot change the arrangements of your marriage. We cannot change your physical stature. Because we cannot change these things people will always mock you for being such a small man. To prove your manliness and power my advice to you is this:

"Grow one hell of a mustache."

And so the son grew a thick gnarly mustache and no one ever questioned his authority or abilities as a man. When his sons were of marriageable age he passed on the advice of his father to them as well. From there the tradition and expectation of true men growing the proof of their manliness on their upper-lip was passed down and spread to all of India.

Araku Valley.

2011-09-10T07:38:00.001-07:00

Today we went to Araku Valley. I have been so excited for this trip. All of the locals keep telling us we have to go to Araku Valley because it is so beautiful. We were supposed to go last week, but had to reschedule for this week.

I was really excited for two reasons:

1. We were going to get to see more of India.

2. It sounded like a beautiful place to take some family pictures.

I was especially looking forward to reason 2 because I haven't been very good about getting pictures with me, Brad and Chloe in them.

We woke up and got ready early this morning. We had been having issues with our water so I just washed my hair under a spigot so the student upstairs could take a shower. Before we left I decided I wanted to shave my legs because I wanted to feel comfortable all day, so I did a quick shave under the spigot.

Everything was going great. I made a fantastic banana lassi for breakfast. We left almost on time. Everyone was excited. Chloe was in a fabulous mood. The car didn't even smell bad. I was a happy camper.

Then, about an hour into the trip, Chloe started throwing up. Yuck. Brad was holding her and it got all over his hands and all down Chloe's cute outfit. Luckily we got most of it in a bag.

We pulled over, stripped Chloe down, washed her outfit and Brad's hands off and got back on the road. I wasn't sure what it was because it happened kind of out of the blue and she seemed absolutely normal after she was done throwing up.

Within the next half hour Chloe started throwing up again. Hard. Core. All over me.

Now, you have to understand that when I say all over I mean all. over.

I had puke all over my pants. I had puke coating the entire front of my shirt. She even managed to get a straight shot down my shirt so I had puke pooled up in my bra and sliding down my stomach.

The driver pulled over again so we could get cleaned up except there was one problem.

Monkeys.

There was no way I was getting out of that car because there were monkeys all over that road. I finally got out because he said there was a waterfall where I could wash our clothes, but then he realized it was another 3 km away so I jumped right back in the car.

After way more than 3 km and a lot of sad little baby dry heaving we made it to a little town that had a pump so we got out and washed our clothes.

How is this for a cute family picture? I wish you could see the front of my shirt in this picture...so nasty. Also, my hands got died red from the washing the piece of fabric that is draped on the pump.

I desperately needed something to change into, but the town didn't have any cloth shops and our driver didn't think anyone would be willing to sell me their own clothes, so we headed to the next town up that we knew had a cloth shop.

I just wanted something cheap and easy at the cloth shop. I wasn't going to drop a lot of money on an outfit that was likely going to get throw up on it in the next 6 hours. The shop owner didn't understand this. He kept trying to sell me the nice, bedazzled stuff. Finally I gave up on normal clothes and asked to see some men's athletic pants. He was not amused by this. Apparently he did not feel comfortable selling a woman trousers made for a gentlemen. After giving up on that, I asked for a petticoat... the simple skirt that goes under a sari... he tried to sell me panties.

Not the same thing my friend. Not at all.

We finally convinced him to sell my a simple sari and a mens undershirt. He was not pleased with this because the sari wasn't high quality, I didn't buy fabric for a sari blouse, and I'm pretty sure he thought he was enabling a cross-dresser.

We had the driver drop us off at a hotel so I could get cleaned up and so we could possibly spend the rest of the day there while everyone else went to Araku Valley. Of course they were completely booked and only had this bathroom that I could use to clean up in.

With Brad keeping watch, I stripped down and washed my whole body under that little faucet and then washed all of our clothes. It was at this point in the day that I was extremely grateful I had taken the extra time to shave my legs. Washing throw up off of hairy legs would have been an entirely different experience. After I finished all of that I put on my wanna-be outfit.

All put together it consisted of a white tank top, a borrowed sweatshirt, and a sari. I looked ridiculous and felt even more ridiculous. But let me say this, not wearing a bra or underwear is both liberating and terrifying at the same time. Especially when all you've got on is a strip of fabric that you've woven yourself into.

