On Friday, they had a "Parent's Day Out" event at the school. It was quite an impressive affair. They have a large sports complex room and they set up a 20 stalls for different grades from kindergarten through 5th grade. They sold food (ice scream, pani puri, bel puri, etc..) and then they had games setup at other stalls. I was quite impressed with how quickly they were able to pull this together only 3 weeks after school had started. I got to meet some new parents and meet some parents I had already met. They also setup races and tug of war events outside. The school has a lot of focus on teaching through practical life, Rushil had his first field trip 1 week back to a book store and McDonalds and Sindhura has her first field trip on Tuesday at Cubbon Park.
Homework wise, Sindhura gets some decent amount of homework every day. I sometimes supplement the math but all in all, I'm happy with content. They don't seem to write as much as they used to at her school in California but I'll need to give it more time to assess. Rushil is having it easy though which is a good thing, I don't think I'd be able to handle a stressful academic year for him.
Rushil got invited to his first birthday party through his school . It took place at Palm Meadows (in case folks are not aware, Palm Meadows is where the majority of the expats stay in Bangalore.) The family hired an entertainer who setup all the decorations (Spiderman theme, Rushil was thrilled). It was pretty much like a birthday party in the US except all the entertainers were Indian. It was a nice way to connect with other parents in Rushil's class.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Worms in the food?
Rushil had an asthma attack last week and stayed at home for 2 days. We went to see a doctor for Rushil's asthma and at his office, he had an article about how 90% of the children in Karnataka were anemic. I asked him why and he said that over 60% of the Indian population does not use toilets. Because of this, worms collect in the farm land and they lay eggs. The farm produce has quite a few worms and no matter how much washing we do, it's not sufficient and often we end up with worms in our stomach and therefore become anemic. Hence they recommend that everyone take de-worming medicine every 6 months to avoid become anemic and having other problems.... When I found about this, I told Prasad that if I knew about this before, I'm not sure I would have moved... just kidding :-) Another interesting point is that India has the higest rate in the world of people that don't use toilets even higher than Pakistan and Bangladesh. I was talking to an environmental friend of mine here in India and it seems it is a cultural issue in the rural areas. Many of them would prefer to defecate outside than use toilets as they find it difficult to maintain the toilets and find this is a cleaner option for them so it's difficult to convince them otherwise.
Going back to Rushil, we need to get him a nebulizer as the inhaler he had was not sufficient. I ended up purchasing one since I needed to buy all the tubing anyway, as I was not very confident that the nebulizer equipment the dr's offices had were very clean. Even the doctor recommended I buy a kit and use it whenever I needed to and dispose of it every month or so just so I don't need to worry about any bacteria collecting in it.
Going back to Rushil, we need to get him a nebulizer as the inhaler he had was not sufficient. I ended up purchasing one since I needed to buy all the tubing anyway, as I was not very confident that the nebulizer equipment the dr's offices had were very clean. Even the doctor recommended I buy a kit and use it whenever I needed to and dispose of it every month or so just so I don't need to worry about any bacteria collecting in it.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Quest for a tailor
My mother and I wanted to get a pavada stitched for my brother's daughter Ahisha. After wondering around Commercial Street, one sari shop owner put us out of our misery and informed us that Nalli's is probably the best place to get pavada material and he was right. Our next quest was to find a tailor. Although I did find one a few weeks back on Commercial Street, I was in no mood to go back there and also it's quite a bit of a drive to pick up the items again. So we decided to search for a tailor in Koramangala. Usually in the past, I had a relative that would guide us in this area but my mother and I decided to find one near the hotel. My mother and I decided to venture the small streets behind our hotel. It was my first experience of wandering about without a driver and into the local community. In a small stretch of a 1 km, I found 5 tailors, I was quite surprised. Ofcourse the first 4 refused me but the last tailor took pity and agreed to get the pavada stitched by the next day. Of course when I arrived there, she had not even started and I had to pick up the item that day. So I went back 2 hours later and she was still stitching the item and I had to wait a whole hour till she was done. The tailor shop was run by an older couple. The husband spoke English but his wife only spoke Kannada making it a big difficult for us to communicate. They had 2 daughters and the father proudly said that his daughter was getting her computer programming degree via correspondence. He really wanted his two daughters to succeed and was doing whatever he could within his means. Anyway, the whole experience was fun but when I gave him more items to stitch later on, he was so delayed in getting them and we were moving to our house so I took the items back so I can get the stitched at a tailor shop near our new home.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Shastipoorthi and Sarathy and Seema's Babies
We celebrated my father's 65th birthday and my mother's upcoming 60th birthday in Hyderabad last weekend. There was quite a bit of anxiety and stress leading up to the event but we had a wonderful time at the actual celebration. We were fortunate to have met many relatives whom I had not seen in at least 5 years and some even more than that. My parents sat through 3+ hours of a pujas, vedic chanting and then followed by garland exchanges .
