Note to Grant from Mike

This is Rebecca- Mike sent this email to Grant. I thought it was hilarious so with Grant and Mike's permission I'm reprinting it here. Mike is still happily riding his bike but locking it up and Grant is doing his schoolwork.

Buster. What you need is an e-mail account. Why don’t you ask Rebecca to help you set one up?
It’s about six in the evening and I’m feeling lonely. Mind you, that’s not the only reason I’m writing. Mostly, I just want to say hello and ask you how it’s going. I know high school can be a drag, and I’m wondering how you’re adjusting. Is the work load greater? Do you need to actually do homework? How are the babes?
Rebecca tells me you’re stressed out over the War of the Worlds book. I haven’t ever read it, but I’m thinking there’s a tape of it somewhere. It was a famous radio production, with Orson Wells. Though probably the book is different. Might be worth setting up a schedule and working your way through it. I know you’re not a big fan of reading, but it’s something you’ll have a hard time avoiding.
School here is nuts. I’ve got sixty kids in a class, and they’re a pretty rowdy group. They talk a lot. Horse around. It’s hot, there’s the noise from the street…in general, it kind of sucks on days like this. But there’ve been good ones, too. The kids are really nice; it’s just that there’s so damn many of them. I suppose you could sum up the whole country in similar terms. What else? I almost got my bike stolen like ten minutes ago. I ran into a small store and didn’t bother locking it because I figured I’d only be like one minute. Which is exactly what I was. When I came out, the bike was not where I parked it. I look up and down the street, and I figure that’s that. There must be a hundred bikes out there that all look just like mine. Then I see this guy, he’s my age, maybe a little younger, kind of scooting the rear tire of a bike out of the road. If he hadn’t done that, I’m sure I wouldn’t have noticed. But I saw the green plastic on the handle of my bell…and figured it must be mine. I walked up and confronted the guy. He sort of denied knowing what I was talking about, so I slugged him in the stomach, and when he leaned over, clutching his gut, I round-housed him and sent him into a pile of cow dung. Got on my bike and rode away. I felt just like John Wayne. Actually, that’s not entirely true. As soon as I insisted the bike was mine, he pretty much backed off and handed it over. No roundhouse. No punching to the gut. But there could have been, and that’s the important thing.
I need to make dinner, so I’m going to say goodbye. Will you please make an effort to get your school work done? I know it worries your mother (and me) to think you’ll grow up to be the kind of guy who hangs out in front of stores and steals old guy’s bicycles. Go to college and learn to steal on a big level. Become a CEO of a company. Or better yet, a lawyer. Then you can steal and have the law on your side. Just a thought.
I miss you.
Love, Dad

cooksinindia

cooksinindia
I thought I’d include a couple more school pictures. And, of course, the helmet cam. Yesterday saw us riding to Connaught Place to speak with the person who sold me the camera. Turns out I’m having trouble getting my computer to recognize the video camera, and we spent an hour trouble shooting. Looks like the problem could be in the fire wire port of the computer. This means a trip to the place we bought the computer, to see if they can help. But the ride there certainly was interesting. I get the looks anyway, being a white guy on a local bike; couple that with a fashion statement like the helmet cam, and the people are legitimately engaged.
Not sure if I’ll don the helmet cam today. Feels like it might be a lazy day. We had dinner at the home of Usha and Ravi, two kind souls who live in the same complex, and who Tom came to know through his exchange partner, Chhaya. Somehow dinner went until 12:30 am. We must have finished eating at 11:30, then lingered over ice-cream and betel nuts. Very nice, but I’m afraid it has left me a bit sleepy headed. More later.

The Faces of School

Morning Prayer at Assembly
Young Sikh
A collegue, Teaches Hindi
Me, Helmet Cam

 

Happy Birthday Mike!

