Back In The Swing of Things

We returned from our wonderful summer vacation safe and sound - Thank Goodness!

(However, I felt like I needed a mini vacation to recover : )

It didn't take long to get back into life. Here are a few highlights of our first week back:

• Celebrated Eric's 13th birthday - teenager in the house!
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• Had a farewell dinner for dear friends who are moving back to the States - boo hoo, sniff sniff : (
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• Unpacked 8 suitcases and 3 carry - ons - still doing laundry.
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• Eric and Paige started school - back to packing lunches, ugh!
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• Swim practice has begun, resulting in my alarm going off at 5:20am!!!!! I guess I should be thankful that I'm not the one who has to swim : )
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• Have already had an Electrician and A/C guy out for various repairs - I'm positive they have a conspiracy thing going on.
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• Still cleaning up Mindy puke - could she be bulimic?
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• Smashed a gecko in the car door - oops, sorry!
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• Scratching away at several mosquito bites - netting over bed is going up TODAY!
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• Spent 5 hours in the doctors office for ONE APPOINTMENT - saw blood and urine that I didn't want to see.....

However, the highlight of my week was when I picked up Paige from a friends house only to find out she had TURNED BLUE!!! Yes, a Smurfette!! After the panic was over and our heart rates returned to normal, we found out that the girls were experimenting with blue food coloring by putting it in a spray bottle, spraying each other's clothes (that were still on their body's) hoping to "tie dye" them. When they saw their skin was turning blue, they jumped into the pool, but no luck.

After a shower and bath, most of it is gone. It only looks like she's not receiving enough oxygen or something......

WELCOME HOME!!!

Heading Back to the U.S.A!

It's that time again! We are leaving tomorrow night for our "around-the-world" trip back to the U.S.A. Here is our itinerary:

First stop: June 26 - 29 - Paris, France

Second stop: June 29 - July 3 - South Carolina

Third stop: July 3 - 10 - Forsyth, Illinois

Fourth stop: July 10 - Aug 2 - Utah (Corey leaves on July 18th)

Fifth stop: Aug 2 - Aug 5 - Hong Kong

Last stop: Aug 5 - Home in Chennai

We would love to see as many friends and family as possible so let me know! Email, Facebook, or leave a comment on the blog.......

Line Jumping, Taking Cuts, Snaking........

One peculiar thing that happens to us frequently here is........

When the kids and I are standing in line (in "the cue" as they say here) - usually at a store, KFC, doctors, etc. - the check-out clerk will often motion to me to come up to the front of the line, even if it means taking cuts in front of someone! I always politely decline because it goes against everything I've been taught growing up. The other people in line can clearly see what is going on and I want to send the message that I am not "special" and I can wait my turn like everyone else.

So, I've been here a year and a half now and have gotten to the point where I just ignore them or look away when they want me to line jump.

BUT, the other day, I gave in and took MAJOR CUTS!!! It felt weird and awesome at the same time!

I was at the zoo, no, wait.... I mean the Apollo Hospital downtown.... and it was CRAZY packed with people everywhere, going in every direction and I had no clue where to go or what to do.

Eric was scheduled for a check-up with a diabetes doctor - our first time. So when I got to the receptionist, I waited in line and I could hear her telling other patients that it was an hour wait for this particular doctor (which probably meant 2 hours). But when I finally spoke with her, she told me we were NEXT! So, what to do?

The little angel on one shoulder said, "NO, you should wait your turn like everyone else". I looked around me and there was no place to sit and everyone was in my space and staring at us like a fish in a fishbowl. That's when the naughty guy said "Just go ahead, - there is NO way you can wait here that long". So I gave in and went next.

Same thing happened at the phlebotomist (he had to have a blood draw for his hbA1C) test, and the pharmacy.

I left feeling guilty, but so happy to be out of there!!!

I guess I have some repenting to do,

I promise I'll never do it again!

*wink*, *wink* ;-)

Eric's Track & Field Meet in Bangladesh

This year, the school's Track & Field Meet was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

8 International schools from Southeast Asia all met and held this track meet over a 4- day weekend.

I wasn't able to go (mom was visiting, plus it required a visa, etc) but Corey went with Eric and had a great time.

