We can do hard things!

To be brutally honest - last week was hard. Everything is so different and new and I wasn't sure how I was going to cope with it, but I knew that we have to make this work. This weekend was a huge help towards making that a reality.

I wrote my last post from Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi which is the new, up and coming, business district. All the major MNCs have an office there as does Western International University. The campus there is great and the students really seemed to be enjoying their time there. They were playing a big Call of Duty tournament (You don't use a sniper rifle in Carentan! Saboteur! Saboteur! - for all you Office fans). Nathan very reluctantly declined their invitation to join as he was meeting with parents of possible future students. After some successful discussions with them, the campus director Pavan (I'm sure that's not how you spell it) took us to the main street to check out the malls there. The closest approximation that I can make to what it looks like it the Strip in Las Vegas. There are gigantic malls with massive advertisements covering the outside flanked by Tuscan looking apartment blocks that are 20+ stories. The shops were very

The Metro Mall in Gurgaon

recognizable and it was incredibly comforting to know that there were places that I could go that would feel a bit more homelike. I realize that I am here for a cultural experience, but it is also nice to know that you can find a sense of personal normalacy as well. Pavan was very excited to take us to Ruby Tuesdays and while I felt bad that we were going American, it was really great to have steamed vegetables!

Sunday morning we were off to church. It is a fairly large branch that seems to be about 70% Indian and very friendly. The crazy thing is that one of the missionaries there is a boy that went to high school with my brothers! Crazy small world! Then we were invited to the Branch President's home for dinner and it turns out that his wife was born in the town that Nathan grew up in (Camberley) and has several mutual friends. She knows the Richards and Sister Punch and a few other people that I can't remember. Her maiden name is Miranda Gurney and she visited Bracknell ward for a few weeks a couple of years ago. Insane, huh? Such a blessing, I can't even begin to say.

Miranda took us around to show us were some of the local shops are. She showed us the local butcher, bakery and grocery store are. We walked into the grocery store and the first thing I saw was a box of Honey Bunches of Oats. I almost did a cartwheel. Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles! There were tons of food in there that we recognized along side their cheaper Indian counterparts. Sheshowed us a liquid that is used to wash baby bottles that we can use to clean produce so we can eat it too. She also told me to not feel bad about having a rough couple of days and that I would be okay. It was incredibly comforting. I am feeling a million times better today. I really think we can do this!

Go Suns!

I am so bummed that we can't watch the playoffs as they look AMAZING!!! Go Warriors! Go Bulls!

GO SUNS!!!

Strangers in a strange land...

I have a few minutes to sit at a computer with a regular Internet service today so I am taking advantage. Apparently we should have Internet and satellite TV on Tuesday at the house so I won't be stealing someone else's connection when I need to get on. I am also looking forward to the service not just cutting out randomly when I am in the middle of working - oh happy day!

So we have moved into our place formally but it still needs some work. I haven't spent much time there since the cab didn't make it to the hotel to take us to the flat until 3:00 on the day of the move and the next day I spent at Nathan's co-worker's house where I could (at times) pick up a faint Internet signal. Cheri is the Business Development Manager and comes from Northern Idaho. She is a lot of fun and has been to Delhi before so she is a good resource. Today Nathan needed to come into the office in Gurgaon, a suburb or Delhi, so I am hanging out here for a bit and then we are going to a couple of malls around here to do some shopping. Not being a shopper, I am surprised at how excited I am to go. It will be nice to spend some time with Nathan and to be in a somewhat familiar environment.

The other night when we moved in, our downstairs neighbor, Anita (a name I can both pronounce and remember!), gave me the phone number for the local grocer who delivers. She told me to just call him and tell him what I want. This is all fine and good except that I have no idea what they have here. Cheetos? Haagen Dazs? Non-contaminated produce? I just don't know. I wish I still had commissary privileges! As much as I hate to admit it, I think we might be getting a cook. The fact of the matter is that I just don't know how to cook here. Everything is so unfamiliar and there is an unwritten rule that there is one price for locals and another for us pale faces. Beside, I think it might cost us about $30 a month to employ a cook. A price I am willing to pay. Anita also laughed at me when I suggested that if we get a maid in to clean it would probably be one morning a week. She explained that she has her floor swept and mopped twice daily by Lakshmi, her maid servant (and I thought they only use that term in the Bible!). There is just a light film of dust that settles on everything and so she suggested that I have someone come in once a day to clean the floors and bathrooms at least. I guess I probably will. We are going to ask around at church tomorrow for recommendations and if there aren't any Anita said she would help me find someone. I'm becoming a real lady of leisure I guess.

