Delhi Zoo!

Not sure if it came thru in the last message: Daadaji’s website is http://omprakash.in (visit!)

 

This trip has been really special – Daadaji is clearly enjoying his (as he puts it) twilight years, and loves having the boys around. He talks to and plays with Deven and Rohan, and giggles with delight (yes, that’s right – a 77-year old man giggles) when the boys do something silly, make noise, mess things up, or even break things – he smiles and says things like “What else are they to do? They’re boys.”...

 

Deven learned how to charm Daadaji quickly – and has daily gone into his room in the mornings, asking for “Choc-o-late” because Daadaji has a stash of chocolate and cookies in his room. Like any good grandparent, Daadaji happily obliged him, and the two have been thick as thieves since. Rohan, though he can’t speak yet, has figured the game out, and now goes to Daadaji for the same – and again, the smiles come on both sides of this little bad-for-the-belly-but-good-for-the-soul relationship.

 

Yesterday, we went to the zoo (the National Zoological Park) with Daadaji. I’d never been there, and Daadaji’s last visit was ~ 32 years ago, when Yogesh was ~ 7.  The boys loved it! It’s a large place, so we took a tram around to the major exhibits – quite a fun ride. I think Deven enjoyed the tram itself more than the animals, but all the boys (and girls – Pooja-didi and I both came along) had fun. While it, like everything in India, looks in bad need of maintenance (peeling paint, old/pocked roads & walkways, cages in desperate need of repair and animals in questionable state of health) – it made me realize that that sort of thing, while nice (and arguably important for the animals), is *completely* irrelevant to having fun with family.

 

 

Boys and Daadaji's Art

For those of you who don’t know, Daadaji is a prominent painter, based in Delhi. His website is http://omprakash.in and here’s the boys admiring one of his paintings.

 

He has many wonderful paintings, and I admit, on their behalf, I asked him to dedicate one painting to each of them!

 

 

 

Where are they?

[Photos coming when I can upload/download]

 

Where are all the beggars? And the cows? And the "RELAX" signs on the red-light stoplights? And the horrible roads? Ok, well those are still here - but a lot has changed since I was last in Delhi, and I daresay all the changes I've seen and are listing here, have been positive:

 

First - and I'm not kidding - I have only seen one (1!) beggar this ENTIRE trip. Daadaji said that the Delhi government has banned begging and perhaps they've been rounded up and/or driven out of town. I don't know the details, but I do know I appreciate not having them look at me with dollar-signs in their eyes every time they see the 'gora laerkii' (white woman) face & hair.

 

Second, I haven't seen a single cow on the streets. I have some funny memories of major freeways being clogged to a standstill because a bovine friend decided to take a break in the middle-left lanes...but those haven't been repeated this trip. I have seen elephants working along the side of massive overpasses being built, and dogs, camels, and monkeys galore - but the animal-kingdom hasn't been the cause of delays, the construction boom has.

 

Third, there are simply FEWER stoplights! Delhi is famous for its traffic, and yet in the 5 years since I was last here, they have added multiple overpasses / freeways / express lanes, and closed off some of the many crossings on Vikas Marg (the main drag in front of Daadaji's home) - making it a much more orderly driving experience.

 

Fourth, I swear I'm not getting the stares of pure shock on peoples' faces who see me. Perhaps I'm just used to the extra attention, or I think that my boys are so cute that 

 

Fifth, the Metro is coming! It's not quite finished yet, but 2 stops will open soon along Vikas Marg within an easy 1-2 block walk of Daadaji's; making travel to the major points within Delhi cheap, easy, efficient, pleassant and clean. Or, that's what I hear.

 

True, it's still dusty - with a superfine dust that gets into everything and makes your boogers brown-black; crossing the street is still an exercise in playing 'Frogger' - dodging the cars/3-wheeled autos/motorbikes/scooters/bicycles; the plumbing leaves something to be desired, and there are still horrible piles of trash and genuine inefficiencies seen everywhere.

 

But as a blonde, white woman who was steeling myself for the worst-of-the-worst of pitiful beggars droning on and on and tugging at my sleeve and generally making life here difficult, the changes listed above have been quite refreshing. 

 

First drive out of the house

Sorry for not updating more frequently. It's been busy.



As the picture shows - Deven and Daadi are out on their first drive of the trip with Purvesh and me. No I am not blogging while driving - there's a driver at the wheel! We are visiting an old family friend in Gurgaon while I go have lunch with an old friend Punit who's a big honcho at Microsoft India. Those in america would not notice Deven in a car seat - but it's highly unusual. Most Kidd ride without even seat belts often in the front seat! Deven is a changed young man. Rattling of Hindi amazingly naturally, commanding all his new friends/caretakers, sleeping normally, eating roti, and hanging out with dadaji - someone he was somewhat intimidated for the first few days. He misses Mommy and Rohan a lot though - randomly asking where they are. Dadaji's response - "I have sent a big airplane to bring Mommy and Rohan here." One thing is clear - we have to bring the kids to India regularly - they need it, deserve it - to stay grounded to one half of the blood that runs in their veins. Yogesh

Aww, c'mon

Yes, that's Mr. Idea 1/2-sitting on the baseboard heater.

