Playing Catch Up...... This is a long one....

FIRST: The Trip to the Maldives

Let me just say.... paradise!!! Sugary sand beaches, turquoise blue water and the best snorkeling we have experienced!! We stayed on a small island called Bandos. The only thing on that island was the resort hotel, plus some housing for the hotel staff. We flew into Male and took a speed boat to 'our' island. The kids had a blast, they both experienced snorkeling. Mira actually was less afraid. Milan just got a kick out of wearing the gear. He was too chicken to go into the water. The fish were beautiful and so was the coral!! Most of the people that visit the Maldives go scuba diving. I think that would be even more spectacular. Oh... did I mention that there were sharks in the water.... yep, right where we were snorkeling!! OK.... So they were only 'reef' sharks and essentially harmless... but still, knowing that they were 'sharks' was a little scary.

Maldives was definitely worth the trip.... it was an amazing trip!!

A shot from the plane!












NEXT: Ozone Christmas Party

Before we left for the Maldives, our neighborhood had a Christmas Party. It started with a bike parade paired with a marching band. OK... maybe not the type of High School Marching bands that we are used to back at home... but it was a band and they marched.... check out the pictures. They played some holiday tunes and the kids rode their bikes along. The party ended up at the park and they had a mini-Christmas program. It was a very nice evening. The best part... it was warm and sunny... probably 75 or 80 degrees.... Did not feel quite like Chirstmas with the warm temps.... but I am not complaining!!

Check out the pictures...





NEXT: School Programs

The day before we left for the Maldives the kids had a program at their school. Essentially it was the entire elementary school kids. Mira was in a dance and Milan was singing... The peformance was good and the kids were so excited leading up to the big performance. The pictures are great. Mira looks so grown up!! The best part... the school took care of the costumes and makeup for Mira. I just had to show up!!

Milan had to sing a song about Spring (the season). His costume was cute for a bunch of 5 year olds. I am sure that 10 years from now, he won't want any evidence of the 'flower' costume!!










NEXT: Christmas Packages

We received a care package from 'Santa' back at home!! It was GREAT!! 'Santa' was great... he even sent a little Christmas tree along with ornaments!! The kids loved their presents!! Yes... we opened them early!! Sorry! We were too anxious!! We are so lucky to have a wonderful 'Santa' in our family!! Thank you Santa!! You guys are the best!!!

Oh... let me tell you Santa should be warned that FedEx had some 'difficulties' delivering the package... There is a great story that goes along with it.... I will save it for another time!!

LASTLY: Visitors

Saving the best for last.... We have visitors from back home!!! I FINALLY got to see my nephew!! He was born after we left and up until now, I had only see pictures... He is adorable! It was great to see him and hold him. Mira and Milan enjoyed playing with him too. We have more visitors coming tomorrow.... and more after that.... we are excited to see everyone!!

Off to the Maldives!!

We are on our way to the airport in about 10 mins!! We are off to the Malidives!

Here is a bit of information about the Maldives:

The Maldives (/ˈmɒldaɪvz/ (help·info) or /ˈmɒldiːvz/), or Maldive Islands, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls stretching south of India's Lakshadweep islands between the Minicoy and the Chargos archipelagoes, and about seven hundred kilometres (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka in the Laccadive Sea of Indian Ocean. The twenty-six atolls of Maldives encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, of which two hundred and fifty islands are inhabited.

The inhabitants were Buddhist, probably since Ashoka's period[citation needed], in the 3rd century BC and possibly Hindu before that. Islam was introduced in 1153. The Maldives then came under the influence of the Portuguese (1558) and the Dutch (1654) seaborne empires. In 1887 it became a British protectorate. In 1965, the Maldives obtained independence from Britain (originally under the name "Maldive Islands"), and in 1968 the Sultanate was replaced by a Republic.

The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of both population and area; it is the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world. It is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world.

Here is the location of the Maldives. It is off the West coast of India:



This is an arial view of all of the islands.