It was a special day for another reason. My brother's twin daughter and son were also born the day before and we found out about the deliver the same day as the shastipoorthi. We were all so esctatic to hear the news and shared it with everyone at the shastipoorthi function.
Women in India
The other day, Prasad mentionnned that there is a curfew for women working at IT companies and that women must leave the workplace by 7pm. At his company, someone from security makes an announcement at 7pm as a reminder that the women should leave. Apparently, this was imposed due to an incident that happened to a woman a few years ago at an IT company. This is a really big deal and companies can be in violation if they don't adhere to the rules. Call centers and tech support centers make exceptions due to the nature of their business but they are required to make proper transport arrangements for the women when they take the night shifts.
In general, security of women is a big topic in Bangalore. There is an article related to this topic at least once or twice and week. Just yesterday, they were discussing whether Bangalore was any less safer for women than any of the other big cities in the India especially for women working at BPOs (I believe call centers)
I read an article in the newspaper the other day that a government group was recommending that all cameras and video capabilities on cell phones in India be banned to protect the security of women.
Today the big headline in Bangalore is that they will allow women bartenders to practice their skills. Until now, apparently, women were not allowed to bartend. Ofcourse, the biggest concern was that the bar should provide good security for the women. This topic was discussed over two pages in the newspaper.
I remember one day, coming back from the tailor shop at 8PM and walking back to my hotel. The tailor shop was located in the back streets in a quite a well lit area with lots of other shops. Once it got dark, there were hardly any women about and to be honest, I felt very uncomfortable because there so many men roaming the streets and the whole atmosphere of the area changed during my one hour wait at the tailor shop. I really didn't feel safe and just kept my head down and kept walking.
A non-security related women topic, but I went for a tax information session and found out that women are taxed less then men up to a certain salary and then women are taxed the same. I was pleasantly surprised to see this and asked the consultant why this was and she had no idea...
And apparently, women bartenders can possibly make double the amount of money as a male one, surprising, surprising!
In general, security of women is a big topic in Bangalore. There is an article related to this topic at least once or twice and week. Just yesterday, they were discussing whether Bangalore was any less safer for women than any of the other big cities in the India especially for women working at BPOs (I believe call centers)
I read an article in the newspaper the other day that a government group was recommending that all cameras and video capabilities on cell phones in India be banned to protect the security of women.
Today the big headline in Bangalore is that they will allow women bartenders to practice their skills. Until now, apparently, women were not allowed to bartend. Ofcourse, the biggest concern was that the bar should provide good security for the women. This topic was discussed over two pages in the newspaper.
I remember one day, coming back from the tailor shop at 8PM and walking back to my hotel. The tailor shop was located in the back streets in a quite a well lit area with lots of other shops. Once it got dark, there were hardly any women about and to be honest, I felt very uncomfortable because there so many men roaming the streets and the whole atmosphere of the area changed during my one hour wait at the tailor shop. I really didn't feel safe and just kept my head down and kept walking.
A non-security related women topic, but I went for a tax information session and found out that women are taxed less then men up to a certain salary and then women are taxed the same. I was pleasantly surprised to see this and asked the consultant why this was and she had no idea...
