An Update from the USA

It's been nearly a month since my last post... I was emotional and weepy the last time I wrote.  This time I am emotional and weepy.  Some things never change.  It reality, though, quite a lot has changed since we got back to Texas.  We are staying with my parents until our container arrives and our house is vacant.  Savannah, Dynamo and I are bunking with Mom, Dad, and their two dogs, ChiChi the alpha-female chihuahua, and Wiggles, the mentally challenged Yorkie.  Their dogs bark.  A lot.  At nothing and at everything.  My dog is learning some not so great life lessons from these pups.  I am a little leery about taking him to our house at the end of this month.  Sigh.  Savannah and I are getting pretty spoiled by my mom.  She is cooking breakfasts and brewing coffee and packing lunches and making dinners and doing laundry.  It's kind of like being back at the Leela, but with a couple of yappy dogs.  And my dad is driving Savannah around everywhere, which is kind of like having our little Murugesan back, except he speaks English and wants to talk a lot so there's no tuning out and jamming to the music on the phone or staring at Facebook while Dad is driving.  I have to drive myself back and forth to work.  And anywhere else during the week.  It's awful.  I miss Murugesan.  On the weekends, though, I get to hand Michael the keys and hop in the passenger seat, which makes me really happy.  I do not have tea or coffee delivered to my desk twice a day, but I can walk to the coffee machine and get my own whenever I want, which is almost as good.  I am learning lots of great and terrific things about the world of exports and all about the new company that I am working for.  Although still under our AP Moller umbrella, Safmarine has a different flavor and I am really enjoying it.  The team welcomed me with open arms and they are teaching me all kinds of awesome stuff I never knew about the other side of the business.  It's exhilarating and exciting and makes the days go by SO DANG FAST!  Outside of work, I am busy annoying my best friend/wedding coordinator by making as few decisions about our wedding as possible.  She is about ready to throw me off a bridge because she wants to know about the details... and I am SO not the details girl.  My motto has been, "I don't care, just make it pretty. Oh and less expensive.  Make it less expensive."  She might revoke my BFF-ness if I don't watch out.  In other news, Savannah has joined the ranks of the college-bound.  Many thanks to the BFF's mom, Erin, she enrolled in FOUR classes at Lone Star, which is our local community college, for those not familiar.  She will take English, Algebra, Intro to College all on campus on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and then Music Appreciation online.  I am really proud of her, as she was only wanting to take 1 or maybe 2 classes, so this is a stretch, but I think it will be really good for her.  She's been having a tough time since we got back home... I have been going non-stop between work and wedding and just having a lot to do and not enough time, and our time together has been lacking.  She feels disconnected and a bit lost with her identity.  Most teens probably go through this after graduation, but I think hers is coupled with being back in the US and seeing some of her friends going off to college while others are readying for their senior year.  She's jumped feet first back into the youth group at our church, which is great, but is still searching for exactly where she fits in these days.  She misses the kids and our church family from India.  She was putting off job hunting because "when I get a job that means India is really over..."  And the only thing I could tell her was that India really WAS over, at least for this season of her life.  If she pursues this teaching degree she is beginning with and winds up overseas to teach English like she says she wants to, then India could be back in her future.  Yes, we had a great time and made some wonderful memories and friends of a lifetime, but for now we are back in Texas and we have to move forward.  There are a lot of great memories and friends to be made here as well.  With that conversation and some tears behind us, we set out to find my girl a part time job.  She has an interview tomorrow afternoon and is babysitting for a friend for a couple weeks in the meantime.  My girl needs structure in her life, so working and school are just what the doctor ordered.  I'll ask for your prayers to help her acclimate back to American living and feeling more at peace with her transition into adulthood.
Hmm what else?  One of the things that is so different to me is the amount of variety.  Too many options.  I needed a refillable cup for my water at work.  I ran into a store to pick up a plastic cup with a lid that won't sweat.  I was overwhelmed and frustrated with all the options.  Every different color lid you can imagine.  Different patterns from colleges to football teams to abstract designs or butterflies or owls or...  well, just about everything.  I just wanted a cup.  Seriously.  Take me back to India where I don't have a choice and I take what I get and it probably leaks.  LOL  I just stood there and looked and looked and looked.  It was like I was frozen in time and could not make a decision.  I ultimately decided on a tall cup with peacock feathers and a light blue lid.  Very Indian, after all was said and done.  Ironic.
And staying with my parents is great, being spoiled and spending some quality time that we missed for two years, but it's lacking the quiet solitude we often had at our flat in Padur.  There is usually a niece or two running around or a dog barking or the TV blaring an old John Wayne or America's Ninja Master or whatever that ridiculous show is that seems to play every.single.night.of.my.life.  I try to find a quiet corner of the bedroom or escape to the porch if it's not too hot out, but sometimes there just isn't an escape and that, too, is overwhelming.  Sometimes I just need quiet time.  If only I enjoyed driving... then I could probably happily drive myself somewhere for the peace of it.  Oh, well...
So, yes, there are some things Savannah and I miss from India.  Biriani.  Our church family and friends. Simplicity.  Peace in the midst of chaos.  Set dinner plans after church and not having to make a decision about where we would go.  Comfort... repetition... the norm.  We have to make a new norm, but it feels as though that is out of our reach at the moment.  The end of this month, while I know it will approach rapidly, seems just past our fingertips and too difficult to imagine just yet. 
I don't know if I will continue to blog or not.  It's been so busy, but I had a lot on my mind, so thought I'd put it out there.  I'll take it one week at a time.  In the meantime, here's a side note - I have been very out of touch - not a lot of Facebook checking on friends or texts or phone calls at all - with all my friends, near and far.  Please know I am just, well, overwhelmed with so much to do and not enough hours in a day.  Know I love you and hope to catch up very soon.  Just need a little time to catch my breath.
Appreciate your love and prayers and support as we transition back to our American way of life and sending love and hugs back to each of you!

