It Was Real

After school ended and just about the entire community flew off for summer break, we enjoyed some quiet time on and around campus and the opportunity to say goodbye to some important people and places around Delhi. During that time, I was taken aback by the overall beauty of the city and once again saw the charming side of its chaos and constant crush of humanity.

Our grocery store in Yashwant Market. Amazing how many products were packed into this tiny shop.

Last stroll around Sarojini Market.....

Raghu's vegetable stall, part of our Sunday routine...

Haroon, the barber:

Mr. Bagga, the tailor:

Suresh, the dhobi:

Scene outside campus gate - cricket in the street and wall around the Vivekanand community:

The beloved banyan tree by the elementary school playground.....

Last breakfast at the Imperial Hotel. We actually had two final breakfasts there....

Coincidence? In the middle school Hall of Peace: India, US, and Argentina flags, all in a row....

Final flips in the swimming pool:

 

"This was a real, truly live place. And I remember that some of it wasn't very nice....but most of it was beautiful."

- Dorothy in the final scene of The Wizard of Oz

On the morning of June 1st, the four of us made the twenty minute journey to the Delhi airport with our one-way tickets to Boston. Even though we had thoroughly celebrated the end of the school year said our many goodbyes, boarding the plane brought upon a buzzing panic that had not been anticipated. A whir of images flew through my mind, in a cartoonish swirl of air circling around a heavy book that was resisting closure. Our India story was complete.

Stepping onto the airplane marked the end of a dream and I kept thinking to myself, first almost questioning my memory and then ultimately as an emphatic and out-load proclamation: "It was real!"

I'll Sure Miss: Cheap, Prescription-free Medication

All stocked up for summer...... and beyond! We've got heaps of ibuprofen, acetaminophen, two inhalers, and a variety of antibiotics. All this for about $55.

After experiencing a constant cycle of ear infections and many bouts of asthma while living in Maine  - along with the challenge of taking late-notice time away from work to take sick kid(s) to the pediatrician, get the prescription, wait at the grocery store pharmacy ("no, I have no shopping to do....just really need this medicine as quickly as possible"), plus all the driving in between points - it has sure been delightfully convenient to procure medication in Delhi. We go straight to the neighborhood chemist and ask for whatever we need and get it - cheap! And if feeling particularly sick, lazy, or it's just too darn hot outside, a phone call results in the delivery of a small, brown paper bag, right to the doorstep, within a short time. With all of its frustrating moments and sometimes incomprehensible orders of operation, convenient access to affordable medication is a big win for India.

Monkey in the Kitchen

There was an unseasonal rain in Delhi this past Sunday afternoon which provided some very welcome relief to the smokey, polluted air. While we got ready for school on Monday, Jonah opened the kitchen window just a bit to let in the fresh air - something we rarely (pretty much never) do. 

As we hovered around the dining table with our breakfast, Liam shot up, pointed to the window and shouted, "MONKEY!!" And there was indeed, a monkey sitting on the ledge outside the kitchen window, peering into our apartment.

In the commotion that ensued -- Jonah sweeping Liam up by the scruff of his neck, the boys and I barricading ourselves in a bedroom, Jonah screeching a bit while closing the kitchen doors -- the monkey disappeared.

So we thought.

When Jonah gave the all clear, we looked out and found the monkey contentedly sitting on our balcony, eating bananas. Wait, those are our bananas! What we failed to notice during our moment of panic was that this guy had actually come inside, hopped over the sink to the basket on top of the microwave, grabbed the four overripe bananas that would have been mashed for a baking project the day before if I'd had all the ingredients in stock, and slipped out in a flash.

So instead of rushing off to school, we sat by the sliding door and watched as our intruder meticulously peeled and ate his breakfast.

As one of the boys noted, "this won't happen in Argentina". It was an exciting start to the last week before winter break. 

Smogvember

It's that time of year again. The overnight air temperature drops, agricultural waste is burns in fields surrounding the megalopolis (and not megapolis as I had wanted to call it) of Delhi, crazy traffic and construction kick up dust and fumes.....and all of these things contribute. to smog. and it settles in. just above the tops of our heads. Must be November.

The US Embassy has recently gotten its air quality monitoring station data on-line so there are now three websites bookmarked on both computer and phone. In order of reliability, they are:

US Embassy

Delhi Pollution Control Committee

Real-time Air Quality Index

This was the view from our balcony today at 7:30am (yep, that's the sun rising in the east):

And looking south from the same spot:

With this level of pollution (350+ of PM2.5), our school had its first "no outside aerobic activity" day of the year. The big window in my office overlooks the artificial turf field, on the far side of which is the elementary school playground. On a typical day, I hardly notice the screaming kids enjoying recess and frequent whistle blows indicating that it's time to go back inside. But when there are no kids running around and no background noise to mark the passing of time - just quiet, chalky air to look at - it is just plain spooky.

