First night in Delhi

A couple of you have asked ... after my Glimpses post ... what it was like the first few days here in Delhi.

I'll try my best to recreate, remember and recount, but I truly was in a fog that first week. If I'm honest, I still may very well be in one to this day!

We arrived at 10:00 pm on a Friday night in Delhi. The INSTANT the forward cabin doors were opened, I remember feeling a swoosh of heat. Hot, sticky, oppressive heat. It didn't matter though, because we were quite tired of the stale air, that had been forced and recirculated through the vents in the airplane for the past 12 hours.

We gathered up our things, said goodbye to the wonderful flight attendants and set on our way to find Todd.

We followed the crowd to where we assumed we needed to go. Down the escalators ... this tired and ragged bunch of travelers ... to the first checkpoint. Health screening. Due to H1N1, we were all required to state our originating airport, answer whether we'd been sick, and then "pass" the heat sensors that were scanning our bodies for high temperatures.

Next stop to be formally admitted into the country. We made our way - rather quickly - to the line for foreigners. Because of our seating class on the airplane, we beat most of the traffic to this point in our journey and I was excited to be at the front of the line.

Our visas were checked. Our passports looked over. Our visas were checked. Our passports looked over. Our passports looked over. Our visas were checked.


[No, I am not stuttering ... it felt like T-H-E longest passport check in history (and I've done a few). Here, I had 3 owly kids who just wanted to see their dad, and a mom who was plain tuckered out ... and the passport agent (is that what he's called?) kept flipping the pages of our passports ... back and forth // forth and back ... as if magically a golden coin or a Willy Wonka Chocolate Bar was going to leap from those pages.]

When he finally deemed us approved to cross over that yellow line, I felt relief. We'd done it. We'd arrived. That was all I'd set out to do when we first boarded the plane over 24 hours prior, was simply get from Point A to Point B .. and we succeeded.

No more than 5 steps away was Todd. We were both overcome with a myriad of emotions, neither one of us are too sure which were the most prevalant, only that the sigh we both let out most likely echoed in the Delhi airport that night. Tony ran into his dad's arms and Mia cried, probably from sheer exhaustion. Terran just shook his dad's hand and they awkwardly did "the man pat."

Because he knew we were tired, Todd showed us (along with the help of a man from his office) to the baggage claim. There we played catch up and I sent messages of "we've arrived" on my new 'mobile' to friends/family back home.

Once our baggage arrived (a long and painful process, but I don't want to bore you with the details of waiting for our 8 huge suitcases), we walked through customs (an easy process) and outside to our first glimpse of Delhi.

The smell of India hit me SQUARE in the face. I can't describe it, and I so wish that I could. It is something that seems to have permanently engrained itself in both nostrils and I wish that I could have bottled the outside air that I'm used to for those days that I just need a bit of what I was formerly accustomed to.

The smell of India (as I affectionally call it) is a strange combination of heat, diesel, cardammom, heat, sweat, trash, more heat, humidity, incense and what else, I'm not quite sure. The smell of India collides almost violently with the sound of India. The horns, the sound of diesel vehicles which is not the quiet pur of an engine you might be used to back in the States, the yelling, the horns and more horns.

The kids and I just stood there with wide eyes, as we were ushered to the waiting cars and drivers.

Wide eyes, but open hearts.

We spent the next hour in the car, as we made our way from the airport to our new home. When we pulled up to our street, we saw the guards leap to attend to our bags, Rosy our cook, came to the door straight away and welcomed us. Todd had filled the house with flowers for me, and two people were ready to give us all massages. There were "Welcome to India" cakes and wine. Yes, there was wine.

My first night in Delhi is one that marked the end of one chapter in my life and the beginning of the next.

[The next week or so proved a battle of beating the jetlag monster, but once that was over, we hit the ground running!]

PASSPORT PHOTOS and the FRRO

Utter these four letters (F.R.R.O.) to any expat in India and you'll likely get a groan, sigh or a barrage of different choice four letter words.

