First Sleep, Then Play!

Day 9

We Came all this Way... to eat Pizza Hut

Day 8

Our kids are such good travelers.  Give them one twin bed, and they're happy.

Today the kids met up with Ishaar to play some badminton, table tennis and foosball at the NCBS Sports Centre, while I was upstairs at the gym.  Gagan had some things to do at the lab.  Later, we all went swimming.  Then we met up with Aisha for lunch.  We hung out for a bit after and it was lovely to have her company.  After fancy coffees, she had to go, but with a plan in the works for me to attend an art opening with her later in the month. 

In the afternoon, we went to the village to do a bit of shopping.  It was nice to see Shri Hanuman Fancy Store exactly as it was – 2 floors chock full of everything under the sun.  We used to shop there for birthday parties and various shopping needs.  Today, I needed a bathing cap (swimming rule) and the kids used some of their money to get something for themselves (S bought a Hot Wheels car and R & M got a deck of UNO Cards; Rs.100 each [less than $2]).  The guy there remembered Gagan and told him he’s gotten fat!  It’s a compliment, I think… 

We also picked up a few groceries from Namdhari’s and Smart and some snacks to take with us on our trip to Hampi on Monday. 

We buckled and went to Pizza Hut for dinner.  Kids needed a change from the South Indian fare we’ve been having 3x per day, and it wasn’t too large a splurge.  And I'll admit, it was good.  

Finally, we went to Kanti Sweets to get some of our favourite sweets (besan laddoo, malai peda, jalebi, and coconut burfi) to take home with us.  And rasgulla, because rasmalai was finished L. 

We took an auto home, just in time to watch kids’ all time favourite movie, Mr. Bean.  It was so brutal, I had to leave the room!

PS Some of the new additions to Sahakaranagar:  SNAP Fitness 24/7 Gym, Gold's Gym, Cafe Coffee Day, Sweet Chariot Cafe, and Lush Cosmetics.

Things I Don't Miss: Traffic!

Day 7

The morning was special, because I finally got to talk to you, Mom!  Our internet is fixed, or fixed enough to support (sort of) a Skype call.  How wonderful to talk to you! 

We picked up the laundry we sent out with the dhobi-wallah, and discovered he is charging us the foreign rates!  He wanted more than Rs.300 for 22 pieces!  I know everything has gone up in price, but this is crazy!

We played at the playground for a bit, and debated if it was always set up that way, or if it had changed since we had left.

After lunch, it was another visit to the big city, but this time with a taxi!  I thought it might be a little easier on us as a family to travel this way, rather than auto rickshaw.  The traffic was horrendous, both ways, much worse than I remember.  We went to Hum, on Church St., an old favourite of ours for clothes.  Unfortunately, their prices have skyrocketed, selection was not so good, and they no longer carry kids clothing.  So, off we went to the Mota Arcade Mall, at the end of Brigade Rd.  We tried to get some sweet lime soda on the way from Nilgiri’s upstairs restaurant, but it has changed to some upscale café, and at Rs.150 for a coffee, we more or less walked in and walked out (well, as soon as I visited the ladies room).  Mota Arcade Mall was still the same as it was 5 years ago, still 3 floors of export surplus, and still good bargoons to be found.  I got some Adidas hiking shoes for 60% off MRP – about Rs.1300 or $24!  [In my insistence that we pack light (btw, we packed a family of 5 in two suitcases!), I limited our footware, and now I need something a bit more robust for the Hampi ruins.]   Everyone got something and I may need to go back again before we go home!

Kids were hungry and tired, so we got them some Subway to eat on the way home.  Gagan didn’t want to spend the Rs.120 on us, so we needed to wait until we got to closer to home to eat.  We stopped at a chaat place for some ridiculously hot aloo paratha and chole thali.

I promised the kids they could watch a movie on TV tonight, and that I would get some popcorn for them to go with their candies from Canada.  I couldn’t get the stuff I wanted, so I got some Lay’s chips instead.  So, I’m going to get back to “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas” and write again tomorrow.  Good night!

What to Do When the Monsoon Comes?