Tailor Me This

I am not a shopper nor fashionista. Yet a favorite annual excursion is the trek across Delhi to HP Sigh in Nehru Place. On a recent Saturday morning, four of us ventured out to this three-story shop where there are about a thousand gazillion fabrics on display. As customers, we just have to pull a bolt of fabric off the shelf and ask the assistant how much is needed for the project in mind (usually a meter or two gets the job done).

After an hour or two in the store, we each left with a bag (or two) of material. The next step is to call trusted tailor, Mr. Bagga. This kind gentleman has been creating costumes for school theater productions and getting families outfitted for Halloween for many years.

Since I don't have designer skills or creative vision, I usually opt to have copies made of things I already have. Sometimes they need a tweak (Mr. Bagga tends to oversize), but ultimately the end result hits the mark.

Below are a few samples of what I've had made over the past couple of years (original on the left, copy on the right). As an aside, the distracting shower curtain was not custom made in India; it hails from China, purchased at Target last summer.

Here is one of my favorite dresses (left) that was purchased at a small boutique in a Maine ski town nearly fourteen years ago, and it's copy (right):

Anokhi is a well-know store in Delhi (with locations all over India), that is popular with both local and expat customers. One can buy a native style shirt off the rack for about thirty bucks, or have a copy (or six) made.

A beach dress from Athleta on left, copy on right:

Low-waisted, comfy skirt (also from Athleta) on left, copy is a bit longer for the workplace:

And this reading pillow was picked up at a yard sale in Maine a year or more before we moved to Delhi. Over the years it has gotten much use, shuffling between the kids' bedrooms. The seams were coming apart, stuffing was falling out.....but why just fix the one we have? 

Shouldn't we also have two more made?

A Fresh Start

For reasons not bloggable, it was quite a wonky second semester here in New Delhi. Diplomatic relations between the United States and India were strained following the mid-December arrest of Devyani Khobragade in New York. Our school and its faculty were caught up in the fallout. We were instructed to keep a low profile as we traveled and on-line so blogs were pull down and status updates were intentionally oblique. For about seven months, life as expats in India was unpleasantly unsettled. With the issues related to the school now resolved, it is - finally! - time to breathe life back into Holy Sacred Cow. To accomplish this, here is the rundown on the very necessary "SuperFun Distractions" that helped get us through last spring.

The first, and most momentous, highlight was Jenn's visit from America. After nearly four years of nagging, my sister agreed (perhaps under duress on a wine-y summer night) to check out our life in New Delhi. Jenn accomplished this in five action-packed days during which she: visited the boys' classrooms, chaperoned a third grade field trip, ate piles of home cooked Indian cuisine (including momos, butter chicken, and samosas), sweat it all out at Jazzercise, bargained at Sarojini, took in the sumptuous breakfast at the Imperial Hotel, had a massage, rode a cycle rickshaw through the narrow alleyways in Old Delhi (her "Homeland moment"), and made a day trip to the Taj Mahal. We had. so. much. fun.

The second escape from reality was spring break. We were advised asked to keep our plans within India and while this was disappointing (had to cancel the return trip to Spannocchia that was already booked), we ended up with a great week in Southern India. We started the week trekking through tea estates and spice plantations around Munnar and then splashed out by the sea for a few days.

Next up was the first AES Rickshaw Race in which our team "Delhi Bellies" tied for second place. It was a terrific fun to zoom around Delhi, strategizing our route, researching answers to the Indian trivia questions, negotiating for items we needed, and fulfilling a range of challenges. For example, points were earned for "selling" vegetables at Sarojini Market (to Raghu, whose stall we go to every Sunday):

.....photos with creepiest mannequins:

.....selfie at the Salt March:

.....photo with a snake charmer:

....posing as sick tourists:

....and our amazing Bollywood inspired dance in Nehru Park (catchy tune, isn't it?):

The final getaway was traveling with a group of friends by overnight train (a first for Asa and Liam) to stay at one of our very top India destinations to date. We tromped around the hillside, breathed in cool, fresh mountain air, had some of the absolutely best food ever, and even woke up to find Snickers that the Easter Bunny had hidden around our cabins.

And now, three weeks into the new school year and it has already proven to be the much needed fresh start everyone hoped it would be. With the troubles of last year behind us, looking forward to a great year ahead.