Yesterday was Mike's birthday. Happy Birthday, honey. We miss you and love you! ~Rebecca, Quinn, Grant and Charlie :)

A few words from Rebecca

cooksinindia
On Saturday we celebrated Diwali which is the biggest Hindu festival of the year. It is greatly anticipated. It is celebrated on the same scale as our Christmas by the Hindu people. Before I left India I noticed the streets and homes being decorated with lights. People were shopping for gifts, sweets, decorations and food. I drove past a park where there were hundreds of women having mendhi patterns tattooed on their hands with henna. The celebration is also called Deepavali or the Festival of Lights so homes are decorated with strings of lights and candles. The lights symbolize the triumph of good over evil. An important part of the celebration involves lighting diyas, which are traditional lamps with cotton wicks soaked in ghee (clarified butter.) Incense is burned and pujas (prayers) are said in front of shrines to the various gods and goddesses.

The picture below that Mike titled Diwali is of a diya that he found on his step. Must have been placed there by a kindly neighbor. I figured there might be some confusion over that photo. I'll try to explain to Mike how to caption photos and check his spelling (pretty bad for an English teacher.) I also hope that he will include some photos and a narrative of his India Diwali experience- much different than our Marquette experience.

Rashmi and I had a lovely Diwali celebration here in Marquette. We started by getting dressed in our Indian clothes. I got to wear the new Salwar Kameez that I bought in India at my favorite store, Fabindia. The Salwar are very comfortable loose pants and the Kameez is a long tunic top. You then drape yourself with a dupatta which is a long scarf or shawl. Rashmi insisted I wear some of her beautiful earrings and a matching necklace. She feels I need more jewelry (hint, hint Mike) and knows that her friends in India will help Mike shop. I'll add some photos that we took with Rashmi's camera later.

Next we lit a diya and said a little puja. We offered sweets to the gods at our teeny tiny shrine. We turned on every light in the house and lit candles and placed them at the front and back doors.

We then went to visit some new friends of Rashmi's here in Marquette, Dr and Mrs Patel and their very sweet son. They have a beautiful home decorated with many lovely furnishings that they have brought from India including an amazing shrine room. They were very kind to allow me to be a part of their puja and celebration. After the prayers, we lit candles and placed them outside and lit sparklers. We were then joined by Dr and Mrs Dhadphale and we ate a delicious Indian meal. I was sent home with a large box of leftovers. Enough for a few meals.

That is my very simplified explanation of a Diwali celebration. I'll encourage Mike to pipe in on his experience in Delhi celebrating with Rashmi's family. I had a very nice evening and I felt honored to be included. I never stop being amazed and delighted by the generosity and hospitality of all of the Indian people I have met. I also admire how diligent they are about preserving their culture. I'll post photos later.

Another really nice thing happened this week. This last week was homecoming at Marquette Senior High. Each year the students vote for one male and one female teacher to be the the Honor Teacher for Homecoming. The teachers are honored at the pep assembly and get to ride in a convertible for the Homecoming parade. Rashmi was chosen to be the female Honor teacher. I was so proud- I think that really says a lot about what kind of person and teacher she is. She has really made a connection with a lot of students in such a short time. I took photos at the assembly and parade. Rashmi was so cute in the parade- she had a huge smile and really had her beauty queen wave down perfect. I'll post photos of that later, too.

a day in the life...

cooksinindia
Evidently there has some been some debate as to whether I'm actually doing anything here in India. I can appreciate that. It happens I've even bben know to fan the flames of speculation if I think there might be an entertainment value in said flames. But for the sake of art and truth, I thought some pictures from school would be in order. Here are four from this morning. I couldn't figure out how to caption them, so I'll just explain. The first is a shot fron the rear of the morning assembly. The kids like up and go through prayers, singing, announcements, the national anthem, and general drills. Straight and orderly, this part of the day. The next is my attempt at art. This is the chalk dish next to the blackboard. The chalk here is very soft; I tend to break quite a bit. Next is a shot taken just outside the school. I swear, these people can sleep anywhere. This particular fellow is sleeping just off the highway. I saw the feet as I was riding home, and stopped to snap a quick shot. Finally, a happy, healthy group of India's best. What you can't get from the picture is their yelling and cheering. These kids have some lungs on them. OK. More later. Cheers.

