Holy-Moly! It's Holi Day!

Well, no school today.  "Why" you ask?!  We have a lot of Holidays here in India that we do not celebrate in the US.  Today was something called "Holi".  In short, Holi means "Celebration of Colors" and it signifies the start of Spring.  India doesn't mess around with color.  They have got it mastered!!  The colors here are so amazing.  I mean when you see something purple, whether it be someones house or someones sari - It's the most amazing - Kick your pants, shock your socks off and wow-your-eyes purple you've ever seen in your life!  It's hard to explain so I guess you all just need to come and visit so you can see what I mean! ;0)  SO!  It's no surprise that a country with such amazing colors would have a holiday to celebrate it!!

When people were describing Holi to me I was told, "Oh yeah.  If you go out into the streets today make sure you wear clothes that you don't mind if someone throws paint at you."  Okay.  Interesting.  So it is my understanding that pretty much - Anyone and Everyone is fair game to be "holied" on this festive day.  In fact, so much so that, Claudius would not drop Matt off at the usual place and let him walk the remainder of the way to the office door.  Claudius insisted that people would be "cheeky" with Matt and would throw paint at him and wreck his work clothes!  (He's such a thoughtful guy, aye?!) 

So, although it took Matt an extra 40 minutes to reach the doorstep of work (lots of construction going on right now).....in Claudius' mind - This was THE ONLY option.  He would "not be having 'Sir' get 'Holied' on his way into the office!"  Haha!

Since the kids didn't have school a couple of my friends and I put our heads together and decided we'd do a little holi-ing of our own on our Avenue.  There is going to be a big Holi Celebration in our neighborhood on Saturday but we weren't going to be able to make it so we decided we'd make our OWN fun!  :0)

Within moments of everyone arriving.....We had a Holi-War on our hands!  ;0)  Heheheeh!

It was no small feat getting these kids to stand still long enough to get a "before" picture. 

Oh yeah, Baby!  Let the fun begin!

My friend, Mirja, helping the kids refill their ammo.

Live Footage of the Holi-Fun!

Mirja giving me a five second warning to go and

put down my camera b/4 she BLASTS me with that powder!  (She wasn't kidding either!  HEHE!)

Just when you think that it can't get any messier - The kids decide to add WATER to their paint war!! 

WOOoooOOO-HoooOOOoooo!

Out of water so soon!?

The throw...the poof of powder...then...wait...for...it....SPLAT!!!

No way that the kids had ALL the fun today....Mommies had fun too! 

I am so glad that when Mirja and Vanessa arrived today that they gave me "once over" and sweetly asked, "Is that what you're wearing for Holi?!"  To which I replied, "I thought I would just take pictures!?"  Mirja promptly told me in her best Finnish accent, "WHAT?!  That's soooOOOoooOOoo boring!"  I'm so glad I listened to them and went upstairs and put on some grungy duds b/c I would have truly missed out if I had just stood behind the lense and didn't stop to fling a little powder with friends and family! ;0)

Oh Look!  It's Rainbow Rambo!?  Nah.  It's Arrtu!

 Rachel is that YOU!?!?!!?

Colorful-Keeka!

Multi-colored Mikey!

A Drenched & Drippy David!

The AFTER picture! 

Rach & Joona

WOW!  Talk about getting your hair colored! 
Rainbow Brite's got nothin' on you, Erica!!!

Human Canvas?!

Thank You Vanessa & Mirja for helping us make some great Bangalore memories today! xo

Holi Cow!!!! ;0)

The kids have all decided that this is their FAVORITE Indian holiday (do ya blame 'em?!) and that we should DEFINITELY celebrate it more than ONCE a year! ;0)  This was a GREAT India day! 
Happy Holi-Happy Spring!  Next year - I will INTENTIONALLY go out on Holi just so that I CAN get painted by the locals! They better watch out though - I will not be walking about the city unarmed so if they wish to "start" something with me....I will "finish" it ;0)





When In Rome....

When in Rome...