I have a new set of heroes. They are the women who sit sidesaddle on the back of scooters behind the drivers on the motorway in saris. The few, the proud, the Indian commuter.

Nathan and I have had some interesting encounters. It seems that people understand his English better than mine and he has an amazing way of making people believe that he understands them when he is clueless. Let me put it this way, the English ain't great around here. For most people it is their second or third language, if they speak it at all. We have had to use a lot of pointing, acting, and describing around the word (thank you MTC!). Because of this, we are clinging to anyone we find who does speak good English. I read an article in the Hindu Times the other day that said that the country really needs to work to improve its language skills because, despite the theory that Chinese and Hindi were going to become viable languages in the world of business, they just aren't. I am glad, though, that they have kept their languages. It is important to retain a memory of one's roots and culture (hence the resurgence of Celtic languages in the British Isles). We have a ton of channels on our TV because there are so many different languages stemming from different tribes that were forced into becoming the country of India. There is even the taboo of marrying into different tribal families from different parts of the country among the more westernized people. This is dissipating, but it is something that I would never have considered before. They are not a homogeneous people but, like so many countries, were meshed together by colonization. The Raj is a touchy subject here. Nathan has a coworker who he has really come to like who is from the area. He told me his name but I don't remember it off the top of the head (as Nathan said the other night "I would kill for someone to just be named Bob!"). At the end of their first day working together, his coworker told Nathan, "You know that I hate the British, right?" It turns out that his Grandmother was killed by the British and his Grandfather was imprisoned for six years. I think that's a pretty good reason to have a distaste for a certain group of people. Nathan talked about it with him for awhile after which the coworker assured him that he was very forgiving - at least to Nathan.

By the way, we had our first blackout the other day. We were at the Big Bazaar (the wannabe Walmart) when the power was cut. No one reacted. They just kept going about their business as if nothing happened. Crazy stuff.

Well, this is really long and I am sure that I have lost some, if not all, of you. However, to give you a visual of the people of Delhi watch "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and check out the folks in the village. I am not exaggerating when I say that many a Delhi-ite would fit there perfectly. Just sprinkle in a lot of men wearing slacks and button-down shirts and a few women in western wear and there you go. Except they speak better English in the movie. And we have christened our flat Pankot Palace.

It's time for some multimedia...

As promised...




We also have an online photo collection for when we have a lot of pictures to post. You can see photos from London and from Lodhi Gardens in Delhi at http://oneyearinindia.shutterfly.com/action/?a=8IZNm7hyybuVA

Some of the pictures need a little work, but you get the idea. The tombs that you see were built in the late 1300's to early 1400's. They are Islamic and just sit in the middle of this beautiful park. It sits across the street from the hotel that we stayed in and the UN, Unicef, and WWF have their offices on the corner. Anyways, enjoy!

We're a movin' on up... to the east side...

Tomorrow is moving day so today was spent getting things together before we leave the hotel. Apparently, furnished means a different thing here than it does in London. We had to go and purchase all of our kitchen goods today which was an interesting experience. We were taken to the "Big Bazaar" which we thought sounded like a good adventure. What it really is resembles a down market Wal-mart that was crowded and confusing. We left, though, with what we think should be enough to at least give us a good starting point. Besides, if we are only here for a few months we don't need to go crazy. We found that some things were ridiculously cheap while others were hideously expensive. I lived without a microwave for the first third of my life, I suppose I can do it again. Now I know how pioneer women felt :)

Nathan's boss suggested that I join the US Embassy Women's Club and I think that I will do that. I know that she wants me to make contacts for the company, but it would be good to involve myself in something along those lines. I am starting to remember what it felt like as a missionary to be stared at everywhere I go. In order to not be driven crazy by it, I have decided that it is because I am ravishingly beautiful and not because I am a good six inches taller than everyone and paler than a ghost. Whatever helps you get through the day, I guess.

Anyways, tomorrow I get to stop living out of a suitcase and I am thrilled. New Friends Colony, here we come!

Namaste, India!

Well, we are here! India is bright, loud and incredibly friendly and we are so happy to finally be in Delhi. I don't have much battery left and I only realized in England that the converters I bought say that they are not for use with electronics so I will post here to let everyone know we are alive and then hunt down a new converter. The trials of international travel! Anyways, on to the fun stuff...