After I was presentable again we just hung around the hotel waiting for the group to come by again on their way from the Borra Caves to Araku Valley.

Brad playing with his baby girl.

Chloe and I walking down to the main road.

You're probably getting bored so I will spare you the details. Just know that we made it to Araku Valley and we loved it. Chloe didn't throw up again. And we got one family picture, however it was not nearly as cute as I had anticipated... but it has a much better story than a cute one...

For those of you that are worried about Chloe (mostly the Grandmas) I think I have what happened figured out. The previous three days have been rather hot, so she was probably a little dehydrated to start with, then our driver was making us all a little motion sick, and we climbed elevation really quickly. I think all of these factored in to make a very sick baby. After she stopped throwing up she drank a lot and ate quite a bit. She seems all the way back to normal now. Not to worry dear. All is well.

The Salmon Room.

2011-09-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

So every Monday night we get together with all of the students and have a short meeting with our site director Krishnayyagaru to let him know how each student's research and health are. After our quick meeting we play a few rounds of Uno, eat some junk, chat, do muggu.... just hang out for a while and relax. It is really fun to be able to spend down time together and get to know each of the students.

Last Monday Kory, the only male student, decided we needed to up our Monday night activities a little bit so he organized The Salmon Room. It was called that because of the colors of the walls. Basically it was going to be like a talent show/musical performance. We invited all of the cooks, the handymen, our site director, and the two professors and their families. It was a full house.

Kory made some rocking salsa, and popcorn. Mallory and I made banana lassis and cookie dough. Pretty much it was amazing.

A few of the girls performed duets and solos on the guitar and ukulele. One girl even performed an original song. Kory also performed a few songs. He is part a band. He's kind of a big deal and rocks at the guitar/singing. He even wrote a song for Chloe! It was fabulous.

So in the middle of all of this amazing talent and inspiring performances Brad and I did a little skit that was neither talented or inspiring... but it sure made people laugh.

When you were little did you ever do the thing where one of your friends lays on the ground and then you sit on their hips and pretend like their legs are yours? Well that is what Brad and I did. It looked so funny because his legs are so long. Everyone was laughing so hard it was making me laugh. I could barely talk.

In the beginning, just doing a little stretching.

Doing a more advanced pose called the dragonfly.

Ending with the ever peaceful namaste.

It was so awesome. Then Brad did impressions of a few of the cooks and some members in our group. This was also hysterical. All in all it was a great night. I think we might try to do something like this every month.

The whole group (okay, well almost the whole group, I was taking the picture and Chinnari went home early because she was sick)

Brad and his Telugu professor with their babies.

The huge fish muggu I did in honor of The Salmon Room. There was more muggu going all the way up the stairs too.

I hope you got a little laugh.

Birthday.

2011-09-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, yesterday was Brad's birthday.

We had a fabulous day. The cooks went to extra effort to make sure that Brad had a great day with delicious meals.

We had french toast for breakfast.

Brad and I went out for pizza for lunch.

We had a delicious pasta dinner.

And to satisfy our sweet tooth we had two chocolate cakes and an apple pie.

Does it get better than that? Not really. Especially considering our cook made the apple pie without an oven. She rocks my world.

Brad said it was a great birthday and he really appreciated all of your emails. You guys are awesome.

Here we are with one of his cakes. Chloe is already eyeing it. Ha! (Also, aren't her pigtails adorable?)

This is Chloe today after the cooks took a go at her hair. Normally I'm not a big fan of a huge flower on a little girl's head, but how can you say no to fresh flowers?

Come back tomorrow for fabulous and humiliating photos of me and Brad. :)

Love net.

2011-09-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

We didn't bring a crib to India.

We didn't bring a pack-n-play.

We didn't bring anything like that.

We were told they would take care of that for us. I was thrilled about this because that meant I didn't have to haul anything half way around the world.

Score!

Not.

When we were shown our room this was what we were told was the "crib".

I'm gonna let you try to find a scenario where that would work in keeping a one year old safe during her sleep.

Done? I'm going to guess you came up zero scenarios.

I tried and tried and tried to come up with so many different ways where we could make that work. I felt so bad that they went to so much extra effort to accomodate us and we still weren't satisfied. I felt so high maintenance. I felt so selfish. I felt so American.

I kept telling myself, "If it works for the locals we will make it work for us too."

But I just couldn't. I am embarrassed to admit that.