Within the first couple of weeks of your arrival into India, you are required - as a foreigner - to register with the Foreigner Regional Registration Office. Sounds easy enough right? In fact, we spent the summer talking with various expats in other countries who explained that it simply took "one piece of paper, and a quick 30 minute visit to the office."

Yea ... not in India!

Because I know that so many people have SO many different experiences with the FRRO, I'm choosing to take the easy way out when writing about this required process (also known as "pointing you in the direction of people who have already written about it).

Since I am not going to rewrite the book, first I will point you to this website (which I only JUST found) ... the FRRO India. Written and maintained by expats and NOT the city officials, it is a helpful guide to refer to.

Jen shared with me this cool spot to get ONLINE passport photos ... and from the little I looked around, they appear to be FREE!!

By the way ... if you're on your way here, or have just arrived -- it does not hurt to have 30 passport photos of each of your family members at any one time!  Really!  You will need them for almost every imaginable thing.

Also to note, they are MUCH cheaper here in India than they are state-side.  Get just a sheet before you arrive ... and save the job of getting multiples until you land.

On to the "they've already written about it" posts ::

Sharell's post

Katherine's post 

Abby's post 

Ayeshea's post

Sounds fun, right?  I think I should be enterprising and set up a little kiosk outside the FRRO and stock it with ibuprofen, coffee, little board games for the kids, popsicles, magazines and other things to help pass the time and make the process a smidge easier and more tolerable!

Guest Post : Cleveland

Today I'm writing over at Chef's Widow ... to help fill in the space in her corner of the world while Jonathan and Amelia get started on their book.  

Click over to read about how to instill a love for travel and a passion to see the world in your children (or the children in your lives).

Guest Post

Have passport ...

For the next couple of weeks, the grandparents will rejoice and the non-family readers will sigh ... as I will be blogging loads of posts about the kids and NOT so much about Delhi or India.


Summer is rapidly fading away and we are concurrently rapidly losing steam when it comes to being excited for yet another day of spending 24/7 time together.


Recently though, the kids moaned and groaned about the requirement to start off our day by getting visa/passport photos.  Now, mind you - it is a relatively simple and painless process.  You drive to the kiosk/shop, pose in front of the white background, the photographer clicks away, and then Kushal goes back two hours later to pick up the photos.  


Apparently though, when you're 4 and 6, it is a HUGE waste of time to spend those 15 minutes BEFORE the pool, getting those photos taken.


Anywhoo ... when we got home, they asked why their toys didn't have passports.  More specifically, why the Barbies and Woody didn't have passports.


So I did what any mama would do ... and we made passports.


First step ... take passport photos ::

Next up :: 


Glue sticks, cutting the Great Seal of America hot off of the printer and glancing over at their own passports every so often for inspiration

What was so cute about this was when it came time to list the toys' citizenship, Tony got creative.  Instead of USA or India, he decided that Woody came from "Andy's Room" and Buzz Lightyear's citizenship was "Infinity & Beyond."


~ ~ ~ ~


Moving on to cute thing #2 from recent moments.  Mia has been long awaiting her fourth birthday.  Mostly because that is the magic age that she could start ballet lessons.  She turned four ... I registered her and brought home "THE BOOK"


Because this sequence of photos was taken without her knowledge, I'm going to simply share them without my commentary ... precious.

She starts this week ... and I can't wait! 

Have passport ...

... will travel?

I'm curious.  

How many Americans have passports?

I tried to google it and came up with a number of different answers ... the most common being that about 18% of American citizens are current passport holders.

Does that number surprise you?  Does it shock or bother you?  Does it not even cross your mind at all?

What's the deal ... you think?

In my opinion, a passport is your key to the world.  Why not have one in your possession so that the possibilities are LIMITLESS?  I feel that passports are truly one of the BEST gifts you can give your children.  Why do SO few Americans have this?

Would love to open up some discussion about the subject.  Do YOU have one? 

