Amstutz Family in India - 2007

Return to India!!!

2010-08-21T01:51:00.000-07:00

In a couple of weeks we fly back to India & Nepal for Fall, 2010. Check the new blog for updates! http://amstutznepal.blogspot.com

Family Photo - Bangalore 07-08

2008-06-26T15:44:00.001-07:00

I haven't been able to blog for many months, but India is still on our minds on a daily basis! We have "India nights" where we cook curries at home, eat with our hands, and play favorite CD's from Bangalore. Eliza is trying to learn some of the zany dance moves from her favorite Bollywood DVD, "Om Shanti Om." Rama came to the US to visit relatives in Philly, and "swung by" El Portal for a few wonderful days of visiting. I keep in touch with a few students and teachers in Bangalore via email and Skype, and would love to Skype more with my former wonderful students at KVMEG. If you are reading this my fine students of 7B 7C 9B & 9E, please do contact me via a comment on this blog!!!!

It takes time & is sometimes difficult to love India, but once you fall in love, India never leaves your heart!

I want to bring India home with me!

2008-01-08T05:47:00.000-08:00

It's 4:00 am in El Portal. We're back home in California. Snow blankets the peaks around our canyon, and frost hovers in the darkness outside our windows. The wood stove burned well all night, so the living room is cozy and warm. We successfully located and unpacked the down comforters, but no one is snuggling in them at the moment.... Everyone is wide eyed and awake, prancing around our house with all the lights on... playing with toys, petting the cat, begging Mom to make pancakes at 4am. It's JetLag time! Yipppeeee!!!

After 3 long flights from India (Bangalore - Singapore - Korea - San Francisco), and 24 hours of travel time, we were greeted in SFO by both sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins wearing party hats and playing drums and kazoos! Took the BART train to their homes for stories, some slides, great meals, and even a few late Christmas stockings and presents. The next morning the raging winter storms subsided, and we hauled our 7 fat heavy duffel bags onto the Amtrak train in Martinez. A switch to the Yosemite YARTS Bus in Merced brought us on our last leg of homeward travel.

As we rolled up the lovely Merced River Canyon, the kids were saying "it doesn't really seem like we've been gone. Did we really go to India?" We all know it to be true, but sometimes it does all seem like a dream! So we turned into El Portal, and there at the bus-stop was the Yosemite Marching Band banging out a raucous out-of-tune welcome song! It IS good to be home!

Lupin awoke crying at 2am, wailing "I want India to come to El Portal... I want India to come to El Portal..." She says "all the friends that I already met in India HAS to HAS to come to El Portal!" Now that we've been home for 2 days, she feels "just great. It is colder here in our house than at India. We had to put warm layers on, and be all cuddly all the time!" She is VERY excited to start pre-school tomorrow morning! She is currently banging on the piano, alternating between singing Happy Birthday, and Jana Mana Gana (India's national anthem).

The living room is cozy, but half buried in baggage, clothing, spices, and various other India chunks. It will take a while to put everything away, and get moved back into our home. We left California in August, during 100 degree temperatures, so all of our cold weather gear is safely packed away in the shed... or under the house... hmmm.... or somewhere! Our friends Sarah and Dan took wonderful care of the house, and fed Dandelion the cat LOTS of nourishing food! She is now a blimp! Karen's first thought was, "Wow... that cat looks like a tick!" (...you know, all bulging and stretched out, with tiny head and feet sticking out sideways...) We'll have to put her on a strict exercise program! Cat aerobics will commence at 5am!

Eliza is sitting by the fire right now, writing letters to her friends in Bangalore. She wore her KVMEG school uniform to the first day of school yesterday, and plans to give a slideshow in a few days. She says, "it felt sort of funny being in my old school, because a lot of things felt so different. I didn't remember what to do sometimes, like I had to keep asking what to do. Dr. Sakols kept joking around with me all day. My friend Maya helped me with alot of things. At the end of the day we played volleyball. Overall it feels good to be back, but I really miss Bangalore and my friends there."

Sylvie jumped right back into her beloved K-1 class with Allison.... She is reading on the couch with Mommy right now, and time has just flown by. It's now 5am! Egads, should we start getting ready for school? I hope they don't all pass out with exhaustion at 7:45 when the bus comes!

It's Hard to Leave India....

2008-01-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

Eliza’s Thoughts: Today we went to school for the very last time, just for a visit. We walked all around the school to give presents to our main teachers. It felt really sad to say goodbye. We also brought Lupin with us, so everyone pinched her cheeks and said, “oh sooo sweet!” When I walked into my classroom for the last time, all the kids rushed up to me to shake my hand. They all told me to stay here, and cried “why are you leaving!” One friend named Shahi was sooo sad and shook my hand so many times.

When I said goodbye to my friends in El Portal, I didn’t feel so sad because I knew I’d see them again in a few months. But when I say goodbye here in Bangalore, it is much more sad, because I don’t think I’ll ever get to see them again. I hope that someday I’ll be able to come back to India, and visit my friends in Bangalore. It would be really cool if some of them someday could come to America. I would LOVE to show them around my house, and also around Yosemite.

When I left America, I thought I wasn’t going to like it in India. That’s how I felt at the start. But now I feel so sad to leave India, but I know I’ll always have a place for India in my heart. It was especially hard today, because we ate dinner with Sweetie’s family at her house. I asked my Mom if this was the very last time I would see Sweetie. Saying goodbye for the last time was super sad… When we got in the rickshaw and just drove away in the dark night, I just felt empty... She was my best friend in India. I felt like we had to leave too quickly, and I didn’t get to say goodbye for as long as I wanted. I really wanted to play longer, and stay later, even though it was a school night for Sweetie. I hope that I’ll be able to keep in touch, and that someday she can come to America.

I also hope that someday my El Portal friends can come to India with me, and I can show them around Bangalore.

This exchange was really hard at first, and I was so shy and sad to start school here. There were sooo many other kids, almost 2,400 of them… But now I’ve gone to school for more than four months, and have made really good friends. I know so many people here in India now.

I just can’t believe it is over already. I thought the time would go by sooo slow, but actually it went by much too fast. Now I wish we stayed here for at least one or 2 more months. Not a whole year more, but I really want to stay longer. But I also want to go home. It feels like I should be in both India and America. But I can’t be in both places at once, and we can’t afford enough plane tickets to visit every year.

When we first got here, I wished I was magic so I could make time go by faster. Now I wish I hadn’t wished that. Now I wish I could make time go slower… At first I thought going to school here would be like torture, but now I know that it has been really great.

Dad talked about maybe someday teaching again at an International School in India, but I think I’d rather go to a local school so we’d have a better experience making Indian friends. At first I felt like I wanted to do home-schooling, because I was too shy to survive at KVMEG. But now I am happy and also proud of myself for going to such a big school, and making the best out of going there.

Today, all the teachers invited us to dinner at their houses. We only have 2 more nights in India, so we couldn’t say Yes to everyone and go to 20 different teachers houses. I wish we had 20 more nights here, so we could have dinner at all of their houses. In India everyone is so friendly, and they always are inviting us over for tea or snacks or dinner.

I’ve loved my time here in India. I hope I can come back someday. When I go home I am looking forward to telling stories, giving out gifts, and sharing dances and songs from India. This has been one of the biggest things in my life…. So far!

Sylvie says: I didn't think it would be so hard to say goodbye. I didn't think I'd cry so much to leave India. I know I'll be happy to be home, but I feel so sad to go home... It's like now I have two homes..... Daddy? I'm soooo tired.... Can I just go to sleep now?

Lupin’s feelings: I feel sad to go away. I will miss Sindu and Vimala, Sweetie, Supriya, Aninya, Uma, and all my favorite friends here. I will miss you soooo much! I will miss the playpark right next to Sankey Tank (lake). It has the flying merry-go-round, and the elephant slide that’s made out of slipperiest granite.

In India I love that I can walk to Sankey Tank easily, and see the Ganesha statues. I even liked all the food, even the sometimes spicy ones… but not all the spicy things. I love sambar and rasam the best. And plain rice and sweet Dal Makhani.

I’ll miss my teachers at Kidzee preschool, and I’ll miss Angeline and all my different friends. I am sad to not see the bunny rabbits and all the things that I made at Kidzee. I will miss every single thing.

I will really think my friends here will miss me too, but I think my friends at El Portal will be happy to see me.

For Christmas Gramma and Babu gave us some money to help endangered species, or other good things to help. Also Chris and Joanna gave us money to give away. I will give my money to places that can help to have good clean water and food for poor and hungry people, and help wildlife too.

India has been so fun for me. I love India.

Daddy’s turn… (just a few of the flood of thoughts and emotions) Wow… How can I add to what my sweet daughters have expressed? Their feelings are so simple, pure, and clear. In comparison, I feel a bit muddy and overwhelmed with this powerful, enlightening, and intense experience.

Saying goodbye to students, teachers and friends has been more difficult than I imagined it would be. I’ve been humbled and overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection & appreciation showered on my at KVMEG. My last few days at school were filled with presentations, speeches, parties, cake-cutting…

Many classes organized holiday parties, inviting me and other teachers as “guests of honor.” Rooms were decorated and usually a ceremonial ribbon cutting took place before anyone could enter the classroom. Some of my students prepared elaborate dances and musical presentations for the farewell. Others had decorated with streamers, balloons, and colorful paper shreds hidden on top of the ceiling fan blades…. Turn them on for the shower of confetti!

One class had an hour-long variety show, complete with narration, dance numbers, a magic show with card tricks, cake cutting ceremony, snacks, drinks, and music between each event… (As there was no outlet, the extension cord ran outside the room, and down the hall, so periodically other students tripped on it and we lost power!) As time was so limited, I had to tear myself away from each party too soon. I wish I could have honored each group with more time, but there was usually a crowd banging on the door to pull me away to the next classroom.

The last few days were filled with thousands of handshakes, hugs and high-fives… “Best wishes sir!” “I wish you a safe journey home!” “Happy Christmas and New Year Sir!” “We will miss you Mr. Paul Sir!” “Oh please never forget us!”

Walking down the hall was a challenge, with students crowding around for yet another handshake, or an autograph. Once one kid pulled out a notebook for me to sign, others would beg for me to sign my name on their hands, arms, or daypacks.

I was almost buried in sweet heartfelt cards, flowers, mementos, and gifts. A teacher warned me in advance, “Mr. Paul, you’d better bring a few big bags tomorrow. I think the students will be giving you a few presents!”

