Getting scammed....and a train ride...

A couple days ago, S went to get his eyes checked and was prescribed glasses...they charged Rs. 8000 for them!  When he told me, i had another one of those "are you kidding me!?" moments.  It had to be because he's a "foreigner".  He paid Rs.1000 as a deposit and has to pay the balance when he picks up the glasses.  Today he went to go ask them to cancel the order and get the money back.  I'll let you guess if that happened.  Of course, when we want something right away, they say it'll take a while.  But when we want our money back..then "the order has already been put through..."  What a crock!  I've "advised" him to get his prescription and get whatever glasses he might need back at home.  That's ridiculous - Rs.8000!  What a scam!  We're out Rs.1000 and will just chalk it up to the charge of a very steep eye exam.

The afternoon was spent packing for our trip - the taxi was there by 4:15 to get us on the 5:40 p.m. train.  Well, needless to say, we had plenty of time to explore the platform...B was getting pretty antsy to get on the train. This was a 13 hour ride...as expected, we heard a lot of "are we there yet?"s.

Once we were on the train, it was novel for the kids.  B enjoyed climbing up and down the berths, and J had fun "surfing" the train...his balance has improved in the last couple hours.  We did indulge the kids by buying snacks from the vendors.  I always wanted them when i was a kid...so of course, this was a little for me too, (now that i could afford it by myself) but my kids are a good excuse.  We also had "train coffee" - it's a lot different from when i was a kid with the little clay pots and the quality has plummeted...still it was fun for the experience.  I'll probably get it again once on the way back, but it has fallen from it's pedestal.  I used to love the coffee they served on trains, it was always the only thing i wanted.

I dread going to the bathroom on trains.  As a kid, i was always worried, i'd fall through...yes! they're squatties.  There is actually no septic tank...it's just a hole in the floor of the train.  During the day, you can see the train tracks below.  (S says he remembers when Amtrak used to be like that, until they went "green")  And the train is constantly in motion, therefore, there's no stability.  During times of "turbulance" you're hanging on for dear life while trying not to wet yourself.  (Pardon the mental picture, but you need it to understand the trepidation of such an endeavor).  Putting all these factors together, of course, as a kid your fear is very real.  If you fall through, not only will you die...but there is the larger fear of missing your ride and getting lost (if you survive).

As an adult, i'm not so much afraid of being swallowed by the potty as i am of the sanitary conditions and the spatial dimensions.  It's like going in a squatty outhouse, the size of an airplane bathroom, that is constantly in motion...i'll leave it at that.  Well, now there's the added factor of being a parent...and having to take your kid to the bathroom..so the two of you have to fit.  Like that wasn't enough...this time we had a plugged sink drain.  

Mental picture time: B needs to go to the bathroom bad.  We didn't notice the plugged sink and by the time we maneuver both of us into the stall and shut the door, it's too late to turn back.  B's about to squat, when the train hits a rough patch.  The water from the sink starts sloshing out - wave after wave of nasty water aimed right at her head.  So...we're trying to get as far away from the sink as possible (less than a foot)  and i'm trying to shield her while she's screaming that she needs to go.  Well, she goes and i'm all wet from the sink water...but fortunately, it's all empty for the next customer.  Gross! GRoss! GROss! GROSs! GROSS!  Worse...i have to stay in these clothes until we get to my aunt's house...tomorrow morning!   Which means, i have to sleep in them tonight!  (Apologies for the extensive use of exclaimation points).


S and i had the kids sharing the berth with us...S had J and I got B (did U get that?)...we're not getting much sleep tonight.  Even though this is an air conditioned boogie (car), the air conditioning only reaches a couple people...who freeze..while the rest of us sweat. 


The night was also interrupted by the train stops where we picked up more passengers...we still had two empty berths in our block (sleeps 8).  During one of the stops, my dad had a skirmish with the TT (conductor) about my berth.  (I guess testosterone will fly any time of day or night.)  My bad...no one was in it when we went to bed, so i hopped in instead of climbing to the top...where my ticket indicated.  Who knew that they'd need it at 11:30 at night.)  The TT thought we were occupying more berths than we paid for, but after doing a count of the empty berths and seeing our ticket, he was satisfied...and let me stay.


Are we there yet?

Another relaxing day

Well, i'm definitely on the mend...although, i've been having dizzy spells all day, probably from not eating much the last couple days.  I'm eating now...just had a chappati with curry - yum. Working on getting the kids into a regular eating/sleeping pattern...but why bother, just when we get something settled, they have one of these weekends.

Tomorrow we're off to an aunt's house in another town...about a 12 hour train ride.  She's the youngest on my mom's side and is also taking care of her mom, my grandmother.  Don't know when we'll be coming here next and if my grandmother will still be alive then...so taking this opportunity to introduce her to J and hopefully B will remember her this time around.