And apparently, women bartenders can possibly make double the amount of money as a male one, surprising, surprising!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The first 6 weeks
My first blog is a long one, hopefully I'll blog more often and the rest of them will be short.
We still sort of feel like we're on vacation, well at least I do since I'm the only one still at home now, the kids and Prasad are back to their schedules. My parents, sister/her family, my cousin/family and his parents have been here so it feels more like our past India trips rather than us moving here. The kids had a great time with their cousins. My sister has left today and we'll be going to Hyderabad this weekend so after we're back and move to our rental house, I'll feel like we're really living here. We're still staying at a service apartment but since we have a kitchen, I have been to the large grocery stores and the small vegetable markets. They even have an organic vegetable store called Namdharis, it reminds me a little of Trader Joes.
The malls in Bangalore are just wonderful. The have a play area for the kids in most of the malls so the kids love going to the mall, they have good food courts, so Prasad doesn't mind going and the shopping although expensive is lots of fun and the best part is that the restrooms are clean.
Our house/apartment search: We really debated on whether we should live in an apartment or a home. One apartment which seemed very ideal and we nearly closed on was situated right next to a lake which hosts the treated sewage in Bangalore. When the wind blows in a certain direction, you get a good whiff of the sewage. We finally settled on a home in a gated community. The community has a decent club house and pool and it’s situated close to our work and school and although it is above our budget it doesn’t break our bank like Palm Meadows so it seemed ideal. We’ll move in a few weeks.
Buying a car. As you all probably know, someone will come to your home to help you with pretty much anything. Other than the usual cook, driver, housekeeper, delivery of groceries, there are other not so usual services that are provided such as the bank will send someone to your home to a open a bank account. And the car dealer will come to your home to test drive the vehicle, he will come to your place to sign the papers and he will then deliver the car to your home!! I could get used to this. We’re planning to buy a Toyota Innova.
First day of school – August 11th : It went surprisingingly well. Sindhu and Rushil are attending an international school and Monday was their first day. Rushil was very nervous and apprehensive. He cried a little when we dropped him off but overall it went well. Sindhura was looking forward to going back to school and making some new friends. She and Rushil managed to find their bus for their return journey and they came back on their own. All the schools have school buses that pick up and drop off the children. It really is wonderful and saves the parents gas and a whole lot of time. Sindhu has been taken her role has a big sister seriously and dutifully drops off and picks up Rushil at his classroom. Sindhu found a friend that just moved from Palo Alto, she's half American and half Canadian :-) Rushil also made a friend but in typical male fashion, they never exchanged names. On his 2nd day, he happily went into this classroom with no tears and no fuss. He even brought in a Hanuman book and the teacher obliged and read the book to the class, he was thrilled!
I was a little worried about Rushil's food allergies but luckily there are 2 other boys with nut allergies so the teacher is taking special precautions. The kindergarten (Prep II) class seems a little chaotic so I'm still nervous about his allergies but I guess we'll see how it goes. The school provides all meals including breakfast :-) The food is pretty good , they have Indian and Continental options. Sindhu has to wear a uniform, I'll send you pics when she gets her formal attire, right now she only has her PE outfit.
Today I met a woman from France who has a 6th grader who does not speak a word of English. They just arrived a week ago. I think the adjustment Sindhura and Rushil have to go through is nothing compared to hers. Sindhu did say at the end of the day that she misses her friends back at home, It'll take some time but she’s on the right path. Today she made another new friend from Sri Lanka whose father is a pilot at King Fisher Airlines.
It's quite interesting to meet parents from the school, they all have such interesting backgrounds. There are quite a few Indians (non NRIs) that also attend the school which I didn't expect. Today I met a woman who opened an Indian designer clothing store in Whitefield, I will have to check it out :-)
The school had an all day session for the parents last weekend to educate us on their philosphy. They are very open to parental input and involvement. They have many functions, sport days, and solicit parental involvement which I really liked. They place a large emphasis on community service. As part of their curriculum, the children will be teaming up with children from less fortunate schools and ophanages which I was quite impressed with as.