Again, practices were 4 days a week before school at 6:00am. He knew he would place in Discus and Shot Put because he was experienced from last year. But this year he started Long Jump and was surprised that he placed since he was new.

Eric's personal bests and placements:

• 100 m 14.3 seconds
• 200m 30.1 seconds
• 400 m 1.16 minutes
• Shot Put 7.32 meters 6th place
• Discus 19.4 meters 4th place
• Long Jump 3.83 meters 4th place
• 4 x 100 Relay 6th place
• 4 x 400 Relay 5th place

We are so proud of his hard work and commitment!

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Surprise in My Bedroom!

While Corey was away on business, I came home to a visitor in my bedroom. Lucky me? NO! He was there with all of his friends - HUNDREDS OF THEM!!!

Let me introduce you to Him, or Her, or It.......

the FLYING ANT:

Yes, he and his friends invaded my bedroom while I was gone. Snuck in through the french doors from the balcony and they were EVERYWHERE - inside and out.

So after I screamed, Paige and Eric came running. I ordered them to get the ant spray and electric bug zapper which they brought immediately. Paige ran to get a security guard - to feel more secure? - and Eric,.... well, Eric made himself scarce.

So Paige, security guy, and I zapped, sprayed, and stomped until they were all dead. Some did escape and I found them the next morning in other parts of the house.

And YES, I did sleep in my bed that night with my electric bug zapper in hand.......... and luckily no nightmares.

Aahhhh....... the joys of living in India......

Paige Receives an Award!

Yesterday was the end-of-the-year assembly for the 5th grade. Paige received the "Presidential" Award which recognizes her for outstanding academics in 5th grade and is signed by the President of the United States!

She was so surprised and happy!

She also had lessons in beginner guitar the past couple of months so her class was able to play a little song at the assembly.

The picture of her with the tall guy with the beard is her awesome teacher, Mr. Paul.

Paige had a great year and we are so proud of her!

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A Trip to the Taj Mahal

A few days after we returned from spring break, my mom arrived in Chennai! Yeah!

We were so excited to have her spend 3 weeks with us and I was very proud of her for making the long journey all by herself!

And how can you come all the way to India and not see the Taj Mahal??! Even though it is a journey in itself to get there, we had to do it!

So we took a 3 1/2 hour flight North to Delhi, spent the night, woke up at the crack of dawn to catch a 2 hour train ride to Agra. In Agra we rented a car and driver and saw the Taj, Agra Fort, inlay marble exhibit/store, and embroidery market, and shopping!

It was sooo HOT!! We must have melted off at least 5 lbs. each! We did take a break at the local 5-star hotel to eat and refresh ourselves.

At the end of the day, we grabbed a large pizza from Pizza Hut and jumped back on the train for our 2 hour ride back to Delhi where we crashed for the night.

The next day we flew back to Chennai. We were so glad we went on this awesome adventure!

PS.... Corey didn't come with us because he had already been to the Taj with colleagues. Yes, we survived without him!

Here a just a few pics:

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Our Week in Fiji

BULA!!

(That's hello in Fiji)

And you have to say it like: "Boolaa"

We flew from Auckland, NZ to Suva on the Island of Viti Levu. From there we took a puddle jumper North to to Savusavu on the Island of Venua Levu.

Oddly, a hurricane had just hit Venua Levu and we were worried the resort would be closed, but we lucked out and it had just re-opened a couple days before we arrived.

The staff members were apologetic about the surroundings not being as lush and beautiful, but we couldn't tell the difference. It was beautiful to us!

This was the perfect resort! It was quiet, scenic, and not built up with tourism. We really felt like we were the only ones on a deserted island! Everywhere we went our surroundings were in its natural state and not changed to accommodate the "tourist".

In order to go to the waterfall, we had to bring a gift for the chief of the village the waterfall was in. So we bought a kava plant and went to his house. He let us in and spoke to us (in Fijian) and allowed us to go. I didn't take pictures of him - I thought it might be rude.

We loved the island, resort, people, food, music, and everything about Fiji.

Since I've spent so much time blogging this trip, I decided to put our whole week on one slideshow. It's a little lengthy, but I really want to move on to blogging other things.

Enjoy!

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Spring Vacation - Part 5

Finishing up New Zealand.........