Botanical Tour thru Ozone

Being middle of winter back home and in the single digits, I thought that I would try to brighten your day with a botanical tour of Ozone.

Every weekend I take a long walk thru the neighborhood and enjoy the fresh crisp morning air, and take in the lovely sights and sounds of Ozone. It starts with the crows crowing and drowning out the sounds of the birds. The sights are all kids of things... flowers galore, green trees, lush grass, and fruits on trees!! Occasionally the sounds will include a whistle or two from pressure cookers. All Indians know that the sound of the pressure cooker is a daily occurrence.... Then you can smell the fresh crisp air and the hint of the flowers as you pass them by. Occasionally you will get a wiff of something that is not natural.... but some good ol curry cooking... it is enough to make your mouth water. I pass and wonder... hmm, what are they making!!!

After the walk, I am refreshed, energized, and hungry from smelling the various curries cooking as I pass the houses.

The 'Lunghi'

Does anyone know what a 'Lunghi' is?? This is the male version of a 'saree'. Essentially it is a long piece of fabric wrapped like a sarong or a skirt. Yes, you can call it a 'man skirt'!!

Well in south India this is common street wear for men. At least 40-50% of the men walking on the streets are sporting the 'man skirt'. I am sure that it is more comfortable and probably cooler than pants on a hot sunny day. But still, it is a skirt... on a man!! Further... they are worn at different lengths. The full length is down to the ankles and some men that are feeling a little daring (or just a little hot) wear the mini-version.

The question is how many men back home feel confident enough to sport the 'man skirt'!! And more so.... how many of you can sport it walking arm in arm with another man!! See the picture below!!



Now just so you know... Vim wants a man skirt!! And he wants to wear it to a family wedding!! (Sorry Roopa, that would be your wedding that he is referring too!) I am sure that he is going to want to walk arm in arm with another man wearing the 'man skirt' too!!

Time is Flying By!

OK.... does anyone know how long we have been here???? OK, it is 5 months!!! (Some of you that were paying close attention would notice that in Nov, I incorrectly reported that we were here 5 months.... It was a test to see if anyone caught my mistake!!)

The interesting thing to note that it was just over a year ago that we had planted this 'Bangalore Seed'. It was November last year that I was first approached about this opportunity. It took a long time to go from that initial discussion with the Director to approvals, interviews, and all that stuff!! Now, a year later, here we are!!! Who knows what is ahead.... most of you have heard the news about GM. Not sure if that will impact us, or the assignment. We will keep enjoying each day and cherishing the opportunity!!

So, 5 months away from Michigan!! It has really flown by!! It does not feel like December here!! I suppose the fact that it is 80 and sunny every day has something to do with it!!

We are off to the Maldives next week Wednesday for 4 days!! YEAH!! After we return we will have visitors!! It will be a great way to wrap up the year!!

The Dentist

The trip to the dentist was 'great'.... OK as great as a trip to the dentist can be!! The office was clean and they used all the same 'technology' that we are used to back at home. The dentist was young and very friendly. Actually here, the dentist did all the procedures and cleaning as opposed to having a hygienist. Vim and kids have their appointment already scheduled! I think we have found our family dentist!

A new experience in Bangalore

Today I am going somewhere where I have never been to in Bangalore.... I am going to the Dentist! I am serving as the family 'guinea pig' and testing out a place that has been recommended by a few ex-pats like us.

Needless to say, I am a bit nervous.

I don't like trips to the dentists to begin with, now couple this with the 'uncertainty' of the practices and standards here in India. It is a little frightening!

Well, off I go! Hopefully I won't have any horror stories to report post mortem (heee, Like the choice of word there!!)!!

Christmas Cards!!

OK... I have to admit... one of the great thing about the holidays.... getting Christmas Cards... Especially those with 'pictures'!! So, being all the way over here, we did not want to miss out on the picture cards!! We want to 'see' everyone!! And this will be as close as we can get to 'seeing' everyone!!