England was wonderful. The weather was perfect and the company was even better. Little Oscar Bassett made quite the impression on us. He is one of the most content little boys I have ever seen and hardly ever made a peep - of except when he exploded all down the front of me at church just before his blessing. I think Emma got some sick enjoyment out of that! He is such a sweetheart and we loved meeting him. I will put some pictures and video up once I have more battery. Of course, seeing Gabby is always a treat. She manages to make me laugh all the time. One example of this was the other night when we were visiting at her house in the lovely little village of Upper Basildon when she asked me why I say "Butter" instead of "Buttah". I explained that this is the way we say it in America to which she (without a beat) replied "Well, you're in England now". No guile, no malice, just the facts. She cracks me up! The Jones gang is doing great. It was wonderful to spend some, if not enough, time in their home. Sunday morning was the culmination of years of David's effort when Jake came home having lost half of his body weight in hair. He must really want to go on a mission! Despite the fact that he hates it, his hair looks great and it was wonderful to see how gung-ho he is about his decision.

As for what we did, Thursday was spent in London where the weather was perfect. We drove in and took a long walk through Leicester Square, Soho, Covent Garden (I thought of Simon when I saw the flower stands), and down the Strand. It was lovely just to be there. Then we headed over to Victoria where it turns out that "Wicked" is still showing and we got some tickets for that nights show. Then we went to the National Gallery to see the "Manet to Picasso" show. It was wonderful and reminded me how much I love visiting galleries. Then we had dinner at the Texas Embassy Mexican Restaurant. It sounds funny, but it is the sight of our first date so we have made it a tradition to go back there every time. From there it was off to the show, which was fabulous. It was just a lovely day all around.
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The next day we went to see Emma and Ryan's new home. It is in a little village with hedge lined roads (and the occasional MG passing by) just outside of Reading. We went into town where we were introduced to Toby Carvery - a buffet style English Roast. Can we say yum? Roast beef, roasted potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, it was all there and it was all good. Then we walked along the Thames and coveted ridiculously beautiful homes for awhile.

On Saturday we went into Wokingham where we met up with Nathan's wonderful friend, Doug Boyle. It is always good to see him again and I am glad we found the time. Then we went to Beale Park where there are animals, a little train, a swimming pool, and lovely walks. I think Nathan's favorite part was where he and his brother dared themselves to slap a pig as hard as they could. It sounds much more violent than it was, but this is what happens when the Jones boys get together.

Sunday was the blessing in Reading Ward and Ryan did a wonderful job. Unfortunately, we had to leave immediately after the meeting so we didn't get to spend too much more time with them. It really was a great little visit though and we look forward to seeing more of the Joneses in August.

As for India, it is amazing! We walked off the airplane and the first thing I noticed was that the air smelled of incense. It is warm, but not unbearable. In fact, it feels very much like Mesa. The ride from the airport to the hotel was INSANE. It seems that cars, motor rickshaws, motorcycles, bicycles, and cows all share the road. And to paraphrase Doctor Brown from Back to the Future "Lanes? Where we're going we don't need lanes." There are lines drawn on the roads but from what I gather, the Indian government should really just save money on the paint because no one pays any attention to them! Also, the horn seems to be used as much as the gas pedal so it is quite the musical experience. One major stroke of luck though (and an incredibly happy one) is that in going to Nathan's office we discovered that the chapel is literally right next door to it! Out of this huge city with more than 20 million people and as many buildings, it is right there. We are very pleased about that. Nathan's office is very nice and the people were very welcoming. I think he will be very comfortable there. At the end of the day, one of his co-workers took us to look at a flat. It is in New Friends Colony and is on the third floor with a little terrace. The two flats below house the landlord and his son's family and they are wonderful. The flat will work out really well (the pictures they sent did not do it justice at all - whew!) and so we will be moving in this week.

My first impressions are that India reminds me very much of Argentina. There is poverty everywhere and security issues are apparent. However, as I have said, the people have been wonderful to us and so we look forward to our life here. Now, if I can just figure out the food...