After one class party (complete with gentle cake feeding to the teachers, and then students smearing frosting on each other’s faces), a guitar was passed around for some singing. I sang a few for them, and then one student brought the class to tears with her beautiful song… I asked for the translation…. “Never say goodbye”

I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity to work with such wonderful teachers and administrators. I feel blessed to have spent this time with these sweet students, and am humbled by their outpouring of affection for me.

All along I’ve felt that I was doing a pretty good job with my teaching here in Bangalore. Of course, there were many challenges & difficulties, and I sometimes felt trapped within a educational system that didn’t allow me to teach the way I’d like. Still, I worked hard with limited resources, made the best of each day, and hoped that my teaching style was beneficial and effective for my students. After these last few days, and the flood of appreciation from everyone here, I feel confident that I have indeed made a positive impact on many lives here in India….

Did my students learn mathematics better or easier under my guidance? Will they excel on the next round of exams? Who knows…. But that is not necessarily the goal of the Fulbright Exchange. The primary purpose is to “promote understanding among people of the US and other nations.” It’s not an academic consulting program to change or improve other nation’s education policies, but a cultural exchange program to promote mutual understanding. It goes both ways, and all of us involved are both students and teachers. On that level, I feel that my exchange has been wonderfully successful. Everyone involved, from the students and teachers, to the gardening staff and daily rickshaw driver, to neighbors and shopkeepers we’ve befriended, and each member of my own family, has been touched in so many positive ways from every interaction and experience here in India. I look forward to expanding the impact when I return home through slide shows, articles, and daily interactions with friends and colleagues.

I hope that the Fulbright program continues to flourish and grow. It is one of the most positive and successful foreign policy investments that our country makes each year. Numerically its impact might seem small, but in each exchange location, both at home and abroad, the positive effects are immense. What if someday we were asked to support a “surge” of tens of thousands of additional exchange teachers, fanning out across the globe, winning the hearts and minds of people through math, science, English literature, poetry and song… Now that would be a policy I would believe in!

Christmas in Kerala

2008-01-02T10:02:00.000-08:00

So many wonderful experiences.... No time to post right now, as we are furiously packing up for departure in 2 days! Egads! Hope to post photos and stories soon......

Belatedly Bogus Blogger

2007-12-14T03:03:00.000-08:00

Ohhhh my.... It has been SO long since I've had time to write. And right now, there still isn't any time! Our life is so full, busy, rich, involved, wonderful and crazy, that trying to write it all down rarely happens. My personal journal has about 4 pages written in it since August! I have about 27 different topics that I'd LOVE to share online, both for YOU to read, and for our family to record for our own enjoyment and reflection.... Alas...

A few quick notes:

"half yearly" exams are over for Paul.... finally! It was 2 weeks of heaving grading every night... I felt like I was living in a cave! Nice to be back out in the light!
Just 3 weeks left in India, and SO much we'd still love to do
Chris and Joanna arrive in a week to visit for 10 days. We'll go to Kerala for Christmas...
Having a big Christmas Party on the Solstice (21st) for friends, neighbors, and faculty from Paul's school.
All 3 girls are starting to feel the pain of leaving... They'll be SO sad to leave India, but excited to see friends back home.
Karen got to do a 4 day retreat to a National Park up north (in Maharashtra?) with a bunch of fanatic wildlife enthusiasts. YES she saw a tiger!
Paul is stilll taking tabla lessons, and can actually make some reasonable sounds now.
Still eating as much amazing food as possible...

Hmmm.... I'm hungry... We have to get out of the house soon, swing by "corner dosa" for some tasty food, then off to a concert at our neighborhood performance hall. I'll try to blog more... someday!!!!!

Becoming a Birder!!!

2007-11-28T03:08:00.000-08:00

Sunday the 25th of November is a day I will remember so fondly. Not simply because I got to continue to live out my birding fantasy and get to a new place to see many new birds and rekindle the romance with some of the ones that I have become familiar with. Not just because our whole family willingly awoke at 4:45 to catch the ride up to Nandi Hills – a birding hot spot about an hours drive north of Bangalore. Together with some of the finest birding company and just really cool people; Deepak, Deepa, Prashanth, Uma, we Amstii witnessed a gorgeous sunrise and stunning sunset as bookends to a full and gratifying day. And we did get the privilege of chasing several Asian Paradise Flycatchers of both genders and had pretty good views of them. But those gems of experience paled in comparison to the thrill of seeing our daughter Eliza, become a passionate birder that day.

I knew she was hopelessly hooked when faced with a surprise holiday yesterday, and of all the offerings of this area, she begged me to take her birding. Not shopping. Not out for a burger. Not even to her beloved horse riding school. She said, “Momma, can we go birding today? Pleeease!”

Now, I’d love to take some credit for igniting that spark in her, but really, I had nothing to do with it. None of us did. The real “magic wand,” the siren call, was from the incredible tail of the Asian Paradise Flycatcher himself! I saw the sparkle in her eye when we first began to chase him, hoping for a good look at those silky white feathers. Our friends hefted their giant lenses and took aim at his tail streamers waving in the autumn breeze as our bird effortlessly led us further and further into the forest. Beautiful bird for certain, but my eyes were glued to Eliza as she beamed with each clear sighting!

Finally at the end of the day, a perfect male Asian Paradise Flycatcher perched near enough that we all got to see. Many cameras aimed through the leaves attempting to capture the elusive being on film, and Eliza asked Paul if she might try to get a photograph. He chuckled as he told her that there was no way she would ever get the shot. Looking at the position of the bird in the tree and the dim light and everyone else’s photographic difficulties, I had to agree. Somehow Eliza did manage to convince Dad that she should at least try for the “impossible photo,” so he gave her the camera.

Holding so still and patiently waiting for the bird to hop onto the perfect branch, she snapped and snapped and snapped… and finally came away with a really great shot! Well, I think so. Take a look at that bird! Who wouldn’t get hooked on birding with a great sighting and a first ever “bird photo” like that! The sight of the glowing pride and joy on her little freckled face was the highlight of the day for me, her mom. My new birding companion is born! She is now saving her rupees for a camera and some good binoculars…beware of future lemonade sales!

Really it was a superb day for all of us! The morning was actually quite cold! Can you believe that my hands were numb as they tried to focus the binos and hold still enough to identify the tiny warblers! Prashanth was finding so many new birds to look at that we didn’t have time to complain or think about our temperature much! What a mad birder he is! How lucky we felt to be able to have his expertise to know every tiny avian speck and song by name as he tip-toed around the chilly forest all morning with us eagerly following watching for any movement in the trees all around. Uma and her beckoning smile aimed her eager camera often creating great opportunities for photo records while breaking only for onion puffs and raisin buns from our local bakery “Bun World” and a chance to play with the kids now and then. Deepak shared his adventures in just about everything there is from para-gliding to rock climbing and travel while birding and making sure none of us were too close to the cliff! Deepa, with her positive approach and amazing home made chocolate (the way to my heart…or what!!?), spotted birds and shared her playful spirit with all, making the kids feel so at home! These are the kind of days I will always treasure, along with the people that make them so.

-posted by KAREN!

SRAVANABELGOLA - The tallest Jain monolith!

2007-11-23T23:40:00.000-08:00

As a part of Paul's Fulbright program, we were invited to an excellent conference in Udipi/Manipal that gathered 50 or 60 current and former Fulbrighters. Instead of flying (1 hour), we chose to take the looong scenic route by bus...

Our first stop was the quiet pilgrimage site of Sravanabelgola with it's many temples, mutts (monasteries), and 2 hilltop shrines. The highlight is the 60 foot high statue of Gomateshwara, standing on the granite hilltop and gazing off to the north. It is an awesome and stunning monument, brought alive by the steady stream of chanting singing pilgrims swirling through the complex. Prayers are said, offerings made, water and ghee and oils and rice are sprinkled and pours on Gomateshwara's massive granite feet. I am still incredulous as to how they raised this gigantic statue, carved from a single rock! It is claimed that this is the tallest free-standing monolithic statue in all of India...

The town itself is very peaceful and focused on prayer and pilgrimage... after our loud busy days in Bangalore traffic, and a 3 hour bus ride, this place felt very relaxing. We enjoyed our sunset on the top of the big hill (Indragiri), and then rose the next morning at 5am to catch the sunrise on the smaller hill (Chandragiri). Our sunrise didn't really happen, as we encountered heavy mist and swirling clouds, all of which added to the beautiful atmosphere of the sacred place.

The countryside is pretty idyllic, with rice paddies, coconut palms, canals and lakes, abundant birdlife, waterbuffaloes, and strange granite boulders cropping up here and there... It would be a fabulous area to zip around on a motorcycle someday!

Hopping around Hampi

2007-11-11T09:08:00.000-08:00

Just got back from a wonderful trip to Hampi. This is the small dusty riverside town set amidst the sprawling ruins of the old kingdom of Vijayanagar. There are literally thousands of ruins, arches, temples, towers, and stone pillars scattered over many square miles of rolling hills and golden granite boulders. It is so reminiscent of the Joshua Tree landscape... except with palm trees, banana plantations, and monkeys everywhere. An amazing place to wander, as there are surprises at every turn. We LOVED climbing hills for sunrise and sunset views... Another highlight was toodling around on scooters to visit the more distant ruins. Our friend Marya has arrived now, and will stay with us for a month or two. It was great having her along, as we were able to properly cram 3 people on each scooter. Buzzing joyfully down country roads, the girls giggled and laughed and begged me to buy a motorcycle when we return to California!

More details to come, but here are some more quick photo posts.....

Eating in India!!!

2007-11-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

Some of our favorite things to eat in India are poori, idlis, vada, dosas, plain dosas, masala dosas, rice, curry, and the "meals" thing that gives you lots of little bowls of sauces with your rice and chapatti.
I'd have to say I love to eat pretty much everything in India. I really like dipping things in sambar, which is a red spicy sauce that is deeeelicious! Sometimes the sambar, or other foods, are too spicy for me to eat, so we have to remember to ask them to not give us the red chili paste. Mom and Dad sometimes ask for extra chili paste!
That big long dosa is called "paper dosa," and it's about 3 feet long! It was Sylvie and Lupin's favorite thing for a long time, but now Sylvie likes idlis better, and Lupin usually gets plain dosas. Dad usually had to finish their paper dosa. Sometimes he gets his own, and he can finish it all. Idlis are those small round white things, and are made of steamed rice. Lots of people eat them for breakfast. Then there's that big round fried thing that I'm holding. That's an extra big poori that's pretty greasy. You dip it in sauces.
-- posted by Eliza

Ahhhh yes... the "meals thing." Almost anywhere you go in South India, especially mid-day, you can pop into a restaurant for "meals." That usually means an all-you-can-eat mountain of rice on a banana leaf, encircled by many tiny bowls or piles of luscious curries, chutneys, yogurts, and sweets... Sometimes it comes on a huge silver platter, with the tiny bowls wrapped around the rim... You wash up, dig in with your right hand, and mix in whatever taste combinations appeal to you. Just when you are making some progress, the waiter will cruise by with a triple-bucket on a handle, and ladle you more of everything. There are also places that offer "mini-meals" for those who have a bit less stomach capacity. Today Eliza got "mini meals" from Sri Shanti Sagar (a favorite local place), and was excited to show off her wrinkled fingers after the meal. "Hey Dad, look at this! My fingers are like when we sit in a hot tub for too long!"
Extended immersion in warm liquids will do that....