Why or why not?

Trekking the Hills of Garhwal

One of the extraordinary things that comes with attendance at the boys' school is a high school "mini course" trip in the fall.  All four grades of highschool attend, and their trip selection is based on a lottery system.

Terran drew "Hills of the Garhwal" and at first we were all kind of disappointed that he didn't get "Bike and Hike the Himalayas."  The latter sounded MUCH more up his alley.  Some of the trips were service oriented, and others more action oriented.

We packed up his rucksack and sent him on his way late one night last week.  We spent the week missing him and hoping he was having a great time (no texting or phone contact along the way).  Todd met him at the school near midnight on Thursday and we have had so much fun looking at photos, a video of him rafting and hearing the stories of his amazing trip.


View Larger Map

A quick version of their itinerary.

Day 1 :: Travel from New Delhi via train to the Haridwar Railway Station. Arrive at base camp on the Ganges River.

Raft from base camp to Rishikesh in the morning. Lunch, info briefing, dinner, overnight at camp.

Day 2 :: Trek 6 hours through mixed forest of rhododendron, pine and oak through a secluded part of the lower Himalaya. Picnic lunch en-route.

Arrive at the campsite on a high ridge with views of the snow capped Himalayan peaks of Garhwal, Kumaon and Nepal.

Camp overnight on the ridge in alpine tents.

Day 3 :: Rise early and walk to the Summit Hill (approx 400 ft above the campsite). Watch the sun rise over a 360 view of the best Garhwal Panoramas.

 Return to the campsite for breakfast. Pack and trek (mostly a level walk) through thick jungle (for approx 3-4 hrs) to the hill village of Ranakot.

Get a glimpse of a typical Garhwali village. Set up camp near the village.

Day 4 :: Rise early for breakfast. Descend through village to road head above Bhagirathi valley.

 [Ritu, their trekking guide]

Drive approx. 2 hrs to Devprayag to awaiting rafts. Safety briefing and allocation of rafting equipment. River journey on the Ganga begins. Mild rapids encountered. Camp on a secluded beach just before Kaudyala.

Day 5 ::  After breakfast, start rafting, past Kaudyala and onwards to HRR Base Camp.

[Ram, one of the guides]

Rapids like Daniel’s Dip and The Wall (grade IV). Arrive at HRR base camp for lunch. Camp activities such as volleyball, frisbee etc. Depart camp and drive to the Haridwar railway station to board the Dehradun Shatabdi train for return to New Delhi.

(Terran hiking back up to his group during an early morning sunrise)

"In these hills, nature's hospitality eclipses all man can ever do. The enchanting beauty of Himalayas, their bracing climate and the soothing green that envelopes you leaves nothing more to be desired."  

I am jealous, in awe, thankful, grateful and impressed.  I'm thrilled that Terran had this opportunity, as I know it will be one that remains in his heart forever.   I have to admit I was moved close to tears as I looked through his hundreds of photos, knowing that he is one of few who has had this great experience, at such a young age.

Playdate Goes Global

What do you get when you combine 14 crazy mommas, over 30 children, some ingenious passports and loads of sugar?

Playdate Goes Global, that's what!

In a community where diversity is NOT a large part of our children's day-to-day experiences, two of my friends and I decided that a cultural lesson was in order.

All invited moms were instructed to choose a country, research with their children (admittedly most of us did the work on our own), plan a craft and provide a snack - all that correlated to their chosen country.

We gathered yesterday afternoon for the result and boy was it crazy!

After each mom and kid team set up their tables (some with flags, some with appropriate fabrics, some with music and some with books or reading materials), we started the process of "clearing customs" with each family.

Handcrafted passports were handed out to each child, along with a Country Itinerary (their checklist to be sure they made it to each country).

With all of these countries to visit - Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Poland and Russia - can you believe we made it to all of those locations in just under two hours?

Whether it was sampling mango chutney, eating with chopsticks, tasting eclairs or dipping melons in grecian yogurt, the children were given a fantastic example of what food might taste like in a different country.