An Emotional last morning...

I woke up extra early this morning to the rustling sounds of Savannah getting ready for the last service at the Tamil church. I heard the usual "getting ready" noises with a few extra tossed in - the zipping of suitcases & clearance of items from the bathroom as it was her last time to use the luxurious Leela super-huge bathroom.  I dozed back off after she left, but have since gone down to enjoy a nice decaf cappuccino and fresh eggs at the beautiful breakfast buffet. As I sat and waited on the faux caffeine, I began to think about this being our last day in India together and I got a little teary-eyed. Although most of our time was not spent at five star properties like the Leela Palace, we did enjoy our two years here in Chennai. We used the opportunity to grow our mother/daughter relationship. We traveled together. We got on each other's nerves. We encouraged each other. We laughed together. We cried together. We learned beautiful things about a new culture. We learned beautiful things about ourselves and each other. We witnessed racism, and we felt it firsthand for the first time in our lives. We fought battles, big and small. We spent time in an Indian hospital and faced separate health issues.  We made friendships on the basis of being American in India - and we know these friendships will be lifelong because there's a special kind of bond that comes from being away from "home" but connecting with people who share your "home". We found and fell in love with a new church family. We held a beautiful young girl in our arms and in our hearts and then laid her to rest. We helped the other get out of our comfort zones on many occasions.  We made memories to last a lifetime.
I am sure we have done more as a team during this tenure, but any other thoughts escape me at the moment. I will be forever grateful to my girl for joining me on this crazy adventure. As the time comes to leave our Indian home and return back to our native land of the brave, I am overcome with emotion. I have done a pretty good job stuffing it down this week with only a time or two of the tears welling up, but I can tell it won't be that way anymore. The tears welled up at breakfast. Alone.  Which means as soon as someone else is around to enunciate the words "today is your last day," they will come without the ability to keep them under control. But not yet. 
Our last week included packing our apartment into 62 boxes to be shipped back to Houston.  We caught up and had dinners, lunches and coffee or tea with many of our friends and coworkers.  We had a special appreciation ceremony for our driver with Maersk and his company's owner.  We watched the clock and counted the days, with both anticipation and trepidation.  How quickly this week went at times, while other times ticked away ever so slowly.  (I could actually say this for the past two years... not just this week!)  The roller coaster of emotions tends to do that, I suppose.  Speaking of ticking clock, it's about time for me to move from this soft bed and begin my getting ready process for the day.  The last day... at least until Safmarine sends me back, which I look forward to, and softens this leaving scenario in my mind and heart.  It it much easier to say "see ya later" instead of "goodbye."  And with that thought, I will leave you with God's great blessings, hugs, and request for prayers for our safe travels home.  We depart, with Dynamo in tow, at 1:50 AM IST, 3:20 PM CST and will land in Texas on Monday around 1:30 PM.  Thank you in advance and big love & hugs, once more, from Chennai!

Countdown is On!

As I type this it's a little past midnight on Monday, June 23 morning. - As a side note, today would have been Maura deSouza's 28th birthday... here's to Maura, celebrating in Heaven angel-style with Jesus. - This is also significant because in two weeks from right now, Savannah, Dynamo and I will be at the Chennai International Airport waiting on our flight to Frankfurt, Germany and then onwards to Houston.  I know I said it last time, but there are an enormous variance of emotions running through us... I spent yesterday sorting my bedroom into piles - donate or share locally, pack in container for ocean transit, pack in suitcase for short term living.  Our apartment will be packed up and we will move to a hotel next Monday or Tuesday.  I will spend a few hours each day this week doing the same with the rest of our stuff, leaving Savannah to make decisions about her clothes.  Next weekend will be it - finality with decisions for ocean or air and saying goodbye to our little place in Padur.  As I was sorting yesterday I could not help but think back to my moving-Nazi, AKA BFF, Danielle (whose birthday is still today in the USA, by the way - June 22 - Happy Birthday, BFF!) and how she made me do this same type of exercise just a little over 2 years ago as we prepared for the move FROM Texas.  And it just seems like yesterday...  Yet, here we are, 24 months later, and preparing for the move TO Texas.  It just feels like the blink of an eye.  It is exciting to be heading back to our friends we left behind and the family, not to mention the fiancee.  But we have made some amazing friends here, too, which we will now leave behind.  And our church family.  And while I am thrilled to begin my new role in Houston with Safmarine, I am leaving my Maersk team over here, which is tough...  Quite the roller coaster of emotions.  As I sorted through my things I took some time to look through a book my team in Houston gave me before I left.  It was filled with laughs and smiles and great memories of recent years in and out of the Maersk office.  Not surprisingly, I cried a little bit as I thought of the great memories, laughs and smiles I'll be leaving behind from this Maersk office.  And then I told myself that was enough and time to get back to business.  Then a little while later I came across our entry ticket stubs for the Taj Mahal and sat down to reminisce about that trip that Savannah and I took.  What an experience of a lifetime and how vivid are the awesome memories we made - so fortunate and blessed to have been able to see such a beautiful wonder of the world and visit India outside Chennai!  Lots of smiles and maybe a few tears as I thought of the changes we have in front of us.  I am not scared of the change, and looking forward to starting our new life with Michael and his daughter, Haley, but a little sad to leave behind our Mommy/daughter time we became accustomed to over here.  I also spent some time thinking about the great friends we have made and know from all over the world, from our gulf coast in the US all across our great nation to the new friends we have in Canada, the UK, Turkey, Nepal, and of course India.  I am sure there are more places, but that's a good start. We could not have survived this great adventure without the love and support from a wonderful group of friends, near and far.  We are blessed beyond measure and, not surprisingly, I was moved to tears thinking of all the wonderful people in our lives.  Lots to think about...
Other than preparations to depart, I have been recovering pretty well.  Fortunately no more pain and only low energy.  Hoping that gets back to normal pretty quick - lots to do and not a lot of time to get it all done!  Savannah did complete her graduation, YAY, and has spent her time after school as an intern at a friend of a friend's new daycare/activity center she opened up in the city.  She has loved her first experience in the work force, although an unpaid gig, and she is learning a lot about what it takes to survive.  She comes home tired and complains that work is tough.  Duh.  haha  When we get back to Texas there is lots to do for her - enroll in community college, learn how to drive, help with my nieces a day or two a week, and job hunt.  She wants to save money so she can travel next year while taking online classes in the spring, since she will be on my mom's retirement flight benefits and have the luxury of no/low cost travel.  
We have more visitors in from the US for the Safmarine migration at work last week and this week, which is always nice.  They get to meet the team and impart some great knowledge with some "front office" style that will surely help make our team here stronger.  We joined them for a fancy brunch today, along with the Toms and Cherie (whose birthday was yesterday!), at the Leela Palace hotel.  Then we did a little shopping and they joined us at church.  After a little while at one of the nearby beaches and a lot of walking, we were pretty worn out and returned for a nice Indian dinner and called it a night.  Savannah is already sleeping (it's hard being a working girl - just ask her!) and I am winding down, myself.
Many thoughts and plans are running like a ticker tape in my brain which makes it hard to sleep lately.  I make a lot of notes on my phone and send emails to myself to remember to do this, check that, call here, pack this, remember that.  We are trying to fit an awful lot of social time with our Chennai friends into the calendar before we leave... there just don't seem to be enough meals or days to get it all in.  On that note, I just thought of a few things I need to jot down so I'll wrap this post up.  I'll ask for your prayers for us as we prepare for the journey home... peace, energy, emotional balance, as a start.  Throw in anything else you can think of; we'll sure take it :)  Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, as always!  We love you!

