Jamma & Pop-Pop Come To Visit

Our first family members to come and visit us in India were Matt's parents, Jamma and Pop-Pop!  They were able to come over during Jamma's February school vacation!  We packed a lot into a WEEK!  What a fun time we had!  Here's day one!!

Oh Boy!  Here they come!

The kids were SOOOOO happy!!

Michael making up for months of missin' his Jamma.

Yessss, Mumsie!!  You made it!! 

The kids let Daddy do the tour of the yard first and then they had everybody movin' and groovin' to "Just Dance" within moments of Jamma & Pop-Pop's arrival!  ;0)

Getting the full flight report while sitting out on the balcony.

Everybody is happy now that Jamma is here!

Jamma & Pop-Pop brought one of their favorite treats....

Slim Jim's :0)

The kids sang, "Stop &Think" at church.

Lots of cultural experiences within their first few hours in Bangalore....This was an African Dance during worship at our church.

The Leela Palace for Brunch

Lots of Pretty Plants at the Leela Palace

Jamma & Rachel by the water garden

Our Littlest Cutie - Posin' under a Palm

Welcome to Bangalore, Jamma & Pop-Pop!

Just us Girls

Getting ready to EAT!!!

Pillow Fight!!  (The kids are having their own fun while us adults have ours!)

Jamma - Are you checking to make sure Pop-Pop had enough to eat?!  Haha!

Erica was ESPECIALLY happy to have her grandparents here!

Getting ready to hit the pool!

Kiddie Pool

Indoor Pool

Leisure Pool

Waterfall Pool

Lap Pool

Time for a little family badmitton!....In India it's not just for backyard bbq's ;0)

Dinner at the Clubhouse

Let's Eat!!

Jamma & Pop-Pop's first dinner with us was at our clubhouse restaurant and we ordered a whole bunch of our favorite Indian foods!  Tandoori chicken served with spicy green chutney and coconut chutney.  Buttered-garlic naan.  Dal makhani.   Masala Dosa.  Raita.  Basmati Rice.

Tandoori chicken is marinated in yogurt & various Indian spices.  It is typically cooked in a clay (tandoor) oven but it can also be cooked on a traditional bbq grill and we think it's simply "Ta Die Fah"

Green Chutney aka Coriander Chutney

A puree of coriander, lemon juice, chilies & various other Indian spices.

Coconut Chutney

Also a family favorite!  Mild & pairs nicely with everything from idli to dosas.

Buttered-Garlic Naan

Aw Shucks!  I would stay in India FOREVER if ONLY I could eat this delicious flat bread EVERY SINGLE DAY!  Naan is also traditionally cooked in a clay tandoor oven. 

Dal Makhani.  My personal fav Indian dish so far.  Some places I've had it and it's a little bit too spicy for my tame tongue....no worries!  I just ask for a side of plain yogurt and it helps manage the "heat" :0)  Apparently, it's a bit of a pain to make as you have to let the lentils & beans soak overnight!?  Flavored with ginger, garlic, tomato, onion, mango powder (I completely don't know what I'm talking about...had to google it!) 

But!  I do know it gets its creamy finishing touch by adding some fresh cream and butter garnish.  Delish!

Masala Dosa

The dosa is a bit like a crispy pancake that can be stuffed with all sorts of fillings or you can just have a plain dosa if you like (the kids like them plain and then they shlop them around in some sauce! YUM!)  Matt and I like the masala dosa.  The masala is basically a mixture of  spiced potatoes and onions. 

Raita.

We LOVE this too.  It's light and fresh tasting.  It's an Indian side dish made with plain yogurt and vegetables.  We like it best with onions, cucumbers and tomatoes!  Our server tried to bring us some made with pineapple the other day - Didn't like it nearly as much as the vegetable version.

Basmati Rice.  

Don't know that there is anything special about it...it's just Rice in my book!  ;0)

Finish the night off with some good ole fashioned ice cream....I'd say that was a Prettyyyyy Goooooood First Day!!!

Pool Prank!?

Only 26 days until I teach my first Zumba class (but who's counting!?) so in my spare moments I am either practicing my routines or listening to my songs on my ipod.  Today I got to thinking, "You know what?!  I should go sit at the pool and listen to my music.  There's no reason I need to stay couped up at home!?"  With that, I packed my pool bag with my Zumba choreo notes, my ipod, sunscreen, a few rupees and my sunglasses and left for the pool.