school shots

 

cooksinindia

cooksinindia
Bike riding here is (rather, could be) a sport unto its self. In fact, I was thinking a fun event would be the "Delhi 50" The idea is this: Each contestant pays fifty bucks for a brand new Avon Premium Gold bicycle. You’d have thirty minutes to tighten things up...fill the tires, make sure the chain's not going to jump off. Then, given a standardized map of Delhi, race on a prescribed route, in which you must verify various stops. Fifty Km. Probably a staggered start. The thing that appeals to me is the element of chance. And the myriad choices one can make to get from A to B. God in the machine. Once you hit the streets, anything can happen. And sometimes the slowest guy out there is magically ushered through the maze unscathed. End of the race, you keep the bike. Kind of a twist on the t-shirt or cap thing. Just a thought.
You'll be pleased to hear I'm not the slowest guy out there. On the contrary- I’m regarded with a mixture of humor and curiosity. People honk and wave. Guys riding on the backs of trucks, or auto rickshaw guys (who happen to be notoriously independent and competitive) will give me a smile. A nod and a wave. Especially if I'm feeling my oats and knocking down the kms. And here's something else: I'd come to believe the Indian mindset was one of peaceful contentment. A place of tranquility, in which one observes the unfolding of life and understands intuitively one's place in the scheme. And is happy to let it be. Then, just last week, I was riding to school, and overtook a fellow biker who had a basket of newspapers to deliver. I'll put him in his mid-twenties. Well. Not two minutes after I passed him, he comes into my side vision, looking cool...unconcerned. And me, for my part, am not going to show my interest. So I kind of gave him the surreptitious once-over. I gave him maybe ten meters before kicking it in gear and passing his skinny ass. Again, very cool. No eye contact. This went on for a good three kilometers. Back and forth. I felt a bit of a loss when he finally turned off. This, of course, has given rise to more such encounters, though not of the duration as the first. The spoken word represents but a sliver of the spectrum of communication. OK. I'm going to sign off. Today is Diwali, and I'm heading out with Rashmi's husband (Anil) to visit his folks and various family members. Should be an adventure. I'll keep you posted.

diwali

 

cooksinindia

cooksinindia
It's been a little while since my last blog, so I thought I'd share a bit of what's on my mind. I'm eating a plate of fried potatoes and eggs. Starting to cook more. And this gets me thinking of some of the ways my diet has changed. For starters, the Indians eat very little cheese, and certainly none of the sharp cheddars which are so nice. Coffee remains a rare bird, though I did go to a Barista this morning for a latte and muffin. Tasted pretty good, I must say. But tea is clearly the drink of choice. Of course, no beef. And whenever you have chicken or lamb, you can count on it being spiked with serious spice. But not like your Buffalo wing kind of spice. Different. Food also has a way of showing up here at the flat. Various people have keys to the place. Last night I made some steamed vegetables and a lentil-rice combination. We were thinking a little protien would be nce, but certainly not necessary. Then, when we were done, I noticed a bag in the fridge. On inspection, it revealed a bunch of little mini chicked legs and some kind of mystery meat. All of it bright orange and hot. No idea where it came from. On my way back from the coffee place I was weaving in and out of the usual video game-on-steroids type madness. People all over the road, going the wrong way, horns, buses pulling up behind me and revving the engine, auto rickshaws turned on their sides while the driver tinkers with a bum bearing, and I thought about how the rules here apply within a context I've come to think of (for lack of a better word) as organic. If there is a void...a space in the madness, you can count on someone rushing in to fill it. Kind of like blood making its way through the body. The bigger the vehicle, the more authority it weilds. But the scooters and bikes and rickshaws manage to survive by filling the gaps. I was thinking about the Germans, and their rule-oriented culture. Or, to a lesser extent, the Brits. I think the average German would suffer some serious vertigo here. And for a while, I was thinking I had the anwer to the question of why the Eglish like their gin and beer so well. Trying to keep a handle on this place (as in, the Raj) would drive just about anyone to strong drink. Mind you, it works, but in an East-West mixed up kind of way. One does best to respond to most situations in a visceral rather than logical manner. Follow one's heart. Time is this way, too.
Yesterday, at school, I got through most of the day before realizing my watch was a good fifteen minutes off. I was wandering into class late...staying past my time to leave, and no one said a thing about it. At the end of the day, my students told me it was time to leave. My watch told me there was still a good fifteen minutes of school. Twenty skinny Indian wrists shot out to reveal watches which, indeed, confirmed the time. A few patted me on the back as if to say, "You poor, dumb white guy. " But...no big deal. It's only time.
Today I plan to ride up to Connaught Place, which should take a while. I'm going to buy a video camera. Hate to spend the money, but I'm thinking I should get the bike-eye view of India while I'm here. Who knows when I'll be back? The plan is to duck tape the camera to a helmet...and turn it on while I ride around. I'm sure I'll get some looks. Later, Tom (my roomate) and I would like to put together some kind of a film highlighting the Fulbright in India experience. At this point, it's strictly in the planning stages, but the camera would seem a critical part of the plan. Next blog, I'll try to include a picture of me with the camera on my head. Cheers