Manic May... came and went

Really?  May has already passed?  Is it seriously June, 2014?  This reality fills me with emotions - excitement, anxiety, fear, anticipation, disbelief, sadness, happiness, giddiness, nervousness, regret, and so many more I can't think of right now.  I'll try to explain them all a bit... 

• excitement - looking forward to the move back to Houston with a new role in the organization, a wedding in the not-so-distant future, and being around old friends and family again
• anxiety - only one month left here in Chennai and I feel like there is so much to do to prepare for the big move
• fear - what if reverse culture shock is worse than the original for Savannah? or me?  or both!?
• anticipation - so much to be getting ready for back in Texas
• disbelief - have we really come to the end of our two-year term here?
• sadness - we have THE most amazing church and church family here.  I have some awesome co-workers turned friends, too.  It will be very difficult to tell them goodbye.
• happiness - did I mention I get to be on the same continent as my fiancee?
• giddiness - did I also mention I am marrying said fiancee in October?
• nervousness - what if life back in Texas hasn't changed a bit?  And we have?
• regret - So much more to do and see over here in India and southeast Asia.  We began our travels so late...

So, working closely with Gideon (who else?) to get our affairs in order for the journey back to the other side of the world.  Dynamo papers and preparation, ending of the rental agreement on the flat, a month-long extension on my employment visa to get us through this month.  Also waiting on the global relocation company to have the local packing and moving company get in touch to do a survey and schedule packing dates.  Lots to do and think about.

Things have been very busy at work, as well.  We had visitors from North America, my new team, actually, come to help train the new Chennai team and get them ready for some transition of work so Savannah and I played hostesses on the weekends and showed them all around the area.  We had a great time and even fit in a couple senior portrait sessions for my girl.  Oh! Big news is that the SAT results came back Friday and Savannah will be a high school graduate THIS FRIDAY, June 6.  Amazing how all the stress and nerves around this graduation process wound up just as we knew it should... it was just getting to this point and going through the mud and the muck of it all to get confirmation and approval and so on that was such a headache.  So very thankful that is behind us and in about 45 hours my kiddo will be walking across the stage with her entire class.  All four of them.  Haha  Regardless, I am super proud of Savannah.  She put in a lot of hard work this year and over the summer to make sure she had good grades and enough credits to make this early graduation happen.  Hard work pays off!  

One last significant event in May... my parents came to see us one more time!  This was completely unplanned and unexpected, but wound up being necessary and I cannot begin to put into words the gratitude for my wonderful parents dropping everything to fly around the world when we needed them.  Is this a long blog?  Oops, it's about to get longer. 