I hadn't been at the pool too long when I started to think..."Boy! I sure would like an ice cold Diet Coke about right now and come to think of it I'm a little rumbly in my tumbly so maybe I shall order some lunch as well?!"  While I waited for my little shnacky to arrive I hummed along to my tunes and mentally practiced through my routines.  When a shadow formed in front of me, I opened my eyes to see the pool waiter holding my sweating glass of Diet Coke and my Club Sandwich (fit to feed a small army!)  Before I dug in like a starving refugee, I thanked the waiter and paid my bill.  I continued to munch my lunch and had just put down my plate when a new shadow arrived.  This time it was not a member of the restaurant staff it was a young Indian boy.  I would have guessed about age 12 (although he told me he was 16?!).  Mind you we have five pools.  Yes, count them....FIVE pools to choose from and there are a million pool chairs scattered all over the complex and this boy comes and sits right down at the waters edge next to me in my pool chair.  No biggie but I thought it was a bit strange.  I mean you could sit anywhere and I was at the "upper pool" specifically because usually there is nobody up there.  He was humming a happy tune and as he plopped down next to me he asked me, "Where are you from?"  I told him, "America."  He said, "Oh!  I like Americans wery much!"  "Nice!"  "You have a nice look, Ma'am!"  "Ummm..Thanks?!"  Then he cast his eyes to my plate sitting next to me.  I had eaten most of 3 out of 4 sandwiches.  He commented, "They have delicious food here?!"  "Yes.  I like it very much!  Would you like to have my last sandwich?  It's too much food.  I haven't touched it and I'm too full to eat it."  Without skipping a beat he was devouring the last sandwich like a hungry lion.  We exchanged pleasantries.  I said, "No school today?" to which he informed me that he had "sports" today.  (Not exactly sure what that meant?!)  "What sport?", I asked.  "Futbol!"  "Oh, cool.  My boys like futbol too."  I asked him to guess how many kids I had.  He gave a good guess of "3" and when I told him I had four kids he looked around and asked if they were at the pool too.  "No, they are at school."  I found out that his younger brother was with him and swimming in the indoor pool (although I never saw the brother and am not convinced that he was really there swimming or that he really had a brother at all?!)  Supposedly, he's lived in Banaglore for 5 years and came here from London although he was born in Bangalore.  His mother lives in Kerala (another part of India) and then he said something about his Aunt and told me he was supposed to meet her but he lost his money.  He looked very sad and forlorn as he asked me, "Ma'am you have any money?!"  I lied and said, "No."  He commented on my cell phone, "That's Apple?"  "Um.  No.  I think it's a Samsung.  Oh.  Nope.  It says LG."  "It's expensive, Ma'am?  How much?"  "Oh, Brother.  I have no idea?!"  (Even if I did I don't think this was an appropriate question nor one I felt like I should answer.) 

Then he commented on my sunscreen.  "What's that?!"  "Oh.  Sunblock.  See how I have all these brown spots?  They are called freckles.  I get a lot of these when I'm in the sun and if I don't put on sunblock my skin will turn really red.  I get burned and it hurts.  So that helps my skin not get too burned."  He picked up the bottle and flipped the lid open and said, "Ooh!  Smells nice."   "Go ahead.  You can try some if you want."  He took a little dab and said, "I like it."  We chatted about other things like WWE (unfortunately, I am not up on the current wrestling circuit so he did most of the talking and I just listened.)  Apparently, he's a BIG fan!  Then every once in awhile he'd divert from what he was talking about and he'd make some random comment like, "You have a nice look."  or "I like how you look."  Which was all very awkward and I would try to divert the conversation back to school or wrestling or anything not related to my BOD!  ARGHHH!