Our Mysore/Nagarhole trip : My sister/family and all of us took a trip to Mysore and Nagarhole National Park last week. As soon as you leave Bangalore, there is quite a cultural difference. Most of the women wear Indian attire unlike in Bangalore where it's not necessary to even own Indian clothing. I was hoping to really expand my Indian wardrobe but I can't seem to justify it since I can manage with Western clothing. Don’t worry I’m not holding back that much, I should really go back to work as I actually have to time to shop now. Anyway back to Mysore. We visited some temples, palaces, saw lots of monkeys, we did some souvenir shopping. I have finally collected some interesting pieces for my Gollu/Bommalu Koluvu/Doll display during Dassera. The children experienced their first Indian style latrine at one of the rest areas. I liked Mysore, the city has a charm and with all the beautiful palace buildings, it's makes for a quaint town. My sister and I squeezed in an ayurvedic massage at the Indus Ayurvedic Center. I highly recommend it. I felt wonderful after the massage. I also had a ayurvedic massage at Nagarhole park and I'm now an ayurvedic convert. I'm going to convert to ayurvedic beauty products. . We stayed 2 nights at the Kabini River lodge at Nagarhole National Park and I highly recommend this place. It was a beautiful park, all the meals were served at the resort and the food was good. We went on a few safari rides and saw spotted deer, sambars, elephants, a leopard, exotic birds, and monkeys (they were at the lodge and were causing some havoc there too :-)) This park is a tiger reserve and although we saw tiger tracks, we were not fortunate enough to see a tiger. What I liked best about this resort was how organized they were, they had a schedule which they stuck to and the park rangers were very passionate about their work which was great to see. We're definitely looking forward to doing a lot more travelling over the next couple of years.
We went to see a Hindi movie (Jaane Tu Jaane Na) the first week we were here and to my horror they didn’t have subtitles :-( but we still enjoyed the movie. Prasad had to translate for Sindhura and I but it just isn't the same. The movie was cute and we enjoyed it just the same, but I'll be watching it again with subtitles. I'm planning to take a Hindi class while I'm here so I can get around this problem.
In case anyone is wondering, I'll be going back to work on October 15th.
We still sort of feel like we're on vacation, well at least I do since I'm the only one still at home now, the kids and Prasad are back to their schedules. My parents, sister/her family, my cousin/family and his parents have been here so it feels more like our past India trips rather than us moving here. The kids had a great time with their cousins. My sister has left today and we'll be going to Hyderabad this weekend so after we're back and move to our rental house, I'll feel like we're really living here. We're still staying at a service apartment but since we have a kitchen, I have been to the large grocery stores and the small vegetable markets. They even have an organic vegetable store called Namdharis, it reminds me a little of Trader Joes.
The malls in Bangalore are just wonderful. The have a play area for the kids in most of the malls so the kids love going to the mall, they have good food courts, so Prasad doesn't mind going and the shopping although expensive is lots of fun and the best part is that the restrooms are clean.
Our house/apartment search: We really debated on whether we should live in an apartment or a home. One apartment which seemed very ideal and we nearly closed on was situated right next to a lake which hosts the treated sewage in Bangalore. When the wind blows in a certain direction, you get a good whiff of the sewage. We finally settled on a home in a gated community. The community has a decent club house and pool and it’s situated close to our work and school and although it is above our budget it doesn’t break our bank like Palm Meadows so it seemed ideal. We’ll move in a few weeks.
Buying a car. As you all probably know, someone will come to your home to help you with pretty much anything. Other than the usual cook, driver, housekeeper, delivery of groceries, there are other not so usual services that are provided such as the bank will send someone to your home to a open a bank account. And the car dealer will come to your home to test drive the vehicle, he will come to your place to sign the papers and he will then deliver the car to your home!! I could get used to this. We’re planning to buy a Toyota Innova.