Okay.  Okay.  I know I am not in Rome BUT the same theory applies and so "When in India - Well, today I did something very Indian...I got my NOSE pierced!  OH, YES, I DID!!!  Not with a gun either!   I went with my friend, Heather, (she's a Minnesota gal, btw....Don't ya love her already) and we got it done the traditional Indian way.  With a SHARP gold wire!


So here's the story.  When Heather emailed me with her plans of getting her nose pierced the "old fashioned" way, I immediately told her I was "in" and that I wanted to go along and witness this whole procedure!  I have toyed on and off with the idea of getting my nose pierced I just always figured it would be with a piercing "gun"....so I really wanted to check out how this whole process works here in India.
Heather also invited our friend, Yvette, who's a great photographer to catch all the action, Leah - who already got her nose pierced years ago (in the States with a needle!), and Glynns, another gal who wasn't 1oo% sure she'd actually go through with the piercing but like me didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to watch Heather get hers done!

Once we were inside the shop they explained the plan for the piercing and I  REALLY wasn't sure I wanted to do it (b/c I'm a HUGE wimp!) but I tell you what, I have found Indians to be the most INCREDIBLE sales people on the planet.  Somehow the sweet woman behind the countertop convinced us that it would make sense to just put some of the "numbing cream" on our noses "just in case" we decided to do it b/c you have to let the cream sit on your nose for 1/2 hour.  Okay.  Why not.  I mean that makes sense, right?  I mean if and I stress the word IF...IF  I were to get my nose pierced I'd want it to be as numb as possible so I was up for putting some cream on my nose.  Glynns also agreed to a dab of cream on the side of her nose but we both insisted that Heather would go first and she would be the gauge of whether or not we'd consider going any further down this piercing path.

The lady that would proceed to do Heather's piercing had quite a glowing record.  In fact, she showed us her little book filled with all the contact information of the people that have had piercings done by her and an MD follows up on her feedback that she receives to make sure her clients are happy etc or she would not be able to continue working at this shop.  She trained for SIX months to be able to do what she does!  Her youngest piercing was on a 15 day old baby!

After mulling around the shop waiting for our noses to start to feel tingly, it was finally TIME....Heather bravely took her post.  Calm.  She really wasn't worried at all.  I on the other hand, made the entire room sit silent at one point because I wasn't sure if they all heard drums beating or if it was just the sound of my heart pounding....Yep.  It was music beating and not just my heart pounding out of my chest!  YIKES!  I was so nervous!  The woman wiped off Heather's cream, opened up the sterile package of utensils and then put the temporary ink dot on her nose to determine the exact location of the piercing.  Once we all weighed in that we thought it was in a good spot, the lady told Heather, she'd "feel a little pressure."  I wanted to throw in the towel right there and raise up my hand and say "Halt Right There, Sistah!  The last time somebody told me I'd "feel a little pressure" was when I birthed my children and had my wisdom teeth pulled.  Yah.  Right.  "A little pressure!!"   That is just a ridiculous lie that people use to try to keep you calm when you about to experience something quite unlike anything you've ever experienced before!  For instance: in the medical community when a patient thinks she's on her death bed, use a calm and soothing voice and reassure her that they will feel "a little pressure."   Pa-shhhhhaw!  LIAR!!!!  Deceiver!  You Falsifying-Fib-Forming-Fabricator!!!!"  

You can't make it up because literally as this lie was falling from her lips she said to Heather, "I won't do the piercing until I warn you."  She didn't even finish her sentence and Heather started to say, "Oh yah, whatever.  She's so piercing it!"    BUT!!!  As quickly as she had begun - She was done!!  With a poke, tug, and a wiggle-wiggle wiggle - Heather officially had a pierced nose.  WOW!