It's a drafty old house, and yes it's cold & wet outside, but it's not *that* cold in here, Mr. Idea!

Kate Sherwood
Mobile (650) 387-6767

Bare-bottomed (The tree, not the child)

Please notice the Christmas tree in the background: does it look unusual to you?

Not if you are (or have been) the parent of a small child - it's completely bare, because if we hung anything on the lower branches, it would almost-instantly be in Rohan's mouth!

That said, I did put a garland on the lower branches - Rohan has had lots of fun pulling it off for me to put back on.

Happy Christmas!

Kate Sherwood
Mobile (650) 387-6767

Special Delivery

Rohan was helping Mommy pack this evening by getting into the suitcase. Literally.

He can walk quite well now - at least 10 steps unaided before he loses his nerve or falls over giggling. I think Big Brother Deven is in for a surprise.

Looking forward to seeing Daddy, Daadi, and Deven again soon!

1 week down; bed still not my own

After a week without the 3 Ds @ home, the house is quieter & cleaner, but Rohan continues his Badmashian ways; most important of which is not letting Mommy sleep in her own bed BY HERSELF.

Nightly ~3am, this is what I get - note how much space he has & where he is - meaning where I get to sleep. & What you're missing is the legs-arms-fingers-in-my-face movements.
Sigh.

Kate Sherwood
Mobile (650) 387-6767

Cat Burglar Caught In The Act!

**NEWSFLASH**
San Francisco, December 14: After months of investigation and two near-misses, the Sherwood-Sharma Family Police Force (Mommy) announced today that they (she) had caught the elusive Cat Bowl Tipper. This crafty Badmashian (Rascal) had terrorized the household and made the cat (Mr. Idea), constantly seek water from other sources (namely the toilets). He has been identified as Rohan, aka the Younger Prince of Dolores Street (2 years younger than his Badmashian brother, the Original Prince of Dolores Street, aka Prince of Delhi), Cupcake, and the Cutest Rascal In The West.

But this evening, as Mommy was doing dishes (a rare occurrence when the other Officers, Daadi & Daddy are on-duty), she heard a noise and went around to investigate. What she found there surprised her: "I'd been suspecting a Small Bandit for some time now, because Mr. Idea was playing rough and he's started walking. But I didn't think the Cat Bowl Tipper would be so fast, or so cute when caught!"

When probed to explain how she did it, she continued "I knew The Cat Bowl Tipper had to be someone under three-feet high, because no one else would want to bother with banging Mr. Idea's food and water bowls. So when I heard the familiar 'thwack-thwack' of the plastic food bowl being Badmashianed and 'swish-bang-bang' of the ceramic water bowl being dumped, I knew the Badmashian was nearby. When I got to the scene, I found the Cat Bowl Tipper engaged in the act- grinning from ear to ear, and the cat waiting nearby."

According to Mommy, Mr. Idea was hoping for some food to drop as the Cat Bowl Tipper performed his rascally ways. None did this time, though it's unclear precisely how many extra bags of food Mr. Idea has gained as a result of the Bandit and his elusive older brother, the Prince of Delhi.

Though the photo doesn't show the Bandit actually tipping the cat bowls, it shows how fast the Cupcake leaves the scene of the crime, and Mommy is confident it will hold up as evidence in a Court of Sherwood-Sharma Law. As sole representative of the Sherwood-Sharma Family Police, she is seeking the maximum penalty of sleeping in his own bed all night.

Sentencing will occur later this month upon meeting the judge & jury again, the tough 3 Ds: Daddy, Daadi, & Deven. Cupcake is being hugged without bail until his trial.
Kate Sherwood
Mobile (650) 387-6767

Pear Eater

After 2 days of somewhat-fussy behavior & unusually-little eating (he's been teething), Rohan calmed Mommy this evening as I was doing dishes, by attacking a pear he found in the fruit bowl with enthusiasm.

He has 5 (or 6?) teeth, and used them well this evening!

Natural Language Immersion in Action

Deven is settling in, as cheerfully dealing with jet lag without knowing anything about it, as he can. He was up at 5:30 am and was full of beans, singing songs so loudly that he woke up everyone, including me (and no one was unhappy about it, excluding, er, me). And I am sleeping in 'my' room, a floor up! And just when I almost went back to sleep because his voice mellowed down, there it started again, this time only louder . . .

Now about another kind of settling in - the cultural kind. Deven has two new BFFs - Purvesh and his daughter Pooja. Pooja is a sweet 10 year old who has till about 6 months ago lived in Purvesh's ancestral village in a remote area of Bihar. My Dad adopted her as a grand daughter so she could get a good education in the big city, where she now goes to school and is really working hard to catch up with the other kids in her class.

