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!

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!

It's a Holly-Jolly... Diwali?

Hmm there's something not quite right about that... Somehow I can't picture my Kenny or Harry singing songs about the Hindu festival of lights, but it's quite a celebration over here in India.  According to Wikipedia, The name "Diwali" or "Divali" is a contraction of deepavali which translates into "row of lamps".  Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. These lamps are kept on during the night and one's house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome. Firecrackers are burst because it is believed that it drives away evil spirits. During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends. It's been a loud few days and poor Dynamo is pretty glad the cracker bursting (fireworks) have subsided.  These Indians aren't joking around with Black Cat firecrackers.  These guys are shooting of M-80 type stuff... loud and frequent.  We tried to have conversations Saturday night inside the apartment and just had to wait until all the popping was done, which took several minutes many of the times.  It was very difficult to sleep Friday and Saturday during the day, so I wasn't in a very cheerful mood for the celebrations.  Luckily, my celebration included a few margaritas and Mexican food with the Toms and their wives to lift my spirits, while Savannah spent time with her "foster" family, the Achesons.  
Friday was "ethnic wear" day at work, so I told the team if they would wear their traditional dress then I would wear a saree.  What was I thinking?  This is only the second time I have worn one, the first being that hotttttttt wedding I attended and I guess I was only focused on the heat and sweat of that day, so I was not quite prepared for all the work involved in sporting one to the office.  I go in early on Fridays, and Savannah's fever was breaking.  If I hadn't promised the team I'd be wearing it, I would have donned jeans.  Lakshmi was running late and I needed her help to wrap it.  I tried to watch a YouTube video, but was too frazzled with Savannah not feeling well, so I waited for her to arrive.  She was more than happy to help, but it took her three tries, about 15 minutes each, to feel satisfied with the end result.  I am quite a bit taller than her, so I had to sit on the couch while she adjusted the folds on the top and pinned it to my blouse on the third try.  Apparently the height was the issue.  In any event, she completed the challenge and the white girl was in the saree, all Indian'd up for the night.  She looked like a proud mom as I left for work.  It was pretty funny.  I passed a few of my neighbors and several people smiled widely and said hello... which is not the norm.  Then I got to the office and entered the lift with a few other ladies, a couple in sarees of their own, looking very pretty.  They all complimented me and wanted to know if I had folded it (dressed) myself.  I laughed, told them no, and we exchanged Diwali wishes as they exited to their floors.  I made it to my desk with approving nods from the security guards and the team was happy to see me Indianized for the night.  I had a couple conference calls and we had a photo session with the team.   It was dang hard to work in that thing, so it probably wasn't my most productive night at work since I've been in India...

The great One Team - NAM Imports

We are missing a few team members who took off for the holiday and Asif (my co-mng) who was out spending time with his wife and new baby girl. 
                                  
Outside of the Diwali celebrations, not a whole lot of excitement going on over here... still in a holding pattern for Savannah's school.  Waiting on the Florida director to e mail me back and confirm to me and her school that she can, indeed, graduate this year.  Anyone in the Tampa area want to drop by and ask them to please answer an e mail or a phone call?  And we've been dealing with her being sick.  Again.  I swear I think she is just too careless and doesn't pay attention enough, resulting in ingestion of this bad water.  We went to the doctor on Wednesday because of her fever... which followed headache and vomiting.  I was convinced she had Dengue Fever, which is really ugly and not infrequent over here these days.  While I appreciate having the world at my fingertips, sometimes Google is more of a hindrance than a help. Especially when I use it to confirm my worst suspicions... Yep.  She's got the Dengue.  Fortunately, after a visit to the doctor, Dengue (and my medical degree via the Googler) was ruled out.  Diagnosis was low BP, likely due to a virus.  Treat it with Tylenol (from the US, since that's what we had) and lots of juice and water. Thursday and Friday she was in bed all day.  Saturday she woke up feeling better and has been fine until tonight... We got home and less than an hour later, she's vomiting and has a fever.  Ugh.  Hopefully she will get well quickly and we will get a positive call from the school in Florida.
As we begin this month that Americans use to express our gratitude, we are reminded that the end of the year and our trip home is rapidly approaching (for which we are thankful).  My niece, Kameryn, turns five years old today.  Savannah was a little down that she isn't there to help celebrate, but it won't be long and we'll see her for Christmas.  And then it will be 2014... the year we go back to the US.  Not a lot of time left, so we need to make the most of it.  Travel, time with friends and decisions about "what's next?" to be pondered.  I know God led us here, although not exactly clear as to why yet... but we trust him enough to know whatever He has planned is more than enough.  
Wishing our local friends a Happy Diwali and sending thoughts of love and gratitude to all our friends and family around the world.  Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated, as always!