Since about February or March my lap band port (you might or might now know I had gastric-banding surgery about 6 years ago) has moved a little bit and been uncomfortable at times and visible as a protrusion in my abdomen, but not an issue.  I was waiting until I got back to the US to address the issue and likely have it moved back into place.  About a week before I went to Copenhagen, though, it was red and causing a little bit of pain.  I sent a couple photos to Danielle's dad, and he said I needed to get into the doctor and it was likely infected.  Sure enough, I had an abscess that required draining (gross and painful!!) and some antibiotics.  No problem, though, travel still OK, so off I went.  Redness subsided within a few days, but then came back.  I went back to the doctor and he cleaned again and gave a stronger, longer round of antibiotics this time and advised to come back in 7-10 days for a follow up.  I went in 10 days later, still with a red spot in the area, for another cleaning, draining and discussion.  The discussion included two further treatment options: Option 1 - conservative approach that would be IV antibiotics to start with an exploration procedure to see if the port area and connector between port and band at the stomach both have infection around them.  With treatment, the infection would (should) go away and all would be well, but the likelihood of a subsequent infection in 3-6 months is high.  There was a high possibility I would need the lab band removed or the infection will keep coming back.  Option 2 - Aggressive approach - go ahead and surgically remove the lap band to avoid further complications.  Either way, the doctor would have to do a CT scan with some dye through an IV and ingestion of some sort to look around and see if there is inflammation all around the areas where the lap band, connection and that could show requirement for removal right away or possibility to treat the conservative manner.  Since I am a wimp, I don't want to do the IV unnecessarily. I decided to go ahead with the band removal but worried about the possibility to gain the weight I had lost back and all the unhealthy things that come with that.  He suggested replacing the band with a newer surgery, called gastric sleeve. He could do it at the same time so it's one surgery as opposed to one now to remove the band and then possibly another later... So, I did some research and scheduled the for last Tuesday.  I was admitted Monday for the IV/CT stuff, blood work and other pre-op testing with surgery Tuesday late morning. Obviously all went well, as I am writing this blog now.  But I won't lie.  This past week was HELL.  Lots of pain, lack of sleep due to pain, difficulty moving due to the pain, and not enough medicine to kill the pain.  The first night I was vomiting from the anesthesia wearing off, which hurt because my stomach was all inflamed from the surgery.  I got zero sleep.  During the day, the IV pain meds helped and I slept off and on.  The next night they were trying to wean me off the IV nutrition so I could being sipping liquids, but I could not get enough, so I was thirsty all night.  Another zero sleep night.  About 4 AM they hooked me back up and I slept for an hour or two.  Then they took the IV and pain meds away as they prepped me for hospital release.  The pain was brutal.  Mom stayed with me at the hospital while Dad stayed with Savannah so she could go to school and complete her exams.  Gideon helped coordinate every aspect, of course... and checked in often.  Friends from church stopped by and messaged Mom, although I don't remember a lot of that.  Savannah and Danielle gave lots of updates here and stateside.  I am thankful for such loving family and friends.  And I am thankful that a week and a day later the pain is less and the sleep is more, although I have seriously low energy and a mini-walk around the flat almost requires a nap.  A shower definitely requires a nap.  Hoping that changes quickly. I am going back to the doctor Saturday and crossing my fingers for enough energy and progress for a release back to work on Monday.  I would appreciate your prayers for continued lessening pain and increased energy along with patience of those around me (ahem, Savannah nearby and Danielle, Michael, Mom via text/phone/chat) to put up with my whiny-ness, as there is a lot of it.  I am a pretty bad patient.  But surviving.

So all in all, a busy May.  With a busy June catapulting us into JULY.  Countdowns are going on... emotions are high... we yearn for July while we want to drag out June.  Irony at its finest.  Here's hoping your June is filled with laughs and love and blessings.  Thanks for your prayers and love!

April Travels...

The last time I wrote was a month ago.  Savannah and I were preparing for our journey to meet my parents and Michael in Thailand.  What a trip that was – full of beauty and great experiences, such a nice time with the family.  We started out meeting up in Bangkok since we all got in overnight hours.  We spent a few hours sleeping and then took a van to Pattaya, which is a beach area on the Gulf of Thailand, just a couple hours from the city.  We stayed at the gorgeous Amari Ocean Pattaya, which was overlooking the Gulf.  It was perfect.  We spent two nights in Pattaya and loved every minute.  We went to Coral Island for a day, which included parasailing, an underwater walk and a glass bottom boat ride.  We enjoyed traditional Thai seafood and “the best rice ever,” according to my mother.  We lazed by the pool, were pampered with a Thai massage (OH MY GOSH, seriously THIS was the best massage EVER!), spent time shopping at the local markets and rented a moped for a scenic personal tour.  Unfortunately the moped led to a ticket (you tricky Pattaya police department set us up!) but it was only about $12 and Michael took care of it pretty quickly, so I guess it was a fun memory after all.  Speaking of fun memories, something that will always be special to me about Pattaya is that Michael asked me to marry him on the beach after dinner on April 1.  He completely surprised me with the proposal, but I don’t think I quit smiling for the rest of the week.  Or since then, for that matter.  I am very thankful to have such a supportive, encouraging, understanding, loving and persistent fiancée…  The man who encouraged me to listen to God, follow His will around the world and make a life for Savannah and myself in India for two years.  The man who, when it was so difficult a transition and acclimation to Indian life, would not let me give up on the long distance relationship even when I tried so hard.  The man who loves me despite all my craziness, insecurities, confusion, indecisiveness, and so many other lovely qualities I possess.  The man who loves me even it’s not me, but my teenager making it difficult.  We will be married a few months after I come home and we are excited to start this wonderful chapter of our lives together.

After Pattaya, we went back to Bangkok and had a blast at the floating market – seriously, so much fun! – and a tour of the village by water.  We stopped at a Tiger Temple and made a few new friends.  Another day took us on a temple tour, where we visited some huge Buddhas and added learnings of Buddhism to our varied religious palette.  Finally, we visited the Grand Palace.  And “grand” doesn’t do it justice.  Amazingly beautiful architecture, murals, and jewels as far as the eye could see.  Perfectly manicured lawns trimmed with extravagant vases and yard ornaments.  Rich and vibrant colors in architectural styles that mirrored the royal’s appreciation from around the world as it was built through the years at every turn.  Our time went too quickly, but we enjoyed every minute.  And we know it won’t be long until we head back on the other side of the Atlantic and see the family and Michael again.  I told Savannah I was really happy we had such a great holiday, because it was our last here in India before we make our way back to Texas.  Turned out, that wasn’t quite the case.

