Internet was down last night, so that's why there was no new blog post...with that being said, I'll give a recap starting on Monday.
Being here in Vizag, I've wanted to keep the kids busy...if you haven't already figured that out. There are two problems with the former statement. 1) I have to find things to do and 2) it means we're always together...ALWAYS! I love my kids very much, don't get me wrong, but if there is one thing Ryan and I have perfected in the last 16 years of our marriage, it's our date night! Date night in India doesn't really exist. We could totally go out, we have a driver...but then we're with the driver. We've gone to all the places that we know of and anywhere new we'd want to take the kids with us. I've decided the problem is, once again, we Americans have to be entertained 24/7. However, to our defense, (or mine, anyway), we have never been in such a tight space ALL together for SO long. Even when we get in the car there are 6 of us in a 5-seater car (that's without Ryan). Davis told me the other day, "maybe we should take a rickshaw, there's more room because I can sit in the back and it's basically like the trunk." He's right, however, I prefer the squishy air conditioned car.
So, yesterday I decided we were going to travel to one of the icons of the city...Dolphins Nose. Dolphin's Nose is a huge rocky hill that is in the southern part of Vizag and has a beautiful view atop near the lighthouse...or so I've seen based on other peoples pictures. I thought it was going to be a quick little trip, 20 minutes there, stand and take a few pictures, 20 minutes back, no biggie, right? Well, we started traveling around the city and once again I was sure we were headed the wrong direction. In my mind it was a straight shot to where we needed to go. However, an hour drive later, passing the Indian Naval Academy, the Navel Base, a shipyard and some little villages full of chickens, cows, goats and dirt roads, we started to make our way to the top of Dolphin's Nose. We drove and drove, and finally about an hour and 15 minutes later arrived at the light house. Like everything else, there was a small fee to go inside, so I was rustling through my purse to get enough rupees out to pay our passage when the driver came over to the window and says, "3:00 madame, opens at 3:00." When someone that doesn't speak English tries to speak to me in English it always takes a few minutes for my brain to translate the message into the English that I understand, so I'm looking at the sign, reading the English part when I come across: "visitors times 3:00 - 5:00 daily". Oh, they don't open until 3:00...it was 10:45 in the morning. So, instead of getting some beautiful panoramic view of the city, we turned around, drove another hour and came back to the apartment.
Since we had time and i had all the ingredients, I decided my hand at brownies (thanks, Mom Riley for the quick response and for the recipe). I made them, and while I was making them, eyeballing all of the ingredients (there are no measuring devices spoons, cups, etc. over here. *Note to self [I mean note for the sister-in law]...IF we [by we, I mean you] ever have to return here again...bring measuring spoons and measuring cups...I promise you will miss them). Anyway, I made brownies, that I named "Eyeball Brownies". Conor thought that was a gross name, but it worked for the rest of us. They tasted pretty good! I forgot to take a picture of them because I was so worried about taking some to Ryan's office and also taking some to Family Home Evening at the church last night. (Much better than the cookies!) But I will make another batch and then take a picture!
Today was another fun day because we started our morning at the school. Brayden had his first eye-witness of a traditional Indian beating at the public school. He went on and on about how they had a stick and the kid had to hold out his hand, then the teacher struck his hand, but it didn't make a loud enough sound so she did it again. I kinda like this way of discipline. I wonder if my own kids would be better if I beat them with a stick...just kidding (maybe not, though!)
For lunch we walked (I know, right? We're totally getting comfortable around here) to our favorite noodle place. Last time we went as a family and Ryan ordered a bunch of different stuff. If he's not with me to help eat the new foods I order, I'm only going to order what the kids will eat. The gentleman comes over to take my order and I say, "We want two orders of Chicken noodles and two orders of buttered naan (it's just flat bread with butter on it...my kids love it)." He looks at me and says, "Two naan, two chicken noodles. Any gravy or sides?" I respond with a "No, just the noodles and the naan." He says, "maam, just two noodles and two naan? gravy or sides?" I say, "No gravy or sides, two butter naan (pointing at the menu) and two chicken noodles (again, pointing at the menu)". Then he just stands there, not sure why we would only want noodles and naan. After an awkward silence he says, "I'll be right back". I thought he was going to get someone to help me order from the menu, but a short time later we got our naan and noodles and we were happy Americans with food we liked!
After lunch we headed to the beach once again. Have I mentioned before that I am not a fan of the beach? So, once again, we are the tourist attraction on the beach. Random people coming up to the kids taking pictures, asking where they are from, what their names are. Ok, so we've been in India now for close to a month. At first my kids liked all the attention, they argued about who was talked to the most, first, whatever they could find to argue about (no, India has not made them little angels). Then they thought it was funny, it became a joke with people taking our picture, then they started just tolerating the random people coming up, pinching their cheeks (even Brayden has gotten his cheeks pinched...both sets..haha, jk), but now I'm going to go out on a limb and say they're getting kinda sick of it. Today at the beach, several sets of people came up to them. The people are so bold, I think at first they were just taken back, but now they are being bold in return and ignoring some of them...usually it's like the 4th or 5th person in the same 2-hour period.
Just when I thought I'd seen everything at the beach, wrong! Today a heard of goats came by...twice
Oh, and for those of you wondering...Brayden is a surfer! He stood up over and over today, but I wasn't quick enough to get a picture, the goats kept distracting me!