Bangalore Birding Bonanza!

2007-11-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

Amazing Bird Photos (by my Bangalore naturalist friends)

If you want an idea about birding in a city of 8 million, these links are for you! I am not a photographer, but I like to travel in flocks of them… Check out the BIRD LIST LINK in the left column for more Birdy Info!!!

For example, check out these incredible Green Bee-eaters, (Merops orientalis) from yesterday at Sankey Tank (our local "lake"). -->

...photo by K.Uma

Red-whiskered Bulbul in the Rain (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNn2MjMmQi8

Cormorant at Sankey Tank (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx2Q_-SkKZ0

Large Pied Wagtail Singing in the City http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNlD9UgodSo

Sunbird Takeoff! http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=27489

Red-vented Bulbul http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=27490

Asian Paradise Flycatcher http://www.indianaturewatch.net/images/album/photo/159295363447175a312e82e.jpg

Cool Moth http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=27320

Elephants Galore! Mudumalai National Park and Mysore Dasara Parade

2007-10-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Sylvie shares... In the jungle, I DID see wild elephants! I even rode them in the jungle National Park for about a half hour. there was a special stairs that you climb up on them, and then step off the edge up on to the elephant. You sit in like a pad, sort of like a square donut for the elephants backbone, and on top of that is a floor with short walls out of metal bars. Sort of like a railing. You sit there and hang your feet off the edge. The driver sits on the elephants neck, and puts his feet on the elephant's ear and pushes one the left or right ear to steer the elephant.

After the jungle place, we went to Mysore. That's a big town with a huuuge palace for the mararjah. He doesn't live there anymore. We went there to see the big parade for the Dasara Festival. We had to go real early to get a seat on some stone stairs by the side of the road. Daddy bought grass mats to sit on, and also snacks to eat and cool drinks. It was pretty hot waiting in the sun. We had to sit for five hours, and after one or two hours is was SO crowded. People were walking on our grass mats to get by, and people across the street were sitting, standing, laying down... Lots of people were up in a tree, on a roof, and lots of people were standing in the back of trucks.

At the parade, the first thing we saw was a mommy dog with big nipples running back and forth on the street. Everyone cheered when it went by, because we were all waiting for sooooo long for the parade to start. When the real parade came, the first thing was 2 big flags with a bunch of men to lift it up.

After that came the big decorated elephants. They even had cloth over there back, and they had painted decorations on their faces, legs, butts, tails, and everywhere! There was a colorful seat on their back, and also big red umbrellas on tall sticks. The person sitting on the back had to hold the umbrella so it wouldn't fall, and the other guy was sitting on the elephant's neck steering it...

There were also drummers, dancers and acrobats, and big "float things" on trucks that went by. Not the sitting part, but the parade part, lasted for about 2 hours. It was pretty cool. It was worth it to sit all that hot time waiting for it to start. There was also a guy dressed up like a demon monster, and he was drinking gasoline and spitting out fire!

The last big thing were the best elephants, and the biggest one had a golden thing on it's back. It's called a "howdah", and that's the throne thing that the kind used to sit in when he wanted to go out riding his elephants. Now he's not really the maharaja anymore, so they put a statue of Chaumundi in the howdah instead. She's a goddess that's important for this holiday festival. Daddy's gonna tell more about that stuff later... So that's what we saw with elephants in the parade and jungle.
.............-by Sylvie
-------------------------------------

Now it's Eliza's turn --

We just were on a 10 day vacation! -- First we went on a sleeper car,and in the middle of the night we got off the train at a place called Salem Junction. It was very stinky because people pee'd on the track! We called it Stinky Junction. We were so tired, and we had to sit in metal chairs until the next train came at 2:00am. Finally we got on the train, slept in bunk beds, and got to a place near Oooty.

Oooty is a cold place up in the mountains where they grow tea and coffee. To get there we rode on a slow steam train up the mountains. The train was about 150 years old, and the engine looked a lot like the one parked in El Portal! Finally we got to Oooty, and stayed at a guest house with a fireplace. We played "bird nest" in the nice beds (while dad was trying to nap!). We visited a small amusement called Jolly World that Lupin LOVED.... At Jolly World the best things were the bouncy Titanic ship slide, and also the big "boat swing" that went SO high up! Sylvie made a fish face on it, and held on sooo tight!

Next day we took a bus, but it was too crowded. Right when it came, everyone was throwing their suitcases into open windows to save a seat. So my Dad and Mom threw ME into a window too! My sisters also got pushed in through a window, and sat in a row behind me. This whole time Dad was trying to push his way on... he couldn't fit through the window! Then everyone was crowding on, and a guy almost sat on ME. My dad argued with him, then I switched to sit on my Mom's lap. During the ride a lady pretty much was sitting on me and my Mom's lap. She was stinky, but it was OK....

That bus got us to a jungle national park called Mudumalai, where we stayed for 3 days. In the night, out the window, we saw herds of spotted deer. They stayed each night by the lights of the hotel, so they would be safer from Tigers and Leopards! By our hotel there were SO many monkeys. It was so cute because the little babies would cling to their Mom's chest while she ran and climbed. Once, a guy came up by our hotel room, and started feeding corn to the monkeys. That made all of them stay around our room, and sometimes a monkey would try to come INSIDE our hotel room! My mom had to hit one once with a book to chase it back outside! One sat on our windowsill, and kept reaching in to try to get food, so Sylvie and I would run into the bathroom. We were scared they would bite us, and we'd then have to get 5 rabies shots.

The animals we saw there were: one leopard, one mongoose, many herds of wild forest elephants, lots of herds of spotted deer, a few herds of wild bison, SOOO many monkeys, real wild peacocks pea-hens and pea-chicks, some wild boar, and so many colorful birds like blue-tailed parrots, green parakeets, blue rollers, blue kingfishers, and others. Mom made a list of about the 50 different kinds of birds we saw.

Most days we took at least one Jeep ride through the jungle. We didn't have any seatbelts, and we got to stand up and look out of the roof bars! That way we could spot wild animals better. Once we also took a half-hour elephant ride, and mostly saw birds.

There was also an elephant camp, where they feed the riding elephants and take care of sick ones. They also had an orphaned baby elephant that would always stick it's trunk through the window. Once it almost shook my hand with it's trunk! It was SO cute! It's trunk was a little wet and ticklish.

Then we drove to Mysore to see the famous royal palace parade. There were elephants dressed up in costumes, one special elephant with a golden howdah (throne) on it, and a guy that spit out fire. there were lots of acrobats, musicians, drummers, and dancers. It was the best parade I ever saw, but the one sad thing was they showed how silk was made on one float. They get the silkworms, then put the coccoons in boiling water. It kills the little silkies, and then they unravel the silk cocoon thread. Isnt' that sad?

Now we took a bus back to Bangalore. Today we went to a park with some new friends from New Hampshire. There was a huge flying boat ride, a peacock train, and a merry go round too. They just left for an overnight train ride back to Hyderabad (where they live), but it was fun having them here. They had a boy who is Lupin's age, so they ran around a lot screaming together!
...........by Eliza

Unit Tests at KVMEG

2007-10-09T05:04:00.001-07:00

The last 2 weeks have been busy and exhausting for Paul... That's why we've had a huge gap in blogging entries! Many many exams to grade, and this has taken up most of his time. Just for fun, Sylvie also got a major viral fever, and shared it with tired Daddy who stays up too late each night grading papers... So we've had illness to deal with too. More later on EXAMS in India....

The Princess's Riding School

2007-10-09T04:42:00.000-07:00

2 weeks ago we started taking private horse-riding lessons at the Princess Acadamy Riding School. It was really fun, because I got to "trot" on the first day! We bought our own riding helmets, and now, every Saturday after school, we change into jeans, get into a rickshaw, and drive to the "Palace Grounds." It's on the palace grounds, because all of the horses are owned by the Princess of Mysore who actually lives in Bangalore, not Mysore. We haven't met her, but I hope I do someday. Each Saturday we also get to see two other girls, Darcy and Sylvie, who are also taking lessons. It pretty cool that Darcy is my age, and Sylvie is about Sylvie's age.... Also, how many Sylvies have we ever met? None... but here's one in Bangalore! They are from Holland, the UK and Canada... sort of. They move around alot.

All of my horse instructors are very nice. The main guy is named Munawar, and another nice teacher is Bobbin who is from Darjeeling. When I ride the instructors show me how to push "up-down-up-down," which is called posting... I think.... I also have to work on keeping my back straight, holding the reins a different way than in America. We are riding on English saddles, which feels a little more "out and loose" so you have to balance better. Western saddles "hold you on" more, and are a little easier. Also the saddles here do not have a horn, so you just need to hold the reins and balance.

My instructor holds my horse on a lead rope, and I trot around him in circles. Sometimes I go faster or slower, and even "canter" for a little bit. When that happens, I feel really excited! But I also feel a bit tired, when I'm posting for so long. Soon I'm hoping to do what Darcy does, which is to trot without a lead rope, anywhere she wants in the corral. She's been riding for much longer than me.

Some of the horses are a special kind called a Marwari Horse. They have ears that curl in at the tips. We feel pretty lucky to ride them, because they only live in certain parts of India, and are a pretty rare type. If you are interested, here are a few links about Marwari Horses (#1, #2, #3) from Adonia and Uncle Kook.

I get to ride for about 30 minutes each time, and I REALLY love it!!! This is one of the things that I'll probably miss the most when I go home to El Portal.