cooksinindia

cooksinindia
Looks like I spelled neighborhood wrong...ah well. So here's the hood, but just a slice. I still feel a bit wierd about shooting pictures of the people, but I'm adjusting. Saw what would have been a great shot tonight...a couple of little girls next to a shrine, arms around each other...candles burning. Didn't have the camera. But I vow to find a way to carry it at all times. OK. I'm suffering from the first wave of a head cold, and there's school in the offing tomorrow, so it's off to bed. Later. Namaste

the neihborhood

 

Shots of my new home

cooksinindia
I decided to show a few shots of the apartment. Mostly, I'm monkeying around with this blog thing and the camera, to see if I can put something together. We'll see. The shots are of the shower, the toilet (we have two, a squater, for when we're feling athletic, and a sit down for when we need time to think...) and of the kitchen sink. Tom McGrath (fellow Fulbrighter) was kind enough to put me up when Rebecca and the kids took off. We live in an area called Sheikh Sarai, and its in South Delhi. Kind of a neighborhood feel to the place. I like it. The people seem to look out for each other. Last night Ravi from the first floor flat told us to put out bikes in the storage area under the stairs, or they would get ripped off...never mind the fact that we had chained them. We thanked him, and made a mental note to invite him to our Thanksgiving feast, which I will describe in greater detail later. Now I am off to explore the 'hood. Will post pictures on my return. Cheers.

my apartment

 

Cooks in Marquette

cooksinindia
Well at least a few of the Cooks...
We finally arrived on Wednesday evening at around 10:30. We were quite exhausted by that at time as we had been up for a total of 48 hours except for the few cat naps we had on the plane. I am still catching up on my sleep- I've never been good with jet lag.

The flight across was great. A daily nonstop from Delhi to Chicago. A total of 16 hours and 7500 miles. The time went by suprisingly fast. We all agreed it was a way better way to go than the two eight hour flights on the way over (especially considering the missed connection and layover in London.) I thought the coolest thing about the flight was the flight map on our individual TV screens. At any time you could get information about speed, air temp, altitude, arrival time as well as a map of where the plane was during the flight. The average speed was 500mph, temp -60 degrees F, Altitude 40,000 ft. The course we followed was a northern one across Pakistan, Russia, Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, Canada. It was pretty exciting to watch the map as we got closer. It looked like we went right over Mackinac Island and Burt Lake where Mike's parents cottage is.

When we arrived in Chicago we went through customs without any difficulty, rechecked our bags and headed into the city. We took the train right downtown and started heading up Michigan Ave. It was the strangest thing to be in a different big city. The contrast from the huge city we left was amazing. The first thing that struck me- It's freezing. It was in the 30-40's and raining. When we left Delhi it was 100 degrees and we were quite acclimated- didn't even feel that hot at the end. The next impression was how quiet it seemed in comparison. An occasional horn honk or siren but nothing like the constant honking in Delhi. The next thing we noticed was that we could cross the street easily. It took us a couple of intersections to realize we weren't going to get mowed down by a car, bus, cab, cow...

We met our friend Denise and her beautiful baby Harlan for lunch and I shared my observations with her. Denise has lived in Chicago for years and she said she would remember that the next she gets fed up with sirens, construction, busy city etc.

