Wednesday in Delhi - According to Sandwich
Delhi--Wednesday
A laid back day. I woke up at 6:30 and hustled downstairs to FaceTime with the kids before bed.
They have been having all sorts of adventures while I'm gone. A trip to the emergency room, a lost retainer, the cat caught a snake and they forgot to pick ********
up from school. Hopefully the rest of the week will be uneventful.
I had a headache today (what is it with me and Wednesdays in India? I didn't feel good on the last trip) so, since Leslie was going by non-adventurous car just to the doctor and the embassy, I begged off and hung out here.
Naveen was very good for the day's errands, he just ate a whole container of biscuits. They were at the doctor by 10:30 and got right in. Reading the TB test took just two minutes, but waiting for the photocopies to take to the embassy took an hour and a half.
When she came out she couldn't see the driver. Monday's driver was standing outside the medcentre watching for us and he took very good care of us the whole time. Today's guy just vanished. So she got to the steps. No driver. She got a little panicked and eventually managed to round up 4 guys on motorbikes driving up and down the street looking for him (she was able to put her hand way above her head to show he was tall and made a circle around her head to show he he wore a hat (he was Sikh). Seriously I'm cracking up listening to her describe it so I can write it down for you.). Then the 4 bikers berated the poor driver for not leaving her a phone number.
Next they raced off to the embassy before they closed, supposedly at 1:00. She got there at 12:20. Phew! Only, naturally they've changed the times and now they don't take anyone after 12:30. Not so phew.
The embassy went smoothly. It's very streamlined and efficient (u.s. govt? Gasp!) and the easiest of the three times she's done this.
Off course, once out, she had to play dumb American lady and flag down someone with a mobile (that's a cell phone) to call the driver, whose number she now has. She can't understand him, so the mobile owner has to call him back and talk to him.
When she got back, she gave him 1000 Rs. note, but he didn't have change. Naveen was exhausted and starving by this point, so she just told him to keep it. (650 was the charge). Later when Mrs. S talked to him, he told her that (at least he's honest) and she is going to get Leslie's change from him.
Naveen is just so cute and he's really opening up. He ate so well today, even eating rice with "stuff" in it. He's letting me play with him and talk to him. He says bah-nah-nah, No!, mommy, Aunty. Last night Leslie was teaching him to say I love you and he said it. I videoed that!
He's also testing limits and does stuff and laughs. He hits a little bit. Today he started screeching, just for fun. He tries to take the telephone off the hook. He's pretty typical 2-year old, nothing I haven't seen before. He tried to unplug the mosquito thing today and when Leslie slapped his hand (not hard!), he laughed out loud. So much for corporal punishment.
This afternoon he started, for the first time, going more than three feet away from Leslie. He and I played ball while she was posting on FB. I would "hide" it behind the couch pillow or under the table (while he watched) and then he would "find" it, cracking up the whole time. He has absolutely the best little laugh! Then he took it and "hid" it for me! He is so, so smart!
While they were having adventures, I posted to the blog and took a nap. Here's a nap in India:
Fall asleep. Answer knock on door. Let housekeeping in to sweep bath (the bed-maker has already been here, but now the sweeper is here. They are two different people). Lie back down. Doze off. Answer door. The boy is here to change the duvet covers (apparently also different from the sweeper and bed-maker people). Since I knew the fan-fixer was also coming, I decided to accept defeat and went downstairs. (our fan has developed a terrible screech -- kind of like Naveen -- and needs to be taken down and oiled.)
Leslie and Naveen returned soon after and our lunch was brought in. Mrs. S had had her cook make us rice and dal, spiced and plain rotis, baby eggplants in a sweet and sour sauce, stir-fried veggies and some corn-stuffed potatoes. With rice pudding for dessert.
I need to take up running.
While we were eating, she brought in a new guest to meet us, a nice lady from Hong Kong, here to set up her British husband's household while he works on a metro project here. They've been in Bangalore the past two years. I think I already mentioned the other guests, the army major, the Sri Lankan, and the Bangladeshi couple (did I mention that we ran into her while shopping in Chandni Chowk yesterday? Of all things!). Everyone is so nice and it's so much fun to talk to them all and hear their stories!
Mrs. S's daughter also stopped by to convince Mrs. S to adopt a golden retriever rescue. The daughter has been working on Mrs. S for two days now. She really doesn't want the dog but her daughter is very persistent. We'll see who wins out!
By 4:30 we had to leave for the metro to go to Amanda's for dinner. She's the one for whom I brought half a suitcase of stuff. (now I have room for shopping!). I loaded up my backpack and a shopping bag and we headed out.
This was the first time we had to change trains. All our traveling has been on the yellow line thus far. It is so easy! Everything is very well marked.