I am giving my address below. This is a local address for all of you back in the States and a single stamp should do the trick (what is it, $.47 now?). From this address the bundle it all up and ship it to Bangalore. It is a pretty slick set-up.

Devyani Patel
C/O GM Bangalore
P.O. Box 9022
Warren, MI 48090-9022


So, there is no pressure, really! One word of caution... they only take cards/letters, etc at this address. You can not mail a 'care-package' or anything. Sorry... they have strict rules!!

Anyways... If I get on the ball... maybe I will send cards too... Or maybe do the e-card thing!! We will see!!

Slithering Things

OK.... for those with a deep fear of slithering things, please stop reading! The rest of you.... hold on tight!! : )

So, the slithering things that I am referring to are snakes!! Ew, is right!! Now, a little background about snakes and our family. There is someone in our family that has a deep fear of snakes!! I don't think that I need to tell you all who it is... most of you well know, it is Vim!! Anyways, in our house back home, we would frequently get 'garden' snakes in our back yard b/c of the woods. This would freak Vim out!! We would occasionally hear a high pitched scream when Vim was cutting the grass, and we knew that it was b/c he saw a snake!! Over time, he was starting to get used to the snakes, and instead of screaming.... he would call the neighbors over to 'check-it-out'!

Coming to India, we knew that snakes were more plentiful!! The major difference being.... these were not 'garden variety' snakes!! So when we were here for our trip in May looking at houses, Vim would occasionally ask 'Do you get any snakes here?'. He quickly learned that there were a few snake sightings in the 'gated communities'. This put him on guard!

Well it was about 2 weeks ago, our driver informed Vim that someone found a snake in Ozone (this is our gated community). To make things better, another driver was able to get it all on his 'video-feature' on his cell phone!! So, now Vim was able to watch the 'capturing' of the snake!! I watched the video and let me tell you... I was freaked out!! The snake was 6 feet long!! It was found in a grassy area near one of the play areas. The thing is that when I go for my walks, I pass this same area... I am within 2 feet of it!! A little too close for comfort!!!

OK, so this 'snake-sighting' had created a big buzz in the hood! It was the talk of the town for at least 2 or 3 days. This then sprouted all the other stories about previous snake sightings/encounters! We learned that someone actually had a snake in their house!! yikes!! Anyways.... it creeped Vim out, and I have to admit, it creeped me out too!!

So, as soon as we saw the video, the next question was, what kind of snake was it!! At first Vim said it was a 'king' cobra. I did not think so. Then he said it was an Anaconda. Again, this theory was quickly discounted when we realized that Anacondas are only in South America!! Now, the latest verdict is - boa constrictor!

So, a 6 foot boa constrictor had taken up home in Ozone!! Now the question is, what would Vim do if he came face to face with this snake??? I know what I would do.... scream and run for my life!!

500 Rupees

What can you get for 500 rupees here in India? 500 Rupees is just over $10 to help you put it into perspective.

* I can get a driver for 2 Sundays - Full days. They charge 250 rupees for a Sunday (yep, only $5 a day).

* I can get all my fruits and vegetables for an entire week. Actually I usually start with 500, and have at least 100 rupees to spare. So technically under 400 rupees!

* I was able to take Milan to the ER and for just over 500 rupees get a doctor visit, an x-ray, and antibiotic medicine! Yes, that was 250 rupees or $5 for the doctor visit, the same for the x-ray. And another 60 rupees for the antibiotic! Shoot, back at home my co-pay was $25 for the doctor visit, and another $10 for the perscription!

* I can get lunch for two at pizza hut. This include a appetizer, drinks, and 2 personal pan pizzas. Actually the bill comes to 400 rupees and we leave a 100 rupee tip.

* For 500 rupees we can get the whole family massages - with a lady that makes house call. She does each of us for an hour!!

* A pedicure for me and Mira!

