Venice, Italy

Instead of flying straight back we took a slight detour to see a bit more of the world and break up the trip a bit. We flew from Chicago to London then to Venice, Italy. On route we weren't that excited about going and wondered why we chose Venice. It basically came down to the long list of European cities easily within reach on London and the flight coast. And the fact that Ted said this was it if I ever wanted to see Venice so there we were! The flight from Chicago to London was a decent flight, we left Chicago around 10 pm so we were ready to sleep once on board. Then in London we had checked some bags into storage and headed to London's Gatwick airport to board the flight to Venice. Once in Venice we boarded a water taxi and went to our destination. The directions were kind of vague, such things as walk for about 10 minutes to taxi stand, ride boat for about 30 minutes, walk about 7 minutes, etc. Ted masterfully found the way to our hotel even though it was dark! The kids were great with helping with the luggage. We were glad that we had left most of our luggage behind in London as there are lots of bridges in Venice. The hotel was a nice hotel that was built in the 1500's. We didn't head to Venice with any sort of agenda or schedule, we just wandered the city and toured a few sights. The history behind this city is just incredible and we didn't even begin to see a fraction of it! I loved the cobblestone streets, the beautiful bridges, the flower boxes hanging from windows, the dogs dressed in their coats, the ladies in their fur coats and hats, the lack of noise from cars and horns, the gondola ride, the people that just sang as they walked down the street, etc! The one thing that I did miss was grass....there isn't any grass anywhere. Well, except for the dog park that we passed but it smelled so strongly of urine that is wouldn't be enjoyable for anyone but a dog. We went to St. Mark's square which is famous for all the pigeons. We took some crackers to attrack them and eventually had pigeons all over us. Fortunatuly none of us got pooped on! From St. Mark's Square we toured the Saint Mark's Basilica which was incredible, it had beautiful pictures made out of mosaic tiles which each tile was no bigger than 1/4" . This Basilica was at once time the personal chapel for the ruler who lived in the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale di Venezia) which we also toured. The Palace stretched on forever and the kids really enjoyed seeing the prison. We decided that prisoners wouldn't have lasted the winters as we were very cold with our winter coats on! Probably the highlight for me was riding in the gondola and having the boatman sing to us in Italian. The views from the water were spectacular. One of the funniest moments we had was when we learned that cuddlefish was really a fish like we were thinking of. Ted and the boys decided to order a 2 course meal. The first course was seafood pasta. They thought this would be pretty safe, if there were creatures they didn't want to eat they could just pick them out. However it appeared the pasta only was served with clams in the shell. Ted and Logan ate most of theirs. Mason remembered learning about the anatomy of clams in biology class and decided that he really didn't want to eat them. Emily did take a bite just to say to tried clams! Then the second course came, Grilled Cuddlefish with fresh vegetables, we all assumed that the Cuddlefish was a type of fish but soon we learned that cuddlefish is a type of squid and had all the little tentacles and everything. I was glad I ordered plain pasta that night!

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Back in Chennai

We are back in Chennai as of around 4am this morning and feeling quite exhausted. Friends managed to keep us awake quite late tonight so hopefully we will all get a good nights sleep. I am hoping to post photos of Venice, Italy tomorrow.

One year ago today

It is so hard to believe that one year ago today (January 2, 2008) we loaded up 23 bags, 3 kids and a dog and drove to Chicago to begin our journey to India! I can't believe how quickly the time has went. I was so distraught about the move I thought for sure it would be miserable, but it has been an experience of a lifetime! I look back at the year and see the things we have learned. I will forever be so thankful that we were brave enough and trusted God to see us through our time in India. We have had a delightful time home in the US this holiday season and it is quickly coming to an end. The kids have had the chance to have lots of sleepovers and play dates with friends. Ted and I also have had the chance to visit with many friends. This was a very hectic time and not quite as relaxing as this summer. It is a bittersweet feeling to leave. I miss the life and friends in India but when we are back in India I too will miss the life and friends here in Princeville. Every time we head back to India I worry about how the kids will readjust. I think that everyone is a little sad to head back and I pray the feelings will be short lived. I have tried to explain to them that living in India is a just a season in our lives, hopefully in the end we will all bear more beautiful fruit. I am so thankful for the ways in which we can communicate with friends and family and it makes us not seem so far away. So please keep up with the emails and phone calls (hint, hint) and for of those of you with web cams lets make use them this year!

As I look back on the past year hear is an interesting list I put together of things I have learned, observed or miss while being in India:

converting rupees to US dollars comes naturally
keeping an eye on the exchange rate
learning how much a stone is in pounds
talking about economic policies over lunch with friends
leaving early due to flooded roads
not having to carry in my groceries or unpack the bags
when the lights go out expect the generator on within minutes
using bottled water to brush my teeth
carrying toilet paper in my purse
stopping by five star hotels just to use the restroom
having someone else walk my dog
discussing how many cups equals 400 grams of flour
What is the difference between strong flour and maida
learning what maida is
cooking in Celsius
sending the drive out to get a fresh chicken but specify I do not want the head or feet attached
remember what days the Muslims go to mosque and plan my shopping accordingly
ordering my meat over the phone and having it delivered
buying milk by the case and keeping it in the pantry
having the electrician and plumber here at least once a month
having someone follow you constantly in a store
always asking for the best price
making sure there isn't poop (all kinds) outside the car door!
weaving around cows and goats on the road
asking if we can get a baby water buffalo
buying only carrots with the tops still on
learning that avocados are called butter fruit in India
looking forward to grape and orange season
hearing all sorts of languages that I can't understand
convincing the locals that hens will lay eggs without a rooster
trying to understand why the hens won't eat carrot peels like US hens
not throwing any food in the trash
expanding my cooking abilities and being creative
not getting junk mail
not having to put gas in the van
not having to put on coats, mittens or boots
having my kitchen cleaned up when I am done baking or cooking
learning British phases and what they mean
realizing that only American's celebrate Thanksgiving
meeting people from all over the world
thinking that a 7 hour plane ride is fairly short
seeing men urinating at the side of the road is natural
belching is acceptable...a bit difficult when I correct a child for belching just after the driver let one out!
never carrying any keys
not being able to turn on western music on the radio
travel, travel, travel....need I say more?
disappointed when I didn't get to take a photo of the cobra that went over our wall
learn about Hindu holidays and rituals
discussing the daily schedule and task to Bhaskar every morning
learning how to text on a mobile phone

Our Christmas Memories

We had a wonderful Christmas day. The kids enjoyed opening their gifts. After a wonderful breakfast we all headed out for a walk through the woods. It was just beautiful. There was nice snow and the woods were just beautiful. Attached is a slide show of some activities prior to Christmas day and our walk on Christmas day. We then feasted on some delicious Beef Prime rib for our Christmas dinner. Enjoy the photos!

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The Green Christmas

The weekend before Christmas we gathered at Ted's parents in Crawfordsville to celebrate Christmas. Everyone was there except our nephew Jacob who recently enlisted in the Navy. We had a great time visiting with everyone.

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Merry Christmas

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Some photos from London

We have been back in the US for almost 2 weeks and I am finally getting around to post some photos from London. We had a great time seeing the sights and visiting with my brother Scott and his wife Jenny. It was a rushed weekend but we saw as much as we could see! We toured the London Tower, walked on the London Tower Bridge, saw the Parliament and Big Ben, toured Westminster Abby, visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum, rode the London Eye, visited the Marble Arch and walked through Trafalgar Square. London was a really neat city and we hope to someday have more time to see the sites.

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