Once we arrived at our stop we had to catch an auto to take us to their apartment, which was also fairly easy. He had to stop and ask for I reactions about 9 times.
Amanda is very sweet as well and a very gracious hostess. We arrived at 5:30 and ate about 6. She had made chicken-fried rice and some saucy chicken and we had a salad. She has a boy and a girl, 5 (tomorrow) and 7. It was interesting hearing about their transition to India and the work they do. Her husbands job has quite good benefits, so they feel blessed to live in a very nice place.
She had made a cake and bought ice cream, so we sang happy birthday to her son.
Naveen initially cried when he saw her 6'5" white husband, but Zak had to go somewhere and when he retuned later, Naveen was fine with him. They had Legos, which Naveen loves, so he played with those quite a bit. He also warmed up some to the kids, sharing his chips with them. He also let me teach him to ride the little boy's scooter (in the house).
About 8:30 Naveen was getting tired, so Zak and his daughter walked us down the street where I flagged down an auto and negotiated the right price back to the metro station.
On the ride back we talked with the nicest couple. When they found out where we were going and that they were going a few stops past that, they insisted we come with them and they'd help us change trains. We could have done it alone, but we played along.
The wife kept saying what a nice thing we were doing, but she also rightly pointed out that it was good for everyone. Baby gets a family, mother gets a child to love her, she said. That's a switch from the usual comments where everyone only sees how lucky (in their eyes) the child is to go to America. I don't think most people even acknowledge that he gets a FAMILY (Hello!), they just see his free ride to America, the land where dreams are made.
So then she took it upon herself to be our official train ambassador, telling everyone around her (in a loud voice) that we were adopting and he was from Pune and was going to America and blah, blah, blah. It was actually kind of comical, like something in the movies. But we didn't get any negative feedback and we just sat with our eyes to the floor thanking God she was celebrating us and not berating us!!!
We finally escaped the adoption train at our stop and walked back the block and a alf to our villa. Nighty night!!
Oh, BTW, if you're not interested in today's pooping adventure (soon he has to run out of new and interesting ways of doing this), stop reading now.
This morning he pooped in his diaper. When Leslie took it off and was throwing it away he went into the bedroom and squatted on the rug. While she was exclaiming over and cleaning THAT up, he went into the bathroom and squatted on the floor in there. I was, sadly, not present for this performance. :D
A laid back day. I woke up at 6:30 and hustled downstairs to FaceTime with the kids before bed.
They have been having all sorts of adventures while I'm gone. A trip to the emergency room, a lost retainer, the cat caught a snake and they forgot to pick ********
up from school. Hopefully the rest of the week will be uneventful.
I had a headache today (what is it with me and Wednesdays in India? I didn't feel good on the last trip) so, since Leslie was going by non-adventurous car just to the doctor and the embassy, I begged off and hung out here.
Naveen was very good for the day's errands, he just ate a whole container of biscuits. They were at the doctor by 10:30 and got right in. Reading the TB test took just two minutes, but waiting for the photocopies to take to the embassy took an hour and a half.
When she came out she couldn't see the driver. Monday's driver was standing outside the medcentre watching for us and he took very good care of us the whole time. Today's guy just vanished. So she got to the steps. No driver. She got a little panicked and eventually managed to round up 4 guys on motorbikes driving up and down the street looking for him (she was able to put her hand way above her head to show he was tall and made a circle around her head to show he he wore a hat (he was Sikh). Seriously I'm cracking up listening to her describe it so I can write it down for you.). Then the 4 bikers berated the poor driver for not leaving her a phone number.
Next they raced off to the embassy before they closed, supposedly at 1:00. She got there at 12:20. Phew! Only, naturally they've changed the times and now they don't take anyone after 12:30. Not so phew.
The embassy went smoothly. It's very streamlined and efficient (u.s. govt? Gasp!) and the easiest of the three times she's done this.
Off course, once out, she had to play dumb American lady and flag down someone with a mobile (that's a cell phone) to call the driver, whose number she now has. She can't understand him, so the mobile owner has to call him back and talk to him.
When she got back, she gave him 1000 Rs. note, but he didn't have change. Naveen was exhausted and starving by this point, so she just told him to keep it. (650 was the charge). Later when Mrs. S talked to him, he told her that (at least he's honest) and she is going to get Leslie's change from him.
Naveen is just so cute and he's really opening up. He ate so well today, even eating rice with "stuff" in it. He's letting me play with him and talk to him. He says bah-nah-nah, No!, mommy, Aunty. Last night Leslie was teaching him to say I love you and he said it. I videoed that!
