Only In India

We found this poster hanging in the window of a store in the new shopping mall in Chennai. Not only do you have to smart and savvy but you need to be beautiful as well.

This wouldn't last two minutes in any other country.

Do you think this is appropriate Nokia???

Fish Market

Margaret is cooking up a storm for our dinner tonight. On the menu, Prawns, Chickpea Curry and Lemon Rice. So I took our latest visitor Lisa to the Fish market to get the Prawns, now that is always a bit of a eye opener. Lovely fresh prawns and fish covered in flies. But so cheap. King Prawns for $6 a kilo and they even shell them for you. Mmm we sure are going to have a feast tonight.

Victor and Margaret supervising shelling the prawns.

Where has that 2 years gone?

Well today marks our 2 year Anniversary of living here in Chennai.

And what an amazing 2 years it has been. Full of the highs, lows and the challenges that can only be felt when living in this developing country India.

Would we change any of it? Not on your life. Sure, it hasn't all been rosy, but who ever said life was meant to be easy. We have all learnt that we have the strength to make it through the challenges that life has thrown at us.

Andrew's work is nearly done, although he says there is years of work ahead of them at the plant with constant requests for new work and upgrades.

This video was made by the Wall Street Journal. Andrew was behind the scenes with the camera guys showing them through the plant while they were filming. It is a really good look at the Chennai that we have come to Love and Hate. And a good look at what Andrews 2 years here has been all about.

Wordless Wednesday

Where Have All The Smiles Gone

I used to love getting in the car and seeing the amazing sights that India has to offer.

Now all I see is sadness, filth, congestion, danger, poverty, traffic and utter despair.

Is it India that has changed? Or is it me?

It's time to go.

Time to go back to the country we are so fortunate to have lived in. Time to be on open roads without the constant fear of being in an accident, getting hurt or hurting someone else.

The Mothers on the back of a motorbike with their babies tottering in their arms. What if we hit them? How to live with the consequences?

My lack of control always being the passenger. Where to go? What time? Relying on someone to get anywhere. Please drive slower, be careful.

The people carrying their helmets on the front of their bikes and not on their heads. Don't they understand the risks. Are they too vein to wear it?

Can't people walk on the footpath and not on the roads. No, because there are people living and sleeping on them. Urinating or defecating on them.

The homeless woman living on the footpath, rocking back and forth. Rain or intense heat, day or night she is there. One arm amputated and seemingly so helpless. Makes my heart so sad.

Children begging on the corner. When will their next meal be?

Dodging people, bikes, cows, dogs, autos, buses and trucks. It's a jungle out there.

The police on every corner, pocketing money, lining their own pockets.

The potholes, speed humps are never ending. Today India seems like one BIG pothole. A hole that is endlessly deep in the culture and corruption that keeps this country so repressed. It needs to change. But how?

Maybe the smiles on the faces are still there, but it is me who is not forthcoming to encourage them.

Boredom Fillers

Another day's activity to fill in the BOREDOM.

Making a cake.

But the BEST thing about making a cake is licking the beaters, or as Mac calls them, Cotton buds.

Imagination + Kitchen Utensils = Fun

Sam has been filling in his time today by making a Scooter ramp.

Some shoes, towels, my chopping board, a mat and he was all set.

A few spills, but lots of fun.

Wordless Wednesday

Eliza's First Day At High School

Officially today was Eliza's first day of High School. When she went to school in Chennai, Grade 7 was classed as Middle School. So it must be nice for her to finally get to High School in Grade 8. Grandma did the honors today and drove her to school and took the obligatory first day photo. They picked up Lucy on the way too. Nothing like a bit of moral support from your BFF.

Don't they look lovely all rugged up in their winter uniform. Eliza has really been feeling the cold since she got home and has been wearing layers of clothing to try to keep warm. So today it was tights and socks under her kilt.

I spoke to her after school (3 times actually, which was wearing thin for her) and she sounded happy. 2 periods of Maths today and she still enjoyed her day.

Hopefully tomorrow she will catch the bus home from school, then on Thursday the bus to and from school. I think Grandma is spoiling her girl.

I wish I could have been there to send her off but I am sure there would have been proud Mum tears and that would have been SO EMBARRASSING for her.

Lights, Camera, Action.

Yesterday our street was converted into a movie set. We got home to find the street filled with men and movie equipment. The movies industry in India is huge with Tamil Nadu's film industry called Kollywood. It's not uncommon to drive around and see a movie being shot on the side of the road somewhere. And of course it always draws a crowd. We suddenly became the center of attention, that's not unusual. We had a chat to the Director and he said the movie would be released in a couple of months. He told us they would be back to shoot some more on Monday.

Our little quiet street turned into a movie set.

The green car chasing the auto down the street was the scene they were shooting.

The producer (in the sunglasses) sitting down checking our the shoot on the monitor.

Then as quick as it starts it's over.

They pack up and off they wander down the street.

Fun City

We are into the 4th week of the school holidays and boredom has really set in. But alas, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, in the form of a new indoor game center 'Fun City" at the very nice new Express Mall in Chennai. It is amazing and very clean and the kids LOVED it. Same concept as Time Zone at home, but with a few rides and dodgem cars. Even a clown welcoming you at the front door, which freaked Mac out completely. And yes, the kids earn those tokens to spend at the shop when they have finished, total crap for a huge amount of tokens. It certainly filled in an hour or two and I am sure we will be frequent visitors. When the kids are happy, Mum is happy. To add to my happiness there is even a Gloria Jeans in the Shopping center.