When we returned, Savannah found out she had holidays for Thursday and Friday the following week.  I am not sure how her school plans for the year, but these last minute holidays seem to pop up every few months.  It’s almost like they don’t realize Good Friday comes around once a year.  Sigh.  Oh, well.  With her having those two days off, I poked around on the internet to see if we could do a quick little trip to fill the time.  We haven’t made Mumbai yet, so I checked that.  Flights were too high, so that was out.  I thought, well, it’s not the right season, but what about Kerala?  So I checked the flights and decided to do it.  After confirming my co-manager wouldn’t murder me for taking off another couple days so close to this holiday, I booked it.  And then worked with a friend whose native is Kerala to plan a terrific trip.  We enjoyed the hill station of Munnar, famous for tea plantations and chill weather.  We found out first hand that hill station means mountain top, and Savannah’s stomach wasn’t a fan of the hairpin twists and turns up the side of the cliffs.  Once we reached our resort and saw the view, though, we both decided it was worth the fear factor.  We spent two nights in Munnar, enjoying a traditional Keralayan fight show, complete with rings of fire and flying men… we dined on traditional meals prepared with coconut oil as the base, which were delicious.  We took an Ayurvedic massage that left us confused, annoyed and frustrated at the outcome – seriously?  This was what all the fuss was about.  Don’t ask.  Waste of time, money and energy LOL.  We enjoyed the peace and quiet of our resort in the evenings by swinging, reading, and watching fireflies.  It was good mommy-daughter time.  And we topped off the Munnar portion with an elephant ride, which is something Savannah’s been dying to do since we got off the plane in Chennai two years ago.  We left Munnar and rode a very long way to Allepy for a houseboat ride through the backwaters.  This is the part of Kerala I was so excited about, although I wasn’t sure if it was going to live up to all the hype.  Happy to say – it was amazing and we had a fabulous time.  We had a captain and a cook, neither of which spoke English, by the way, but they both took great care of us.  The food was simply terrific and the view was just as nice.  I think we were out for nearly 5 hours and we enjoyed every minute.  Our Kerala trip that I thought was not going to happen during our time in India has been fulfilled and I am thankful for our time and opportunity to see “God’s own country” as it is lovingly referred to locally.

I came back to work on Monday and it’s now Friday and I am heading to the airport yet again in a few hours.  I am working on a project under my new position and the first week of meetings  begins Monday in Copenhagen.  I am excited and yet nervous.  I am leaving Savannah in Chennai while I travel, and the great American expats that helped us out last July aren’t available this time!  Talk about a stressed out working mom when I found out that news!  Thankfully, we have some amazing women in our church who have offered to split their time helping out and trekking all the way to the south end of the city to hang with my girl during the week so she can attend classes undisturbed.  So thankful for these fabulous women in our lives!

While we have been all over the place on planes, Dynamo has been on his own sort of holiday.  He spent our Thailand and Kerala time with his new BFF and cousin brother, Patch, who happens to be our friend Paloma’s family’s doggy.  And this week he is going to stay with the Woods family.  He is getting quite the amount of attention and I am not sure if he will ever want to come home.  Such a spoiled boy!

Sorry this went on forever, but it’s been a while.  Here are some pics of our holidays and I’ll write more on some other India-ness soon.  Big love and hugs, thanks for prayers and support for Savannah and me.  We love all our friends from around the world!



Dynamo and his cousin brother, Patch





Moped ride with my man



Michael and his moped ticket




The proposal spot in Pattaya with the same on-looking pups

 



The family in front of a massive Buddha



 

A very large Buddha



Bananas at the floating market, anyone?

On our boat heading to the village

I've got the eye of the tiger

Savannah and her monk & tiger friends

Grand Palace Family shot

Another at the Grand Palace

He humors me :)

A Hindu temple in Thailand

Savannah and I "helping" some fisherman in Kerala



The first Christian church in India, built by the early European settlers



Our lovely view from the cottage in Munnar

A little fire ring action in Kerala

A pretty girl in front of some pretty tea plantations

An elephant in Munnar

Oh, just a couple of Texan Indian Princesses atop a regal ride

This girl knows how to cut a fresh fish



Our view from the houseboat ride on the backwaters of Kerala





Sunset over the backwaters, Allepy, Kerala.



Past Due Update

I have been meaning to sit down and write a blog for a while, but life has gotten in the way. Or maybe just not knowing what to write about.  Probably a little bit of both.  Lots has been going on over here so I will try to give the highlights without boring you with the details, which we all know is not my strong suit.  In any event, let's see what I can do:

• Savannah's SAT test has been delivered to Mom & Dad's house and they will bring it with them to Thailand next week (NEXT WEEK!) and we will bring it back to India.  She will complete the test mid-April so we can send back for scoring.  Please help us pray for the 50% score she needs in order to graduate.
• We are both anxiously counting down to next Monday night, around 10 PM IST, when we board the flight heading to Bangkok & meet the parentals and Michael for a week of fun and relaxation.  My heart is happy with anticipation.
• I am excited to announce that I have accepted a position as a Customer Service Manager with Safmarine Container Lines, which is a sister company to Maersk Line, and within the Maersk Group.  I will be based in the Woodlands (Houston) office when my contract is up here in Chennai. I will transition between my current role with Maersk Line and begin working with the Safmarine team next month.  Praise God for answering prayers for a good position in Houston - doing everything I love - leading a team, working with customers, and being able to use my recently acquired knowledge of working in our Indian service centers!
• Our pastor's family has temporarily relocated to Canada, somewhat unexpectedly.  I told you about their sweet daughter, Prasansha, who passed in November.  They needed a break from India and some family time, so they booked flights home for Christmas to visit with Sheralyn's family in Florida, then Shawn's family in Canada.  Unfortunately, they were met with some obstacles with the local Foreign Registry office regarding their son's guardianship paperwork and had to postpone until they were granted an exit visa... which took several weeks and their attorney petitioning the High Court.  They made the tough decision to stay in Canad until they could get Leroy's citizenship, which could be several months.  Savannah is missing her weekends hanging out at their place, and we are missing their spiritual leadership, not to mention friendship.  Our church leaders have really stepped up and keep the services wonderful, but we all miss the Achesons, even so.  Please continue to pray for the family struggling with all the emotions of losing a daughter, sister, friend.  Savannah, too, while you're at it.  It's been tough on everyone.  We hope they will be able to come back before we leave in July but it seems unlikely at this time. 
• Savannah and I met up with our local RJ (radio jockey) friend, Paloma Rao, for a radio interview on the only English radio channel here, Chennai Live, 104.8.  We met at the new Coffee Day Square and enjoyed some delicious caffeine and good girl talk.  We talked about our experiences in Chennai, my Texas accent, what we will and won't miss come July, and she surprised us with a "rapid fire" round of questions/phrases, which I failed miserably.  We didn't get to hear the end result since we don't have a radio in the car or at home (seriously!), but Paloma said she will send the link to me soon.  I'll post here at some point or another.  We had a good time and it was another neat experience for our memory bank and Chennai-scrapbook.
• We sent a great friend-turned-sister to Savannah back to her Canadian family last week, separate from the Achesons.  Sandra came to Chennai after completing a study at the Impact School of Missions in Bangkok so she could serve in another church's ministry.  God has some slightly different plans, and He used Sandra with the Acheson family during the time they needed someone the most, and she made a great impact with our church. She was a blessing, a friend, a confidant, an organizer, a life-saver and so much more during her six month stay.  She is a godly young woman with a bright future in front of her.  I am so thankful she was here to build a strong friendship with Savannah and share her strength with the church family. 