Day 6

Today I needed to get some laundry done.  I used the Guest House washing machine, which took me a good 10 minutes to figure it out (select “dirty”, “very dirty” or “stained”; how much soap is “2 cups”????; water level “2, 2 ¼, 3, 3 ¼”???).  It also conked out on me.  Twice.  Good thing I gave the non-underwear and socks items to the dhobi-wallah (washing man).

Later, it began to rain, a thorough monsoon soaking.  We didn’t get caught up in this one, and we came prepared.  We played some crazy eights beside the canteen while we watched the heavens open.  And I finished my Soduko that I started when I first arrived!  Well, it was rated “hard” by the newspaper!

M has been going to the crèche to help out with the little ones, and to relearn some Kannada.  She is really insistent to remember some.  She can be heard saying “I hope I get my accent back!”  The ladies are very welcoming and kind to her.  She can now say about 10 words/expressions.  It’s great to see her so interested and motivated.

Gagan had some things to do, so I took the kids for a late swim, but it was too cool for me to get in.  R and M are quite competent on their own, doing their laps and racing each other.  I watched S in the little pool, and read a bit on the deck.  After that, I went to the gym for some me-time.

We stayed up late watching Jackie Chan in “The Tuxedo.”  Couldn’t have asked for a better end to the day.

NCBS Update

Day 5

Here are some panoramic pics of the new campus.
The first shot shows the additional Administration Block on the left of the original building.  The path has been moved so it was re-planted with grass.

The next two shots are of the Southern Labs building.  It is a huge glass building with one large open concept  lab for all the labs combined.  A very unconventional modern model.

Here is the new NCBS pool - isn't it beautiful?
We all, especially the kids, enjoy this everyday.

And here is the new dining hall (aka "Canteen").  It's now 2 levels and boasts a beautiful view of the pond.

 

And here is the good old playground, and behind you can see a bit of the faculty housing, the building we used to live.

There is Always Time for Football!

Day 4

Today we began the day a little differently, as Gagan and I went to the fitness gym before breakfast.  The NCBS gym has 4 treadmills, an elliptical trainer, a rowing machine, and a cycle.  There is also ample space for free and universal weights.  Downstairs is a sports centre with a proper squash court, badminton, darts, fussball, and table tennis.  Amazing how many new things are available now!

Later, Gagan had some meetings with some of the lab, and I took the kids to the lounge to play some Connect 4 and watch a bit of a movie.  We also went on a tour of the new creche, and it has now expanded to 3 buildings. I met with Yelamma and Parvithi, the same ladies that used to work at the creche when were were here.  I also came to learn the Basamma died suddenly about one year after we left.  We also talked about Manju and they told me her daughter, Girija, is finished school and will be getting married soon.  They said they would try to get her number for me.  Aisha and Ishaar met us around 4pm, and we all went for some snacks at original spot I used to go to to meet Gagan for tea when I was pregnant, or with newborn M in the sling.  Not long after, we were invited to attend the Marie Curie Exhibition opening, so Aisha and I went while the kids played soccer (football!) outside of the creche with a bunch of kids.  They had a great game, and none of the other kids wanted to leave when their parents arrived to take them home.  Our kids were so sweaty and hot that Gagan went home quickly to get swimsuits to let them cool off in the pool.  By then, we were into another downpour of rain, so I passed on the swim and watched from a drier viewpoint.

We had our dinner at the canteen, and everyone was tired from a full day.  S fell asleep in my arms right after dinner, and went straight in to bed when we walked home.

A Trip to the City

Day 3

Monday morning had us having a typical South Indian breakfast of dosa, idli and sambar  at the canteen.  While R and M happily enjoy long forgotten treats, S politely refuses to try anything ("No, 'sank you").

We decided today was a good day to go into Bangalore proper, and took the 11:30am shuttle to IISc.  From there we hired an auto to take us to MG Road.  I was more nervous than I ever remember being in an auto rickshaw, but maybe that was because I had S on my lap and felt like I had to hold on to him for dear life!  I insisted we use pedestrian crossings and wait until we had the right of way - my, how I have changed! Taking care of 3 in this crazy city is a whole new ball game.  The first thing I noticed was the new metro station "Mahatma Gandhi" that was just underway when we left in 2007.