My husband gave me this awesome "MacBook" for our anniversary last month and I have been working hard at making this cool video of the kids "Zorbing" in New Zealand. After clipping, editing, adding text, etc., the video was finally finished!!! BUT..... I can't upload it to Blogspot!! I think it's too large? I don't know. So I am bummed.

PAIGE and JESSA after their thrill ride!

If you don't know what "Zorbing" is, it is getting into a large plastic ball filled with water (like a hamster sans the water) and rolling it down a hill. Whee.......

COREY, ERIC, and LEVI after their ride

I opted not to Zorb. For $44.00 per person I figured I would have more fun watching them act like hamsters! (Sorry Jenny).

Towards the end of our stay in New Zealand, we decided to take it easy.

FISH and CHIPS is a MUST!!! We stopped at a local store, grabbed a bunch and went to the park to enjoy. The kids had a blast running around on this gorgeous day. They made an obstacle course, found a small "zip" line and happened upon some hot springs! I think they had the most fun at this "Low-budget" activity.

For our last night there, we had a wonderful dinner of juicy steaks, corn on the cob (remember, we can't get that in India), sweet potatoes, and veggies. It was the perfect ending to a perfect week!

Goodbye New Zealand!

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Spring Vacation - Part 4

Still in New Zealand..........

We woke up to rain but didn't let that stop us. The kids really wanted to go to the Wildlife Center so we headed out. I privately thought it was going to be a bust because animals don't usually come out in the rain. But we were lucky!

This Wildlife Center had it all figured out. They provided food to feed the animals - and the animals all knew this! As soon as we approached an exhibit, the animals came to us right away! The kids loved it and had a wonderful interactive experience.

We also saw them feeding the lions fresh meat - that was pretty cool.

They claimed to have a spring with 99.9% fresh water that we could drink from. The kids drank and said, "this is the BEST water I've ever had!".

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I decided to create a slideshow of random nature shots:

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Spring Vacation - Part 3

We decided to make Lake Taupo our home base and go on day trips from there.

First stop was a geothermal park just south of Rotorua called Wai-O-Tapu. The attractions are sculptured out of volcanic activity that has been going on for thousands of years. Bubbling mud pools, huge volcanic craters, Sinter terrace formations, geysers, and sulfur pools (P.U.).

Once we were used to the smell, it proved to be a very interesting tour.

Create a free digital slideshow That evening, we drove into Rotorua to New Zealand native Maori grounds. They had prepared a traditional dinner that was cooked in an underground pit, took us on a walk in the woods, performed traditional dancing and singing, and ended the evening searching for the famous glow worms in their natural pond. We were able to see about a dozen - no pictures though.

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Spring Vacation - Part 2

After our day in Singapore, we boarded the plane for a 9 1/2 hour flight to Auckland, New Zealand, which is on the North Island. We met our friends, the Mitchell's, and drove 2 1/2 hours South to Hamilton where we spent the night.

It was the beginning of Autumn - about 70-75 degrees - beautiful weather. We did have a couple rainy days but after months of heat and sunshine in Chennai, we welcomed it!

The LDS temple is in Hamilton, so the next morning we spent a few hours there. After lunch, we drove another 2 1/2 hours South to Lake Taupo. The Mitchell's were friends with a family that owned a house on the lake and we were able to rent it from them for the week.

New Zealand is 7 1/2 hours ahead of Chennai and we suffered a little jet lag, but didn't let it ruin our vacation.

Here are some slides of our first couple days there...........

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Spring Vacation - Part 1

First stop...... Singapore

We started out by taking a 4 hour flight from Chennai to Singapore - which brought us in at 6:00am. We had a 15 hour layover so we decided to explore Singapore.

There was a train at the airport that could take us anywhere we wanted to go. The Singapore Zoo was first on my list but got voted out due to the high chance of rain. The kids thought the animals wouldn't come out. The Safari was only available at night - so that was out. My next choice was a bus tour of Singapore - BORING was the reply. Can we split up?? No, let's stay together. Sentosa Island was it.

There was a ton to do on Sentosa. We tried to get in to the new Universal Studios but it was sold out. Sold Out?? Do amusement parks really sell out? I guess we needed to get tickets on line weeks ago. Oh well, we tried. We ended up riding the mountain luge, went to several "inter-active" exhibits, ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, toured the Hersey's store, and discovered yummy popcorn at Garrett's Popcorn of Chicago.

