White Kids and Motorcycle Minivans!

We have noticed that Indians take a great interest in white people.  We stick out like sore thumbs and draw attention everywhere we go.  One day this little boy came running up to one of Mike's coworkers (who was here visiting from the US) and me while we were waiting for our car.  We couldn't figure out what he was doing at first and then we noticed this man (assume it was his dad) taking a picture of the boy with us.  So, we both just smiled and waved at the camera.  Then they were finished and rushed off.   HaHa!

So, I was at the mall having lunch the other day with a friend and her two little boys.  I discovered that Indians LOVE little white babies even more than they love middle-aged white ladies!  The girls below (and the guy that was with them) couldn't get enough of the baby.  I have to admit, he IS one cute kid with a personality to match!

He was loving the attention.  His big brother...not so much!  Brother was off to the side eating an ice cream cone, thinking to himself "better him than me!"

Motorcycles (or scooters) are the preferred mode of transportation for most families.  It's not unusual to see several people on a scooter.  However, this family of 6 is the most I've yet to see.  Someone we know has a picture of 7 people on one.  So, now I'm keeping my eye out for one with 8!

Devali Celebrations

Today was Devali, the Festival of Lights.  This is their equivalent of Christmas.  Families get together and everyone exchanges gifts.  They top off the day with firecrackers, fireworks and what sound like small cannons! They have been exploding them for hours and are still going strong.

  

Party's Over!!

Saturday Morning Walk in the Neighborhood

Mike and I got up Saturday morning and went for a relaxing walk in the neighborhood.  Here is some video and a few pictures.   Enjoy....

These mom and pop food stands are very common.

Tuk Tuks lined up in the morning.

Indians LOVE their movies.  Posters are everywhere there
is an empty spot!

Children go to school on Saturdays.  Here they are waiting to
go into the school in the morning.

Mom and Pop food stand on our street.

Pretty sure we can't get away with this
in Memphis. 

Dog scavenging for food in the dumpster.
This is actually on our street.

Vegetable Cart

A guard shack in front of a house near ours

"Decent" Furniture Store

Bananas

This is the fruit from a banana tree on our property.  They are actually really good!

2 Goats +1 Man + 1 Scooter =

Dinner???

Cows and Goats

On our way home from church today, we got behind some buffalo.  They just roam the streets...hanging out and clogging traffic.  I learned, though, that the cows and buffalo have homes and owners.  The owners don't have to go find them. They go home when they need to get milked! Who knew?? Ha!

Unfortunately, these sheep weren't so lucky.  These are sold on the sides of the street to take home and eat.  These pictures were taken the day before Dussehra, so there were hundreds of them.  

Hindu Holidays - Dussehra

Yesterday was a Hindu holiday called Dussehra.  Everyone was off work and there were lots of celebrations and firecrackers.  In a nutshell, Dusshera is the celebration of Lord Rama's return from his 14 year exile and his victory over the demon-king, Ravana.  Over time, it has become more of a celebration of the triumph of good over evil.  (You can get more info at this link: http://festivals.iloveindia.com/dussehra/dussehra-legends.html)

On Dussehra, Hindus perform a puja on their vehicles, homes and businesses to bless them and keep them from evil.

Visitors!

Dave, Mike, Mike, me, Brett and Tom

Yay!  We had some visitors from the US.  Dave, Brett and Tom came over for a mill visit and for a meeting.  We met at the Baymiller's house and then all walked over to a restaurant for dinner.  It was so good to see them, but it sure did make me realize how much I miss everyone!

Random pictures and observations

I've been getting up in the morning and taking walks with Mike.  Yes, you heard right.  I've been getting up and going for walks BEFORE my coffee.  I can do that, since I go to bed around 9:30.  Nothing on TV and no kids to wait up for! 

I take my iphone with me, just in case I see something interesting.  Here are a few observations:

KBR Park near our house

House on our street.  Looks like a cross in the window?
Planning on getting a better picture.

Every morning,  household help sweeps the driveway
and the street around the houses.  This helps to keep the houses clean.

Not sure if you can see it in this picture, but there is a power line that is crossing
the street.  The truck driver had to stop, reach out of the window and move it out of the way so that
the truck could pass under.

Power lines across the walkway at KBR park.  I could have reached up
and touched the one on the bottom. 

Lake at KBR park near our house

It is common to see men walking with their arms around one another.
It's a sign of friendship, nothing more.

Falaknuma Palace

For my birthday, Mike surprised me with a stay at the Falaknuma Palace complete with a carriage ride and dinner overlooking the city lights.  It was unbelievably beautiful!


The Falaknuma Palace is located near the Old City in Hyderabad.  It is approximately 125-150 years old, depending on who you ask.  Originally built by the Prime Minister, it took 9-10 years to complete and 22 years to decorate!  The Prime Minister went bankrupt and sold it to his brother-in-law, King Nizam VI.  The king never lived in the palace.  He used it as a guest house!

Falaknuma" means "mirror of the sky."  The palace is painted to blend in with whatever color the sky is.  It is a blend of Italian and Tudor architecture.

