Friday, February 10, 2012

Neighborhood Family Fun Day

Family Fun Day in our neighborhood. The houses in the neighborhood were divided into four teams and there were individual and team sporting events, to earn points for your team. Our team won!! This day seemed more popular with the Indians in our neighborhood and not so much the expats, but we took part and had fun.
MK came in second place in the kangaroo hop. She was pretty proud!
Sarah was on a relay team that took first place.
Tug of war
Ox ride with flat stanley

Jonathan and his dodge ball team. 

MK and her friend, Piper.
Kangaroo hop
The Leela Palace in Bangalore. A very nice hotel and one of our favorite places to eat. They have beef burgers.

Jonathan was very proud of his medal!


Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Out and About in Bangalore

We see this everyday.

Motorbike parking



Lots of construction here, with bamboo scaffolding







McDonalds!! No beef burgers, but the fries are good.


Nandi Hills

Sarah swam in her first Indian swim meet (and we thought the Shady Hollow swim meets were long, the Indians know how to really make a swim meet last a long time!)


Waiting....Sarah got a 2nd and a 3rd place. She was thrilled


The stove after the fire!


Nandi Hills

Nandi Hills -- Monkeys everywhere


Looking down!

MK lost two teeth!

See the monkey family up in the tree

Crazy Week

It was so so good to be back in the beautiful USA for 3 weeks for Christmas. Our first week back in India was a little rough, just getting used to India again. We're settled in again and doing OK.

Last week was a bit crazy though. The British headmaster of the kids' school was arrested and then fired. This made national news in India and the press has gone crazy with the story.  Long, long story that I probably shouldn't write about in this forum. 

My kids are fine and were not harmed. Although, it is hard for them to grasp that someone they looked up to and admired has allegedly done some bad things.

My kids have continued to go to school along with all the other kids at their school . However, we have started looking at other international schools. I hate for them to have to adjust to yet another school, but not sure their current school is a good place right now. As if this place isn't hard enough to deal with.

Also last week, our stove was apparently having some sort of gas leak and exploded and caught on fire, while I was trying to cook. So, my eye brows, eye lashes, and some of my hair is now missing! I was ready to pack my bags and come back home. I was thinking that must have been some sort of sign. I've calmed down again. I guess this is just life in India!

On a lighter note, we went to a state park type of place about an hour outside of Bangalore called Nondi Hills, where the monkeys run free! It was crazy, monkeys everywhere. I'll post some pics.

So overall we really are doing OK. I know people get arrested and stoves blow up in the USA too, just seems more of that crazy kind of stuff happens here and to me!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Vacation Villa in the Jungle in Kerala (Kumarakom Lake Resort)

We saw this elephant from the car while we were driving to the resort. It was pretty amazing. The kids loved. Our driver told us that he is used to pull lumber.


Our vacation villa


Sarah's henna tatoo. It wears off in 1-2 weeks.

MK's henna. I got one too, but only on one arm!  



MK posing in front of the rice paddy.



Our new friends that we went on the house boat with. Their dads all work for Timken in India.

Our houseboat is right behind the girls
The pool outside the villa. The view of the lake was really nice.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Fishing Village Next to the Beach Resort (The Leela Kovalam Resort)





The Beach in Kerala

Jonathan at the beach. He loved it!




We watched the sunset every night.


Our hotel was on a cliff. We had great views of the ocean.


Jonathan right outside our room.