We went to Blossoms on Church Street, our old used book store.  I could have spent hours in there.  I DID spend hours in there!  R and M got some Tinkles (a favourite Indian comic), some chapter books, while S got some picture books (Transformers, Clifford, and Charlie and Lola) and a Mickey Mouse numbers activity book (wanted to start it right away; he is already on page 4).  I got a vegetarian cookbook and some stories to read to the kids, and I think Gagan just browsed.  We were all starving, and some light rain had started, so we popped into next door to Kathi Zone for Indian wraps for a late lunch.  Then we hobbled along MG and Brigade looking for an electronic thing Gagan needs, unsuccessfully, and finished with some ice cream.  We had some trouble securing an auto back to IISc for the 5pm shuttle, but finally someone agreed to take us for Rs.35 more than what it should cost, and we had no time to bargain.  We got caught in the rain en route, and I whipped out those parkas I packed that Auntie Marilyn had given to me ages ago.  Thank you, Auntie M!  It was quite a monsoon downpour, but we managed to only get a little wet (Gagan a lot), but it did feel much colder than we were prepared for.

Sunday's Simple Pleasures

Day 2

Today we should have made it to mass, but we were too tired and discombobulated to figure out where/when/how to go.  We had our breakfast at the canteen, and then had the pleasure of trying out the new NCBS pool.  When we left 5 years ago, it was an idea in the making, but really in just the early stages of planning.  Now it is a beautiful 25 m in-ground pool, complete with professional built-in NCBS graphics in tile that shimmer through to the surface of the water.  Cool, at only 25 degrees, but fine as long as I kept moving.  The kids had begged and begged to go yesterday, and it was a bit of a rigmarole to get permission as "guests" to use the facilities, so it was great that we were all able to swim.  There is even a small wading pool perfect for S.  Kids loved it.

Then we met Geoff for lunch at the canteen.  He is doing well and keeping busy with his work at NCBS.  He is invited to many institutes all over India to give talks and workshops and work with scientists in improving science writing.  His steady stream of visitors has slowed, after each of his friends become sick while here, each worse than the last.  He is still in the same place in Sahakar Nagar, and plans to visit Australia every other year or so. We showed him our guesthouse and we chatted a bit more.  He has invited us to his house for dinner on Wednesday night with another couple he is friends with at NCBS.

Despite our best attempts at staying awake, they all fell asleep for a couple of hours in the afternoon, and S slept even longer. We were invited to Jitu and Aisha's for dinner, so we took a taxi (a fancy Toyota SUV) to be there for about 7:30pm.  They still have a lovely house and still can cook up a wonderful meal.  Their son, Ishaar, is the same age as R, both born in 2000, Ishaar 11 months earlier in January.  He is a really lovely young man, very sociable, polite, and mature, asking questions and engaged in all conversations with adults and kids alike.  We had about 3 hours of sharing stories, and then it was over too soon.  Everyone (except us!) had to get up early for the next morning for work and school.

Day 1: Is it Still Friday or is it Saturday? Must Be the Jet Lag!

We are having a hard time adjusting to the new time zone.

Even though we tried not to sleep, we couldn't help it, and fell asleep before dinner for a couple of hours.  S had the hardest time putting off sleep, and that was his second sleep today, having slept already a couple of hours before lunch.  He's been grumpy and has no appetite, but I expect that will get better with time.

We checked out the village a tiny bit - went to Namdhari's and S-Mart (which has really seen better days) and tried to get a SIM card.  I expected Shahakaranagar to look so different, but it was the same as always - busy, dirty, noisy!  We bought some water, biscuits and bread.  Couldn't find any Cheetos.  Kids were too tired to walk back, so we took an auto home.

We then went for lunch at the canteen, and saw a couple of people that we used to know.  It's hard to remember everyone's name!

We went home and watched some Olympics, then slept for a bit.  We went back to NCBS for a dinner in honour of the inaguration of another new building.  We saw Jitu and his wife Aisha, and some other faculty as well as 3 of the kids.  The same families with kids all still live in the apartments, believe it or not.  R is not remembering as much as I thought he would.  Everyone is still tired and not yet themselves.