No matter how hard I tried the conversation just got weirder and weirder.  At one point he just blurted out, "I want to kiss you, Ma'am!"   "WHAT?!"  "Yes.  I want to kiss you Ma'am."  "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"  "Please Ma'am.  A lip kiss."  "WHAT!?!?!  You are crazy!!   Noooooo, Sir!"  "Why?!  I just really want to kiss you on the lips.  A lip kiss like Titanic."  "Titanic?!?!   The movie?!"  "Yes. They lip kiss.  It was very nice."   In a desperate attempt to try to change his perky mood I said, "Oh yes. That was a very sad movie.  Lots and LOTS of people died!"  This did not curb his enthusiasm at all.  So then I told him, "No.  I only kiss my husband."   "Nightly?!"   "Yes, Nightly and he would be very upset if I kissed someone else."   "Love Marriage, Ma'am?!"    "Yes, LOTS of Love!"  (Quick interjection about him asking, "Love Marriage".  He was simply wondering whether I had an arranged marriage or not.  Here in India if you do not go the traditional arrangement route they will say it was a "Love Marriage".)  Then he asked,  How long have you been married?"  "14 years this summer."  If he had still been finishing my sandwich...he would have choked as he gasped and said, "14 years?!  You could be my Mom!!!.....Kiss your Son!"   I think I let out a big guffaw at that point - I mean it was all so ridiculous and he was so persistent.   I felt like someone should come leaping out the bushes at any moment to point out the hidden cameras catching this bazaar situation LIVE on tape.  But nobody jumped out to say, "Haha!  The joke is on you" and so the craziness continued!  He informed me, "I really like Americans.  Especially white ones, like you."  and he added ,"I do not like black people."  Horrified I said, "What?!  God loves us all!  I am always telling my kids that it doesn't matter what color your skin is or what color your hair might be - then I tapped my heart with my hand and said, "It's what's in here that counts."  Puzzled he looked at me and said, "So your husband is black!?"   Again, I think I burst out laughin!  He missed my point entirely and he didn't let up on his quest for a kiss either.  Begging.  Pleading.  I just kept saying, "Nope.  Absolutely not.  No kissing!" and he kept saying, "But I would be so happy!  Just only one kiss?!"

Finally, I found the distraction I was looking for when I said, "So aren't you going to go swimming?!" and he looked around like, "Oh yeah!  You're right!  That's what I came here to do!"  He went back to his happy little humming tune that he arrived singing and said, "Yes!  I AM going swimming!"  Mentally I was thinking, "THANK GOD!  Yes!  Go for a swim!!!!"  I said, "So nice meeting you, Anderson."  He extended his right hand towards mine and as we shook hands he said, "You too, Jen!" and then he KISSED the back of my hand!  That little sneaky varmit!  He may not have got his LIP kiss but he got A KISS nonetheless and he was as happy as a pig in poo.  And like that - Poof!  He was gone.  Vanished.  By the time I got my wits about me at what had just happened I stood up to see if I could see him walking to the indoor pool to link up with his "supposed" brother but he was gone.  I have no idea where he went.  If he had a brother or if any of his stories were true BUT in the future I have decided this whole situation could have been avoided!!!!  You know that old saying, "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach?!"   Next time.....I will NOT offer to share my lunch.  I think that was Pandora's Box today and now I think I shall go and kiss my husband b/c afterall - We DO that NIGHTLY!!!! ;0)  Sweet Dreams All!

Old Fashioned Butt Kicking!

Wow!  So, two of my friends took me mountain biking with them this morning!  WHAT AN ADVENTURE and a good old fashioned butt kicking!  Forget going to a spinning class - I was taking part in a real life mountain biking excursion!!!  Near as I can remember I don't think I've ever been mountain biking.  I mean I've ridden atop a mountain bike but the bumpiest terrain would have been going up the curb to get back into my driveway in MN and in MA when Matt and I go bike riding it's always a family affair.  You can't go terribly far with four little ones in tow and the terrain is always easy-peasy.  Well, today, Yvette and Mallory totally took me out of my comfort zone on a bicycle and it was GREAT!

I borrowed Yvette's husbands bike.  Yes, I am THAT big or he's just THAT small....all depends on how you look at it ;0)

So, I met Yvette at her house.  Her driver piled our bikes into their Innova and then we made the trek to Mallory's house.  Mind you, Mallory lives just a short bike-ride down the street from us but crossing the road to her house....well, today we didn't feel like looking death in the eyes so we opted to NOT cross the road by bike.

Once we met up with Mallory at her house, I began to wonder if I was in over my head.  I told her, "I hope I'm not going to be a liability?!  I so don't know what I'm doing!"  She's this totally fit and adorable woman.  With all the "right" gear.  She strapped on her camelback and clipped in her shoes as I stood by looking at my zumba tanktop and my Nike sport sandals.  Yvette also looked very official with her awesome PINK bike shirt with a snazzy little pocket on the back to safely store her cell phone.  How clever!  I was rummaging around my house trying to figure out what I could put my cell phone in.  Honestly, if I had access to a fanny pack - Today would have been the ONE and ONLY day in my life where I would have sported it proudly!  My shorts didn't have pockets.  A backpack would be a bit of overkill and if I lodged it between "Me Ladies" (which I do from time to time....keeps the cell phone in close reach and nice and safely tucked away) but I figured a mountain bike ride through the backwoods of Bangalore....well, My Girls might get a little sweaty and I'm not sure how the cell phone would deal with the salt factor!?  SOOOO!  I decided I could leave my cell phone at Mallory's house. 