So that's the latest and greatest here in Chennai.  I have been thinking about writing on the emotional aspects of this move back to the US, but I don't think I am quite ready to deal with all that yet.  Savannah and I are both having some mixed emotions as reality sets in deeper and deeper with every decision we make.  Oh, I forgot to mention we booked our flights home.  July 7, 2014, we will leave India as residents and return to the US.  That's been a big decision we've been grappling with, moving from excitement to sadness to fear to confusion and everything in between.  Anyway, more on that another time.  We send our love and thanks for your continued prayers, cheer leading, and support.  Below are a few pictures and I'll post more when we get back from our upcoming Thai holiday!  Sending thoughts for peace and the love of Christ to each of you!

Our FB post from Paloma's page

My future...

An AWESOME group of folks from the Word of Life, Chennai

Sandra, an honorary Grant girl

Indianisms, Texan'd up

As we get further into our second year here and as we think about making plans for our return to the US, I have become more conscious of the mannerisms and Indian grammar and phrases I have picked up.  And I like to point out Savannah’s just for fun.  She has more than I do.  Or maybe I realize hers more than I realize mine, but I like to think she has more than I do. Here are some examples that might make you laugh. Or pity us.  I am sure we will be teased when we get back and can’t speak our American English properly for a while.

Example 1- Today I wrote an email to a colleague in the US and said, "He must be knowing.”  I hit send.  Then I thought, “OH MY GOSH!”  American Nikki would have said, “He should know.”  Wow.

Example 2 – I always take the lift in our flat.  I never take the elevator anymore.  I mean, that word is too long.  And flat is shorter than apartment, too.  This just makes sense to me. Savannah teases me.

Example 3 – Savannah does the head bobble. A lot.  She answers with a wobble for any YES questions in school and many times at home.  I do it sometimes.  Not as much, but it happens.

Example 4 – I do this hand thing.  Well, I do a few hand things.  One is that my right hand goes to the middle of my forehead and I bow my head a bit when I am thinking something is funny but usually tied in with a bit of disbelief.  For instance, my co managers are all quite the comedians.  They tell me funny stories and I shake my head, laugh and tell them they are nuts.  The stories are sometimes so silly that I can’t believe some of the crazy stuff they say and do.  And there goes the hand to the forehead.  Another hand thing is like what we in the US call “jazz hands” – kind of shaking the hand quickly - and it’s basically my contribution of “whatever” to the conversation.  I am generally annoyed with the context of the conversation or brushing something off.  I do this a lot.  I must be annoyed a lot.  LOL  It’s just the right hand, too.

Example 5 – I don’t say, "You’re welcome,” much anymore.  I have changed it to, “very welcome.”

Things I don’t say out loud but I hear/say (in a perfect Tamilian accent, by the way) in my head during conversations with my Indian friends:

“siri ok.” This just means agreement. 

“solinga” – this means “tell me” – many Indians answer their mobile (cell) phones with “Solinga, Nikki”

“sapdia?” – did you eat yet? – this is the Indian equivalent of “how about this weather?”  When there’s an awkward silence in the lift (which is often) I sometimes crack myself up thinking of how I will start a conversation with a stranger and open it with this.  Because this is SO non-American.  Yes, I am easily amused.

“ama” – this means yes. 

These phrases are sprinkled in our English conversations all the time, which is why I hear them in my head.  But my spoken accent is so bad that nobody can understand me so I don’t even bother saying them.  I did tell my co managers about this a while back and they think it’s hilarious, but they did not encourage me to say them out loud.  I wonder why?  LOL. Tonight before I left, I got a quiz. My co manager asked me to pronounce some full names of the team members. I know them all, of course, but saying them is a whole other story. They all laughed with me when I gave initials. Oh, India. 

As July gets closer, my emotions get more all over the place.  I am so happy to be going home and seeing my family and Michael all the time. It will be great to be able to have all the conveniences that I took for granted in my American life: driving myself anywhere, anytime; putting stuff into a dishwasher; drying clothes in a machine; running an errand (ANY errand!) in less than half an hour;  working during the daylight hours and sleeping when it’s dark; downloading iTunes updates in less than 6 hours; being able to have a Skype conversation without losing the connection or picture after 15 minutes; TEX MEX! and so much more. 

However, I am really starting to think about all the things I will be missing, too, like the awesome church home we have found and have so much connection to.  Of course, with that church home come the church friends – more like family – that we have made.  I am teary-eyed writing this (shocking, I know).  I think about the fun team I work with and the terrific co managers I will miss laughing with so much. Our amazing American expat friends and their wives.  I am already sad to think about leaving chicken biryani and sag paneer with garlic naan.  I will miss having a driver since I don’t love driving.  I will miss the bonding time Savannah and I are forced to have and sometimes I think I won’t survive.  I will miss hearing kids playing outside in the courtyard at the flat, on the cricket field and running to greet Dynamo (even when I am late for work and trying to hurry).  I will miss the fresh tender coconut juice and the sweet little man who sells it right outside our complex. 