* Now here is the twister.... Yesterday I spent 525 rupees on an item that I would never spend that much for at home... any idea what it might be??? Think.... it is not so obvious..... OK, I will tell you... A box of honey nut cheerios!! Yup! A box of cereal was over $10!!

Looking at the list of all that I can get for 500 makes me wonder why I would spend that much on cereal!! Honestly, I did not know that it was that expensive! It was only when I looked at the bill and saw that the total was just over 1000 rupees, and the cereal was half of the bill!!!

It goes back to a post that I had done a while ago trying to explain how things that they can 'mark-up', they do, b/c they know that people will pay for it. But the essentials they keep in perspective!

How far can your $10 go back at home??? I am sure on a good 'sale day' armed with some coupons, you can get 4 boxes of cereal!!

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving back at home was always a big time to get together with family. There were people that would come 'home' for thanksgiving so it would be a chance to catch up with those that were living out of state. It was a bit lonely knowing that we were all the way over here and not able to meet up with the family during the holiday!!

Thanks to skype we were able to catch a bit of the family dinner in Flint. And we will be able to catch up with some more family using skype during a baby shower on Sat! Skype is a wonderful thing!! Almost like being there... ok not quite but it will do!

Thankfully we have our 'extended' Banglorean family that we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner with! Our friends Susanna and Robert host a really nice dinner last night (on Friday) and it was great! It was the full Turkey dinner with all the traditional side dishes!!! YUMMY!! The dinner was potluck style and everyone had to bring a few dishes. We had to bring cheesy potatoes and roasted veggies. Since I had to work on Friday and was not able to get out early, Vim had to take the lead on cooking!! I gave him a little guidance and he was on his own... and he did GREAT!! Both the dishes turned out awesome!

The evening was really nice and the company was great! It was not quite like the gatherings back at home, but it was close!!

Oh, and the other noteworthy (blogworthy) thing.... I did something last night after dinner that I have not done in almost 6 months..... Do you have any ideas that that might be?? Think.... think.... Maybe I should wait til another post to tell you...... nah... I just tell you now.... I DROVE!!! Ok, it was only within our neighborhood, and down 2 streets, and there were no other cars on the road... but still.... I DROVE!! The kids were so excited to see me drive. Before I started, Milan says 'Mommy, do you know how to drive??' I told him, 'I think so!!'!! Still, no desire to venture out into the madness on the main roads!!

One last thing that I really miss about Thanksgiving.... THE SHOPPING!! The big sales for the 'day-after' used to be so enjoyable for me!!!! AH.... shopping.... I do miss it!! Hopefully you all were able to land some good deals... I hear there were big sales to lure people in!!


The table all set before dinner!


VIM'S Plate all loaded up!


Swati, Beth, Me Sussana and Vivek...


The Kids Table!

Surfs Up, Dude!

Mira and Milan both take swimming at school. One of the biggest complaints is that the pool is cold. It is not heated and the nights are now going down to 65 degrees. So the mission.... warm swimsuits.... sounds like a tall request. We looked here locally and no luck. However, one thing that we have learned is that if you are looking for something... ask around. You are bound to find someone who can tell you where to get it from. So, asking we did (ok, asking Vim did)... and the findings were not promising. Some people had gotten there warm swimsuits from 'back home'. For most that was the US. Some people mentioned that they were able to get theirs in Singapore... Ding, Ding, Ding.... Vim had a mission on his trip there. Yup... he had to buy swimsuits for the kids. Now keep in mind, this is uncharted territory for him... he rarely buys clothes for the kids! Check out the pics below.... this is what the kids got... and they LOVE THEM!! Milan was so happy when Vim brought it home... he was running around the house wearing it!!

The kicker... they were $75 EACH!! Ok that was in Singapore dollars, that is about $50 USD! Still a steep price to pay for a swimsuit! But hey... they will get a lot of use out of them since Milan swims twice a week and Mira once!!