-by Eliza

Our Bangalore BIRD LIST - updated Nov.30th

2007-10-09T04:22:00.000-07:00

Amazing Bird Photos (by my talented Bangalore naturalist friends)

If you want a hint of an idea about what city birding is like here, these links are for you! I am not a photographer, but I like to travel in flocks of them…

Red-whiskered Bulbul in the Rain (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNn2MjMmQi8

Cormorant at Sankey Tank (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx2Q_-SkKZ0

Large Pied Wagtail Singing in the City http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNlD9UgodSo

Sunbird Takeoff! http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=27489

Red-vented Bulbul http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=27490

Asian Paradise Flycatcher http://www.indianaturewatch.net/images/album/photo/159295363447175a312e82e.jpg

Cool Moth http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=27320

Nilgiri Wood Pigeon http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=31168

Brahminy Kites http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=29803

Mottled Wood Owl http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=29804

A friend’s account of our birding family http://deponti.livejournal.com/316470.html

Amazing animal photos – check out the birds http://www.kalyanvarma.net/photography

Butterfly from near Bangalore http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=29535

Tortoiseshell Beetle Sylvie spotted http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=29225

Kids on Birding Trip (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySFugZSZHj0

Ashy Drongo http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=29111

Odonata Beauty http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=28938

After the Birds...Dosas!

These are some of the folks I have been so fortunate to meet and learn from. They have taught me about birds and other creatures, but also have shown me how passionate people here can be about the other beings they share this chunk of land with. Wow…I am so lucky! They are really fun too by the way.

Bird Sightings…In Order of Appearance

Most of these birds, unless otherwise noted, have been seen right here in and near Bangalore!! The number and variety of bird species surprised me at first, just because of the size and busyness of this metropolis. But Bangalore has many parks and reservoirs as well as some really beautiful and sizeable city parks. Fortunate, blessed…I am feeling so lucky that I have the time and the places to get to know some of the most intriguing and beautiful beings on Earth! Am having weekly romances with the winter residents who are flying in at intervals, city hoppin’ at just my speed. Also thrilling is the fact that I have met some really cool friends to share my passion for these lovely critters with, and to help me to know their good names. So, I have listed the birds in order of the first time I spotted them, trying not to get too wordy, but if anyone has anything more detailed to say or ask about this list, please do!

In and around Bangalore -- September 2007

Indian Grey Hornbill -wex

White-throated Kingfisher (usually pr), C

House Swift

Spotted Owlet -jrc

Spotted Dove -C

Rock Pigeon-C

Brahminy Kite

Black Kite -U

Great Cormorant

Little Egret - C

Black-crowned Night Heron

House Crow –C

Large-Crow -C

Oriental Magpie robin -C

Common Myna -U

White-browed Wagrail -C

Yellow Wagtail

House Sparrow

White-cheeked Barbet

Purple-rumped Sunbird -wex

White-breasted Waterhen

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Greater Coucal

Purple Swamphen -C

Common Moorhen

Little Cormorant

Purple Heron

Common Tailorbird -jrc

Indian Pond Heron-C

Grey Heron

Great Tit -fl

Little Grebe -jrc

Pied Kingfisher -wex

Spotbill Ducks

Common Sandpipers

Common Coots

Ashy Prinia -jrc

Common Kingfisher -jrc

Purple Sunbird -wex

Red-wattled Lapwing

Ashy Drongo -jrc

Loten’s Sunbird –m, f, nest, wex

Brown Shrike -wex

Black-headed Ibis -wex

Eurasian Marsh Harrier -wex

Whiskered Tern -wex

Pale-billed Flowerpecker –jrc

Red-Vented Bulbul-jrc

Coppersmith Barbet-jrrc

Jungle Myna-C

Pariah Kite

Garganey- fl

Grey Wagtail

Pied Bushchat

--------------------------------------

Bannerghatta National Park – South Bangalore – early October

Rusty rumped chicken-heh

Ashy Drongos

Red-rumped Swallow

Common Iora

Asian Paradise Flycatcher-f, wex fer sure!!

Green Bee-eater-wex

Scaly-breasted Munia-m, f, jrc

Zitting Cisticola-jrc

Indian Silverbill-jrc

Red-collared Dove

----------------------------------------

Mudumalai National Park….. mid October

Bay-backed Shrike

Brahminy Starling-C

Jungle Babbler

Black Drongos-C

Plum-headed Parakeet-wex

Long-tailed Shrike-C

Black-rumped Flameback-wex (it’s a woodpecker!)

Blue-faced Malkoha-way wex

Jerdon’s Bushlark

Yellow-eyed Babbler

Yellow-footed Green Pigeon-wex

Small Minivet-m, f, WEX (Color of alpenglow!)

Malabar Parakeet-wex

Bar-winged Cuckooshrike-m, jrc

Common Flameback-m, wex

White-throated Fantail-jrc

Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike-jrc

Plain Flowerpecker

White-bellied Woodpecker-m, f, WEX

Scarlet Minivet-m, f, WEXX (This color is unreal)

Black Ibis-m, f, jrc

Great Bittern-jrc

Nilgiri Laughingthrush-jrc

Yellow-billed Babbler

Pacific Swallow

Wire-tailed Swallow

White-bellied Shortwing

Nilgiri Flycatcher-wex

Eurasian Blackbird

Nilgiri Wood Pigeon-jrc

Grey Francolin-jrc

Jungle Bush Quail (no political affiliation)

Indian Peafowl-(amazing to see these in the wild!)

Hoopoe-wex

Indian Roller-wex (this one’s got the Blues down! I mean color!)

Grey Nightjar

Shikra-jrc

Black-hooded Oriole-jrc

Bronzed Drongo

Indian Robin-m, f

Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch-jrc

Oriental White-eye

Back Around Bangalore

Black-headed cuckooshrike-wex

Barn Owl-wex

Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark – jrc

Coppersmith Barbet – jrc

Rufous Treepie – wex (Paul spotted this one!)

Laughing Dove

Plain Prinia

White-browed Bulbul

Oriental Honey Buzzard – jrc

Mottled Wood Owl – pr, WAY wex

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Black-shouldered Kite

Green Sandpiper

Caspian Tern (Malpe Beach; Arabian Sea)

Golden-fronted Leafbird (Manipal –coastal forest)

Malabar Whistling Thrush – Manipal – wex song!!

Spot-billed Pelican – fl

Intermediate Egret

Baya Weaver

Greenish Warbler

Nandi Hills (55 km north of Bangalore about 4000’ above mean sea level…Bangalore is 3000’) Nov. 25, 2007

Indian Blue Robin

Asian Paradise Flycatcher (I know that I‘ve listed this one, but it was a big day for sightings of m, f, and Eliza was turned on to birding because of this bird! – wex all around!)

Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher – jrc

Booted Eagle – jrc

Egyptian Vulture

Common Kestrel – f, jrc

Dusky Crag Martin

Alpine Swift

Barn Swallow

Green Leaf Warbler

Spotted Babbler (Puff-Throated Babbler) – jrc

Rufous-bellied Babbler – pr, jrc

Red-throated Flycatcher – jrc

Blue-capped Rock Thrush

Pied Thrush – wex

Grey Junglefowl

Blyth’s Reed Warbler

*Karen’s subjective key to abbrev’s: common-C, ubiquitous- U, wildly exciting and relatively rare for me to see- wex, male-m, female-f, juvenile-j, pair-pr, flock-fl, just really cool – jrc

Sunday the 25^th of November is a day I will remember so fondly. Not simply because I got to continue to live out my birding fantasy and get to a new place to see many new birds and rekindle the romance with some of the ones that I have become familiar with. Not just because our whole family willingly awoke at 4:45 to catch the ride up to Nandi Hills – a birding hot spot about an hours drive north of Bangalore. Together with some of the finest birding company and just really cool people; Deepak, Deepa, Prashanth, Uma, we Amstii witnessed a gorgeous sunrise and stunning sunset as bookends to a full and gratifying day. And we did get the privilege of chasing several Asian Paradise Flycatchers of both genders and had pretty good views of them. But those gems of experience paled in comparison to the thrill of seeing our daughter Eliza, become a passionate birder that day.

I knew she was hopelessly hooked when faced with a surprise holiday yesterday, and of all the offerings of this area, she begged me to take her birding. Not shopping. Not out for a burger. Not even to her beloved horse riding school. She said, “Momma, can we go birding today? Pleeease!” Now, I’d love to take some credit for igniting that spark in her, but really, I had nothing to do with it. None of us did. The real magic wand, the siren call, was from the incredible tail of the Asian Paradise Flycatcher himself! I saw the sparkle in her eye when we first began to chase him, hoping for a good look at those silky white feathers. Our friends hefted their giant lenses and took aim at his tail streamers waving in the autumn breeze as our bird effortlessly led us further and further into the forest. Beautiful bird for certain, but my eyes were glued to Eliza as she beamed with each clear sighting! Finally at the end of the day, a perfect male Asian Paradise Flycatcher perched near enough that we all got to see. Cameras aiming through the leaves attempting to capture the elusive being on film, Eliza asked Paul if she might try to get a photograph. He chuckled as he told her that there was absolutely no way she would ever get the shot. Looking at the position of the bird in the tree and the dim light and everyone else being denied the shots, I had to agree. Somehow she did manage to convince us that she could at least try. She did. Holding so still and patiently waiting for the bird to hop onto the perfect branch, she fired, and came away with a really great shot! Well, I think so. Take a look at that bird! Who wouldn’t get hooked on birding with a sighting and a first photo like that! The sight of the glowing pride and joy on her little freckled face was the highlight of the day for me, her mom. My new birding companion is born! She is now saving her rupees for a camera and some good binoculars…beware of the lemonade sales!

Really it was a superb day for all of us! The morning was actually quite cold! Can you believe that my hands were numb as they tried to focus the binos and hold still enough to identify the tiny warblers! Prashanth was finding so many new birds to look at that we didn’t have time to complain or think about our temperature much! What a mad birder he is! How lucky we felt to be able to have his expertise to know every tiny avian speck and song by name as he tip-toed around the chilly forest all morning with us eagerly following watching for any movement in the trees all around. Uma and her beckoning smile aimed her eager camera often creating great opportunities for photo records while breaking only for onion puffs and raisin buns from our local bakery “Bun World” and a chance to play with the kids now and then. Deepak shared his adventures in just about everything there is from para-gliding to rock climbing and travel while birding and making sure none of us were too close to the cliff! Deepa, with her positive approach and amazing home made chocolate (the way to my heart…or what!!?), spotted birds and shared her playful spirit with all, making the kids feel so at home! These are the kind of days I will always treasure, along with the people that make them so.