Being here in Vizag, I've wanted to keep the kids busy...if you haven't already figured that out. There are two problems with the former statement. 1) I have to find things to do and 2) it means we're always together...ALWAYS! I love my kids very much, don't get me wrong, but if there is one thing Ryan and I have perfected in the last 16 years of our marriage, it's our date night! Date night in India doesn't really exist. We could totally go out, we have a driver...but then we're with the driver. We've gone to all the places that we know of and anywhere new we'd want to take the kids with us. I've decided the problem is, once again, we Americans have to be entertained 24/7. However, to our defense, (or mine, anyway), we have never been in such a tight space ALL together for SO long. Even when we get in the car there are 6 of us in a 5-seater car (that's without Ryan). Davis told me the other day, "maybe we should take a rickshaw, there's more room because I can sit in the back and it's basically like the trunk." He's right, however, I prefer the squishy air conditioned car.
So, yesterday I decided we were going to travel to one of the icons of the city...Dolphins Nose. Dolphin's Nose is a huge rocky hill that is in the southern part of Vizag and has a beautiful view atop near the lighthouse...or so I've seen based on other peoples pictures. I thought it was going to be a quick little trip, 20 minutes there, stand and take a few pictures, 20 minutes back, no biggie, right? Well, we started traveling around the city and once again I was sure we were headed the wrong direction. In my mind it was a straight shot to where we needed to go. However, an hour drive later, passing the Indian Naval Academy, the Navel Base, a shipyard and some little villages full of chickens, cows, goats and dirt roads, we started to make our way to the top of Dolphin's Nose. We drove and drove, and finally about an hour and 15 minutes later arrived at the light house. Like everything else, there was a small fee to go inside, so I was rustling through my purse to get enough rupees out to pay our passage when the driver came over to the window and says, "3:00 madame, opens at 3:00." When someone that doesn't speak English tries to speak to me in English it always takes a few minutes for my brain to translate the message into the English that I understand, so I'm looking at the sign, reading the English part when I come across: "visitors times 3:00 - 5:00 daily". Oh, they don't open until 3:00...it was 10:45 in the morning. So, instead of getting some beautiful panoramic view of the city, we turned around, drove another hour and came back to the apartment.
Since we had time and i had all the ingredients, I decided my hand at brownies (thanks, Mom Riley for the quick response and for the recipe). I made them, and while I was making them, eyeballing all of the ingredients (there are no measuring devices spoons, cups, etc. over here. *Note to self [I mean note for the sister-in law]...IF we [by we, I mean you] ever have to return here again...bring measuring spoons and measuring cups...I promise you will miss them). Anyway, I made brownies, that I named "Eyeball Brownies". Conor thought that was a gross name, but it worked for the rest of us. They tasted pretty good! I forgot to take a picture of them because I was so worried about taking some to Ryan's office and also taking some to Family Home Evening at the church last night. (Much better than the cookies!) But I will make another batch and then take a picture!
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| Family Home Evening at the church...we were teaching them to play 'hang man' |
Today was another fun day because we started our morning at the school. Brayden had his first eye-witness of a traditional Indian beating at the public school. He went on and on about how they had a stick and the kid had to hold out his hand, then the teacher struck his hand, but it didn't make a loud enough sound so she did it again. I kinda like this way of discipline. I wonder if my own kids would be better if I beat them with a stick...just kidding (maybe not, though!)
For lunch we walked (I know, right? We're totally getting comfortable around here) to our favorite noodle place. Last time we went as a family and Ryan ordered a bunch of different stuff. If he's not with me to help eat the new foods I order, I'm only going to order what the kids will eat. The gentleman comes over to take my order and I say, "We want two orders of Chicken noodles and two orders of buttered naan (it's just flat bread with butter on it...my kids love it)." He looks at me and says, "Two naan, two chicken noodles. Any gravy or sides?" I respond with a "No, just the noodles and the naan." He says, "maam, just two noodles and two naan? gravy or sides?" I say, "No gravy or sides, two butter naan (pointing at the menu) and two chicken noodles (again, pointing at the menu)". Then he just stands there, not sure why we would only want noodles and naan. After an awkward silence he says, "I'll be right back". I thought he was going to get someone to help me order from the menu, but a short time later we got our naan and noodles and we were happy Americans with food we liked!
After lunch we headed to the beach once again. Have I mentioned before that I am not a fan of the beach? So, once again, we are the tourist attraction on the beach. Random people coming up to the kids taking pictures, asking where they are from, what their names are. Ok, so we've been in India now for close to a month. At first my kids liked all the attention, they argued about who was talked to the most, first, whatever they could find to argue about (no, India has not made them little angels). Then they thought it was funny, it became a joke with people taking our picture, then they started just tolerating the random people coming up, pinching their cheeks (even Brayden has gotten his cheeks pinched...both sets..haha, jk), but now I'm going to go out on a limb and say they're getting kinda sick of it. Today at the beach, several sets of people came up to them. The people are so bold, I think at first they were just taken back, but now they are being bold in return and ignoring some of them...usually it's like the 4th or 5th person in the same 2-hour period.
Just when I thought I'd seen everything at the beach, wrong! Today a heard of goats came by...twice
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| lots and lots of goats! |
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| one of the goat herders...I think he wanted rupees after I took his picture, but I'm not sure |
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