We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory at the base of the John Hancock building. It is the ultimate in American excess. Huge portions, $8 slices of cheesecake, 30 oz sodas with endless refills. We all enjoyed our meals. Quinn ordered a hamburger as big as her head and ate at least 2/3 of it- quite an accomplishment for her.

After lunch we headed back to the airport. When we got there we found out that our plane was delayed. We heard there was snow in Marquette and there were other flights being cancelled so I was nervous about having to spend the night at O'Hare. We were all a little like the walking dead by that time. We finally got on the plane an hour late and breathed a sigh of relief when we landed in Marquette. My sister Sarah met us with a hot pizza and a bag of mail.

We are getting unpacked and settling back into a routine. The kids are catching up with their friends and luckily they have a long weekend because of a teacher inservice today. They'll be back at school on Monday. I am experiencing some car problems that I hope are easily solved (I think just a new battery.) We woke up to a dusting of snow and very cold blustery weather. There are still some leaves on the trees and I'm hoping for a little nice autumn weather before winter sets in.

I spoke with Mike yesterday and he is settled in his new flat. He started school fulltime on Thursday. He seems really happy in the new neighborhood. He was able to take an autorickshaw to work without any problem. It took 20 minutes and cost Rs50 ($1.10.) He was also able to go for a run in a nearby park. We miss him...

I guess that is it for me. I will let Mike take over the blog and maybe chime in every once in a while. I think he is arranging for internet access in his new flat so hopefully we'll hear from him soon. Take care...

trip to Nepal

cooksinindia
OK. My first blog, and unfortunately I'm rushed. Rebecca and the kids are getting on a plane in a couple hours, and I just got back, so I want to catch up. But...there were some very cool things to see and do in Nepal. The four shots are of a scene while driving to a mountain village outside of Kathmandu (I rented a motorcycle and had an adrenalin high the whole time. Better than sex. As if...but it was pretty good.) Second shot is a street scene in Kathmandu. Third is a dude on the way to the village I referred to, and the last is a shot of Mount Everest from the window of a small plane. Hillary has nothing on me. Will post more later. Cheers. Cook

my first blog...

 

Touring Delhi

cooksinindia
Today when I was coming home from Connaught Place, our driver, Tej Singh, took me on different route than we normally take home. We were in a neighborhood on the back side of the president's residence (we usually pass by on the front side.) We stopped for a minute and I looked over and saw this huge statue depicting Gandhi's famous salt march. In 1930, in protest of the British tax on salt Gandhi led several thousands of people on a march to the sea (the place on the sea was called Dandi.) When he arrived he evaporated sea water to (illegally) make salt. He was promptly arrested. It was an important part of his civil disobedience movement. I had seen pictures of this statue and the march but couldn't figure out where it was. I was very pleased to have been able to see it in person somewhat serendipitously. We watched the movie Gandhi this summer while we were waiting for our visas. I highly recommend it.

Speaking of movies, the newspapers and TV are all abuzz because Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (and their children) are here in India. She is filming a movie here about Daniel Pearl- the journalist from the Wall Street Journal who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan. Angelina will play his wife. They are staying in Pune which is near Mumbai. The poor family can't even leave their hotel because of all of the photographers. Today there was a photo of them taking an autorickshaw ride. I hope they get a chance to see some things. They are staying for a month. I'm sure every day the paper will have a new Brangelina update-the Indian people love celebrities as much as Americans.

Seems a bit trivial after talk of Gandhi...

Dandi Salt March Statue

 

Red Fort- Old Delhi- October 8

cooksinindia
Ok, so I had to cheat a little to get this photo-thank you Google images. Mike has the camera and I hope he is taking some amazing photos to share with us all. It makes me think of when my Grandparents were doing their travels around the world and they would buy slides of all of the sights they had seen. Grandma Kimes reasoned that the store bought slides were much better than she could have taken and she was right- she always cut the heads off of her photographic subjects.