In spite of having to lug our 5 carry-on's around and getting soaked in the rain, we had a memorable time!

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Our New Neighbors

The other day we came home from school and were greeted by new neighbors! They were waiting for us outside our gate entrance ...........

We live on a dead end lane quite far from main roads - guess they needed a break from the noise. We let them graze on the trees and garbage - Refreshments!

Luckily for us, they didn't overstay their welcome....... it could have become quite stinky!

Spring Break!

Well, the much awaited time has come for us to take a break from India and go on vacation.
The American School gives us 2 weeks off so we are headed East to Auckland, New Zealand for one week and from there a little north to Fiji for one week.

In New Zealand the weather will be between 65 - 75 degrees which will be a little break from the heat for us. We plan on attending a temple session (there isn't a temple in India yet and we haven't been since last summer) in Hamilton and exploring the beautiful outdoors. Maybe even go to the mall or movies - believe it or not - that would be a treat!

In Fiji the weather should be in the mid-80's which sounds perfect. We are staying at an all inclusive resort and plan to lay on the beach and enjoy all the water sports we can!

We are excited to take time off from the grinding routine in India. Especially Corey - he REALLY needs a break. He has been so busy and stressed out that he needs this "rest and relaxation" time. I am tempted to accidentally "lose" his Blackberry for a day or two. It would be nice to "lose" his laptop, too, but I don't think I can pull that one off!

So here's to a Happy Easter and Happy Spring! Cheers!!

A COBRA!

Well, not really........

One morning, I got up around 6:30am, went down to the kitchen to start making breakfast when the doorbell rang - which never happens at that time of the morning. It was one of our security guards (I think he was waiting until he saw a light come on to ring the bell).

In excited, broken English he pants, "Madam, madam, a cobra, A COBRA!" as he points to the sidewalk. "WHAT?", I shriek as I look at the sidewalk. Well, it wasn't quite a cobra. To me it looked like a 4-5' brown garden snake. But I didn't want to burst his bubble - I could tell he was feeling proud and scared at the same time.

Then he says, "photo, photo". So he wants me to get my camera. I don't know if he really thought it was a cobra or if he just didn't know the word "snake". So I chuckle as I get my camera and take a photo of our very "brave, courageous" guard with his "COBRA"! : )

Later, I get the real story........ Mindy, our cat, actually was the brave one who caught the snake. Apparently, she was hissing at it in the bushes and the guards went over to see what the commotion was. They said Mindy bit the snake and pulled it out of the bushes! What a brave feline!

For those of you who want to know what became of our "cobra"........ the guards stabbed it with sticks until it was dead and threw it in a garbage fire down our lane. What a way to go.

It's Watermelon Season

Now that I've lived here a little over a year, I think I've decided that this is my favorite time of year. It starts about mid February till the beginning of April. I don't know what season to call it because there really isn't a "spring, summer, winter, or fall" here. So I'm naming it "Watermelon" season.

The reasons it is my favorite are:

• It's not too hot or too cold.
• I can wear long pants or shorts.
• The pool water is a wonderful temperature.
• The sun shines every day.
• It isn't super humid yet.
• THE MOSQUITOES ARE GOING AWAY!!!!!!!
• Spring break is just around the corner.
• And there is delicious, sweet, juicy WATERMELON everywhere!

And the cost of these yummy, fresh-picked watermelon are so affordable! If I have my driver buy one off the street (without them seeing me) he can get a nice one for about 80 cents. If I buy it, it's about $2.00 - still not bad.

There are watermelon stands everywhere on the streets. Take a look:

We're Still Here!

It has been a while since I last posted....... how do I catch up? I would like to let you know what has been happening these past 4 months, but think it might be nothing more than "boring old news". So I've decided to start from today and go from there. If I come across an old event I feel is "blog worthy", I'll post it.

I would like to start with this past weekend. Some of you are on Facebook and have seen this already, but several family members have not. Eric made the basketball team and the tournament was in Mumbai. So Eric and I headed up there this past weekend (1 1/2 hour flight) and his team WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!! We were so thrilled!! Unfortunately, Corey was on a business trip to Korea and couldn't make it. But I took lots of pictures and videos for him. I'll share some with you:

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