Particulate Matters

A few weeks back, we enjoyed a long weekend in the hills above Dehradun. It was an easy train ride north on Saturday morning and a thirty minute flight back to Delhi Monday afternoon. The place where we stayed was nothing short of delightful. The kids searched for bugs, tromped through the woods, hiked through surrounding villages, and splashed around in a river. Plus, the home cooked Indian fare was delicious and plentiful.

Like a ski house in New England (hardwood floors are a rarity here):

A walk through a meadow:

The hilltop town of Mussoorie in the distance:

Roadside Ravana:

And of course, there were cows:

And some local artwork:

Cooling off in the river:

During that trip and ever since, conversations throughout our community have been centered around two topics: air quality, and who will (and who will not) sign their contract to stay another year.

While Beijing gets more media coverage, the air in Delhi is also pretty bad. The sun that should be shining in the post-monsoon sky is often shrouded in smog. It is hard to know if things are actually getting worse or the information is now more reliable and easier to access. Or both.

The two websites we check regularly obsessively are the Air Quality Index and the one set up by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. While there is a heap of stats on these sites, the ones we watch closely indicate levels of particular matter. These numbers should be below 100, but never are.

So, how do we feel? Well, pretty good overall. The effects on us are more mental than physical. And Asa, our kid who had his first asthma attack at three months old, has not used the nebulizer more than three times since we moved to India (but is recently back on Singulair).

So, what do we do? We have recently had the air in our apartment tested (it's the same as outside) and are investing in a four high-powered air purifiers. There are also conversations about next steps to improve the air in classrooms and offices at school.

In the midst of all of this pollution kerfuffle, contracts for 2014-2015 were placed in our mailboxes. And it was kind of a no-brainer. In what might seem like a contradictory move, we decided to return for year five because we really love living here, working here, and sending our kids to school here. So over breakfast on a recent morning, our kids were told (for the first time this year) "indoor recess today because of bad air - be extra nice to your teachers". And after this we asked "who wants to come back to AES for Grade 2 and Grade 4?" and there was a resounding, affirming cheer. Then they sat at the table with us and co-signed the contracts.

Whenever it happens, this will be a really, really hard place to leave.

In the meantime, we shall focus on where to spend (and spending) our Fresh Air Fund. In the six weeks ahead, we have a trip within India over Thanksgiving followed by a three week winter break in a far away land that has been on our bucket list for a very long time.

Blue skies ahead.