Anyways, back to the Red Fort. The fort was built in the 1600's by Shah Jahan- same emperor who built the Taj Mahal. He was planning to move the capital of his empire here to Delhi from Agra but was unfortunately imprisoned by his son and ended up spending the rest of his days in the other red fort in Agra gazing across the river at the Taj Mahal.

The fort is huge. 2km across with walls that are from 18m to 33m high surrounded by a wide moat. Inside are mosques, tombs and the apartments of the Mughal emperor and his family. The public entrance is at the Lahore Gate which is pictured. Each Independence day the Prime Minister gives a speech here.

The fort is in Old Delhi across from Chandni Chowk and Jami Masjid (we visited those on a different day.) We went to the fort on Sunday afternoon which was very busy. The streets of Chandni Chowk were just packed with people. I thought it might be a bit much for the kids so we just toured it from the car. It is fun to observe all that hustle and bustle.

Today I took my last ride into Delhi to finish up a few things. As I sat in the car I was feeling very sad about leaving. It is such an energetic, interesting city and country. There is never a shortage of things to look at, taste, smell, hear. I am particularly sad that we'll miss Diwali. It is the biggest holiday of the year- on the scale of Christmas in the US. It happens in two weeks and it is a wonderful time to be here. Once we decided to come back I couldn't convince Quinn and Grant to stay the extra two weeks and I really think it best that they get back into a routine. I also don't want them to miss another 2 weeks of school. They have enough catching up to do as it is. I know I'll be back someday for Diwali.

The most wonderful thing about this experience has definitely been the people we have encountered. We have been offered such amazing hospitality at every turn. I also admire how the Indian people are so passionate about preserving their culture. Gandhi said "A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people." This is a very rich culture indeed because the people here have most generous hearts.

Mike called today from Nepal. He said that he and the other teachers went to the embassy first thing this morning, dropped off their passports and were told to come back this afternoon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them. Mike is very anxious to be in the classroom fulltime. He will be back tomorrow at around 5pm. We'll have a few hours and then we need to head to the airport for our flight back. I'm glad we'll at least have a chance to say goodbye.

Grant is bugging me to get on the computer so I'll close for now.

Red Fort- Old Delhi- October 8

Red Fort (Lal Qila)

 

Mike in Nepal

cooksinindia
I just got a call from Mike in Nepal. He and the other Fulbrighters went to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu first thing yesterday morning to have their visas switched from tourist to work visas. After standing in line for hours they were told to come back next week. They are hoping to get their visas by Monday or Tuesday. They are not sure what the hold up is. It was supposed to be a routine one day process. We did read in the guidebook that the Embassy in Nepal is notoriously slow and apparently the person behind the counter didn't like the looks of their clearance letters.

In the meanwhile they are enjoying the cool mountain air in Nepal. Tomorrow he is taking a plane ride over the mountains to see Mt. Everest. (If I sound a little envious it is because I am- it has been 95-100 degrees here every day.)

Mike has decided he will come back to Delhi on Tuesday. Hopefully his visa will have cleared by then. He decided this because the kids and I have to be at the airport on Tuesday night for a 12:15am flight on Wednesday morning. We'll at least have a couple of hours together before we take off.

Quinn and I went to the Tibetan market near Connaught Place (New Delhi city center) yesterday. It is booth after booth of cool things- fabric, purses, incense, brass, clothes. I find it very overwhelming. The shop owners beckon you in and show you 50 different things. Once you see something you like it is expected that you will haggle over the price. Quinn finds this pretty embarassing. You are, after all, bargaining over the equivalent of less than $1. I figure it is just part of the game. I have found that I am just not a super shopper here. I am too overwhelmed by all of the choices. It is hard for me to make a decision and as a rule the kids only tolerate a short time in these busy places.

We had planned to go to the Red Fort today but I read in the paper today that there was some kind of processional happening in that part of the city that is meant to tie up traffic all day and all evening. We'll go tomorrow in the afternoon.

I'll let everyone know what happens in Nepal.