First day of school – August 11th : It went surprisingingly well. Sindhu and Rushil are attending an international school and Monday was their first day. Rushil was very nervous and apprehensive. He cried a little when we dropped him off but overall it went well. Sindhura was looking forward to going back to school and making some new friends. She and Rushil managed to find their bus for their return journey and they came back on their own. All the schools have school buses that pick up and drop off the children. It really is wonderful and saves the parents gas and a whole lot of time. Sindhu has been taken her role has a big sister seriously and dutifully drops off and picks up Rushil at his classroom. Sindhu found a friend that just moved from Palo Alto, she's half American and half Canadian :-) Rushil also made a friend but in typical male fashion, they never exchanged names. On his 2nd day, he happily went into this classroom with no tears and no fuss. He even brought in a Hanuman book and the teacher obliged and read the book to the class, he was thrilled!
I was a little worried about Rushil's food allergies but luckily there are 2 other boys with nut allergies so the teacher is taking special precautions. The kindergarten (Prep II) class seems a little chaotic so I'm still nervous about his allergies but I guess we'll see how it goes. The school provides all meals including breakfast :-) The food is pretty good , they have Indian and Continental options. Sindhu has to wear a uniform, I'll send you pics when she gets her formal attire, right now she only has her PE outfit.
Today I met a woman from France who has a 6th grader who does not speak a word of English. They just arrived a week ago. I think the adjustment Sindhura and Rushil have to go through is nothing compared to hers. Sindhu did say at the end of the day that she misses her friends back at home, It'll take some time but she’s on the right path. Today she made another new friend from Sri Lanka whose father is a pilot at King Fisher Airlines.
It's quite interesting to meet parents from the school, they all have such interesting backgrounds. There are quite a few Indians (non NRIs) that also attend the school which I didn't expect. Today I met a woman who opened an Indian designer clothing store in Whitefield, I will have to check it out :-)
The school had an all day session for the parents last weekend to educate us on their philosphy. They are very open to parental input and involvement. They have many functions, sport days, and solicit parental involvement which I really liked. They place a large emphasis on community service. As part of their curriculum, the children will be teaming up with children from less fortunate schools and ophanages which I was quite impressed with as.
Our Mysore/Nagarhole trip : My sister/family and all of us took a trip to Mysore and Nagarhole National Park last week. As soon as you leave Bangalore, there is quite a cultural difference. Most of the women wear Indian attire unlike in Bangalore where it's not necessary to even own Indian clothing. I was hoping to really expand my Indian wardrobe but I can't seem to justify it since I can manage with Western clothing. Don’t worry I’m not holding back that much, I should really go back to work as I actually have to time to shop now. Anyway back to Mysore. We visited some temples, palaces, saw lots of monkeys, we did some souvenir shopping. I have finally collected some interesting pieces for my Gollu/Bommalu Koluvu/Doll display during Dassera. The children experienced their first Indian style latrine at one of the rest areas. I liked Mysore, the city has a charm and with all the beautiful palace buildings, it's makes for a quaint town. My sister and I squeezed in an ayurvedic massage at the Indus Ayurvedic Center. I highly recommend it. I felt wonderful after the massage. I also had a ayurvedic massage at Nagarhole park and I'm now an ayurvedic convert. I'm going to convert to ayurvedic beauty products. . We stayed 2 nights at the Kabini River lodge at Nagarhole National Park and I highly recommend this place. It was a beautiful park, all the meals were served at the resort and the food was good. We went on a few safari rides and saw spotted deer, sambars, elephants, a leopard, exotic birds, and monkeys (they were at the lodge and were causing some havoc there too :-)) This park is a tiger reserve and although we saw tiger tracks, we were not fortunate enough to see a tiger. What I liked best about this resort was how organized they were, they had a schedule which they stuck to and the park rangers were very passionate about their work which was great to see. We're definitely looking forward to doing a lot more travelling over the next couple of years.
We went to see a Hindi movie (Jaane Tu Jaane Na) the first week we were here and to my horror they didn’t have subtitles :-( but we still enjoyed the movie. Prasad had to translate for Sindhura and I but it just isn't the same. The movie was cute and we enjoyed it just the same, but I'll be watching it again with subtitles. I'm planning to take a Hindi class while I'm here so I can get around this problem.
In case anyone is wondering, I'll be going back to work on October 15th.
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