General Update....

Well, today is 1 week since we have moved into the house. It is coming together!!

The kids are getting used to things. Each of the bedrooms have their own bathroom with shower, but right now we are all using one bathroom to shower in - Milan's. One thing that we are learning to deal with is the Geysers. It is basically mini-hot water tanks that service the showers/bathrooms. You have to turn them on before the shower (at least 20 minutes before so the water get nice and hot), and the hot water does not last long (it is only a 3-4 gallon tank). So basically, my shower time is cut in half.... no more 15-20 soaking showers!! To conserve power, you basically turn the geysers off when you don't need the hot water.

That brings me to the next thing.... power. The power goes out A LOT here!! Sometimes it is out for just a few minutes. Sometimes it is out for a half hour or more. This is typical for India. As a result, they sell 'power-back up' units. These things basically store power so when the power goes out, there is a secondary source. So, we have 2 of these units. We had to figure out what to hook up to these units. first we started with the TV and the Fridge. Seems practical, right. Then we went to hook up the wireless, which also requires a power backup. OK, now the toss up. TV, Fridge, Internet..... which 2 get the power-back up?? You probably guessed it, the fridge lost that battle. So now, we are set up with internet-wireless, and the vonage is working. The wireless is a little temperamental, so we are still working out of our set-up in the hallway sitting on a stool! I really have to take a picture of this!

The power situation is interesting. We have a washer and dryer for the clothes, but you can't run them both at the same time... if you do, you trip the fuse. Does not seem to efficient!! Basically it is one load at a time!! I am sure that I will write more about the power issues.... It will be something that we will just have to learn to deal with!

Today we have our first maid starting with us!! It is a huge adjustment!! Most of you know that we have never had a cleaning lady or anything, so 'training' her is going to be a bit of a struggle. She is mopping the floors right now, looks good to me. We will see if she passes the Vim test!! Her name is Manjula. She is really nice, but she can only speak Hindi!! I am struggling to communicate, but we are managing! She can cook too, so tomorrow, we will have her make some dinner. I am not sure what... I think I will let her decide. I will keep you posted on how she works out.

One other thing I wanted to write about... Milan. He is totally fitting in here. The other day we were at dinner and we were just talking about things that are different in India. He says in his very confident manner 'yes, I know things are different, this is India'. It was funny... I think you had to be there to get the full effect!! He is really adjusting well. Oh, another funny story... the other day, I was getting ready for work. The driver was already here and he was cleaning the car. Milan looks out the upstairs window and yells to the driver whose name is Devaraj - 'Devraj, madam is coming in 5 minutes'!! Milan is referring to me as madam!! What happened to 'mommy'???

There is more to share.... but I will save it for another time.

Tell me what is going on back at home??? How is everyone doing? Send emails....

Take care!