Now the pressure was on Glynns and I.  So!?!?!  Who's next?  Glynn stepped up to the plate and said she'd go next and I started to think, "Who am I kidding?!  I'm not going to come back here by myself and do this...now's the time?!"  So, I whipped out my wallet and presented my rupees for the piercing payment and with that they disappeared out back to "sharpen" Glynns and my piercing wires!  Oh, Good Grief!  Well, I guess, make it as sharp as possible so it just slides right through that cartilage, right?!  Glynns nose ring went in a little more slowly then Heather's but she too barely batted an eyelash.  I think she maybe muttered a couple, "Ow.  Ow's." and that was the extent of the drama.

Oh dear.  Yes, this leaves just me.  I think at this point I might have been slightly dazed and confused by all of the sparkly jewelry surrounding me in the shop!  HOLY SMOKES!  Absolutely-amazing-stunning-gorgeous Indian gold jewelry adorned the walls, shelves and cabinets of this intricate store.  How's a girl to keep her focus when you've got glitzy-sparkly-things coming at you from every direction!?  Okay!  My time had come.  I figured if she was going to give me the "a little pressure Ma'am" speech and then I would use some of calming breathing techniques from my child birthin' days and as it came time for the sharp wire to make contact with my nose....I did just that I let out a deep breath and YOUCH!  Okay.  That maybe shouldn't have been such a HUGE YOUCH I wrote right there....just a medium-sized youch.  It really wasn't all that bad.  My eyes watered a bit like when I was in junior high trying to learn how to play volleyball and when you haven't quite got the whole depth perception thing mastered and you get belted in the face with the ball (oh, should I mention with my Coke bottle glasses on my face too!?  Yes, I was a real LOOKER if you know what I'm sayin'!  HAHA!)  Yay.  So you get belted in the nose and for whatever reason that starts the waterworks....You're not crying but your eyes won't stop watering.  So, that's kinda what happened today with the piercing...  I had to dab my eyelashes a couple times but that was IT!  Then she trimmed off the excess wire and formed it into a nice "ring" shape.  Wow!  So cool!

We all went home with instructions about how to care for our new adornment and a little bag with the excess piece of "gold" that was snipped off the end of the wire.  We can bring it back to the shop and when they cut off the "trainer" ring that was put in today, they will let us turn that in at the store along with our little gold remnant and we can put that towards the cost of a stud.  The remnant and gold trainer nose ring will be melted and formed into something new  (I wonder who will be wearing a ring or pair of earrings made from my old nose gold?!  Lucky Ole Soul!  Hehe!)

Nose piercing is common-place in India.  The left side is preferred b/c they believe it is supposed to make child birth easier.  It is also seen as a mark of beauty.  I am very glad that I not only accompanied Heather, Leah, Yvette & Glynns but that I also decided to go through with the piercing!!  Wow!  What a day of memories...."When in India"...and I feel like it's just one more way I've decided to embrace this country, these people and their culture.  Incredible India!!

Numbing Cream!

Positioning of the location dot!

Although it wasn't unbearable, I cannot imagine what this would have felt like without having our noses at least partially numbed.  I would have called a cease-fire and would have just had to live with a Sharpie® Dot on the side of my nose!  I mean, that wouldn't have been so bad, right!?  Sharpies® come in a rainbow of colors nowadays?!  ;0)

She Fearlessly went First!

Glynns turn!

Last but not least....dadadadahhhh...ME!!!

My nose is starting to feel a little bit funny!!!

Oh Boy!  Yep.  "Little Bit of Pressure".....taking a deep coping breath! ;0)

 Yay!  I DID it!

 Three Pierced Pals!

                     Posing with our new piercings!!

Boo-Hiss! It's our last day with Jamma & Pop-Pop!

Doesn't seem possible that a week is coming to a close!  We had such a great time with Jamma and Pop-Pop...Here's what we did on our last day together!

David!! Where's YOUR Red Sox Hat?!

We are spreading the Red Sox Nation Pride all the way in Bangalore!

In fact!!! Our gardener (far left) loved his hat sooo much! Ever since Matt gave it to him - He wore it everyday! Until one day, when he was walking along the streets of Bangalore and a guy rode by him on his bike and SNATCHED it right off his head and just kept right on biking! Of course, "Happy" (our gardener) couldn't catch him! SO! We had to have Pop-Pop get us MORE

Red Sox hats! ;0)

 The kids take tennis lessons three times a week.  While Jamma & Pop-Pop were here we didn't send them to their weekday lessons but on Saturday - Jamma & Pop-Pop got to go and check it out!