He's also testing limits and does stuff and laughs. He hits a little bit. Today he started screeching, just for fun. He tries to take the telephone off the hook. He's pretty typical 2-year old, nothing I haven't seen before. He tried to unplug the mosquito thing today and when Leslie slapped his hand (not hard!), he laughed out loud. So much for corporal punishment.
This afternoon he started, for the first time, going more than three feet away from Leslie. He and I played ball while she was posting on FB. I would "hide" it behind the couch pillow or under the table (while he watched) and then he would "find" it, cracking up the whole time. He has absolutely the best little laugh! Then he took it and "hid" it for me! He is so, so smart!
While they were having adventures, I posted to the blog and took a nap. Here's a nap in India:
Fall asleep. Answer knock on door. Let housekeeping in to sweep bath (the bed-maker has already been here, but now the sweeper is here. They are two different people). Lie back down. Doze off. Answer door. The boy is here to change the duvet covers (apparently also different from the sweeper and bed-maker people). Since I knew the fan-fixer was also coming, I decided to accept defeat and went downstairs. (our fan has developed a terrible screech -- kind of like Naveen -- and needs to be taken down and oiled.)
Leslie and Naveen returned soon after and our lunch was brought in. Mrs. S had had her cook make us rice and dal, spiced and plain rotis, baby eggplants in a sweet and sour sauce, stir-fried veggies and some corn-stuffed potatoes. With rice pudding for dessert.
I need to take up running.
While we were eating, she brought in a new guest to meet us, a nice lady from Hong Kong, here to set up her British husband's household while he works on a metro project here. They've been in Bangalore the past two years. I think I already mentioned the other guests, the army major, the Sri Lankan, and the Bangladeshi couple (did I mention that we ran into her while shopping in Chandni Chowk yesterday? Of all things!). Everyone is so nice and it's so much fun to talk to them all and hear their stories!
Mrs. S's daughter also stopped by to convince Mrs. S to adopt a golden retriever rescue. The daughter has been working on Mrs. S for two days now. She really doesn't want the dog but her daughter is very persistent. We'll see who wins out!
By 4:30 we had to leave for the metro to go to Amanda's for dinner. She's the one for whom I brought half a suitcase of stuff. (now I have room for shopping!). I loaded up my backpack and a shopping bag and we headed out.
This was the first time we had to change trains. All our traveling has been on the yellow line thus far. It is so easy! Everything is very well marked.
Once we arrived at our stop we had to catch an auto to take us to their apartment, which was also fairly easy. He had to stop and ask for I reactions about 9 times.
Amanda is very sweet as well and a very gracious hostess. We arrived at 5:30 and ate about 6. She had made chicken-fried rice and some saucy chicken and we had a salad. She has a boy and a girl, 5 (tomorrow) and 7. It was interesting hearing about their transition to India and the work they do. Her husbands job has quite good benefits, so they feel blessed to live in a very nice place.
She had made a cake and bought ice cream, so we sang happy birthday to her son.
Naveen initially cried when he saw her 6'5" white husband, but Zak had to go somewhere and when he retuned later, Naveen was fine with him. They had Legos, which Naveen loves, so he played with those quite a bit. He also warmed up some to the kids, sharing his chips with them. He also let me teach him to ride the little boy's scooter (in the house).
About 8:30 Naveen was getting tired, so Zak and his daughter walked us down the street where I flagged down an auto and negotiated the right price back to the metro station.
On the ride back we talked with the nicest couple. When they found out where we were going and that they were going a few stops past that, they insisted we come with them and they'd help us change trains. We could have done it alone, but we played along.
The wife kept saying what a nice thing we were doing, but she also rightly pointed out that it was good for everyone. Baby gets a family, mother gets a child to love her, she said. That's a switch from the usual comments where everyone only sees how lucky (in their eyes) the child is to go to America. I don't think most people even acknowledge that he gets a FAMILY (Hello!), they just see his free ride to America, the land where dreams are made.
So then she took it upon herself to be our official train ambassador, telling everyone around her (in a loud voice) that we were adopting and he was from Pune and was going to America and blah, blah, blah. It was actually kind of comical, like something in the movies. But we didn't get any negative feedback and we just sat with our eyes to the floor thanking God she was celebrating us and not berating us!!!
We finally escaped the adoption train at our stop and walked back the block and a alf to our villa. Nighty night!!
Oh, BTW, if you're not interested in today's pooping adventure (soon he has to run out of new and interesting ways of doing this), stop reading now.
This morning he pooped in his diaper. When Leslie took it off and was throwing it away he went into the bedroom and squatted on the rug. While she was exclaiming over and cleaning THAT up, he went into the bathroom and squatted on the floor in there. I was, sadly, not present for this performance. :D
Comments
Nancy
(also on the MW iChild chat room)