Massive Ganesha Immersions!

2007-09-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

“Daddy, can we go out again tonight and see them dunking Ganeshas in the lake?”

Bangalore, and much of India, has been swirling and erupting in celebration of Lord Ganesha for the past frenzied week! Ganesh’s “birthday” was last Saturday, and most Hindus keep a highly revered elephant-headed Ganesh statue in their home for an auspicious period of time. After 3, 7, or 11 days of daily puja (prayers and offerings), they will take the Ganesh down to the nearest body of water for “immersion.” More puja is performed at the water’s edge, and then the clay or plaster statue is reverently dunked 3 times, and then submerged left to sink and dissolve away…

The immersions are sometimes a quiet affair, with a few family members praying & dunking a 12-inch statue at the waterside. More often the immersions are a loud colorful frenzy of fireworks, drumming, and chanting that culminates in the dramatic sinking of a 5, 10 or even 20-foot high behemoth of a Ganesha statue! Participants are covered in celebratory colored powders, singing and dancing in the streets…. The HUGE statues are transported all over town in pickup trucks, on car roofs, and especially in the trailers of farm tractors especially rigged up with portable generators, blinking lights, pedestals, and sound systems! It’s been a nightly parade, marching band drum-corps, fireworks, and festive frenzy, and will continue for a few more days.

We were at Sankey Tank (lake) last night until 11pm, and then this evening at Ulsoor Lake, to watch the festivities. At Ulsoor, they have a giant construction crane on duty all day and night to hoist the largest of the Ganeshas into the water. In the old days, families would just immerse their statues in any nearby lake or stream… With the population boom here, and the rise in popularity of the festival, the government has designated certain immersion locations that are sealed off from the main body of water. Huge pumps keep the water level deep enough, as it’s important that each statue sinks totally from view. Police and work crews are on hand to keep the hundreds (or thousands) of devotees orderly. Usually individuals can’t just stroll down to the water, but must hand off their Ganesha to an approved worker. He will wade deep into the murky water, do the 3-dip dunk, and then submerge it. After 1 or 2 am, when they finally close down for the night, another crew apparently pulls out lots of the debris (wooden frames, wire mesh, etc.) to make room for tomorrows hundreds of statues. Most of the clay and plaster apparently dissolves or oozes off it’s framework, and settles to the bottom of the immersion pools… The volume of statues is astounding…. Hundreds and thousands daily, in countless liquid locations around the city, and all over India.

As a co-worker explained, the immersion is important to “send the god back to his home. Ganesha is first among all of our gods… we must always pray to him first! We keep him in our homes only for a short time, and then must let him go home. It is to remind us that nothing is permanent in life. Hopefully he will then visit us again and again when we need his help.”

Ganesha is considered the “remover of obstacles,” who is able to surmount any difficulty in life. He is honored and consulted at the outset of any difficult undertaking in order to ensure success. He is believed to be the lord of prosperity, success, good living, intelligence, and peace, and is especially popular with students and businessmen. After the exuberance and fervor of the last several nights, I’d say he is especially popular with every breathing resident of this city of 8 million!!!

MAPS of our WORLD in BANGALORE!

2007-09-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've put a couple of LINKS to Wikimapia maps of our school and home in Bangalore. Go over to the left column and scroll down. The map-links open up zoomed in and centered on the key location. You can roll your mouse around and see tagged descriptions of nearby things.... Zoom back out to see the MASSIVE metropolis of Bangalore!

Our KV School in Bangalore!

2007-09-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Girls wanted to share some highlights after their first 2 weeks at the “Kendriya Vidyalaya” (‘Central School’)…

Eliza says:
I am getting less and less shy! My best friend here in India is Deeksheeta, but everyone calls her “Sweetie.” She lives right next to the school, because she is the Principal’s daughter. She was my first really good friend here, and she even visited our house a few days ago. When I visit her house, her mom usually makes me a snack that’s a little spicy, but it’s still delicious!

A few days ago, I stood up on the stage in front of 2400 people and spoke a little bit of Hindi. I practiced a lot and was really nervous, but it turned to be pretty easy! I said, “Namaskar! Mey Eliza aaj aapke samne hey. Subh vichar prasthut karne jah vahey hu. Hindi hamare rashstra bhasha hey! Danyabhad!” It means something like “Hello I’m Eliza and I’m speaking Hindi which is India’s national language…”

My teacher’s name is Usha Kumari Ma’am. Everyone has to call their teachers Ma’am or Sir. Whenever a teacher walks in, everyone stands up and says at the same time “good morning Sir,” or “Good afternoon Ma’am.” You can’t sit down until they say “good morning” back to you.

Every morning and afternoon we go to and from school in an auto-rickshaw. Here they just call it “auto!” I really like them, but they don’t have any doors or windows, so in the cool mornings I wish I had a sweater. Sometimes we see cows walking down the middle of the street, but everyone just drives around them. The Hindu people think if you crush a cow it’s VERY bad, because cows are sacred to them. Once on our way to school, our rickshaw came around a corner, and a motorcycle crashed into us! My dad pulled my foot over, but if it was hanging
outside, it might have gotten hit! No one got hurt really, cuz he was driving pretty slow.

After school I usually come home with at least 5 pieces of candy, because everyone wants to give some to me and Sylvie! Usually girl teachers and kids give us candies, and sometimes just random people we meet give us candy. Every day there’s at least a few kids at the school whose birthday it is. When it is your birthday here you’re supposed to bring a lot of candy, and go from room to room to give a piece to each teacher. You don’t give it to the kids, because if you did then you would need to give more than 2,000 pieces! Birthday kids also get to wear whatever they want, instead of their uniform. That’s cool because you can always tell whose birthday it is and say “Janum din Mubarak” to them!

The uniform is not so comfortable, but just OK. It is fine wearing it every day, but some mornings I can’t find the white socks. Now we know that every Friday you have to wear all white, even a white skirt and white hair ribbons and white shoes! We now have all the white stuff, but still need to buy some white ribbons. (parent’s note… try keeping these things white on our tree-climbing bug-catching kids in India! Very thankful there is only ONE white day per week!)

Here are some Hindi words I have learned: Bear = Bhaaloo, Apple = Saeb, Boy = larka, Girl = larkee, Elephant = haathi, Tiger = sheer, Cow = gaaie, Peacock = moor. I noticed that most of the animals from the Jungle Book, are named after Hindi words like Baloo the Bear, Sheer Khan the Tiger, and Colonel Hatti the Elephant!

I miss you all sooooo much, but I do feel like I really want to come back to India some day! It would be fun to bring all of my friends to India so I could show you all of these things!

Sylvie says:
I’m feeling better about school. I’m still pretty nervous. Here I am in 2nd Grade, which is pretty hard for me, because I am supposed to be in 1st grade. But the 1st graders don’t speak so much English, so we thought it was better to put me in second grade. My two best friends here are named Shushmeeta and Tania. I wish my El Portal friends were here, but they aren’t, so I just have to make the best out of it.

Here everyone is doing cursive already, except for me. I’ve only been in 1st grade for one week in El Portal, then I’m all of a sudden in 2nd grade in India! So I really don’t know too much cursive yet! I’m trying to learn cursive, but it’s a little bit hard for me because it’s so swirly and squiggly! I like India because there’s a lot of mangos, but the mango season is done now. So now there’s so many papayas, and a lot of mornings we eat it with spoons and squeeze limes on it.

At lunch time at school, I almost always have rice and vegetables. I have a box called a “tiffen box,” and it looks kind of like a metal box. It is kind of tall and round, and has two boxes that fit together just right. There is the metal clamp parts that hold it closed in your backpack. And I really like it! I think I’ll use it in El Portal, because I love it! It’s a little smaller than the real lunch boxes that you guys usually have. So I can’t fit so much food in it. Mommy cooks the rice every day, and I get to eat it with my hands! First I wash my hands with a water bottle or at a sink,

The one bad thing is there is barely any recess. There is only the lunchtime for a half an hour, but it seems really short. Sometimes I don’t get any play recess, and I just eat and then go back in my classroom. The bell is SO loud cuz there are so many kids.

My costume, I mean my “uniform,” is white and dark blue, and my socks are white. I have black shoes, and wear braids and red ribbons and a “Kendriya Vidyalaya” belt cuz that’s our school name. On Fridays I wear a white skirt, and white everything. Last Friday we didn’t know, so I wore red ribbons. I thought I’d get super dirty because it’s so white, but I didn’t get too dirty. I’m OK with that….

Before and after school I LOVE the rickshaw rides, because every time I see animals. I see horses, bulls, water buffaloes, which are so cool cuz they’re so big and cool! Sometimes horses are in the “bump things” in the middle of the road, just out there eating grass in the middle of the road! One time we even saw a dog eating a chicken foot, and this morning at the school I saw a crow eating a dead rat. Poor rat…. But it looked so funny and it was fun to watch.

When Dadddy tells the rickshaw man where to go, he says “8th Main, 15th Cross” and when we get closer he says “right side right side” and when we get home he says “Aachaa.” That means “OK!” You can also say thank you which means “Dhanyabahd.”

Lupin adds:
I have a new school and it’s really fun. There is a sand box with toys that you can play with! I have fun at my preschool. Sometimes my Mommy leaves, and I really like to go there, and mommy doesn’t go there for the whole time.

There are special things that you wear, but my uniform is not ready yet. Mama really wants it, so after we went to the store first we got some little yogurts. My school has bunnies for sure in true life! You can’t hold them or do anything to them, you can just look at them. They run around, and when it’s time to go they put them in their cages because they would eat all the grass and that’s bad. They would dig and dig and make a hole in the lawn and live there.

Sometimes I know the kids names, but I forget them when I try to say the names. They are different kinds of names.

I really like my house in India. My toys I just have 2 toys to play with, cuz my monkey is lost and my green baby! Everytime I go to school it rains, but not all the times. I also want someday to walk with my own rainbow umbrella. I like India here!

Lions & Tigers & Bears!!! --- Bannerghatta National Park....

