I'm sure that most of you are wondering "what's India like?" and for those of you who visited us while living in Cairo I can say it feels like living in Cairo all over again but with a few exceptions. First, the driving, although chaotic it is not as bad as it was in Cairo. For the most part they stop for the traffic lights end there are the same 2ft high curbs alternately painted with black and yellow to keep people from driving on the sidewalks. Since this was a British colony once we drive on the left hand side of the road with lots and lots of round-a-bouts. Also, there are huge Brahma bulls and cows that wander the city doing pretty much anything they want. I was aware that cows would be loitering the city, but when I actually saw them I was amazed to see huge Brahma bulls instead of the ordinary dairy cows I had pictured in my mind. That was a bit of a shock. They seem friendly enough but I don't intend on getting close enough to find out. Richard, Idaho farm boy that he is, wants to ride on one while getting his picture taken. Once a cowboy, always a cowboy!
One other difference is that the donkey carts of Cairo have been replaced w
ith auto-rickshaws. I'm not sure how to explain what they look like so hopefully I will have a picture of one posted for you to see. The picture to the right is of a beautiful little Indian girl (she was so adorable, wish you could see her better) riding with her parents on a motorcycle. I've seen up to five so far and I saw a family of 4 on a bicycle the other day. We have had the pleasure (and I use that word facetiously) of riding in the auto rick shaws on several occasions. One time being on the way home from church. One rickshaw will only hold 3 people, although we have friends who once fit their family of 6 in one, we decided our best chance for survival was to split up. It would be similar to riding in a golf cart, no doors to close you in for any sense of safety...but as we were driving home Tyson reached out and grabbed a hold of the bar in front of us (sounds like a ride at Disneyland doesn't it) then he yelled out "Mom, you better hold on to the bar, the road is moving!" I burst out into laughter as I checked the road for movement (just to make sure, this is India) and I saw the source of his concern. I could see the white lines rushing beside and under us. It did look like the road was moving; so no matter how hard I tried to explain to him that the road wasn't actually moving he wouldn't believe me.
The kids have done an absolute wonderful job of adjusting, especially now that school has started. I expected to have mutiny on my hands after our arrival especially from our 12 year old daughter Morgann but to my surprise, Taylor our 15 yr old son, seemed to have the most difficult time that first day or two. I think none of it really hit him until he was here in the middle of India and then it hit him like a brick. But luckily it only lasted a day or two. He now has a cell phone and has started school, that has made all the difference. I can tell they all miss their friends from Virginia, so do I, but technology has this incredible ability of making us all feel a lot closer!
One other difference is that the donkey carts of Cairo have been replaced w
ith auto-rickshaws. I'm not sure how to explain what they look like so hopefully I will have a picture of one posted for you to see. The picture to the right is of a beautiful little Indian girl (she was so adorable, wish you could see her better) riding with her parents on a motorcycle. I've seen up to five so far and I saw a family of 4 on a bicycle the other day. We have had the pleasure (and I use that word facetiously) of riding in the auto rick shaws on several occasions. One time being on the way home from church. One rickshaw will only hold 3 people, although we have friends who once fit their family of 6 in one, we decided our best chance for survival was to split up. It would be similar to riding in a golf cart, no doors to close you in for any sense of safety...but as we were driving home Tyson reached out and grabbed a hold of the bar in front of us (sounds like a ride at Disneyland doesn't it) then he yelled out "Mom, you better hold on to the bar, the road is moving!" I burst out into laughter as I checked the road for movement (just to make sure, this is India) and I saw the source of his concern. I could see the white lines rushing beside and under us. It did look like the road was moving; so no matter how hard I tried to explain to him that the road wasn't actually moving he wouldn't believe me.The kids have done an absolute wonderful job of adjusting, especially now that school has started. I expected to have mutiny on my hands after our arrival especially from our 12 year old daughter Morgann but to my surprise, Taylor our 15 yr old son, seemed to have the most difficult time that first day or two. I think none of it really hit him until he was here in the middle of India and then it hit him like a brick. But luckily it only lasted a day or two. He now has a cell phone and has started school, that has made all the difference. I can tell they all miss their friends from Virginia, so do I, but technology has this incredible ability of making us all feel a lot closer!