Happy Birthday, Kameryn!

September Stuff

I guess it’s been a while since I have done a proper update, so I’ll TRY really hard to make this short, but you know how that goes…

Many of you saw my post on FB the other day asking for prayers with Savannah’s school situation, and there were several people asking what is going on.  So I’ll lay it out for ya and really appreciate the continued prayers for quick (yeah, right- not in India… but a girl can dream!) resolution for this.  Before we came, I had done some research for American schools in Chennai and came up with only a handful.  I broadened the search to International schools and had a few more choices.  Upon arrival, we took some tours with Saint Gideon and settled on Gateway American International School, based on a couple things, but the biggest reason being that she would be able to combine 11^th and 12^th grades to graduate this year.  Unfortunately, it has recently come to light that this might not happen… I am in pretty deep discussions with the principal and the school in Florida through which they have their US accreditation to determine how we can make this happen, as promised when she enrolled, but (as with everything in India) it’s slow and tedious and filled with ME taking the initiative, starting the conversations, doing the research and coming back to the school.  Poor Savannah is stressing over it.  I keep reminding her God brought us here for a reason.  He will not fail us as we have not failed Him.  I am confident she will graduate this year, but in the meantime I am playing school administrator along with all my other roles.  The next role I am going to play is Mean American Mom, which is probably when some progress will be made by the school side.  Savannah said they are already scared of me because I ask questions, include Savannah in discussions and actively participate in the teacher conferences.  I can’t imagine it being any other way, but apparently that is not typical Indian parent behavior, as teachers and school administrators are not challenged.  Go figure.

A few weekends ago we went to our church’s conference, Word of Life - Friendships for Life.  This was the first church retreat I have been on since I was a teenager, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  And I came right after work and was on “night schedule” because it was the weekend right after I got back from the second trip to the US, so I didn’t want to miss more work.  Needless to say, I was zombified most of Saturday.  But Sunday I was awake and really enjoyed the experience.  I was blessed to meet some amazing people, including a fabulously inspiring missionary who is currently living in Istanbul, Turkey and sharing the Word and Christ’s love. She has been a missionary in Asia for 25 years and she speaks Russian and some Chinese dialect.  AMAZING!  It was a nice time.  But the best part was seeing my kiddo, who was a leader for the kids’ church.  She wrote the lessons, assigned helpers based on age groups and languages (did I mention we had Nepali, Tamil, Hindi AND English speakers there??), prayed over, played with and taught all these different cultures.  She texted me Friday night telling me she was having a hard time due to language barriers, but she survived and even stayed up late at the group bonfire to do some dancing with the Nepali crew.  Saturday she was among a group of adults who took the kids to the nearby amusement park during the heat of the day, joined as a spectator as we watched 12 people give their lives to Christ through baptism, and enjoyed the bonfire and dancing again (while I slept!). Sunday was long and she was spent.  In the last hour or so, the power went out (imagine that!) and she used her mobile phone as a flashlight.  One of the kids reached for her, or she reached for them, and the phone dropped… screen cracked.  After the stress of working with the kids all weekend, she was in tears when she was explaining what happened.  (This is a new phone, mind you, and she seems to be i-gadget cursed as her cousin dropped her iPod and cracked it in December when we were home. Her brother sent her a new-used-iPhone that died a month later. We traded it in and paid for a replacement and this was it… cracked within a month of having it!)  After a good night’s sleep, she woke up refreshed and I reiterated to her that we would handle her phone.  I’d either replace the screen here or when we go back to the US and it still works, so it’s really ok.  She was more accepting that Monday than she was Sunday night.  I can’t explain the immense pride I felt for her and the effort and grace she put forth and eluded when working with the kids that weekend.  My heart still swells when parents I have not met or spoken to much approach me to tell me what a great job she did and how much her kids love her.  I have seen more kids come up to her after that weekend than ever before, running by to give her a hug or a high-five, making sure to say “Hi, Savannah!” or a quick hug and “Bye, Savannah!” as they come and go.  She really has a God-given gift with kids and it is wonderful to see her putting it into action, even when it’s hard and it stretches her.  Was she prepared to lead such a high number of kids?  Many of which didn’t speak English?  HECK NO!  But did she let it overwhelm her to the point of giving up?  Absolutely not!  Did she complain when she missed a worship session of singing and dancing because she was “stuck with the kids again” ?  Not my girl.  Pastor Shawn talked about her hard work and great job in our sermon last week and reminded us that all of Jesus’ disciples were likely under 20 years old.  Wow.  1 Peter 4:10 tells us, Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.  I am so very proud of her for letting God work through her, grow her, and lead her how and where He sees fit.