2007-09-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Each month we get the "second Saturday" off of school as a special "holiday." Today we headed out early in the morning to fulfill the kids fantasies about India being filled with elephants and tigers.... It was a really great day, and the kids loved everything! Here are their highlights:

Sylvie says - We rode elephants today and we saw really cute bears. They had a little white "shirt" that was really white fur on their belly and chest. They were lounging in the zoo. And then we went on a safari bus, and it was so cool because we saw more bears out in the wild. The bears and deer weren't Yosemite bears and deer. They were Himalayan Black Bears and Sambar Deer. We also saw tigers and deer that could walk around wild and free. They also had lions there. We saw a girl and boy sambar deer. Now I'm going to talk about masala dosas! I LOVE them so much. they are kinda like tortillas, but even better and super good. They have potatoes inside, and some of them have red chili, but they'll make it for you special without chili if you ask them. I want to eat them every single day. We mostly eat them in the morning. They also give you bowls of sauce, but we don't eat the cold stuff, just in case it could make you sick. Daddy always dips and eats the hot spicy sauce, but I usually dont. I wish you were here to eat masala dosas with me!

Eliza says - I'm having a good time in India.... much better than I thought it would be! Sometimes I wish I was in El Portal, but sometimes I really love what we're doing here. First, I really liked going to Bannerghatta National Park today. The first thing we did was looked around the zoo. My favorite animal there was the elephants, and also they had a zebra. It was so close you could have petted it, but it was in a cage. Then we got on a special bus that has cages on the windows so on our safari the wild animals wouldn't scratch us! We saw a lot of animals like sambar deer, wild bison (gaur), wild tigers and lions. The lions weren't native to there, people brought them there. We also saw crocodiles. We saw some wild sloth bears that were wrestling in the middle of the dirt road in the forest. I thought the coolest thing in the whole safari was seeing two tigers mating!!! The male sort of sat on top of the female, then after a while they growled and the male jumped off! On this safari the animals are all inside a HUUUGE like 20 mile fence, so they can wander around in the jungle. After that we went back to the zoo and saw hippos with "scooper" tails to splash themselves. Then we were ready to ride elephants, but the park workers said they couldn't find any elephants. They let the elephants roam free, and in the morning they go out in the forest to look for elephants to ride. So Dad asked lots of different workers, and they all said "no elephants today." But later, when we were about to leave I SAW some people riding on an elephant! I wondered why THEY got to ride, and right then Dad came running back to us with the tickets for riding elephants! So we got on top of the elephant... instead of a saddle, there is a little platform with railings, and you sit with your feet hanging out. The ride was really tippy, and when we were on its back its trunk came up and it sprayed "snotty water" on us... We all laughed! It was sort of like a sneeze. Then after the ride we got to pet its trunk and ears. It's really rough and hard. Right down the street from our house, there is a man selling coconuts. He just chops the top off, and we stick a straw in and drink it.... It's SOOO good! Then he chops the nut open, and makes a scooper out of the husk so you can scoop out and eat the coconut meat. The young coconut meat is pretty soft and gooey... not hard! The food here is really good. I think my favorite food so far is masala dosa (without the red chilli). At school I made a good friend named "sweetie." She's helping me out cuz I was really shy, but now I'm thinking school is FUN! Whenever people crowd over to to me she tells them to go back to their desk. She tells me to play with only her.... So far, she's my best friend in India.There is a palm tree growing right through our roof. When you walk down the street there are dogs, horses and cows just walking down the streets with NO owner. Everyone just goes around them, even with cars, cuz they think that cows are like gods. Last thing, there is a lake near our house called Sankey Tank where all the fruit bats live. We can walk out there and look at the trees. You see big black bats hanging upside down from the trees. In the evening we go up on top of our roof, and watch the bats, with a 3 foot wingspan, fly over our heads. I feel really excited and I squeal! Sometimes they come so close, but it isn't scary... I just love it! I'm really liking India, but I still miss all of my friends a LOT!

Teacher's Day & Family Puja Ceremony

2007-09-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Travelers know that time spent in exotic lands can be so richly abundant in experience, that weeks of living seems packed into a single day… Today was one of those days!

We began at 5am with the girls waking up… hungry! They are still working on their jet lag, and are close to adjusting to the new time zone. After 2 hours of feeding, packing up, dressing, and heavy duty counseling and cheerleading for one nervous school girl, we were off on our daily 25 minute rickshaw ride to school. Eliza and Sylvie were well prepared, at least on the surface. New daypacks, math and English textbooks, freshly purchased school uniforms (even down to the standard 2 braids with red hair ribbons), water bottles, etc… None of us, however, were prepared for the astounding “teacher day” celebrations! It begins, as does every day at KVMEG, with the morning assembly, but today the teachers took over and led the program that is usually student-run. We teachers led the school pledge, school oath, national anthem, etc… Then they asked Karen and I to sing a special American song… we ran through our collective brains and pulled off a John Denver classic. Then there was a “name that tune” contest, a “stump the teachers” quiz show, a sing-off contest, and I even got to participate in “pin the trunk on the elephant!”

The role reversals continue as the 11th and 12th Class students are assigned to teach all the classes today, covering math, physics, English, biology, Hindi, etc. The young ladies looked beautiful, dressed in their exquisite multicolored saris, while many of the guys wore nice shirts and neckties for the occasion.

Throughout this extended assembly time, and all through the day, student of all ages were constantly approaching to shake hands, wish me “happy teachers day,” and give gifts of flowers, candies, or cards. So revered and respected are teachers in India, that many students even bent down to touch my feet! While walking down the halls, I was constantly swarmed with students, pushing and pressing forward… to get my autograph! “Please sir please sir, sign sign!!!” I felt like a rock star, signing hundreds and hundreds of student notebooks, and forcing myself to move on down the hallway leaving disappointed crowds in my wake. It was all pretty overwhelming and humbling.

Speaking of overwhelming, our daughters also had a major role reversal on their first full day of school. Eliza, who had been dreading today like it was the end of the world, writhing and weeping frequently for days of gut-wrenching self-induced stress, had a splendid day. We had her placed in a specific class, sitting next to the principal’s daughter “Sweetie,” who instantly became her wonderful friend and protector. Sweet Sylvie, possibly as a counter-balance to her stressed-out older sister, was pretty casual and relaxed about the whole “first day” situation. She said, “well, I actually am a little bit scared, but not as much as Eliza, and I’ll try to have fun!” Poor Sylvie had a really rough day, mostly due to the language barrier… I purposefully moved her up to 2nd Class instead of 1st, trusting that the older kids would have more solid English skills. Unfortunately today, being teacher’s day, was quite unstructured and chaotic. The student-teachers, while kind and well-meaning, were not well versed in class management or group dynamics… We had paired Sylvie with a sweet friend “Tania,” but even so, she lamented, “they only spoke Hindi, and I couldn’t talk to anyone today!” We are sure that things will improve day by day, but it was so sad to see her casual confidence get crushed today…

While the teachers all gathered for an after-school meeting and delicious spicy lunch, our kids played outside with “Sweetie,” the principal’s daughter. They climbed trees, played basketball, chased lizards, and stalked green parrots around the school grounds…

Then it was ‘rickshaw time’ to head over to Mr. Nagaraj’s house for tea. His wife Asha is also a teacher, and had several great books and puzzles for the kids to play with. Four year old Siddarth awoke from his nap, and played a vigorous game of “biting snake” jumprope with Lupin. We enjoyed a nice long visit, and then gathered up our things to go to the next event… just as the clouds opened up! We ran to a rickshaw without enough umbrellas, hopping from shallow puddle to puddle, trying to avoid the flowing creeks that 10 minutes ago were dry streets. Packed tightly on laps, and zooming through the soaking traffic, we held our umbrellas against the open rickshaw doors to keep the majority of the water outside….

Ranging from moist (me), to dripping (Sylvie), we arrived safely at sunset at Mr. Prem’s house to attend his “home and family puja.” Prem, and his brilliant son Karan, have shared wonderful conversations with me many mornings before school, and invited our family to join them tonight. This type of puja (prayer ceremony) is performed annually by many Hindu families to ensure health, success, prosperity and spiritual merit. Prem explained that this event would be a very special, traditional, and “rare” version of the event… and he was so right!

As we entered the home, an exquisite colorful geometric mandala was being created on the floor, right next to a brick-lined firepit built in the center of the living room. Three robed priests were carefully making preparations and gathering materials for the incredibly complex series of rituals we were about to witness. Several other family members, friends, and neighbors sat with us on the floor, and the ceremony began. We expected an hour-long event, but what ensued was more than 3 hours of mesmerizing chanting, prayers, offerings, and the combustion of a fascinating assortment of objects. Holy water was sprinkled on attendees, saffron rice was tossed on statues of various gods, incense was burned, butter was drizzled, red and yellow tikas were applied to everyone’s foreheads… I was in awe of these priests, chanting for hours in Sanskrit, and somehow remembering the precise order of events that included the careful placement and ritualized presentation of coconuts, dried grass, apples, bananas, ghee, green grass, lotus blossoms, marigolds and other flowers, colored pastes and powders, grains of rice, steaming cooked rice, special coins, butter lamps, milk, incense sticks, honey, mustard seeds (both black and yellow), and on and on and on….

Our girls were alert and fascinated… for about an hour, and then, one by one, they started to doze on our laps. We carried them into another room to sleep on a bed. It was just about the right time, because then the burning began! The priests began loading sticks into the ring of bricks, and right there in the living room (tile floors), they started up a big fire. The rituals continued, with the fire itself the center and focus of the offerings. Much ghee (clarified butter) was drizzled into the flames, both as offering and to keep the flames dancing. Many of the other items were also consumed by the flames, as we stood up and sat down, tossed rice, sipped sacred water, and watched Prem and his wife offer countless prayers and prostrations for family, friends, health, prosperity, success, and happiness. Even with all the windows open, the smoke was pretty thick. I could handle it just fine while sitting on the floor, but after standing up, I had to retreat to the cool night outside for some fresh air. Other friends and neighbors were doing the same; heading inside for 20 or 30 minutes, then moving outside to chat and visit. Our girls were now snoring on a dry outdoor couch, under the overhang, among piles of shoes, umbrellas, and other kids… Eliza had her head resting on the father-in-law’s lap.

Finally the elaborate ceremony concluded, and Mr. Prem came outside to explain many of the details to us… and invite us back inside for dinner! “Shall we wake your daughters now for eating?” Please no! Karen and I, along with Nagaraj and Siddarth, enjoyed a deliciously spicy home cooked meal, served on the bedroom floor on a banana leaf, and eaten with our right hand. Absolutely wonderful conclusion to the evening!

Several kind folks helped lift and haul our sleeping lumps of daughter (still in their school uniforms), and stack them in a rickshaw… The rain had stopped, but we were carrying plastic bags filled with wet umbrellas and soaking socks and shoes as a momento of its fury. We hugged, waved, and shook hands goodbye to everyone in the dark. As we pulled away, Karen and I looked at each other in the back of the rickshaw, and just began laughing out loud. What a day! WHAT A DAY!!!