Morgann was selected for a class call Odyssey of the Mind. They will work on a project all year and then in April they will travel to Hungary to compete with all the other Odyssey of the Mind classes. She is really excited. Her and Taylor also have what they call Week Without Walls. This October they will get to go somewhere in India to camp, rock climb, river raft and many other exciting things. I can't believe what a great opportunities they will be getting while attending AES (American Embassy School).
We received our first and smallest shipment of household goods. Three LARGE boxes were delivered the other night and as we unpacked we realized we didn't plan very well. We have an x-box and DVD player but no TV to use them with. We have back up power supplies but no computer to plug them into. I'm not sure what we were thinking but I've since started a list of items that have to go in the "quick" shipment for next time. Believe it or not, garbage cans are at the top of my list, along with laundry hampers, a phone and hangers. Just take a minute and think about living without those few items for 6-8 weeks. They provide us with a welcome kit that has dishes, pots and pans, bedding and towels but that is about it. Its not a lot to live with for an extended period of time.
Anyway, more about India. The weather is hot and humid with a little bit more of hot and humid, followed by, you guessed it, more hot and humid. I've literally sweat in places I didn't even know I had. It is currently the monsoon season which started the end of July and which I have no idea as to when it ends. The temperatures actually are cooler now that they were a month ago (so I have been told). But cooler weather is in store and the winter time is supposed to be fantastic.
One of the hardest aspects of India for me has been the poverty. Although I saw a lot of poverty in Cairo for some reason this is more intense. It is so hard to watch these sweet little babies and children living in such horrible conditions. It is hard not to want to cry every time a mother comes begging with her baby in her arms or a small child with torn and filthy clothes begs for food. It rips out your heart. I have since learned that the majority of the beggars that approach you on the main traffic corners and at tourist sites do not beg for themselves. They have a beggar master or pimp they give all their earnings to. He keeps the majority while they get very little if anything at all. This is why it is against the law to give the beggars anything. This I'm sure is the only way to solve the exploitation of these children but it does not make refusing them any easier. One alternate option we have discovered is to bring items of clothing or small food items that won't be taken by their masters. After contemplating upon the conditions around me I understand how important it was to us to come to this earth, no matter the conditions. I feel very, very fortunate to have been born in a country that is free and to a family who loved and cared for me.
We received our first and smallest shipment of household goods. Three LARGE boxes were delivered the other night and as we unpacked we realized we didn't plan very well. We have an x-box and DVD player but no TV to use them with. We have back up power supplies but no computer to plug them into. I'm not sure what we were thinking but I've since started a list of items that have to go in the "quick" shipment for next time. Believe it or not, garbage cans are at the top of my list, along with laundry hampers, a phone and hangers. Just take a minute and think about living without those few items for 6-8 weeks. They provide us with a welcome kit that has dishes, pots and pans, bedding and towels but that is about it. Its not a lot to live with for an extended period of time.
Anyway, more about India. The weather is hot and humid with a little bit more of hot and humid, followed by, you guessed it, more hot and humid. I've literally sweat in places I didn't even know I had. It is currently the monsoon season which started the end of July and which I have no idea as to when it ends. The temperatures actually are cooler now that they were a month ago (so I have been told). But cooler weather is in store and the winter time is supposed to be fantastic.
One of the hardest aspects of India for me has been the poverty. Although I saw a lot of poverty in Cairo for some reason this is more intense. It is so hard to watch these sweet little babies and children living in such horrible conditions. It is hard not to want to cry every time a mother comes begging with her baby in her arms or a small child with torn and filthy clothes begs for food. It rips out your heart. I have since learned that the majority of the beggars that approach you on the main traffic corners and at tourist sites do not beg for themselves. They have a beggar master or pimp they give all their earnings to. He keeps the majority while they get very little if anything at all. This is why it is against the law to give the beggars anything. This I'm sure is the only way to solve the exploitation of these children but it does not make refusing them any easier. One alternate option we have discovered is to bring items of clothing or small food items that won't be taken by their masters. After contemplating upon the conditions around me I understand how important it was to us to come to this earth, no matter the conditions. I feel very, very fortunate to have been born in a country that is free and to a family who loved and cared for me.
I am truly blessed.
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