Home Sick

Home sick could mean one is ill and staying at home.  That is what I have been doing for a few day lately.   We are all taking turns with a fever or a stomach ailment or a cough and needing our rest as we adjust to our new environment and bacterias that are foreign to our stomachs and selves.  Today I am home with kid three as he is running a fever and can not be in school.
Home sick could also mean one is sad and missing a place of home.  About this time of year, plans are being made by most people posted overseas for summer travel back to their home country.  Since we just arrived in December those plans for this summer will not be happening.  We will be sending kid one back to the states to do some much needed summer schooling and college visits but kid middle, kid three and myself will stay put on this side of the globe for the summer break.  The mister will be doing all kinds of travel for work so we have placed him in the "exempt from our planning" pile.
Kid middle and myself both feel that going back so soon is just going to restart the pain of saying good bye so we feel safe in staying here for the summer break.  Unfortunately kid three does not agree with us and really would like to make the trip.  All the kids have adjusted to this move incredibly well but if I had to pick one that is doing best and one that is doing worst I would have to say, really all are doing "best" but kid three has had more "sad days" than the rest of us.  Those days that you just can't stop yourself from thinking, "if only I were back in the US"... He has been lonely for his home, his dog, his friends, his routine, his way of life.  On his birthday this month he was asking me if any of his friends from US would come and visit us in India.  I told him maybe his cousin and one other family from cub scouts expressed a small interest, both of which made him happy to think about.
I guess when a person goes away, in the sense that they have not died but simply left their last location, it is reassuring to know from time to time that one is not forgotten.  I think he is feeling a bit forgotten, as we all do for brief periods of time while we think, "if only I were back in the US"...
Our whole family has fallen into relying on the www. to update anyone about our activities here in India.  We have not written letters or postcards to friends and family like we made grand plans to do.
So our goal for ourselves during the summer is to do just that.  Write little notes to Grandma and Grandpa and neighbors and friends and cousins and "pen pals".  I hope you all can join us and make this summer one to remember because of the paper trail we will leave behind. Let's keep in touch!

Spring Break 2011

Our kids have never really experienced a "spring break" trip in the past.  When school was out for a break 99 times out of 100 we would load all of us, and the dog into the mini van and head to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We were very used to that drive and it became a staple for our kids growing up.
Now here in Delhi at the ripe ages of 16, 11 and 10 these kids experienced a spring break that was comparable to my spring break trip to Costa Rica, only I was in college at that time.  We loved Goa!  Goa is a state in India's west-central/south western region and is situated on the Arabian Sea.  It is India's smallest state by area and fourth smallest by population.  Formerly a Portuguese colony from 1510-1961 when it was annexed by India.  Saint Francis Xavier did mission work in this part of India and his body is now in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa, where it was placed in a glass container encased in a silver casket. 
We did some swimming in the sea and in the pool.  We took a sunset cruise, that involved a lot of dancing (not our dancing).  We toured Panaji, the state capital and we saw lots and lots of churches.  Mostly little white churches but some brightly colored ones.  We enjoyed the abundance of fresh sea food and the moist sea air.  We shopped at the Wednesday Anjuna Flea Market.  We hope you enjoy our pictures as much as we enjoyed Goa.

Ciudad de Goa beach area



Zeebop Beach in south Goa

Our view from the table at Zeebop Beach Cantina.




We are often approached to have our picture taken.  To this smiling boy, I had to say "yes" with the clause that he had to be in the picture with me.  Then turn about is fair play and I asked for their picture.  (I hope they don't have a blog and are posting me on it now.)

Walking tour of Panaji, the state capital of Goa.

Streets of Panaji

Home in Panaji.

Still in the streets of Panaji

We saw Catholic churches all of Goa.

Up close churches

Farther away churches.

More churches

And more churches.

Inside churches.  Basilica of Bom Jesus where Saint Francis Xavier is in a glass container encased in a silver casket.

Dance party cruise ship.

Sea Pebble Restaurant is right on the beach with this bar built right into a cave at the back edge of the beach.  We ate here twice because we liked it so much we wanted to go one more time before we left Goa.

The Anjuna Flea Market was interesting.  Like most flea markets, it had a lot of the same stuff with different vendors. 

It is said to be a hippies haven.

We shopped and bargained (some better than others, IE kid one) and bought souvenirs from Goa.  In the end we left exhausted and ready for our flight home.

This little guy was so tired he found a place to rest under the table.  See his little feet, we ended on that note.
Bye Goa, we hope to meet again.