Hmm what else is going on?  I am trying to hastily firm up plans for a “Golden Triangle” tour next month when Savannah has a few days off school.  This will include a couple days in Delhi, Agra (to see the Taj Mahal!) and the pink city, Jaipur.  We are super excited and need to get that wrapped up.  Before we know it, we will be home in late December and starting out 2014.  Where has the time gone?  I think I say that every time I write.  I do have a few things I want to chat about, but I guess I’ll save that for another time.  Among the topics are marriages, dresses and appearances, chicken pox, pregnancies and babies, and travel.  We hope everyone is doing well and appreciate your loving thoughts and prayers!  Hugs from Chennai!

June has Come and Gone

I had intentions to write this a couple weeks ago.  And last weekend.  And last night.  All during the month of June.  The intention to write this before now is because July is such a significant month for us, and I didn't want to jump right over June.  In an effort to tell a short story, which we all know I always fail miserably at, I'll give the highlights of the past month.  Looking back, it was a month filled with significance for Savannah, as you will probably agree. 

• Savannah used her birthday money and purchased a TV, DVD player and teaching supplies for the Home of Hope Boy's Home orphanage where she's been volunteering.  She's been able to work with the boys on their conversational English a couple times this month, after a hiatus due to some nasty political issues that resulted in some Molotov bombs into civilian buses on the road to the home. She's happy to be spending time there again.
• Savannah got braces mid-month.  They are called lingual and are behind her teeth instead of in the front.  The cost is amazingly less here than in the US, and with some help from insurance, we decided this was a good option for her.  She got her top teeth done two weeks ago and goes back for her bottom on Tuesday.  She was in a lot of pain the first week, so would appreciate some prayers for her over the coming week to deal with the pain that will surely come.  She's a lot like her momma, in that she is pretty wimpy and has a very low tolerance for pain.
• The last of Savannah's big month is that she has joined the worship team at our Word of Life church and has played violin twice now.  She has always been shy about her violin, only playing in school functions, so this is a big step for my girl.  She has received lots of appreciation and praise from the church members after her first time playing, so it was good encouragement for her to play again.  She was great again tonight, but I might be a little biased. 
• Our last highlight of June was going to be kept under wraps... a little memento for us to take home and share with family and close friends, a fun memory of our time in Chennai.  A friend from church asked me to do an interview with her friend at a local paper.  They do a weekly profile on an expat in the area.  I am all about helping someone out, so I agreed without hesitation.  I assumed it was a small, community paper like the Houston Press or the insert like the "Spring/Woodlands" section of the Houston Chronicle.  I chatted with the friend, answered some interview questions, and send him a few pictures of Savannah and I during our time in Chennai.  Then I forgot about it because it wasn't going to run for over a week and my memory, as many of you know, is much shorter than that.  Fast forward to last Friday, June 21.  I wake up to a text (SMS, for my Indian friends) from my friend, Gideon, at ML Admin saying, "What Nikki? you're in the paper... you didn't tell me."  OK - no biggee.  Gideon reads all the expat stuff, nothing strange there.  When I got into the office, though, my email box was full of notes from friends in India and Houston, who had all read the article.  Seems the paper was a bit bigger than I assumed.  And Indians read the papers a lot more than Americans.  So........  since it's already out there, enjoy.  *The one thing I will note is that I mentioned the reason I am here is because I am following God's directive and that we would not be as acclimated and successful as we are without our church family and my American co-workers.  These things are important to me and I am a bit disappointed they weren't included.  