I was sick of sleeping in a separate mosquito net from my husband. I was amazed at how much a thin little piece of fabric affected our relationship. I missed not being able to rest my head on his chest as we talked and laughed about the day and then slowly drifted to sleep. I missed not being able to roll over and hold his hand. I missed Brad.

I was sick of sleeping on a twin mattress with an active one yea

r old. I cannot tell you how many uppercuts and knees to the jaw I have taken in the last month. Too. Many.

I was sick of having to lay there next to Chloe until she was deep enough asleep for me to sneak out of our noisy door to hurry and cram in as much as I could before she walked out of the room again.

I was sick of not being able to let Chloe fall asleep by herself.

Chloe and I sleep better in different beds.

Brad and I sleep better in the same bed.

It just wasn't working.

So I caved.

Brad searched all of Visakhapatnam for a pack-n-play but couldn't find anything. Finally he found one online that would ship to India. You bet your bottom dollar we paid to have it expedited.

I spent an entire day hand stitching two mosquito nets into what we now call the love net. It didn't take as long as I thought it would and I'm really happy with how it turned out. Nighttime cuddles here I come.

I am so excited to be able to get back into the routine of feeding Chloe and then just laying her down and letting her fall asleep by herself. It works better for all of us.

Be gentle in your judgments. Just know that we've adapted to pretty much everything else.

And now I must bid you goodnight, I have a love net waiting for me.

This is our love net and Chloe's new bed. Don't worry, we hung a mosquito net around her bed too.

"Grandma, look at all my teeth!"

Most adorable little girl ever.

Inaugurate.

2011-09-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we inaugurated the program sewing machine.

I was so excited when I found out they bought a sewing machine because I was so bummed I had to leave mine in the states. The program sewing machine is an old school foot pedal Merritt.

It is so hard to get it going and then pick up the foot pedal. I failed big time. It was rather pathetic.

Here are some photos taken by my friend Mallory to document the inauguration.

Trying to get the leather strap back on track because I messed it up... again.

After sewing an entire successful seam. I was so proud of myself!

With a little practice I think one day I might be ready for a real project.

Passion.

2011-08-31T08:00:00.001-07:00

Today I found passion again.

I rediscovered the satisfaction that can come from expressing intense passion.

I think passion made a silent exit from my life when I became a mother. On the day we welcomed our new light and I forever changed my role and identity my heart only knew love.

Deep love.

Peaceful love.

Expanded love.

Passion slipped out of the spotlight as my heart rejoiced, perhaps single-minded, at the feeling of being so deeply intertwined and connected emotionally and physically with other people.

I didn't notice.

I was happy.

I was content.

And then today I felt passion again and realized how long it had been since that dear friend had been in my soul.

It wasn't fleeting passion.

The kind that comes from time to time.

It was true passion.

The kind that awakens deep parts of your heart that you forgot exist because of the protective layers that surround it.

It came during my dance class.

It came unexpectedly, but I welcomed it like the old friend that you don't realize how much you miss until you get to savor some time together and you are left craving more; the contrast fresh in your mind.

Dance. Expressed creativity. Knowledge. New places. New friends. Experiences. Expansion in thought.

India.

All of these have reunited my soul with passion and I have been left craving more.

Busy day.

2011-08-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

Today has been extremely busy. I love it when we're busy. It is so much fun! I thought I would just do a quick post of some pictures that capture a few of the things we've done.

I got a blood blister. Getting the blood blister totally sucked, but it looks exactly like a heart. How cool is that!?

Our neighbors are super friendly. We love them. They are so nice. Sometimes this one neighbor comes home for lunch and takes his kids for a ride around the park on his motorcycle. It is adorable. Sometimes we let him take Chloe. Yes, I know most of you are opposed to this. Please don't worry about it. Please.

Look at that cute face.

We did some crazy henna. I got down to business and did six feet. I did my feet and two other girls. My hand is so sore but I'm really proud of myself. I did much better than I expected.

This is me doing Mallory's foot. We decided I should open a henna parlor and call it "Straddle." Just kidding.

This picture loaded weird, but it is of Mallory's feet. It ended up being a super awesome and intricate pattern.

This is my henna.

Do you see the pretty things dangling around my ankles? Those are my special anklets. I have been meaning to post a picture of them, but I kept forgetting. Aren't they fabulous? I love them. They jingle just the right amount and make my man ankles look super pretty.