Nervous about school in India - by Eliza

2007-09-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

(Eliza and her sisters share some worries, highlights, and hopes upon their arrival in India... These thoughts were collected in the somewhat delirious fog of their first morning here, after12 time zones and 3 hours of sleep....)

Eliza says:
When we flew to Bangalore, we stopped in a few places. I think I like Hong Kong better than Singapore, because we could see mountains and the ocean. I saw one big mountain, and said, “hey look at that mountain,” and mommy said she had climbed it once. In Singapore we walked around by the “mermaid lion” and got sprayed by salt water. We bought lots of kinds of fruit like mangosteens, rambutans, rose apples, and some gooey thing called a durian. When you eat it you make a weird face, because it tastes so weird… a little like peanuts, but more smelly.

I already miss El Portal, and I’m feeling really sad because we’re going to be here for months and can’t go back home for a visit. Right now time is going so slow, and I really think it’s going to be such a long time here in India. Everyone says “it’s going to go by so fast,” but I’m glad we only came for half a year. I hope that I won’t feel so nervous after the first day of school. I know can make new friends, but it’s just not the same as my friends that I grew up with my whole life. If we ever go to a different country for a real long time, I’d really want my friends from El Portal to visit us there.

I’m really feeling shy and scared about going to the school. There’s going to be so many kids, and I’m used to my school with just 50 or 60 kids, and not one with 2000. I’m afraid they’re going to crowd around my and ask so many questions. I’m going to be the only one with blond hair, and everyone will look at me all the time.

A lot of people say that I’m sooo lucky to go to India. All my friends say that, and they say they want to come to India too. It makes me feel lucky and good, but I think it’s also sometimes a hard thing to do. I feel like it’s a good thing to travel around a lot, but I also really love spending time at home. My favorite place so far that we’ve been was Europe. I also loved going to Guatemala, but we never stayed in such big city or went to a new school. It was also a shorter trip, so that made me feel it was easier. This trip to India is the longest one so far, and it sort of feels like I’m trapped here.

I sort of wanted to come to India, but I’m not so sure about coming to school here. I’d feel a lot more comfortable if my friend Maya was going to school with me.

I am looking forward to some things in India… like riding elephants, and maybe finding a place to ride horses. Today we went for a walk around and saw some squirrels that looked like golden mantle ground squirrels. I also liked drinking coconut milk right out of the nut with a straw. We saw lots of huge palm trees and other tall ones that hang over the roads and have big roots breaking up the sidewalks. We ate dosas at a restaurant, and I mostly ate them plain. A few times I dipped it in the spicy sauce, and that was OK. We went to the aquarium in a rickshaw, and that was so cool. I spotted a huge hawk in a tree with a white head, and my Dad took a picture to show mom cuz she loves birds. I looked it up in Dad's book at home. It's called a Braminy Kite. The tickets for all of our family to go in the aquarium were only 11 Rupees; that's about like 25 cents! I couldn't believe it costs so little!

Today was a fun day, but right now I feel like India is going to be hard for me. I’m also really looking forward making new friends, even though that’s the one thing that makes me the most nervous.

Sylvie adds:
I’m pretty excited to be here, actually I think I like everything… I hope even that I’ll like the school. It’s gonna be soooo big, so still I might be a little scared, but not as scared as Eliza!

Lupin pipes in with:
Everything and everything I like here. I drank coconut milk, and I ate ‘saladosa’ but not the spicy part. We also ate the sweet thing at the sweet cake place. It tastes like sweets and yummies!

The Family Arrives!!!

2007-09-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

Yipeee! Karen and the Kids flew in from Singapore last night! All safe and sound and sleepy and totally wired all at once.... What an exquisite moment it is, first spotting them, through the crowd of travelers, and the kids joyfully sprinting to me for our first hugs in 3 weeks... What a sweet reunion!

Mr. Balaji, my exchange partner's husband, and his son very kindly drove to and from the airport, and helped with all the luggage. Karen passed out just as soon as we got home, but the kids were racing around the house until 3am. I finallly got them to sleep with stories.... ahhhhhh..... blessed sweet slumber..... until they all awoke again at 6am! Egads!

Today was their first day, and I wanted to hopefully "reset their clocks." We pushed them pretty hard, keeping them awake and moving and stimulated all day, so they would be ready to conk out at a more normal hour. We walked around the neighborhood, ate masala dosas, explored a few temples, then returned home.

The kids continued to 'unpack' and spread their chunks on every flat surface of our home. Karen took a looong hard nap, and I took the kids by rickshaw downtown to the Government Aquarium. It's a pretty basic place, but the kids loved it. They aslo giggled and squealed each time our rickshaw bumped over a pothole or swerved to avoid a bus. Sylvie was especially thrilled by the sudden downpour after the aquarium, and didn't want anything to do with my silly umbrella! "Dad, I LOVE to get wet!!!"

Back home, they played with stuffed animals, and created intricate designs on the front porch with scores of white jasmine blooms that continually rain down from the tree above. They LOVE the palm tree that grows through the eaves of the roof. They all seem to like dosas, just not with all the chilli.... Then, during the early dinner at a nearby restaurant (about 5pm), they all simultaneously began to run out of gas. Lupin first, completely unconcious on the bench. Sylvie, eyes closed, swaying back and forth about to pass out into her chutney, mumbled, "No daddy, I won't fall asleep. I won't close my eyes. I promise." Eliza went from chitter chatterbox about many topics to nearly comatose at the table. We barely managed to drag them downstairs & out into a rickshaw, got their teeth brushed and carried them to their beds around 6pm. Hopefully they will snooze well and all through the night!

Tomorrow they'll visit the school for an hour or 2, and probably begin attending on Weds. (Tuesday is a holiday for the Birth of Krishna). Eliza is pretty anxious and filled with "new gigantic school" worries. She and I had several nice long talks about that today... She gets herself so worked up way in advance of big events. We can't wait to just get her through the first hour, and are confident that she will feel so relieved and welcomed by her new classmates ad teachers! Sylvie and Lupin? They are so busy collecting flowers off the ground, looking for dogs and cows in the street, and chasing each other around the room, they aren't thinking past the next stimulating moment!

Students’ Cultural Performances

2007-08-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

Santa Claus is dancing on stage at the moment, with Ganesh, Krishna, and several Sikh, Kashmiri and Keralan dancers waiting their turn! I’m standing under a palm tree on the school assembly grounds in Bangalore, witnessing an amazing kaleidoscope of cultural presentations. Each day during the 15-20 minute morning assembly, a different class presents a short skit, song, or dance. The full participation is quite impressive, and every kid that steps up to the microphone (on stage in front of 2400 students) has their lines, or speech perfectly memorized.

Today they have expanded the program, as each 7th, 8th, and 9th grade section was assigned a specific holiday, traditional costume, or ceremonial dance to share. We spent an extra 2 hours outside, and saw dances from the Punjab, Kerala, Kashmir, and Karnataka. Traditional clothing from Arunachal Pradesh, Orissa, and Tamil Nadu… Diwali, Christmas, Holi, Onam, Eid, and other holidays traditions were demonstrated. I was very impressed with the students’ preparation and excitement in making their presentations, and also struck by the incredible diversity of this country, and of the students at my school.

The Kendriya Vidyalaya system is said to be one of the largest school “districts” in the world, with almost 1,000 schools scattered across India, serving 1 million students. The KV schools cater to children of civil servants, government employees, and military personnel, and have a nationally standardized curriculum, textbooks, and schedule. In theory, any child that gets transferred around India to a new city or military base, will jump right in on the same chapter in the same classes at the next KV they attend. In my first week of teaching, I’ve already had 2 students leave, and found that about 10 of my kids have only joined our school in the last few weeks.

With all the transferring around, each KV is like a little slice of India, with families from every state, religion, and language group all lumped together into a wonderfully diverse mixture. Most of my students speak 3 languages (Hindi, English, and their “home language”), and some speak 4 or 5. Todays cultural presentations really demonstrated the diversity that surrounds me every day… All of these costumes & all the dance moves are certainly personal traditions of several kids in each section. It was a real treat to see them having so much fun, and taking such pride in celebrating each others cultures!

Karnatic Temple Music

2007-08-25T03:07:00.002-07:00

Well, I’ve had plenty of great days in Bangalore, but tonight was the first “magical” experience of our time in India. Yesterday Nagaraj took me downtown to the railway station to buy a timetable and check out the reservation system. We’re planning on several great train journeys, and wanted to get the inside scoop on advanced reservations. Alas, it was pouring rain, so we lingered inside and “took tea.” I bought a newspaper just for fun, and within it I found an ad for a concert at a Lakshmi temple the next day… What a karmic gift that was!

In the massive sprawl of Bangalore, this MahaLakshmi temple happened to be just 2 kms. Away… almost next door! Today is Lakshmi puja, where people make prayers and offerings to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. It is especially important for wives to make prayers for their husbands. I got to the temple early, and was invited to wash hands and feet, join in the procession of hundreds of devotees at the altar, and eat a meal prepared by the priests. Then I took a seat for the concert. I happened tos sit in the front row, next to Amith, one of the main performers.

What an exquisite experience… Sun setting and dusk falling, the light changing on the coconut palm fronds overhead, twinkling lights all over the temple, and the constant stream of hundreds and hundreds of people shuffling along into the temple itself. Then I looked up at the birds… no not birds, BATS were flying overhead, heading out at dusk to search for fruit. Massive fruit bats flapping on silent wings, 2 or 3 feet across, as the ¾ moon slipped out from behind the clouds.

And then the music… Oh my… 3 hours of truly exquisite artistic excellence… First was Pallavi Prasanna, a beautiful Karnatic vocalist, singing incredible ancient temple songs. Her voice, and pitch, and vocal control were astounding, as she danced up and down the scales, singing in Kannada. I was literally moved to tears.

Then came the father/son duo of Amith Nadig and BK Anantharam …. They both played mind-blowing high-speed flute, brilliantly supported by a violin player and phenomenal percussionist on the 2-sided drum (dholak?). These guys made me smile and laugh out loud! The ecstatic back and forth of the drum and flute was such a pleasure to watch… their interactions were playful and filled with joy, smiles and mischief. It seemed they were trying to out-do each other, or trick the other with a particularly frenzied riff…. But no one stumbled or ever missed a beat. As the man sitting next to me said after the final applause, “this music, good sir, is meant to take you to another world.” I bought the CD. Immediately after the performance, the violin player put down his instrument, pulled out his cell phone, and began text messaging…. Ahhhhh, Bangalore!