 So that's our month of June.  The month of July will be filled with mixed emotions.  I can already tell because they have been sneaking up for the past couple weeks.  The highs and the lows have come creeping into the memory bank and been a bit consuming.  I am sure the next blog will include all these things going through my head... Lucky you guys!

Savannah playing the violin at Word of Life church

Happy Canada Day to my Canadian friends and Happy Independence Day to my American friends and family!

May - What a month!

Has it really been a month since I blogged??  While that feels like such a long time, the month has flown by.  After the wedding I told you about last time, Savannah and I both came down with a very ugly stomach bug with every symptom you can think of.  It was no fun and ran strong for 36 hours, lingered pretty heavily for a full week and still seems to bother Savannah every few meals.  We were almost completely out of commission for a week, which was pretty bad timing considering all the plans we had for this month.  
To start, my baby girl turned 16 on May 4.  I am still having a hard time wrapping my brain around this, considering I am 29 and holding.  My age when she was born gets less and less believable as she gets older.  Sigh.  She was really sick Tuesday and Wednesday and I was really sick Thursday and Friday.  Her birthday was Saturday and I dragged myself out of bed and put a smile on my face.  We went with our friend, Cherie, to the spa nearby and spoiled her with a manicure and facial.  We then went downtown to the Hyatt for a birthday dinner with the Tom's, as Cherie's hubby was celebrating his birthday as well.  He turned 61 and they joked about the reverse years.  Unfortunately, dinner wasn't a hit because Savannah started feeling bad again and barely ate.  Quite a bummer.  Before she started feeling bad, though, we did get a few good pictures of the day.