I did a hard-core muggu in honor of all the rain we've had. Just know that it had an intense 297 dot grid system and took forever.

And amidst all of this Chloe still managed to be super cute! She's so amazing.

Hope you all have a fabulous busy day just like ours!

Spot.

2011-08-29T03:26:00.000-07:00

Chloe has found her special spot in our home here in India.

In our apartment there are several built in bookshelves and Chloe loves to climb up on the bottom shelf and just sit there.

It is adorable.

Perfect little place for a busy little toddler to sit.

Warm.

2011-08-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Guys.

This is serious.

A few days ago I had a warm shower.

Like if I could have picked any temperature I would have picked that exact temperature.

It.

Was.

Amazing.

An apology to the birds.

2011-08-25T03:19:00.000-07:00

Every morning between 4:30 and 5 people gather at the Krishna temple at the end of our street to bang on pots and pans to wake up the god. This goes on for a good 15-20 minutes. Every. Morning.

If we miraculously sleep through that the next thing to wake us (if not Chloe) is this wretched chirping sound that is amazingly loud and piercing.

At first we thought this sound came from these nasty black birds that are all over the place and that I once saw pull a rat's insides out through its bum and eat them.

I hated these birds.

Every morning I had the strongest desire to go throw rocks at them or shoot them.

Not necessarily because they woke me up, but because the sound is that terrible.

A few days ago we found out that the sound is actually made by the chipmunks that are always running around everywhere. (I know, chipmunks in India... crazy right? I never thought there would be chipmunks here).

After we discovered the real trouble makers I started to feel bad about hating the birds so much so I did an apology muggu for them. (They still ate that rat, but that isn't nearly as bad as that stupid sound... at least in my book).

I hope they saw that I honored them on my front porch and have forgiven me for hating them.

My apology to the birds (after a day of people walking all over it)

How adorable are they? Life is fabulous with them.

Permission.

2011-08-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

There is a small fishing village that is close to where we live. I love their boats. They are like the old school kind that are handmade out of wood and painted this fabulous teal color.

After I saw them I decided I absolutely needed some wood from a boat to hang in my house back in the states.

I told the students that are doing research in the village to keep their eyes out for a piece of wood for me.

Then as we were touring the temple with the fertility pillar I saw a recurring pattern on the walls and decided that would look so cool engraved in some of that wood.

And with that the idea was stuck in my head.

I kept pestering Brad about going to the village to find some wood, but it isn't a place we feel comfortable taking Chloe so it became a matter of either finding a time when one of the girls could watch Chloe or waiting for Brad to get it on one of his random trips to the village.

Today I was feeling restless and got sick of waiting so I asked one of the girls if she would like to go on a scavenger hunt with me to find some wood. She said she would love to... and so we headed out on kind of an aimless journey to find the right piece of wood.

We took a rickshaw to this spot on the road that runs along the beach and then started walking up the road with our eyes peeled for abandoned boats. On the way we had lots of laughs and good chats.

We finally made it to where all of the boats were.

We walked down to try and find some scrap wood that we could take. We found the perfect piece and looked around to see if anyone would care if we took it.

This little boy came over. He was probably 13. We asked him if we could have the wood. He head bobbled. We asked again. He head bobbled. I said, "So we can have it." He said, "No." I didn't like that answer. I asked why. He head bobbled. I asked about another piece. He said I could have it. I asked about the first piece. He said no. His friend came over. We asked if we could have the wood. He said no. He asked where we were from. We said USA. We asked if we could have the wood. He said yes.

And with that my friend and I picked up the huge plank of wood and started across the beach with it, busting a gut the whole way.

We thought we would have trouble getting a rickshaw but one pulled over right away. He was very accommodating and helped us shimmy the wood in the rickshaw.

He later told our friend/translator he thought we stole the wood.

I would like to clarify that WE GOT PERMISSION.

Yes, I know it was from a 13 year old boy who probably didn't understand us, but still. He said yes.

***Side note: On our walk up the beach we saw this thing that we thought was a decaying body, but on the way back we stopped for further investigation and decided it was a pig with a shawl. Don't worry.***

Okay. I'm rambling.

The point is: I got my wood. I didn't steal it. I love it. I am excited to start my project.

Our super awesome rickshaw driver with his super awesome rickshaw and my super awesome huge piece of wood

Me with my super awesome huge piece of wood (I will be cutting it down, don't worry)

My super awesome retro muggu from this morning

Pictures.