My camera had a “disc failure,” so I didn’t get any photos… And I may have lost most of my shots from this week… Oh well… the experience was divine, and I found out that this is the best time in Bangalore for “festival and temple music.” There are free concerts all week, not too far from my school, so I’m sure I’ll get a few more doses of this magical music! And while I’m at it, a few more dosas….

Eating in Bangalore!

2007-08-25T03:07:00.001-07:00

photos and comments to come soon.....

Most Heartfelt Welcome dear Mr. Paul!!!

2007-08-19T08:33:00.001-07:00

Holy Toledo... My first visit to the school was incredible! Of course, all the staff that I bumped into were friendly and welcoming, introducing themselves with wonderful lyrical names that I promptly forgot. But then all of a sudden, I heard the sound of distant drumming! "Ahhh Mr. Paul, it is time for the students to greet you!" So we head out of the school office, down a gauntlet of cute kids in "scout" uniforms, all dancing and chanting welcome poems to me. Flowers were bestowed a few times, and we (the principal, teachers, and I) had to stop several times for yet another hopping circle of cute little boys or girls to finish their welcome dance. Then we approached the assembly ground, and saw the 2400 students all neatly lined up in perfect organized rows (they do this every morning... not just for me!). The daily assembly involves many different aged students, who come up on stage to lead the masses in the school prayer, the school pledge, and singing of the national anthem. Then they introduced me to thunderous applause... a teacher read my bio over the loudspeakers, and then handed the mic over to me. Fortunately i'd prepared a Hindi phrase or two, which must have pronounced somewhat correctly because the students went wild with cheers and laughter as i carefully said each phrase... Aap sapi-ko mera namaskar! (greetings to all of you) Muje yaha pahunchker bhot kushi huy hey! (i am so happy to be here) Muju tora tora Hindi bolta (...but i only speak tiny bit of Hindi.) They loved it!

I had a great day there, touring the school, meeting staff, and observing a few classes. Every kid in the hall greets me with "Hello Mr. Paul sir!" or "Good afternoon Sir!" They all want to shake my hand, and ask a thousand questions about me, my family, and California. A few kids even requested my autograph. I am certainly feeling incredibly welcomed by both staff and students! I start teaching on Monday.

First Day in BANGALORE!!!

2007-08-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I arrived in Bangalore several hours ago, and have just found the nearest internet cafe down the street from my house. Out on the street (9pm) it is alive with horns, motorcycles, a few dogs and cows, and many folks walking in conversation.

My assigned "helper", Mr. Nagaraj, just dropped me off on his motorcycle, and headed home for the night. He and his 4-yr old son Siddarth came by at 7 to take me out to a nearby restaurant for dinner... Nagaraj driving, Siddarth sitting between his Daddy's legs on the gas tank, and me hanging on the back.... He informed me that "helmets in Bangalore are a must... it is compulsory!" But only for the drivers.... not the riders! So we zoomed through the busy streets,swerving and braking to avoid the chaotic traffic. He's been helping me to learn a few words of Hindi, and I accidentally taught him a few inappropriate English words when a huge bus almost flattened us. I don't think I'll be biking to work!

I got to Delhi on Weds, had an all day orientation session Thurs. with all 8 American exchange teachers... then today (Fri.) we all flew off to our respective cities. I'm the only one in Bangalore. Others are going to Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, etc...

First impressions of Bangalore from up in the air.... "It's so GREEN!" Huge trees everywhere and many coconut palms. Walking off the plane I rejoiced in the cooler climate..... Delhi was pretty stifling and hot! Bangalore is certainly humid and hot/warm, but reletive to Delhi it is quite nice! Then we got on a bus to take us from the plane to the terminal, and about 20 peoples cell phones began ringing... all those cute little electronic Mozart and Beethoven ditties chiming away, with 20 people all pulling out there phones and firing up conversations in 5 different languages! Nice climate, Palm Trees, and Cell Phones! Anyway, all of the people I've met have been wonderfully kind and helpful. Our house is big and will work out fine... after some cleaning and provisioning! Tomorrow I'm off to see the school, and to address the "morning assembly" of 2400 students! I'm not sure how much of a speech they'll be expecting, but I'm sure I can adapt! So far so good. I'll keep you posted!
-Paul

Independence Day in New Delhi

2007-08-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

Had a free evening, and so a few of us hopped in a rickshaw and headed for the Red Fort Region... Also visited the big mosque, and mingled with the seething masses emerging from evening prayer.... A sliver moon was setting over the domes and minarets, and the man at the gate would absolutely NOT let us in. "Please read sign kind sir. Mosque closing time is now." But each time we were chatting with him, 5 other folks would slip around him and enter. So we tried a few more times, and he always caught us! At dark the fireworks began, and went on and on and on for a couple of hours! Happy 60th year of Independence to India!

Last Family Day... for a few weeks...

2007-08-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

August 7th was Karen's last day 0ff of work before I fly to India. We celebrated by going on a big family hike... up a mountain that both Eliza and Sylvie had been asking to climb. "If we only have time for one big peak this summer Dad, can it be Mt. Dana? We always see it, but we've never climbed it!" And so we did, getting a true "family alpine start" at the crack of 11 am!

It was a truly gorgeous spectacular mountain day, taking our time ascending the second highest peak in Yosemite. Lupin was strapped on Dad's back, but both Sylvie and Eliza hiked the entire way themselves. Eliza started out a bit grumpy, but after steadily improving views, countless sightings of cute pikas and marmots, and several strategic snack breaks, she kicked into high gear and I couldn't keep up with her. "I'll meet you at the top Dad," she yelled down, as she scampered over colorful rocks, picking a great route up through the talus. "Don't worry, I'll wait so we can get to the very top at the same time!" We had clear weather and astouding views... The breeze was almost balmy up top, and we lingered until almost 6pm. The girls presented Karen and I with the world premeire performance of the "Mt. Dana Dance," and begged us to let them stay on the summit overnight so we could watch the sunset and starshow.

But PIE was calling, so we reluctantly descended... as we were the last hikers to leave the summit, we had the entire mountain descent to ourselves in golden glowing light. A truly magical evening! We wrapped up the day by arriving back at the car at dark, and zipping off to TPR (tioga pass resort) for a hearty dinner of their famous pie a la mode. Sylvie said "this is the first time we ever had dessert for the dinner and the dessert... can we have dinner like this again sometime?" We assured them that any time they climb a 13,000 foot peak, we will definately celebrate with pie!

Then back to Karen's tent cabin in Tuolumne, where she read them stories, while I got the van packed up by midnight. A tearful farewell in the starry night, as I won't see Karen until Sept.1st in Bangalore. But it was the perfect "last day together" for our family...

Learning from our Children....

2007-08-09T00:19:00.000-07:00

While the Fulbright Orientation in DC was certainly filled with helpful sessions and inspiring speakers, the highlight for me was the "farewell dinner" and celebration. After many months of planning, preparing, and emailing, the reasons for and meaning of this exchange came into sharp focus for me...
After the final dinner, the teachers, spouses and families from each exchange country were invited to share a bit of their culture with everyone. Some groups sang folk songs and played traditional instruments, while others did a typical dance from their respective countries. Some performances were a bit rough, but that's to be expected given the busy conference schedule, lack of rehearsal time, and severe jet lag everyone was experiencing. It was a fun and heartwarming evening... all of these great people from around the world, jumping up on stage to share a bit of themselves and their culture.
But the best part was the kids... Children from all over the world, accompanying their teacher parents, had just met each other 3 days before. They came from Chile, Latvia, Mexico, and England... South Africa, France, the US, and India... Even with significant language barriers, they were having such a fantastic time together... holding hands, laughing, playing, crawling under the tables, and spontaneously hopping up on stage to dance to a particularly lively tune (...thanks Senegal!). Then, during a break in the performances, they grabbed the inflatable earth-balls off of each dinner table, and began a lively on-stage game of global volleyball. It was a beautiful thing to witness.
The primary goal of the many Fulbright programs is to "promote mutual understanding between people of the USA and other nations." Just watching those wonderful children assured me that this goal is indeed being achieved...

Fulbright Conference in Washington DC

2007-08-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

After 2 marvelous wacky days with Tboy and Marcella, Paul drove up to DC for the big orientation meeting. Imagine several hundred enthusiastic teachers all in one huge room, half from the US and half from 30 different countries. It has been great thus far, especially getting to meet Mrs. Rama Balaji, my Indian exchange partner, face to face after months of e-mailing.
We'll have a couple more days of meetings and small group sessions, then I'll fly back to Oakland to get the kids and head up to Tuolumne Meadows for our last couple of days together as a family. John and Carolyn's family have been caring for our kids, and my parents will pick them up for a couple of days too.... THANK YOU for making this possible!!! Karen is full-time up in Tuolumne, and we'll get a few days with her next week... then it's a packing and prepping FRENZY before I fly on August 13th. Karen and the girls will fly over to join me on August 31. I'm at the 2 week mark now.... Let the countdown begin!!! Yahoooooooo!!!!!
-Paul

Great Virginia Visit!

2007-07-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

Got to spend a wonderful couple of days with Tboy and Marcella (and a small pink pony) way down in Blacksburg, VA. We ate and drank and savoured great conversations and a healthy dose of extremes silliness.

Visas, AirFare, and a BIG to do list!

2007-07-23T23:51:00.000-07:00

The BLOG begins! I'm feeling pretty hi-tech, sitting up at midnight in an motel room, typing on the laptop with a WiFi connection humming along... The entire rest of the family is sleeping in a heap on the other double bed!

I'm up late trying to book air tickets for Karen and the girls, but am still awaiting my official approval letter for my Indian visa. I don't want to commit thousands of bucks to their tickets until I get that elusive approval document. We sent in all the paperwork back in March, but the Goverment of India is apparently a bit slow in processing these things. I have sweaty memories of changing money in dark crowded Indian banks, creaky ceiling fans whirring overhead, thousands of dusty old ledgers stacked on every wall, and handfuls of scribes scribbling and scurrying around piling those files ever higher... Maybe my application letter is in one of those teetering stacks! It's all a bit last minute if you ask me!

As always, there are many many more things on the to-do list than we can possibly get done... When the wheels leave the ground, and we're finally on our way, the most critical priorities will be taken care of, and the lower priorities will have faded away.

We're getting more and more excited every day! It's going to be GREAT!!!

-Paul