11 weeks...

Today marks 11 weeks in Bangalore! We are getting more adjusted. It is quite a process. But it's happening, day by day.

Conjunctivitis

This morning we are staying home from playgroup because Siena woke up with yellow-green discharge from her eye. We called the doctor and he recommended some eye drops. He believes Siena has conjunctivitis, which is contagious. We have to be careful with Ansel, hopefully it won't spread. It is so sad to see her eye closed with discharge. She keeps rubbing it. The doctor said she should be back to herself in a couple of days. We are thankful.

Culture shock. How convenient is it here? We didn't have to take Siena to a doctor, we just described her symptoms. The doctor recommended a medication and we sent our driver to get it. The total cost for all of this: 7.5 rupees (which is about 17 cents.) Our total time spent: 5 minutes. Crazy times.

The Case of the Missing Diaper

On Saturday we were pretty tired after returning home from a long eventful day. On Sunday morning I restocked the diaper bag and realized one of Siena's cloth diapers and covers wasn't accounted for. It was a total of $15 US worth of cloth diapering supplies. Not much in terms of cost, but they are not available in India.

We got in the car to go to church and didn't see the disposable blue bag containing Siena's cloth diaper and cover. Where could it be? We returned home after the day's activities, still no diaper.

Our driver arrived this morning and I showed him one of the disposable blue bags. I asked him if he had seen a bag like that with Siena's diaper in it. He said, "Yes, took bag, Siena's diaper broken, threw it out." I took one of Siena's cloth diapers and covers out of the diaper bag. I showed him and explained, "These are cloth diapers. They are reusable. We put them in these blue bags, keep them, and wash them to use again." Our driver said, "Ha, Ma'am, don't understand." I took the diaper and cover and put it inside the blue bag. I held it up and said, "Please, next time if you see a bag like this don't throw it out. Keep it, so I can wash the diapers to use again." He said, "Ahh, okay, okay." I asked him where the blue bag with Siena's diaper in it was. He said, "Broken, threw it out."

As we drove out of our driveway, I looked across the street where there is an open field. I pointed out the window, "Arun, I think I see it! Is that the bag with Siena's diaper?" His reply? "Yes." I asked him, "Arun, will you please go get the bag for me?" Arun said, "You want me to get it? Okay, okay. Going." Solved...the case of the missing diaper! I have never been happier to receive a dirty diaper in my entire life! I was so excited that I had to call Travis immediately and share my good news. Funny, finding a lost dirty diaper is what I consider good news in India!

Our Weekend Fun

Travis had a meeting at work on Saturday morning, so the kids and I spent the morning out.

We went shopping for a little Australian boy named Will's 3rd birthday. Ansel wanted to take it all home with us. He had a great time looking at the toys, but eventually picked a plastic cricket set. We shopped at a very nice place called Shopper's Stop, similar to a US mall. I was shocked to see lots of American brands like Calvin Klein. The toy selection was the nicest I've seen in Bangalore. They even had some Fisher Price toys, which made me feel like I was back home.

We had a great time at the birthday party. It was one of the coolest kid parties ever. Ansel had a blast! They had a magician, face painting, and a man making balloon figures. Ansel was a pirate with painted tatoos, eye patch, equipped with a balloon hat & sword.

Afterward we went to Travis' coworker's house for a Mexican fiesta. It was delicious. Mexican food is hard to come by here, so it was definitely a treat.

Sunday we went to church and then to Fava for a relaxing lunch. Delicious hummus and shish kebabs! It was such a nice atmosphere. It felt like we were on vacation. Beautiful flowers and candles on the patio furniture style tables. Our food server took Ansel to get some chocolates at the end of our meal. A dining experience we will not soon forget.

After lunch we went shopping. After going to one store, we realized the kids were tired. Travis took them home and I went to another store. I bought my first salwar pants. The salesman asked, "Madam, you know this is salwar? Still, you want?". Yes, please! They are the most comfortable pair of pants I will probably ever own.

Unfortunately, we didn't experience much of Holi. We did see many people covered in the bright colored powder on the way to church, though.

Sick with the Flu

Monday morning I woke up feeling unwell. I had a headache and nausea. Later that evening I had a low-grade fever and diarrhea. I continued to feel pretty bad until late afternoon on Tuesday. We just stayed home for the rest of the week.

Friday night Travis started feeling sick. This weekend we had plans for Ansel to ride a pony, but we cancelled plans. We stayed home all weekend. Travis rested on Saturday and Sunday. He seems to be feeling better.

Added Bonus: Live Entertainment

Olive Beach: A Delightful Dining Experience

On Sunday afternoon we went to Olive Beach. Two words come to mind: sheer indulgence! We were there for over 2 hours! The waiters kept bringing all sorts of dishes to our table, from lamb to Mediterranean appetizers to cocktails (I had a delicious mocktail!) Ansel had the entire staff wrapped around his finger. They brought him whatever he requested and he was very happy with the arrangement!

An Auto-rickshaw we saw this weekend...

Shopping!

An Afternoon Walk through the Park

After hummus and pitas at Thulp! cafe, we headed to the park. It cost us two rupees to enter. It was peculiar that there were only a few kids playing on the equipment and yet we were scolded for sitting on the swings. We found this humorous. We had a good laugh and went on our merry way.

Finger Painting with Watercolors

Yesterday, Ansel kept asking for something to do, so we tried something new. I painted the kids' hands and let them make hand prints with watercolors. Ansel was thrilled to do something messy. We had a great time playing with the colors and it was neat to see how excited this little activity made him. He thought splattering the paint was pretty fun too! :)

What was even more precious was the look on Travis' face when he came home to Ansel & Siena's artwork, potato leek soup, and biscuits that Ansel and I made in the microwave (not having an oven is definitely an adventure!) I love that man.

Our Weekend

This past weekend we did some shopping, went to church, and had a great lunch at Sunny's. Ansel had a ham sandwich, Travis had a sun-dried tomato chicken sandwich, and I had a cheeseburger and fries (hold the onion, lettuce, and tomato, please!) :)

Sunny's is a great place. We had a great time relaxing in the low key atmosphere. Toward the end of lunch a lady approached us. She was staring at Siena. At last she said she had to come over and say what a cute baby we have. She said, "Your baby is even more beautiful than Angelina Jolie!" We hadn't heard that before.

The lady was from Mumbai and came to Bangalore to watch a cricket match. She gave us a lot of pointers on things to do if we make a trip out to Mumbai.

It was a wonderful weekend. It was great to have some down time and to enjoy the time without feeling sick.