BRAT

Stayed at home and recouped from the weekend.  The kids especially needed a rest.  I was pretty good about sticking to toast, curd rice (rice with homemade yogurt) and chappatis (flat wheat bread).  I'm on the mend...yippee.  Surprised that no else suffered from the "Andhra" curry...but then again, S took some preventive measures when he saw the effects on me.  Kids are unharmed...although J hasn't fully recovered from last time.  But he has his appetite and that's always a good sign.

What a day...

Well, after last night's dinner...let's just say i relapsed.  Without a doubt, i can trace it back to the "Andhra" fish curry.  Argh...last night was not pleasant.

Today my dad had four shoebox gift distributions scheduled.  I think sometimes he forgets he's not a teenager anymore...that kind of schedule is exhausting.  He left in the morning and got home around 4:30 after only two... and we were leaving at 4:30 p.m. for the next two.  Normally, we all don't go, but after the second one, we were invited for dinner...so off we went.  Well, the rest of them went, i decided to stay home because of my "delicate" system.  Actually, they went to the one and came and picked me up between the two...i felt bad that this family had wanted to host us and it seemed rude not to go.  Better to go and eat very little, than not go at all. 

This was a long program...i'm not sure any kids can sit through it, much less our kids, especially when it was all in Telugu.  It must get really monotonous to do this everyday, multiple times a day...

They gather the kids around, then talk about: 

- Samaritan's Purse and the number of kids in America that put together these shoebox gifts

- the different between a gift and a prize and the gift of love and salvation.  

- go through the 10 commandments

- any special guests of honor get to talk a little too

- roll call for the kids that enrolled to get a gift

- lining them up and getting the gifts sorted for their specs

- then come the handing out of gifts and photo ops...

Even the adults were getting restless.  Well, kids will sit through it...but not quietly.

The dinner was delicious...especially the biryani.  I did end up tasting it and it was beyond yummy! wish i could have had more.  Tomorrow it's only BRAT for me...well, all minus the apple sauce.   We're going to be on the road in a couple days, i need to get all sorted by then.

Shopping...again

We did go shopping again today and yes, we did capture the experience in pictures.  Although this also was "indian" shopping, it wasn't the "off the street" shopping that is a daily occurrence.  Today was more of an outing.  Like making a quick stop at Target (yesterday) vs. going to IKEA (today)  IKEA is never a "quick run" for me...i like browsing there. 

Both B and myself needed different anklets as hers were too small and mine were worn and coming apart.  Not totally happy - i liked what i had the best, but am ok with it...until the next time.  Everyone felt sorry for B with all the red welts on her arms from the mosquito bites.  She milked it! =D

Since this place is mostly a fabric store, S and Dad and J weren't too excited...and eventually B lost interest too.  This is a mom and me thing.  S and Dad were relegated to being babysitters, which is not easy in a store.  Thank goodness J exuded enough cuteness for people not to be too bothered by him.  OK...so i've learned my lesson - no shopping with the kids for longer than 30 minutes.  It's probably easier for S and Dad to watch them at home - i'll have to remember that for next time.  S was able to participate a little - we got a few shirts for him, and a scarf.  We also got more fabric to make B some outfits (the mosquitoes are relentless here) to cover her arms and legs.  Knowing it was going to be warm, i only got one pair of pants for her (for traveling), but she needs some linen pants to keep her legs covered and cool.  Nothing decent here...so we're going to have to make some.  J seems to have "yucky" blood - the blood suckers aren't bothering him too much.  It would be very hard to keep him from itching. 

After shopping we decided to grab dinner before heading home.  Dad knew a place he wanted to go nearby, but didn't know the exact location, just the general direction.  We walked a ways and then Dad decided to check it out on his own.  So, here we are, Mom, myself, S, B and J...standing aimlessly on the side of the road waiting for some signal from my dad.  Many auto rickshaws (taxis) meandered our way hoping for clients, but we disappointed them.  There was a restaurant right across the street from us and after waiting a while we were tempted to can Dad's idea and just go in...but we had no way of letting Dad know the change of plans.  Dad had his heart set on whatever place he had in mind...so we indulged him.  After about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes Dad came back and said, he had found the place.  It was the one across the street!!!   Argh...we could have ordered and started eating by then...the kids were not happy.  You just have to roll your eyes on this one. 

They said it was family friendly, but of course, it was a nice sit down place with glass flatware, linen napkins, overpriced dishes and waiters who were getting paid to watch tv.  We ordered kebabs as appetizers - they were good and the kids loved them.  We also ordered chicken biryani, mutton curry and (by Dad's request) Andhra fish curry.  

SIDE NOTE: If something is labeled "Andhra whatever" it's going to be spicy...i mean, really spicy.  The kind where just taking a spoon won't help, you have to practically drown yourself in yogurt.  "Andhra" is just another word of "you can't feel your tongue" spicy.  I know - my family is from Andhra and my dad's side of the family cooks "Andhra" style.  We couldn't drink enough water!