Can life get any better????

(yes, I could be on a tropical island somewhere)

Snakes and Magic

While my friends Anne-Maree and Renee were here in March we had the opportunity to see a snake charmer/magician down at Mahabalipuram. His magic show was intriguing and when he started regurgitating stones I was nearly gagging right along with him. But the highlight of the show was when he produced his little cane basket and out shot his cobra. I think I jumper back a mile and was happy to watch the snake from a safe distance. The snake was constantly hissing at him and he would tell it to Shut-up.

The kids all got to help out with his magic tricks which they all enjoyed. Sam was a bit worried when he started to put his hand up Sam's pants to find his missing egg.

We were not the only audience he had. Along with us came the goats and beggars.

You can see Victor off to the side keeping his eye on things.

Wordless Wednesday

Empty Nest

Four days have now passed since Eliza left Chennai to head home to Australia. The house seems strange...quiet, tidy, empty. Not that she made a lot of noise, but having one less around to argue over the TV does make a difference. I never imagined that our 13 year old daughter would be living 8779 kms away from our family. It's only for 11 weeks and we will be reunited again. All living back together as a family, a new start in our new home.

My heart also feels empty. A month ago I would have said, and probably did, that it would be nice to have a break from our teenager. Be careful what you wish for. It doesn't feel right. We can speak on Skype a couple of times a day, but it's not the same. Prying information out of her over the wonders of the internet doesn't work.

I am so proud of her for having the courage to make this big step in her life. Repatriating is hard, doing it alone without her family around who have been through the same life changes in 2 years is tricky. But I am sure with the love and support of our family at home she will be ok. We are so lucky to have the best parents who have taken on the challenge of being her primary caregivers till we get home. I know I have trained Mum and Dad well. They raised me and we all survived, so Eliza should be a piece of cake.

So, to my beautiful girl, we have given you wings to fly. Soar like an Eagle my love, you have the world at you feet. Don't waste a second of the amazing opportunities that lay ahead of you. Embrace your new school and the friendships, old and new.

We love you

Turn Left HERE!!!!!

Lucy and Eliza managed a ride in an Auto. Getting into an auto certainly gets you up close and personal with India. The smells, sights and the bone crunching ride is something you don't forget in a hurry. Especially interesting is when you take all sorts of detours on the way, like dropping something off to the auto drivers boss, getting fuel and then having to direct the driver who has no idea where to go to take you home and doesn't speak great English. It's all good fun.

Sam Hits Double Figures

No, that title doesn't have anything to do with cricket, but Sam did celebrate his 10th Birthday this week. He had a great day with lots of sporty presents and a trip to the movies. He was so happy to have Grandma, Gramps and Lucy here to celebrate with him. He had been planning the day for weeks, what he wanted to do, from breakfast right through to dinner. You know when you are 10 those birthdays seemed to take forever to come around? So you have to make them special.

Happy Birthday Sam.

Dressed Up Indian Style

This is the finished product. The girls got all dressed up in the Sari's and we hit the town for lunch. They looked so beautiful and received many admiring looks and comments. I am sure they felt very grown up and elegant and I still can't believe they travelled home on the plane wearing their Sari's.

An Indian Experience For The Girls

To get that truly India look while wearing their Saris I took the girls for a treat to the salon to have some Mehndi done. This is a temporary Henna tattoo which is done in India for occasions like weddings and special ceremonies. They also had their eyebrows Threaded, which is a hair removal technique also used in India using a piece of cotton thread twisted and then pulled tight to remove the hair. It is a great technique and hurts a lot less then waxing.

Nothing like a true Indian experience. It's ok though there were no nose piercings or anything permanent.

Shopping Shopping Shopping

Shopping wasn't the only thing we did with Lucy, we did show her some culture. But she did take home lots of treasures. This is a couple of pics from our shopping trip to Spencer Plaza.

Pashmina Store, too many to choose from.

Getting the giggles while Grandma and I shopped in the Silver shop.

Holding the ceiling up in the shoe shop. Yes it was very low......

Sari Shopping Part 2

We had got to the store reasonably early and it was pretty quiet. By the time we left it was swarming with people. Lucky for us we had Mustafa guiding us along and making sure no one got lost in the crowd. You can see him in the back ground keeping his eye on Lucy. Once we got up to the 5 floor of the store to buy the bangles, hair clips and bindis it was so squishy we couldn't wait to get out of there.

Lucy was soon to learn the intricacies of shopping in India. One person to ring up your items, another to take your money and another to pack it into at least 2-3 bags one inside the other. And that's not all, even our own shopping assistant that took us all over the store showing us what to purchase and to carry our bags. We didn't get to leave the store without a photo being taken, foreigners shopping, looks good for the management.

Sari Shopping With Lucy

One of our first things to do with Lucy here was to get her a Sari. So we headed off to T Nagar, the main shopping area in Chennai when you need a Sari. How to choose from the thousands of beautiful lengths of material is the big problem. You can pay anywhere from $4 to $400. Perhaps even more for a very fancy wedding Sari. Lucy finally spotted the ONE and once she was draped in it we all agreed it looked gorgeous on her.

We had fun buying her a petticoat to wear underneath and then going to the tailor to be measured up for her blouse to match. Next was some Bindis and Bangles, when in India you can't go past the bangle shops without getting a little carried away.

Looking from the back of the shop down one of the many aisles.

Getting wrapped into the first Sari.

Gorgeous

But this is the ONE.