It is approximately 19,400 square meters and laid out in the shape of a scorpion. Apparently the prime minister was a Scorpio. Everything here has some sort of mystical slant.  Good thing he wasn't a Cancer.  A crab shaped castle would have been hard to build.

Courtyard in the center of the palace. This would be
the "body" of the scorpion.

Our dinner table was set up out here!

^ Entrance to the spa

The marble Grand Staircase is cantilevered.  Even the railings and balusters are marble!

Dining Room seats 100 people

One of those chairs down there has my name on it!

African tribal dancers

The gentleman in the middle is still dancing at 87 years old.
He was one of King Nizam's bodyguards.

This is the part of the city that surrounds the palace.  The palace is on the top of the hill, middle right.  Quite a paradox.

Outside the Box

First Baptist Church - Memphis, TN

About a year ago, one of the pastors at our church asked Mike and me to speak briefly about how God was working in our lives.  I talked about how when I turned everything over to Him and stopped trying to control my my life, He started doing amazing things!

If you know me well, I'm not one to take risks.  I'm not exactly what you would call adventurous.  I'm more of a homebody. Sure, I loved taking vacations, but I didn't like to "travel."  I liked everything neat, organized and tidy.  Traveling upset all of that!  Nothing was where it was supposed to be!

I tolerated flying, but I was never really comfortable doing it!  I don't care what anyone says. Those big metal tubes should not be able to fly at high speeds at 30,000 feet!!

I stepped outside my box occasionally, but just baby steps. Then I would jump back in.

God, however, had different plans.  I began putting Him where He was supposed to be.  I started relying on His strength and not my own.  He not only helped me to step outside my box, He held my hand while He dumped me out!

A year and a half ago, if you would have told me I would be leaving behind my kids, family and friends and moving 8,000 miles away to INDIA, I would have said you were crazy!  NO WAY!!!  I couldn't leave Matthew and Weston!  I'm their mother!  Plus, I don't care for the food.  I don't enjoy flying anywhere, much less to INDIA!  I can't drive in India, and most of you know that I HAVE to drive!  I get anxious in Memphis traffic!  No way could I stomach the traffic in INDIA!  One reason after another.  You get the idea.

All of those reasons were about "I", though.  I realized that it's not really about "I" when you get right down to it.  When I turned it all over to Him and made it about Him, He helped me over each hurdle I threw out there.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding."
 Proverbs 3:5 (NASB)

Mike and I don't know exactly why we are over here, but we will wait patiently knowing that He is preparing us for whatever it is.  We have met some wonderful people that we wouldn't have met otherwise.  Yes, there are and will continue to be challenges, but we are confident that He will hold our hands through each one.

Someone said (I wish I could remember who), "If you want to hear God speak to you, then read the Bible out loud."  I challenge you to make Him the center of your life.  Spend time with Him each day. He promises to do amazing things if you will.  And He never breaks His promises!

"God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind.  Does He speak and then not act?  Does He promise and not fulfill?"  Numbers 23:19

PS - He still has some work to do with me and Indian food.  Then again, maybe I'll lose a few pounds!  :)

The Grocery Experience

It's been a long journey, but Mike and I are finally in Hyderabad!  I'm anxious to get settled into our new home and start "living" here.

The language, the food, the smells, the traffic, the sounds, the customs and the religion(s) are all new and different.  There are between 6 and 8 million people living in Hyderabad, so people are everywhere.  I think that is probably the biggest thing Mike and I will have to get used to.  

One of the first things I did, after I got the jet lag under control, was to go grocery shopping. That was an experience!  Just like everything else here, the grocery markets are organized chaos.  "Organized" may be a bit lenient.  For instance, I found jelly in 3 different places in the store.   

So far, I've been to 2 markets.  Hypercity is in one of the malls.  It's kind of like a Super Walmart, but much smaller.  The other one is Q Mart.  Q Mart is smaller than Hypercity and it seems to cater more toward Westerners.  You can find almost anything, but sometimes you have to know the actual name of the product instead of the brand name.  If anyone has any idea of what the products below are used for, I would love to know!  I do know what gelatin is, however.   :)

Here are prices of some of the products:

Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa $10.42
Old El Paso Refried Beans $3.70
Pep Farm Goldfish crackers $3.50
409 Cleaner $5.69
Flour (1kg) $0.74
Sugar (2kg)  $1.72

By far the biggest surprise was Philadelphia Cream Cheese @ $12.72!!

There is a fairly good selection of fruits and vegetables, although I haven't ventured out of my comfort zone yet.  I'm sticking with the fruits and vegetables that I'm familiar with for the time being.  Baby steps...

Somebody's gotta do it...

While I've been taking care of things in Memphis, somebody has to work.  Mike has been busy in India getting settled into his new job.

One of the best parts of his job is getting to know the people and culture of India.  There is a K-12 school on the property of one of the mills.  Mike toured it on a recent visit to the mill and met the teachers and students.

Before he went, he wrote a letter to each of the teachers telling them how much he appreciated them and thanking them for the wonderful job they are doing.

Once we get settled, I'm going to go visit the school.  Hopefully, there will some way I can help there.