I know both of these lists will grow as July races towards us.  We have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in.  Thailand flights are booked. Hotels and tour packages are in the works. Countdown to hugging Mom, Dad and Michael is in full swing.  Kerala isn’t booked or looking positive.  We can’t have Savannah out of school much more and the rainy season will start soon. I am still trying to fit this one in…  I have an SAT test to administer to Savannah.  I need to firm up a position back in the states.  I am working on a car for when I return.  We are making some decisions about Savannah’s plans and future for our return.  I feel like I have too many irons in the fire and I focus on one thing and something else moves to the wayside.  It’s a daunting task – this international move – even if it is back to where we came from.  So much to do and plan for, so little time!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for my girlie and me.  We appreciate it more than you know and send you all our love, hugs and prayers.

We attended a wedding tonight & brought Sandra along for the fun. The beautiful bride was on our team when I first came. Here are a couple snaps (pictures).  Enjoy! 

Philosophical Nikki

To whine or not to whine?  That is the question.  I could very easily whine about what a crappy week this has been. Obviously, I feel like it’s whine-worthy. But then I ask myself what benefit will this bring?  I can whine about a few different things… India.  Work.  My poor kiddo.  Her school.  Her principal.  Our hot water heater.  Family back in the US. But will whining actually do anything? Will it even make me feel better or will I just have verbalized (or written) some negativity and put it out there to the world?  I am reluctant to say I will not whine.  Because, by nature, I am a whiner.  Most of my closest friends and even some of my not-so-closest friends know this about me.  If I am too cold, too hot, too tired, too hungry, too full, too caffeinated, under caffeinated, too broke, too alone, too crowded, too ANYTHING, and you are around, you will probably hear about it.  Since my time in India, I have worked hard at reigning in my whininess.  It’s hard to understand until you put it into practice, but using the gratitude method (being very thankful for everything you DO have or CAN have instead of what you do not or cannot) makes a HUGE difference in your mindset and those people who are lucky enough to come into contact with you.  I wonder if my friends from Word of Life realize how whiney I am?  Or have I done  a good job on this mission while living here and kept it “under wraps?” And that doesn’t mean I don’t feel too this or too that.  It doesn’t mean I don’t get frustrated and just fake the emotion of NOT feeling whatever whiney way it is at that moment.  It simply means I choose to think about it from a different perspective.  Example – It’s hot here this week.  Like high 80’s and humid-sun-blaring-sweating-while-walking-the dog hot.   But it’s terrific in the early morning when I get home from work and we walk a few loops around the building.  And I know that while we are out sweating at 3 PM.  And I also know my friends in the US are under crazy amounts of snow or ice and freezing their booties off, so I won’t complain about a little heat.  I guess the easy way to think about it is to consciously shift the perspective.  I am working on it.  But, MAN!  Some weeks are harder than others.  Some principals make it really difficult to try and show the Christian love I know I need to. Some days waking up early to run around the hot, loud city to complete ridiculous errands that should not be required make me really want to whine. Sometimes knowing my girl’s heart is still hurting so much from missing her little Princess Prasansha now that we are back in Chennai makes me want to whine.  In times like these, I am working hard to turn to scriptures and remind myself that God is there for us.  When we are angry, sad, frustrated, furious, broken, our loving Savior is there extending his Holy arms and providing supernatural comfort.  The kind of comfort we can’t get from anywhere or anyone else, no matter how hard we try. It’s taken me a few years (about 37) but I am finally getting it.  Not only can I find comfort in His Word, but listening to praise and worship music and letting that goodness fill up my ears, I find that it spills over to my heart and I feel better.  I went home from work yesterday in a much better mood than when I arrived. Dynamo and I did about 4 loops around the building together in the crisp, cool air in the early morning quiet of Padur.  I enjoyed an episode of the Ellen show, ate a bite, and slept much better and more peacefully than the day prior.

We got some great news this week – Savannah CAN graduate this year.  She will need to meet the credit requirements and pass a 12^th grade standard achievement test with at least a 50% score.  No problems there.  There was a problem of having that test administered.  I was able to contact a company who provides these tests in the US and found out I can actually administer it to her myself!  Praise God! Tick that off the list – now to prep her for the test and keep her focus on completing her studies.  Light at the end of a multiple-month battle tunnel!

Hmm what else?  I posted all of ourLondon and trip home pics on Picasa. There are entirely too many and I am sure they will bore you to tears, but if you haven’t seen London, at least flip through and see what you are missing out on.  Then plan a trip.  It’s amazing.  And, of course, our family time at home was fun so there is some good stuff in that album.  It took a while, because, HEY, I live in India and the internet is a heck of a lot slower than that in the US.  Why didn’t I post them there?  Good question. I guess because I am a ding a ling.  Oh, well.

We did plan our trip to Thailand – looking forward to the first week of April when Savannah and I will meet Mom, Dad and Michael in Bangkok.  Airfare bought and tour/hotel plans in the works. I am really excited and looking forward to it!  We are still hoping to squeeze in a trip to Kerala, “God’s own country,” but that’s gonna be a big dent in the wallet and fitting it in before their rainy season is looking doubtful.  But I am trying!! We would love a weekend in Mumbai, too, but (again) that costs rupees that just aren’t there.  If anyone wants to pay off my student loans for me I can do all this travelin’ fun.  Anyone?  Anyone?  Yeah, darn it, that’s what I thought.  Haha

So… yeah, I guess that’s about it for us. Of course I will ask for you to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, especially for comfort and peace for Savannah’s heart. In the meantime, we send our love and hugs across the ocean and around the world to you, our wonderful friends and family.  Happy wishes for a great weekend and try to remember how blessed you are, instead of how much you lack if that happens to pop into your head.  It works!!