Take me out to the ball game

This weekend has been a really fun one. Simon managed to get a ride home so we got to celebrate his birthday with him. Nineteen - wow! They grow up so fast... To celebrate, Dad made his infamous (that means they're not just famous, they're MORE than famous!) eggs with all the fixin's and we had a lovely brunch. Then we took a very leisurely afternoon (the first in a very long time) and when dinner time came around we had Mom's huge hoagie. After that it was off to Chase Stadium to watch the Diamondbacks beat the Rockies in a great game. We agreed that it was a throughouly American evening and a great way to celebrate Simon's big day.

On a related note, today is Jackie Robinson Day. Everytime we go to the ballpark I make sure that I look at his number hanging over the field to pay him respect. I am incredibly grateful to him, not because I am a sports person, but because he helped to open so many doors for everyone. The anniversary of his first Major League game is not just a milestone for baseball, but for all sports and, as a result, for our society. I often wonder who we have missed out throughout the centuries because of racism, sexism, and other forms of injustice. I try to imagine where we would be if everyone had been given the same opportunity to education and creative outlets. Where would we be in the fields of science, medicine, and the arts if everyone could have had a crack at them? It is a tragedy and a blight on the human race. On the other hand, I am grateful that - though things are far from being perfect - things are getting better. Recent events have shown that people are less tolerant of racism even in jest. Of course, we still have a long way to go, but at least we now realize that. Thank you, Jackie Robinson, for showing us that dignity and grace can be found in every size, shape, and color.

You've got to accentuate the positive...

Well, it appears that I may have been to hasty calling this blog One Year in India as I may be off by nine months. Yesterday, Nathan had a meeting with the legal department of the university which informed him that they think they might have found a law that requires any company with a representative in India for more than 90 days to incorporate there. Why they didn't look into this before posting the job description, I don't know. They are not sure that they are willing to do that just yet so we might only be there for three months. It's been a pretty big and nasty shock as we have made all of our plans based on the contract that Nathan signed which says twelve months and we are leaving in FOUR DAYS, but I have stopped cussing so that is good. We are looking for things to be happy about and as I keep telling myself three months in India is still three months in India .

Carry Me back to Old Virginny

I just wanted to wish our good friends, the Laytons, luck today as they are flying out to Virginia to scout it out for a possible move in the future. Change can be wonderful and terrifying all at the same time but I know you will choose wisely and be happy with whichever direction you go. Besides, there are so many great things about the great state of Virginia - hams, Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Tech football, George Mason basketball, the list goes on and on. I know you will be jealous that you won't get entertainment like this but try to look for the bright side! (Thanks Brian!)

Hurts so good...

My moving war wounds...

At least they aren't purple anymore.

Attractive.

Chickety China the Chinese Chicken

An obscure title, I know, but I chose it because it comes from the song "One Week" by the Barenaked Ladies and that's how long we have until we take off! Yowzer! We are scrambling around doing all the last minute stuff that needs to be done before we go. It really hasn't sunk in that we are doing this NEXT WEEK. Of course, we are going to be spending a few lovely days in London with the Jones Clan and we are so looking forward to it. We can't wait to hang out with them and spend some quality time with our niece and nephew...

Who wouldn't?

What a difference a day makes...

Our house on Friday... Our house today...Thank you, Dad and Simon, for being such troopers yesterday!

Luck be a lady tonight!

Last night was my last Bunco night for a year and boy was the tension high! It's amazing how you can actually start to work up a little sweat just from throwing a couple of dice around. Come to think of it, the heat probably came from the fierce competitiveness in the room. Let's just say that I saw several women mad-dogging each other and one even threatened to make me sleep with the fishes if I got one more three. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit. Though I did not come home with the honorable "Highest Score" prize, I did make off like a bandit with my Coldstone gift certificate. That's right, baby, I'm a VIP! I will miss you ladies - think of me on the first Tuesday of every month and know that I will spend the next year practicing my deadly dice throw to exact my revenge!

Oh so loverly...

Bravo to my little brother Simon for his portrayal of Alfred P. Doolittle in the Easter Arizona College production of My Fair Lady. We went and saw it last night and he stole the show! I know that I am somewhat biased, but he was wonderful. We are so proud of you, kiddo!

Also, we finally got our departure date nailed down. We will be flying to London on April 17th and spending a few days with the family (and by family I mean nephew). Then Sunday night we will be flying to Delhi. We leave two weeks from Tuesday. This is real. I'm kind of freaking out.

By the way, I would like to extend my hand in congratulations to Nathan who, despite the minute and a half that it took him to complete his bracket, has clinched the tournament. Well played, sir. Well played.