2011-08-21T20:55:00.001-07:00

Hello dear friend. How have you been? Well I hope.

Things are going really well for us. We're getting into more of a rhythm and everyday my voice has a little more confidence in it when it calls this home.

I really do love this place.

It is truly fabulous. Quirks and all.

I wish you would come visit. I promise we'd show you a good time and take you to all of the right places.

Do consider it.

I thought today instead of rambling on and on like I have been I would just show you some pictures we've taken recently.

A family picture on the Vice Chancellor's gold plated couch.

Chloe a little nervous pre-cow petting

Chloe all proud post-cow petting

Brad kneeling next to Raju our little handyman

Photo documentation of our rickshaw record: ten people (not including the driver)

Chloe exploring new land with one of her friends, our boat driver

Chloe playing sari dress up (sorry the color is all off in this picture)

Praying.

2011-08-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

We've been having lots of fun adventures the last few days and I'll try to give you a quick overview another day. Just know that we are happy and well and that the Vice-Chancellor gave Brad an honorary shawl and gave me a huge (and kind of forceful) kiss on the cheek. Or maybe smooch is a better word. Either way it has been awesome.

Today I'd like to share a story from a little over a week back.

We were visiting a local temple and were inside the inner, most sacred area. There were several parts to this area of the temple, but I'd just like to focus on one.

It is roughly translated as the fertility pillar.

Essentially it is a large pillar in the temple that a person, or couple, or family first hug and then they turn and put their backs on the pillar and are tied to it while they pray again. The purpose of the pillar is to help a couple be able to conceive.

When we came up to it there was a couple that had just approached it.

As they hugged the pole you could just see in their facial expressions and how tightly they grabbed at the pillar how desperately they wanted it. They wanted a baby so bad.

I was completely touched - struggling to hold back tears. As I stood there holding my own precious baby watching them do whatever they thought their god wanted them to do so they could have children I couldn't help but feel guilty.

This isn't the first time where I have felt guilty for a blessing that causes another person's despair and I hate that feeling.

I wanted to help them.

I wanted to give them life.

I wanted to see them smile.

I wanted to hug them.

I wanted to just do something. Anything.

As I watched as they turned to be tied to the pillar and pray to their god I found that I was also praying a most intense prayer to my God as well.

Pleading. Pleading for this couple's happiness and future family.

It was a touching moment. And one I think I will remember always.

The bond of humanity is strong. We have had so many experiences here that keep reminding me of this simple point.

We may not speak the same language, their food might send me to the bathroom for the day, I might look silly in their clothes, we might have completely different physical attributes, we might have different gods.

But we're human.

We all have emotions, experiences, families, friends. Life. We all have life.

And I think that is a connection stronger than any difference you could find between us.

The temple we visited

Our group

Me and Chloe on a quick little river/boat trip we took

Tuesdays

2011-08-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

To avoid any possible confusion I need to clarify that this post is from Brad.

Tuesdays are a very interesting day here in India. I don’t have language classes, so the entire day is pretty much up to my own whims. If I want to go record the Brahmin pujari (priest) give a lecture on Krishna and the other gods, I can go do that. If I want to spend the day in our house practicing the Telugu alphabet on our white board, I can do that too. Starting next week I am going to be spending all day on Tuesdays working out the grammar of Telugu and practicing speaking in different areas around Vizag. I can do anything on Tuesdays.

There are, however, a few things that one cannot do while here.

Get your hair cut.

Cut your fingernails (though that is a little harder to enforce).

Let me explain.

Tuesday, if you know any European or Indian languages, is ruled by the god Mars (Martes in Spanish). He is the god of war, and subsequently (according to our astrologer friend Ramalinga Swami, a man that may get another post some other time) using thing to cut and injure the body. Hindu culture is very much dominated by astrology, and as such they suggest never doing things on certain days because of the taboo nature and possible bad luck that might come from it. Therefore cutting your hair or fingernails is bad luck on Tuesdays. So much so that all hair cutting places are closed on Tuesdays.

The moral of the story… I had to wait one extra day to go to my old-fashioned salon to get a shave and a haircut. Perhaps some other day I’ll explain what goes into that, but for now suffice it to say that I can get my hair cut, face shaved, and head and shoulders massaged for about $2. I will go at least once a week from now on. Just not on Tuesdays.