After the kebabs, the rest of the meal was a bust.  Once we'd had a taste of the fish curry, we couldn't taste anything else.  Plus - and my biggest grievance - they charged us Rs. 150 for plain white rice!!!  That's like charging for water - you don't charge for rice...it should come with the curry.  The rotis were Rs. 20-25...we should have just ordered that.  This was insane!!!  Of course, we wouldn't find out until after we'd eaten and got the check.  But i made sure they knew my sentiments in their "comments" card.  Told them if we ever came again, we'd be sure to bring our own rice.  This is India - you don't charge for plain rice!  Biryani, fine...pulao fine...fried rice...fine - but plain, unseasoned, white, rice - are you kidding me! 

Ok...i'm done...need to get my heart ready for church tomorrow (that's not going to be fun)

Nice naps

The kids seem to nap a lot better here in India for some reason.  They sleep a lot longer without waking up peridically (unlike in Seattle).  We think it's because Thatha and Amama's home feels quite comfortable, balancing the outside warmth with soft electric fans and thick concrete walls, ceilings, and floors to keep the temperature down.  It's been in the 90's lately....folks feel summer is arriving early.  But inside our home, it's very nice.  Under similar weather conditions in Seattle, our home there would be a stifling oven.

Shopping

This day would look a lot more interesting if i had pictures to go along with it...but i don't. Mom and I and one of her friends went shopping. I think i was invited because they needed a pack mule...but whatever. I know shopping doesn't sound that exciting, but it was fun for me...we did it Indian style and in my old neighborhood. Things have really developed since we lived there...there's even a KFC and Subway within walking distance from our old house.

We bought:

- flip flops for J (he's "stealing" everyone else), myself and Sam (they don't fit, so we'll have to get him some other ones)

- cloth to make cloth diapers for J (have to be exchanged since it actually might be cheaper in Wal-Mart)

- fabric to make little cotton long sleeve "petticoats" for B - to keep her arms covered from the mosquitoes and still keep her cool

- sappotas...yum!

- and looked at some furniture for my parents

It was nice to get something practical done, but boy...was it hot outside...i think 1 1/2 hours is about all we can handle outside in the middle of the day. We thought about bringing B along, but she wouldn't have been able to handle the walk or the sun. Glad she stayed at home...

While we were buying sappotas i wish i'd had a camera...but if i have a camera then i also loose my bargaining power since it shows i have "money"...problem.  Solution: cell phone camera.  Brilliant!  Even the fruit vendors have mobiles...so it's not a big deal to carry mine around.  Yeah, problem solved.  There'll be pics from the next time we go shopping again.

Bath In A Bucket, Part 2

A sequel to "Bath In A Bucket", starring "J"!

On the mend...

Well...S is much better.  I tried some cheese last night...not a good idea, but am better today.  J is the only one that is really out of it today...i guess it's his turn.  He's only had water, but at least he's drinking something...and he had a couple pieces of toast...so we'll see.  We have been shoving some glucose biscuits (comparable to crackers) at him...and he's been eating them...yeah

Also gave the kids haircuts...the weather is getting quite warm here...in the 90's.  There's a couple spots where J moved, hopefully it'll grow out soon.  B kept changing her mind...first Mulan, then Belle, then Jasmine...she doesn't know that no matter what she wants, it'll always end up as whatever Mommy wants.

This evening we went for a walk to my "close" aunt's house.  It was good to get out of the house.  Because of the bug, we haven't left the house in a few days and i think the kids had cabin fever.  Getting out was nice...we saw a mummy pig and her piglets and lots of dogs.  What an education for B!  

I visited the beauty parlor - they're all over the place and they're only for "ladies" in case men get any ideas.  It was nice to get a little pampering for quite a reasonable price.  Yeah...wish i could come here more often than once every three years.  S and the kids hung out there...B and J watched "Finding Nemo" for a bit and S and my uncle watched some T.V.  All in all a good day.  

J allowed me to feed him a few bites of plain white rice, which is a vast improvement since yesterday... he's getting better... This thing has taken us out for an entire week...here's to a fun weekend.

It's S turn

I feel a little better today...still a little weak, but better.  S, however, is knocked out.  He's been in bed all day without eating anything.  This bug is really kicking our butts.  My mom made a little tapioca pudding which is supposed to help...he says he felt a little better after that and some coconut water (fresh out of a coconut). 

Dad was fine after he woke up, so i think he's on the mend.  Hopefully this is only a 24 hour bug...  I thought J would be fine, but he wasn't...just a little delayed.  He has no appetite now, so i hope he'll be ok overnight...he's been playing fine, so didn't think he'd be affected.  

We've narrowed it down to the lunch we had at church...the catered lunch.  Mom didn't go to church with us, so she didn't have the lunch...and she's the only one that hasn't had this bug.  Also, we've heard that a few other people from church are also "sick"...well, what conclusion would you come to?