Time for Tennis!

Remember these "snake houses"!?!

The tennis academy the children attend has "people" that will harvest these houses once the termites and snakes have moved out and then they mix it along with regular clay to make the "mud/clay" for the tennis court.  Apparently, the snake houses have a glue-like quality to them and it makes for a good ingredient in constucting the ground for an outdoor tennis court!  How's that for everyday "recycling"!?  Pretty cool!

Wait a second?!  I thought we were playing tennis?!  Isn't that a basketball!?

They always do some drills and play some games along with the tennis instruction and they often use a basketball.  It helps the younger kids with the mechanics and stroke basics...so I'm told! :0)

Erica and Michael's trying to beat each other in a running drill.  Nothing like a little healthy sibling rivalry!

Rachel & her good friend, Gabi, from school enjoy playing basketball/tennis together ;0)

After tennis we headed out for lunch but not via our usual mode of transportation.  Today we arranged for three auto rickshaws to take us to lunch! 

David is ready!

Oh Boy!  This is gonna be fun!

Auto rickshaw bumper sticker....hmmmm. 

Lady Troubles, My Friend?!

Erica's idea for combatting the scents of the city ;0)

Morning tennis has made for two tired boys!

Erica was starting to get a little "clingy" knowing that Jamma & Pop-Pop are leaving tomorrow :0(

Aw, Rachy too!  (You're never too big to snuggle up on your Jamma's lap, are ya?!)

She'll always be a "Daddy's Girl"

Could you PLEASE always be Mommy's LITTLE boy!?

Time for some Mehendi!

Time for some Cricket!

Although, we tried to end our last night on a high note by doing one of the kids favorite things, roasting marshmallows, there were still a lot of tears shed at bedtime.  Jamma & Pop-Pop would be leaving our house in the wee-hours of the morning to catch their flight back to the US so the kids knew these last few moments with their grandparents were to be cherished.

Forget the chestnuts roasting on an open fire - We've got MARSHMALLOWS roasting on a BLAZING fire!  ;0)

That looks like a nice sticky-gooey one, Erica! 

 (The way it SHOULD be!)....Don't even get me started with You People (and yes, I capitalized the "Y" and "P" in You People for a STRONG and DRAMATIC effect!!!).  Yes, I said it, You People!!  You know who you are.  The ones that CHAR your marshmallows!!  Abominable! Horrid!  It's just not right.  I bet if I conducted a survey about the people that scorch their marshmallow versus the people that toast their marshmallow....Well, let's just say - The "confection cauderizers" of the world would fall into the impatient, antsy, restless, hasty, and anxious category and well, us "Toasters" we'd fall more into the calm, composed, serene, ummmmm...how do I say it, PATIENT category!  ;0)  Hahaha!  Although I am stating the obvious, there's a reason it's called "roasting" or "toasting" marshmallows, don't ya know?! (said in my best Minnesotan accent!! Hehe!).  If I wanted a molten ball of black ash on my tongue - I'd lick a piece of charcoal.  Nuff Said. ;0)

Fireside Entertainment!

The kids have a big production coming up at school called, Indus Day.  Erica will be one of the Flamenco Dancers with other 3rd graders.  She was practicing her routine, Baila Me, since Jamma and Pop-Pop will not be here to see her "Live and In Concert!"

Fireside Foxtrot!? Well, not exactly! 

BUT he will be an animal and he will be dancing...just not the foxtrot! ;0)  Michael's class is going to be doing a Hebrew song and dance at Indus Day because his class will be telling the story of Noah's Ark. Stay tuned! Details of Indus Day coming soon to the blog!

As for Jamma and Pop-Pop....parting was such sweet sorrow and although we won't see you tomorrow - We WILL be counting down the days until we see you again this summer! xxxoxoxoxox