November 28, 2008 – 5:15 pm
Today is the day that we are celebrating Thanksgiving in Mumbai. Before the events of the last two days, our schedule was such that the kids had a half day on Thursday and we were all off on Friday. Obviously many plans for the holiday have been scrapped (such as the full-blown Thanksgiving dinner - [...]
November 27, 2008 – 6:00 pm
We’ve holed up today - among the residents of the apartments, there have been kid play sessions, board game marathons, movie screenings, bread baking-and-tasting exchanges, and swimming in the little pool outside. The news has been depressingly non-ending: over a hundred dead, with twice that number injured and an unknown number still being held.
As I [...]
November 9, 2008 – 10:01 am
We are, indeed, a week or so late - but that’s ok! Because of the week without walls trip and Diwali break, our Halloween celebrations didn’t take place until yesterday, but we sure jumped into them whole heartedly!
We had bought some Indian pumpkins - green, not orange - before our break, and kept them in [...]
October 19, 2008 – 9:41 am
The next two weeks will be quiet ones on the blog front. Alea and Dave will both be gone for Week Without Walls trips, and then the entire family heads out to Udaipur for a week. We spent a lot of Saturday getting our packing and shopping done for the trips, and are looking forward [...]
September 10, 2008 – 1:15 pm
Since this is the time of year when the drums, firecrackers, pyrotechnics, and music all combine to give us a sleep-depriving evening cacophony, it is only fair to acknowledge that the visual feast rivals that of the aural treat.
For many of the 11 days between last Wednesday and next Sunday, worshippers of the Hindu god [...]
August 24, 2008 – 3:02 pm
A tradition that we were introduced to last year is the opening of all returning teachers’ homes in our apartment building. Everyone puts little snacks and drinks out, and all the residents move from home to home as the evening progresses.
More than a social event, however, it gives those who are new to Mumbai (and [...]
Things you never consider before living in a place that has monsoons: after 8 months or so with no precipitation, the rains have a curious – though utterly predictable – effect on the roads here. That first little bit of moisture ‘brings up’ all the accumulated engine oil, axle grease, tire bits, and other assorted [...]
We had a Kiara roof coffeehouse evening last Saturday night called CAF-ASB (pronounced Café – S – B). People shared food and showed off their talents in the arts: poetry recitation, singing, music, painting, etc. It was a beautiful evening accented by flickering candles, providing the perfect setting for such an artsy get together.
One of [...]
Who says Mumbai has no wildlife? In addition to the rats we’ve seen running along the sidewalks (for which there are official city jobs dedicated to killing them) and the raven/crows that eat everything the rats miss, Bombay is home to tons of different kinds of animals. Our experiences this weekend centered around 3 specific [...]
December 21, 2007 – 11:36 pm
Tonight is the “big” Eid – the end of the pilgimage to Mecca. That means huge parties where animals are slaughtered - great fun for the whole family. We’ve seen people leading their goats all around town getting them ready for the feasting that will be going on. As I write this, a band is [...]
November 24, 2007 – 10:55 pm
Pumpkin muffins, apples, corn, peas, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, peppers, corn on the cob, jello, apple crisp, stuffing, casserole, and … tandoori chicken. Welcome to India.
We celebrated on Saturday, since we had a full school day on Thursday and went to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park on Friday for our day off. Mom and [...]
November 2, 2007 – 8:22 am
And here she is, our second pet. Given almost the same name as the original gecko we caught outside, Be-Be ended up in our lives as kind of an afterthought. The kids had been pestering Susan about getting an animal, but she wasn’t budging (although I hope to persuade her about a cat some day).
Stella, [...]
November 1, 2007 – 7:51 am
So here it is, one day after our Diwali shindig, and we had the big Halloween get together. (You can bet the kids are just going nuts at school with all the parties, candy, days off, and break coming up.) We had a trick or treating night at our apartment building, and all staff kids [...]
October 22, 2007 – 7:55 am
Was a blast! We had a great crew of people show up, and we ate, drank, and danced the night away. Breck and some buddies were the ‘no shirt club,’ keeping things under control in the apartment, and Alea and her friends were very excitedly dancing to all the songs. It will absolutely become a [...]
October 19, 2007 – 3:47 pm
Whew. This week went out like a lion. It has been crazy, crazy, crazy around school as everyone in the middle and high school prepares for the “Week Without Walls” that kicks off next Monday. I’ll be traveling with the 6th graders to Matheran for 5 days of team- and class-building activities. They are super [...]
October 17, 2007 – 12:13 pm
I just got a new digital camera for my class, so I took pictures at home this morning to make sure it is working (that IS Breck still in bed). They are too big to be emailed, so you can check them out here.
October 14, 2007 – 9:33 pm
Well the kids are in bed, but the fireworks are just starting to go off all over. It is Eid, the end of a month of fasting for Mulsims, and our neighbors downstairs are gearing up for a big party tonight. I wonder how that will compare with the Oktoberfest party we are planning for [...]
