Happy Birthday Gandhi

In India, holidays fall on a particular date, no matter on which day of the week they may fall. This means that three day weekends are left to chance and the random weekday off is more common. October 2nd is Gandhi's birthday and so this year, we got Wednesday off and a work week with two Mondays and two Fridays. 

We began the day watching some of Gandhi (can you believe this movie was released in 1982?!)...

...and then set out for a walk to the Salt March Monument about a mile from campus. It was a really beautiful day in Delhi.

Life imitates art:

The guard who took our group photo (he first doubled back to grab his rifle from the station - not sure if he didn't trust us or his coworkers) strolling back to resume duty:

Heading home, the flower shop in Malcha Marg just a couple of blocks from campus: 

After the morning outing, I decided to interview our kids. Here is what they had to say about life in Delhi, school, travels, and Gandhi. 

Interview with Liam

1.     How old are you? Six.

2.     What grade are you in? First.

3.     What is your favorite part of the school day? Lunch.

4.     What do you like to do after school? Go to people’s houses to play.

5.     What do you eat for breakfast? Waffles with syrup.

6.     What do you watch on TV? Oggy. Tom and Jerry. Masterchef Australia. Man vs. Wild.

7.     What do you eat for lunch at school? Whatever they have. Pizza. Cranberry juice.

8.     What do you eat for dinner? Whatever is for dinner.

9.     What is your favorite Indian food? Jalebi.

10. What is your favorite place in Delhi? Gandhi Smriti.

11. What is your favorite place in India? Gandhi Smriti.

12. What is your favorite place outside India? America. Mattapoisett. Thailand.

13. What can you tell me about Gandhi? He made India free. He solved problems with peace.

14. Name a place you would like to visit: Perth, Australia.

15. What do you miss most about the United States? Diamond (the golden retriever who lives across the street from us in the summer).

16. What is it like to live here? It’s really fun. I get to go to my mom’s office after school because it’s close.

Interview with Asa

1.     How old are you? Eight.

2.     What grade are you in? Third.

3.     What is your favorite part of the school day? Recess.

4.     What do you like to do after school? Play baseball with friends.

5.     What do you eat for breakfast? Cheerios with sugar.

6.     What do you watch on TV? I don’t really watch TV. (Really?) Masterchef Australia.

7.     What do you eat for lunch at school? Pizza.

8.     What do you eat for dinner? Anything.

9.     What is your favorite Indian food? Chipati.

10. What is your favorite place in Delhi?  AES.

11. What is your favorite place in India? Mud Fort (nickname of the heritage hotel where we spent a night last weekend).

12. What is your favorite place outside India? Thailand.

13. What can you tell me about Gandhi? He is famous. He made up the salt march to save India and get it free. He said “don’t use violence”.

14. Name a place you would like to visit: Lotus Temple (in Delhi). South America.

15. What do you miss most about the United States? Hot dogs. Fenway Park.

16. What is it like to live here? Part of India is clean, part is dirty. It’s fun because you get to go to friends’ houses every day.

I had imagined that their answers would be interesting to read -- but are they? I'm not so sure. 

So close out the mid-week holiday fun, here is a narrated tour of Lego Fenway which the boys constructed over the past couple days with the help of some friends:

And late this afternoon, Liam perfected his front flip after several weeks of practice:

Thank you for a great day, Gandhi.