No hotdogs, mac-n-cheese or pizza here!  What was incredible was that most of the kids responded to their taste testing with a resounding "Mom!  That was really GOOD!"

The crafts were equally as educational.  Chinese lanterns, german pretzels (made from playdough), coloring boomerangs, Indian rangoli, Faberge eggs or pasta art from Italy, these kiddos exercised their creativity!

When we planned this event, we envisioned a very brief introduction to various countries and how people live on these far away places, with playtime taking up the majority of the time.  What surprised us was how "into it" everyone got. 

We watched kids run up to other kids and ask "Have you been to China yet?"  or "Oooh, go make the craft in Germany!"

We as parents have a responsibility to teach our children not only about manners and their ABCs, but also to be more culturally aware.  We owe it to our kiddos to help them understand that there is an entire world out there. 

Just across the ocean, just across our borders ... lies a completely different way of living.  Whether it be the standard dress of a country, varied religious practices or general ways of life ... it can be incredibly rewarding to watch your little ones soak up this new information.

Many schools host international/cultural fairs when children are in 3rd or 4th grade.  However, you don't have to wait until your kids get into elementary school to start expanding their horizons. 

Gather some of your friends together, and host a 'trip around the world' for the benefit of your kiddos!

Have Visa, Will Travel

I just received an email notification that all four passports (the kids and mine) are on their way back to us, with a shiny new India Visa stamp in them!

Can I just say that I'm pretty impressed that our kids have passports (first of all) and that they are soon to have some amazing memories and experiences "stamped" in their minds forever?

We were just reminiscing the other day and looking at Terran's old passport ... complete with a stamp from Johannesburg, South Africa and then Nairobi, Kenya. Then there's Todd's old passports ... talk about some experiences there! Russia, Brazil, Italy to name a few.

Our children will soon expand their global awareness ... and I'm thrilled about that.

I've long been fascinated with all things travel.

(Of course there is a difference between --- sailing the ocean blue on a cruise ship to somewhere romantic, where your days are filled with shore excursions and mojitos --- and shipping your belongings to be sent across that ocean, where your initial days are possibly filled with travelers' diarrhea and Immodium AD.)

I can't wait until the passports are back in our hand. It has felt quite disconcerting this past week or so to have them off in the hands of the Consulate's office ... hoping that we filled all of the questions out correctly and that we would be granted our entrance into the country, without any problems.


With our passports, our seatbelts buckled, the prayers of our friends and family, and an attitude of "why not" our family will grow together, prosper, and have stories to tell that you might not even believe!

Visas

I think I mentioned that I've divided the to-do list into sections and have assigned each task a week. Some items easily fit in the WEEK 1 category and others obviously can fall into later categories, like WEEK 9.

One of the list items that I had previously assigned to Week 8 was the Visa Applications for the kids and I. I just assumed that since they were only valid for ONE YEAR from the date they were approved, that the longer we waited, the longer they would be valid once we arrived in India.

Todd kept after me to get the Applications started and I'm so glad he did. Not until I caved and moved "Complete Visa Applications" from Week 8 to Week 4, did I realize that the kids' Applications MUST be signed by both parents, in order to be issued.

We gathered all of the required documentation, including Todd's needed signature (would have been kind of difficult to have acquired once he left on the 16th!) and I headed to the Post Office to ship them off.

If we learn nothing else through this process, we will have mastered the concept of "there is a first time for everything." I am consistently met with the question "You're moving WHERE?", followed soon after by "Well, I'm not really sure HOW to do that."

After 27 minutes in the Post Office, attempting to figure out how to send four Visa Applications, with delivery confirmation, as quickly as possible, BY registered mail AND with some kind of insurance in place for our passports (that must accompany the Visa Application), the Applications are on their way to the consulate in New York.

We will soon have our passports stamped with a pretty visa to India! Have Passport and Visa, will travel!