After a quick tutorial on how to shift the gears on my bike....We were off!!  Zippety Zip - we were out of her neighborhood and bombing through the backroads of Bangalore.  Within only the first few moments of riding we reached what appeared to be a broken down bridge at the edge of a rambling poo-pond.  You think I'm kidding.  Wow!  NASTY!  Mallory told me she knows a guy that actually FELL in when he did what we were about to do.  GREAT!  This was not looking good for this balance and strength challenged Lady.  BUT!  One by one, we hoisted our bikes up over our shoulder and then with calculated footsteps on the broken rubble of the bridge and dooky water rushing parallel & below us...We all managed to cross the green stank reservoir and thank God nobody lost their balance and ended up going for a SWIM! :/

Then we came to the rice paddy's.  Mallory hopped off her bike to figure out the simplest and least soggy manner of getting across the bog.  There were hawks EVERYWHERE which made us think two things...."Mice or Snakes?!"  Luckily, we didn't see either of those two creepy crawlies and just witnessed the mighty birds hunting.  Mallory & Yvette gave me some good tips about how to cross the rushing water as well as how to get through the rice paddy....KEEP PEDDLING & GO AS FAST AS YOU CAN!  Apparently, that helps you not to get stuck.  Well, they didn't have to tell me twice!  As running is to Forest Gump - Peddling was to Jen Weimann - I peddled and peddled for my life.  God knows I did NOT want to have to abandon my bike seat and put my feet down and WALK it.  Then I might have actually seen snakes or mice....so I just kept peddlin' and my little heart was working overtime and I MADE IT!  SA-WEET! 

Then we reached a steep embankment where we had a  "get off your bike" moment in order to push our bikes up the incline and after successful completion of that we were then heading down a bumpity old dirt road.  We encountered local women who were IN the poo pond with their cows (I think maybe they were washing them?!)  We also bumped into a shepherd with a bunch of goats.  I had my leg in my best karate kung-pow position in anticipation if one of those goats started to get any wild ideas and came at me with their little billy goat horns.  They would have met the Jackie Chan end of my shoe!  Hiiii-Yaaahhh!

Once we came to the end of this road we were out in the busy Bangalore traffic.  Had to wait on the bridge for the trash truck to pass.  Mallory took this moment to share another tip,  "This is probably the most dangerous part of the ride.  Stay as far left as you possibly can (they drive on the opposite side of the road here).  Be aggressive.  If you have to YELL so people know you are there...DO IT!"  (I've decided we will all be equipped with a bike bell on our next ride!  Hehe!)  Then ZIP!  We were in the thick of it.  Right into the village traffic!  Luckily, it went surprisingly well.  While I was thinking I was going to get mowed down by a big Tata Truck - what ended up nearly being my demise was a big ole black "Leroy Brown" DOG!  He came out of one of the shops with a vengeance.....barking and chasing Yvette & Mallory and then realising, as all God's critters do, that in the circle of life - There is always a weak link and darn it all - I was THAT LINK!  ACK!  He was RIGHT on my heels - I think I even felt his doggy breath making my leg hot and warm as he got ready to sink his canines into my calf and then POOF!  Just like that, about 4 Indian men that were hanging out next to the shop started yelling and called the dog off.  PHEW!  I totally thought I was going to be the next Weimann family member headed to the hospital for rabies shots.

After that close call the rest of the ride was fairly uneventful - I was just battling the beast that is ME!  MAN!  When you are not used to doing a new type of exercise - WOW!  I was working hard; however, I was also getting to experience Bangalore in a whole new way and what an amazing experience it was.  It's completely different when you are riding in the back of your car or even on the back of a motorcycle but actually being right down in the village with the people!?  HOLY MOLY!!  You have time to actually exchange a friendly smile, say hello "Namaste" or a cordial wave. 

It was sooo cool!  Experiencing all the smells and sounds so up close and personal was something I will never forget.  The smells.  One moment it was that earthy farmish/cow smell (which I actually kind of like!)  It's like a "good" bad smell ;0)  Then you'd get a wafting of incense or a little sniff of onion and peppers cooking.  The smell of an open fire.  Man!  My nostrils were on sensory overload!  I LOVED IT!  The sounds.  Cows bellowing (in Boston you might get a catcall from time to time - In Bangalore you get a COW call as they acknowledge passers by!)  Tapping of hammers, buzzing of saws, slapping of laundry on stones, beeping of any and all motorised vehicles as they pass you by. 