Welcome, 2014!

Happy New Year!

Savannah and I are back in Chennai and doing well, other than her jetlag and cranky attitude for the past couple days.  Health wise she has been great and our visit to Houston only resulted in the one scheduled appointment and one follow up for some blood work.  Which is her least favorite thing, but she dealt with it and now the US CDC is checking to see if she had a small case of scrub typhus, a mite-borne illness, along with her Typhoid and another virus that started with an A.  So very thankful to have that behind us and have my girl back in school catching up on her makeup work and looking forward to graduation in June. We have confirmation from the umbrella school in Florida that she can complete her studies based on the same requirements we understood, but still working on the school here in India to confirm this in writing and also to confirm they will administer or coordinate the required standardized test. It seems to be never ending, but I am confident she will be a high school graduate six months from now.  Which is just nuts to me.  How can my baby girl be graduating?  I am too young for all that. Aren’t I? 

This question takes me to our visit home.  I turned 37.  I had a hard time with that number.  I also had a hard time with 27... Something about those numbers being closer to the next decade than the middle of the decade and being closer to older than younger, I guess.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but I was pretty quiet and some might say cranky (or pissy, thanks, Mom!) for a day or two and I guess this was why. I had to sit down and reflect on the emotions, have a reality check, and realign my gratitude-meter and remind myself of all I am blessed with.  This year brought more reminders that time doesn’t stop for anyone and nobody is guaranteed a certain amount of time on earth.  A few years back, many of you remember a very close friend of mine lost her younger sister to cancer at only 22.  This year we lost a very close friend to cancer at only 4.  I was heavily intertwined with both families during the hospital stays and the last few weeks for each of these very special girls. It was awful as an outsider, and I can only pray for God’s great comfort for these families, even today for the first and continue prayers for the second. 

The past year and a half in India feels like the blink of an eye, which makes turning another year older even scarier.  I know the next birthday will come just as fast as this one did, and the next and the next, God willing.  That means I have a lot to do and not a lot of time to get it done!  I am still unclear as to what God’s will is and why he sent us to India.  I have a couple ideas, but either I am not looking hard enough, or maybe looking too hard, to find that big answer.  But then I wonder… maybe it’s not a big answer or reason at all.  Maybe it’s a whisper of something that happened here, or is yet to happen here, or even back in the US as a result of our time here. Maybe it is simply His will to blueprint Savannah’s life with a great cultural experience that will serve His Kingdom someday far away.  I can’t help but hope and pray that we do know before we go, but I guess that’s the human nature in me. Whatever He has in store for us, we have had our good days and bad days here, our stressful and our not-so-stressful days here, just as we would have had in Texas.  These days, though, were sprinkled with a crazy adventure that included lots of laughs as we learned to acclimate to an entirely new culture, a change in mindset that allows us to share the road with cows and goats on a regular basis, an understanding beyond our American world of convenience and instant gratification and an immeasurable appreciation for the family, friends and loved ones we moved so far away from. Yes, my birthday was a time for reflection and I am so thankful for all the opportunities and blessings we have been afforded as a result of our big move. Whether we know His reason yet or not…

Our trip home was terrific.  I surprised Savannah with a three day trip in London, which was amazing.  She loved it so much she said she’s moving back.  We enjoyed typical London weather – overcast, drizzly and cold – on day one, but days two and three were SO gorgeous with blue skies along with the crisp winds and cold weather.  We layered with thermals, jeans, jackets, scarves and gloves and braved the tube (subway) and streets to see as much as we could in our short time there.  Some of our stops included: The London Eye at night, a walking tour that helped us cross paths with His Royal Highness Prince Harry pulling into the residence of Prince Charles and Camilla (exciting!), a ceremonial changing of the royal horse guards, another ceremonial changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey (which was more amazing than I ever thought possible), Hyde Park, the Parliament buildings, the Thames river, the Tower of London (with all the crown jewels!), the London Tower bridge, Big Ben, 10 Downing Street, the Chelsea area, and so much more I can’t remember.  We even met up with the friend of a friend and enjoyed a Christmas Carols show performed by Hillsong, which was a terrific jolt to get us in the holiday spirit.  It started out a big surreal for me, sipping Starbucks (right next to our hotel!) in the cold, in London, and Harry Connick, Jr. came on the radio.  So what happened?  I started crying.  Hahahaha Savannah was mortified.  I pulled it together quickly, but just was so overwhelmingly thankful, blessed and humbled by the entire scenario.  It was a wonderful trip with memories I know Savannah and I will both look back on with love, laughs and fondness.

Saturday morning we packed up and headed for Houston.  After a couple hour delayed flight, we were eventually airborne and ready to see the family, friends and Michael.  We had a great trip home, enjoyed more cold weather (well, I complained and wasn’t sad to be heading back to warm India, really) and our terrific family and friends.  We didn’t make any huge plans or schedule any big dinners this year, but time sure passed quickly and soon it was time to head back.  This time our goodbyes were different and more dry-eyed, which I imagine is because we see an end to our Indian adventure and a new beginning back in Texas in the very near future.  In a short six months we will be heading back over to re-acclimate to being a couple American girls. We will be crying over here on this side as we say goodbye to some really terrific people from work and church that have such a special place in our hearts… but so much to do in the meantime!  Mom and Dad (and hoping we can get Michael along!) will meet us in Thailand in a couple months for one last international trip.  Savannah and I will make a trip to Kerala to see the natural beauty that India has to offer.  Some friends from the office are coordinating a weekend getaway for our group to Bangalore.  So much to do and see, so little time!

Here are a few pics from our holidays.  We hope yours were blessed, full of laughs, love, friends and family.  We send our appreciation for your thoughts and prayers for us as we head into the last quarter of our stay here in India.  And we send our love.

Cheers to a prosperous, successful and LOVING 2014!