Part 2 Pokhara, Nepal

We spent a couple days in Kathmandu then flew to Pokhara, Nepal where we saw the Annapurna mountain range of the Himalayas in central Nepal. Annapurna mountain is the 10th highest mountain in the world and we were all impressed with our view and experience.  Here is another photo montage of the other half of our Nepal trip.

Kathmandu

That is really, really where we went to.  When we got out of here, we went to Kathmandu, Nepal.  It was a wonderful trip and we enjoyed it with friends.  Here is a picture montage of our Kathmandu portion of the trip.  (Pokhara, Nepal to follow:part 2)

This Time Last Year...

It is something all five of us find ourselves saying often lately.  Coming into the home stretch of our one year mark we are doing the last yearly celebrations for the first time here in India.  Being from the Midwest autumn has always been colorful, sounds are crisp and air is chilled.  While we lived on the west coast for some time and really loved winters there in comparison to the Midwest winters, we always missed the colors and feel of cool air and crunching leaves beneath our step.  We find we are really missing that here too.  Autumn is lovely in the Midwest and family and friends there always make it warm and cozy to remember.  This week in particular we have missed the scarecrow festival, the long four day weekend, the smell of the crab apple tree blossoms from our yard and the excitement of decorating for Halloween.  We have very little for decorations for most of the holidays but I apparently packed nothing for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  Probably because I was using it when the moving truck came to take everything at this time last year.  I must have decided to just store the items.  I really don’t remember those details but we do miss it, the fall in the Midwest.  And we miss you.

Autumn in India or in Delhi anyway is much like late summer in the Midwest.  Warm, sunny, a few scattered showers now and again.  Power goes out more often here than in the Midwest.  It has been happening at least once a day.  Battery operated clocks are the way to go.  Our kitchen stove clock has not been set in months.  I leave it flashing at 12:00 rather than set it so often I would wear out the buttons.  Strange what a change in location can do for a person.  Leaving my clock flash on 12:00 would have made me crazy in the past.  Some of you reading are trying to figure out a way to make it stop as you read this, I can tell, it would drive you crazy too.  But we all choose our battles and stopping the clock is not a battle I choose for today.  With all the rain and puddles from the monsoon season which is thankfully drawing to an end, there are potholes everywhere in the roads.  It is more understandable why a person would choose to own a large Scorpio vehicle, one like a jeep, as an in town vehicle of choice to maneuver the rough roads of Delhi.  Areas are beginning to dry up now that the rain is not so heavy.  Grass is beginning to show signs of little rain and more tree foliage is scattered on the roads and walkways but there has never been the color we see in the Midwest.  Just magically, now you see it now you don’t but in reverse.  Temperatures are still in the low 90s as our highs and lows in the low 70s so the weather really feels like late summer without the humidity.  We haven’t done a full circle around the sun yet but it is getting closer and I really think this is a good time for you all to plan visits for Delhi.  Water is fine, hop on in.

Same Old, Same Old

On the rare occasion when I catch a friend/family member (most recently my cousin) for a phone conversation I have a tendency to say “Same old stuff” in reply to what we are doing as a family or how I am doing with the move to India.  It may seem like a wall I am putting up so I do not have to share details but truly a lot of this is very much the same, just different locations.  As for myself, I am actively involved in the parent/school association at the American Embassy School where the kids all attend classes.  I am a member in some groups offered to expats in the New Delhi area, (American Welcome Association and Delhi Network to name just two such organizations), I bake regularly for our gluten free household and volunteer (less through the church here and more directly with the charity/NGO themselves).  The kids attend school like they always would, study hard and are involved in lots of after school activities.  Much of it is the same old stuff just different locations.

Recently the schools celebrated National Peace Day on September 21.  School assemblies gathered and both of our girls participated in peace presentations.  One though music and the other through dance, both were amazing.  While reading the district updates from our US home local school district I was struck by how same old, same old we really are.  At the middle school where my children would/have attend/ed I read how an art teacher lead a National Peace Day celebration locally in the front of the middle school.  The art students made pinwheels and all were placed in the lawn area in front of the school for a Whirled Peace Day celebration.  It really is a lot of the same stuff, just different locations.  Send an email, we would love to hear from YOU, same or different, what is happening on your side of the world (or whirled)?

Car Troubles

     Unfortunately we are getting a full dose of work and life in India this week/month.  When we moved to India we decided to buy a used car from another family who had one shipped here when they moved to Inida three years ago.  Three years old, used only in Delhi so not many kilometers/miles on the vehicle and a family car seemed to fit our requirements just nice.  The family did warn us that because the car is not from India it can be hard to get parts at times.  A few trips in and out of old Delhi or the back of Khan Market to gather parts may be needed to get a guy who knows a guy who has an uncle who can get you the parts by Thursday of next week's week is rather similar to the way we have to gather parts.     
     We have heard some noise from the car since we bought it.  This particular noise was thought to be some front suspension issue.  We realize mechanical work in India is the same as it is anywhere in the world, they are only guessing the noise is coming from these parts.  We had a large gap of time as we (by we I mean the help we enlisted) gathered the parts.  Parts that were being sought were things like upper and lower arm with bush, tie rod ends for both left and right, steering boot and shock absorbers, all of it as foreign as Hindi to me.
     It took mechanics a full day to take apart and replace the parts that actually fit into our car.  Not all parts were exactly for our actual vehicle but one similar to our car.  Our driver stayed with the mechanics and helped where he could.  He tried to explain to us the work that was done and why the parts that were not used did not work for this particular fix.  In the end we drove the car home with a slightly different noise that evening.  The next morning we heard the noise, the noise had always been worse in the morning, and the ABS light was on plus a slightly different noise added.
     At times I feel like I am caught in a Gilligan’s Island episode.  One where the professor is trying to fashion a coconut to fit as a tie rod or a lower arm bush.  Then in walks members of the Kupakai headhunter tribe and a conversation happens that no one understands.  The Kupakai headhunter tribe leaves the island and the professor is left with a new and different blender to make banana smoothies and all five of us toast the new drink but scratch our heads wondering, "Is this what we needed to do today?”
     So as pointless as the Gilligan’s Island episode, the car repair left us with no success.  We now have the noise and an ABS light telling us we need our brakes changed.  We (by we I mean the help we enlisted) will go back to the guy who knows a guy who has an uncle to get us the parts or parts similar to the ones we may or may not need to fix or repair or find another problem with the car.  Or maybe we will just park the car and sit inside watching old episodes of Gilligan’s Island and drink banana smoothies.