We drove through a portion of the countryside where there were tamarinds falling from the trees and children playing on a pile of broken stone rubble and there was a barn-type shed housing hundreds of chickens.  (Not one of the better smells on the ride!  Haha!)  Close by you could see people laboring and making cement blocks and constructing yet ANOTHER building.  The rate at which they are building here in B'lore is absolutely astounding.  I wouldn't be surprised if in another year we wouldn't be able to take the same route as the countryside keeps changing all the time.

The other thing we encountered during the duration of our ride on the paved roads in the villages was speed bumps.  I don't know why exactly but Bangalore is the city of speed bumps.  They are everywhere and not just little ones - Like huge mothers!  Luckily, Mallory and Yvette were always in front of me so I could anticipate the bumps by watching them go over them but they seem to pop up with no warning and if you are distracted by any of the sites or smells around you (and there are a million of them!)  Well, you might just find yourself up and over the handlebars of your bike!  Craziness!

The last portion of our ride was a lot more up hill then down and I was wishing I had a "Live Strong" yellow bracelet for inspiration bc quite frankly I didn't know how many rotations my jelly legs could handle!?  At one point I lost site of Yvette and Mallory and started to think...."Oh Shoot!  I better catch up bc I have NO idea where we are and no cell phone." About the time that I was thinking this, I came upon Mallory waiting for me on the side of the road (God Bless You, Good Woman!) and just like that we were back in her neighborhood.

I will definitely "pay for" our fun tomorrow as my muscles are not used to bike riding but what an adventure and hopefully next time I will be a little stronger, a littler faster and won't remain the "weakest link" :0)  OH!  And I'm Sooooooooo getting some of those cool (and VERY official looking) PADDED bike riding shorts!  I mean really!?!?  How fab is that!?  In fact maybe I'll buy a couple of pairs and really rock the J.Lo booty but all for the sake of cushioning my poor BEATEN BUTT, of course!!! YOUCH!

Holi Holiday!

I have not been a very faithful blogger lately. :/  I will catch up eventually - Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.  :0)  We just had a wonderful week with Matt's parents.  Separate blog on our adventures with them to follow.....

BUT!  Before this crazy, colorful day comes to a close (MAN!  I love alliteration!) I want to share with you the spirit of the Holi Holiday here in India.  The children got the day off of school and well - We enjoyed it to the fullest. 

Erica has deemed Holi (Not Holly.  Holy.) as her FAVORITE Indian holiday and she thinks it should be celebrated at least THREE times a year instead of only once! ;0)  In short, Holi is a Hindu Holiday celebrating Spring.  Holi is very appropriately translated as a festival of color!

Today we gathered with a few friends and had a Holi WAR ;0)  A COLOR war, that is!

Got them to stand still long enough to take a "Before" Picture

(Although you can see Erica & David already have pink paint powder on them as one of the bags exploded before we had officially begun!!)

And so the madness begins....

Good thing Rachel borrowed some of my "J.Lo" glasses b/c this was only about 30 seconds into it and she totally got blasted in the EYEBALLS! ;0)

Holy Holi!  This is CRAZY!!

Poof of Paint Powder

A little live footage

Refilling their ammo

I guess you can't exactly call it "good clean fun" but it was REALLY fun!

Mirja warning me, "Go put down your camera.  I'm warning you.  You've got five seconds and them I'm blasting you with this stuff!"  AND...she DID! ;0)

Too bad the Mommies didn't have ANY fun ;0)

I'm sooooo glad that Vanessa and Mirja came with their crew of kids and very kindly gave me the once over and said, "Is that what you are wearing for Holi?!"  And with that I was promptly sent inside to put on my trashy duds.  I told them, "I just thought I'd take pictures?!" and Mirja in her Finnish accent said, "NOOOO!"  That's soooo boring!"  I'm so happy that they didn't let me be "Boring" and that I joined in on the spirit of Holi & became one with the COLOR!!!   :0)  And as you can see we really didn't suffer in the picture department - We still got SEVERAL great shots!

Starting to run out of paint.

Rach & Joona, "HAPPY HOLI, PEOPLE!!!!!"

David asking Mirja, "Can you fill the bucket with more water?!"

The Prismatic Princess

Kaleidoscopic Keeka

Multi-Colored Mikey!

Dastardly Dave!

Rainbow-Rambo Arttu!?!

Rainbow Brite's got nothin' on my girl, Erica! 

Check out that hair!!

"AFTER!"

The Mommas

 

Happy to report there were no casualties of this war!

We all survived with laughter and smiles! :0)

Already looking forward to next year...or if Erica has her way - We'll start celebrating Holi at least once every quarter ;0)