What does the name Pooja rhyme with in Hindi? Anyone? Kharbooja - which means melon - the fruit. Well, Deven started calling her exactly that - 'Kharbooja' and then giving an ear to ear smile, making everyone laugh and be horrified at the same time. Imagine your name was Katherine and a 2 year old called you Nectarine - just because the words rhyme? By the end of the day here, thankfully he had corrected himself, and Pooja returned to being a human being from being a summer fruit.

Pooja speaks and understands maybe 10 words of English. Deven understands a lot of Hindi words, but has not liked to talk in Hindi - somewhat of a disappointment for his parents. Today we encouraged Pooja to befriend Deven and read and play with him. Within a few hours of them interacting with each using words the other didn't understand, Deven began to give way and started responding in Hindi. By the evening when these pictures were taken, he was following along with her reading a Hindi alphabets book, and even tried to help Pooja pick up some words in English.

That's our boy Deven, who, I am happy to report, is on full throttle, has generally been a good boy, eating decently well, (thanks to Purvesh's firm approach - those of you who know Deven know how much of a picky eater he is), and only extreme tiredness and jetlag is slowing him down. So far so good!

Last word: He's still ultra-cautious around his Dadaji - just testing the outer perimeter of his limits. Like father like son - I have always remained conscious of the authority and discipline Papaji carries around him.

But when Dadaji's finger comes out at him with a buzzing sound of a bee, Deven can't help but crack up, giggling to the floor ...

I am really enjoying writing on this blog for the first time. Thanks Kate for the years of encouragement!

More soon. Yogesh

Rain, Rain, Here to Stay

...and that's OK with me. Daadi is happily in India where I hear the weather's warm but the tile floors are cold. Compare that to here, where it's been raining consistently now for over 24 hours; and may continue through the weekend. While it's a bummer to have rain on the weekend; we need the water and I love the sound of the droplets hitting the window. I miss the sound during the summers here, as I miss the warm steamy summer showers. So, while Daadi (who hates rain) is away, let it rain!


Photos are of Rohan showing off his standing skills recently (he's also teething again - fun, fun); and our beloved rocking chair.
We have recently passed-on this chair to friends, Debi & Shaughn, who are expecting their 1st in February and are now decorating their nursery. We needed the space, so we're thrilled to pass on the chair & ottoman to friends who I know will use it and appreciate it; but I admit to a twinge of - what was the feeeling...sadness? No; I wasn't sad. Loss? No, I was happy to pass on the chair to someone who I know will use it and enjoy it. I think the feeling was 'bittersweet' - because passing it on is like passing on Maternity clothes, or the size 0-3 mos clothing. I (and Yogesh) had spent so many hours in that chair, looking out the back windows while holding one of the boys when they were tiny infants; and passing on the chair was a realization that our boys are growing up.


But, that's all good. :)

In Delhi, in good shape

Arrived yesterday in Delhi after a relatively uneventful flight and ride home from the airport . . . Here are a couple of pictures to prove it! Deven with Dadaji and our house manager Purvesh - who's like family. These pictures were taken on the terrace (safe for toddlers under supervision) of the house.

Deven has hit it off with everyone. He has generally been good - gravitating from being shy at times to being his usual cheerful mischievous self. My heart meltdown when Dadaji stepped away for a moment and Deven said, "Where did Dadaji go"?

The Delhi airport continue to surprise in a pleasant way. The newness of the newly done terminal is still around. The person pushing the wheelchair for Daadi was super helpful - supporting me in getting the bags, pushing multiple carts and so on. Here's the best part: Not only did he not harrass me for it, he declined the tip I offered him! And not because it was too low, but because he just didn't take any. Or may be there is stricter enforcement of rules, or those services have been privatized.

Hong Kong airport by contrast was a disappointment. The wheelchair personnel were generally unhelpful, and there was no milk I could purchase from any of the fast food restaurants and nor did they care to tell me where to find it! Seemed like a big hulking metal and concrete structure that lost its heart somewhere along the way . ..

More on the trip as we settle down!

Yogesh

Bye-bye D-cubed

Deven, Daddy, & Daadi left for India today. Deven was very excited about going on a BIG AIRPLANE - he's pretty good at dressing himself now; so here he is getting ready to go. We'll be apart for 15 days - that's the longest I've ever been away from Deven, and I admit I'm pretty nervous about it.

What if he gets sick? And can't speak Hindi well enough to communicate where it hurts? What if a strange bug bites him, or a monkey attacks him for his food, or he just can't sleep well or just develops H1N1 Swine Flu and gets really sick? What if something happens to Daadi? To Yogesh? Eek?!?

I guess there's nothing I cam do now except pray and wait for the regular phone calls that say he's ok...
So cross your fingers & wait with me!

Happy 1st Birthday Rohan!

Wishing a great day and year ahead, to our 4-tooth having, walking (toddling) & fast-crawling, toy-hammer-pounding, still-nursing (yay!), cuddling, wavy light brown haired, sweet younger brother, still not sleeping thru the night, almost out of 12-month size, Mama's Boy.

We had a great party on Saturday - photos coming soon.
I can't believe it's been a year! :)
Kate Sherwood
Mobile (650) 387-6767