Driving in India

This video was brought to my attention by another Fulbrighter, Kim Steinhorn, who we met in Washington DC in August. She just arrived in Delhi yesterday. The traffic here is exactly like the video except maybe more congested (I believe this video is from somewhere in the South of India.) The video is, however, missing cows, pigs, stray dogs. I read in the guidebook that the most serious thing you could do is to hit a cow with your car. You could actually be dragged out of your car and beaten by a mob. I haven't seen this nor know if it is true.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjrEQaG5jPM

Back in Delhi

cooksinindia

October 5- 5:15pm (IST) 7:45am (EST)
We arrived back in Delhi at around 8pm last night. As I stepped off the plane I was reminded of my first impression of India 4 weeks ago. First, it is still hot- 33c (92f) at 8pm and while it is fairly dry there is a heaviness and an aroma in the air. There is generally a smoky haze on the horizon and never much of a breeze. It is not unpleasant and the smell is one I'm sure I'll never forget.

We got a prepaid taxi and headed off to the flat. My first taxi ride in this country is forever imprinted on my brain. Cows, pigs, people walking, bicycles and scooters darting in and out, constant horn blaring and at every stop someone asking for alms or trying to sell flowers, postcards, magazines. None of this has changed of course in the last 4 weeks but I guess my perception of it has. We think nothing of the start and stop traffic, noise, near misses with cows and bicycle rickshaws. We also navigated the airport like old pros.

This morning, Mike left for Kathmandu, Nepal to get his visa switched from a tourist visa to a work visa. Hopefully the transaction at the Indian Embassy there will go off without a hitch and he will head back on Saturday. He's hoping to get up into the mountains a little but time is limited. I am encouraging him to take a plane ride I read about that goes up into the mountains and around Everest. I am very jealous. I hope he takes a lot of pictures and I'll teach him how to add to this blog.

Mike will start teaching full time on Monday. He has been going in a few days a week to observe and do a little unofficial lessons but he is anxious to get started. He is hoping that the students will start to get used to him and start treating him like a regular teacher. The last time he was there he was surrounded by about 200 kids asking for autographs. He said it created a bit of a scene.

The kids and I are stuck in the flat for the afternoon today because they are fogging our area in Gurgaon for mosquitos. There have been many cases of Dengue fever here and in Delhi and now I read in the paper that there have been cases of Chikungunya (I had to look it up- also known as chicken guinea fever) here in Gurgaon. They are both caused by mosquitos and can have serious complications. We do take precautions but it is almost impossible to avoid being bit. We are protected from Malaria by the once weekly medication. I keep thinking of the law of averages in a city of 16 million. So far we are all remain healthy except for the occasional stomach upset. The situation should be better as things dry post monsoon.

Tomorrow we will head into the city for some more sight seeing and shopping. I have found it a little hard to make decisions while shopping because there are so many choices. Each region in India has some beautiful handicraft in which it specializes. I, of course, want one of everything. I am particularly overwhelmed by the choices of fabric-clothes, purses, scarves, wall hangings. Luckily I haven't been as mesmerized by the jewelry which is equally as beautiful. I'll save that for next trip.

Hope you enjoy the photos from Goa.
Look for more postings after Mike gets back from Nepal.

Old Goa- October 4

Se Cathedral and Church of St. Francis of Assisi
All of Old Goa is a UNESCO World Heritage site
Basilica of Bom Jesus- Holds the incorrupt body of St Francis Xavier
Altar at Basilica
The incorrupt body of St Francis Xaviar- said to be incorrupt because after he died in 1552 his body did not decompose in spite of 4 sacks of quicklime. This was deemed a miracle by the church and he was canonised in 1622. Unfortunately, holy relic hunters corrupted his remains in the early 1600's removing his internal organs and right arm. The rest of him is in this glass coffin and looks pretty mummyish.

 

Old Goa- October 4

Se Cathedral- built in 1560s by the Portugese
Altar
Altar
Mike at Se Cathedral

 

Quinn's Birthday- October 3

Happy Birthday Quinn
Yummy
Sweet 16

 

Beaches of Goa

Beach at Anjuna
Lots of stray dogs. We always managed to pick one up on every walk. This one we called Tito. He was with us for about two hours. He followed us back to the guest house but was then chased away by the resident dog.
Restaurant on the beach
Grant