After her mani

Bday twins, Tom & Savannah

My beautiful 16 year old

After the birthday celebrations were complete, we anxiously awaited the arrival of our guests.  Mom & Dad left the US on Sunday and arrived in Chennai Tuesday morning.  Michael left Tuesday evening and arrived Thursday morning.  It was a wonderful week with them arriving, even though we really weren't quite feeling 100% yet.  Although, I must admit just having them all here made us start feeling better pretty quickly.  Amazing how that happens, huh?  I completed my work week and Savannah (along with Cherie) hosted them out for lunch and shopping a couple days.  We celebrated Savannah's birthday with the family Saturday evening at Mom's favorite restaurant here, Barbeque Nation, and Michael gifted Savannah her first pair of real diamond earrings.  Her brother sent her a new-used iPhone (her iPod screen was cracked and only worked intermittently), and she received donations from several friends and family members to help buy a TV and DVD for the Home of Hope, as requested.  She was reminded how blessed she is to have such loving and generous friends and family.
That Sunday night we headed on our trip, first stop: Singapore.  We had a terrific time.  We made arrangements through a friend of a friend.  This is the first time I had ever used any type of travel agency and I am so glad we did - it was stress-free, didn't have to worry about car arrangements, hotel bookings, tour planning... In Singapore we stayed at a beautiful Landmark hotel, complete with a coy pond inside and a wonderful view of the city.  We enjoyed a city tour that included a stop at the Singapore Flyer (which was awesome!), the Merlion and harbor, the Raffles Hotel, a couple shopping stops and I can't remember what else.  We also did a night safari tour, complete with a fire dancer show and some awesome animals.  We went to Sentosa Island and visited the largest aquarium in the world, saw a dolphins and sea lion show, watched a penguin feeding, and Savannah & I beat Michael riding the luge.  The last stop in Singapore was the Jurong Bird Park. 
We headed to the airport and took our hour-long flight over to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Wednesday evening.  The airport is set about an hour from the KL city, but we had an even longer drive that evening as we were going directly to the Genting Highlands for a couple nights.  It was a drizzly night in KL and was raining even heavier when we got to the mountains.  Fortunately our driver said he made this path several times a week and the wet, winding roads didn't phase him.  When we finally reached the top of the hill and our hotel, it was time to eat a bite and head to bed.  We woke up Thursday and went to the outdoor theme park and rode roller coasters, bumper cars and go-karts.  Fun day with the family.  It's a pretty small park so it didn't take all day.  After the park, Dad was tired so Mom, Savannah, Michael and I went on the cable car ride through the mountains.  It was amazingly beautiful as the clouds rolled in and out over the lush green trees and forest.  After the cable car ride, we wandered around the inside theme park that included shopping and foods.  The four of us took a rest break and had our first experience with fish eating our feet.  Well, not our whole feet, but the dead skin (which sounds really gross, huh?) that tickled like crazy.  Fun experience but I am not sure I'll be doing that again anytime soon...  
Friday morning we packed up and moved into Kuala Lumpur for the weekend.  Our hotel was great, again, and we did a city tour to start our time there.  We stopped at the Batu Caves where Michael and I climbed all nearly 300 stairs while Mom, Dad & Savannah shopped in the (again) drizzly rain. We saw a few monkeys on the statue, stairs and gate and were pretty excited.  We also made a trek to the National Monument, National Mosque, the KL Tower and the old king's palace.  It was very interesting to visit this country which is so heavily influenced by the Islamic religion.  The national monument had an inscription that referenced Allah, where the same might reference God in the US.  With all the ugly references to Islam made due to the radical terrorists in the western world, it was wonderful to spend a peaceful week in this country that was friendly and warm to us as visitors.  I hope this visit shapes Savannah's heart and mind in a positive way, allowing her to be understanding and respectful of other religions while standing firm in her Christian beliefs, always showing love and tolerance.  
Friday night we shopped a bit at Bukit Bintang, which is a popular shopping spot with a range of very high end shops to street vendors with knock off watches and electronics.  It was lots of fun.
Saturday we didn't do much until it was time to go to our boat ride we had booked.  We were going to see a firefly display about an hour out of the city in Kuala Selangor and I was pretty excited since I love boat rides.  On the way, we stopped at Silver Leaf and got to visit with and feed some friendly monkeys.  Savannah and Michael really enjoyed it and Michael even had one sit on his shoulder while some others tried to steal the bananas from his pockets.  After our monkey visit we finished our journey to Selangor and had Chinese dinner (I know many of you are laughing right now, knowing this is NOT something Nikki usually eats... but you'd be surprised at how my palette has expanded in the past year!) over a beautiful sunset on the river.  After dinner we hopped on the boat and got to see flashing fireflies on the river banks for almost an hour.  It was as if someone had strung some blinking Christmas lights through the thick brush.  (I think I might do this and charge a fee in Spring Creek when I get back home - calling it firefly tours LOL)  Mom kept saying how cute they were, while Savannah had a mini-meltdown, being reminded my daughter is not a huge fan of after-dark boat rides...  We all survived and after the car ride back to the hotel, she was in better spirits.  
Sunday we woke up and got ready for our final excursion, which was a trip to an elephant sanctuary a couple hours outside the city.  It was awesome!  We got to feed the elephants sugar cane and peanuts, watched them do some tricks and then Savannah & Michael got in the river and splashed around and bathed a baby elephant.  This was a fitting end to a great week, but even more significant because it was May 19.  4 years ago on May 19, Maura de Souza, the baby sister of one of my dearest friends, passed away after a battle with Sarcoma cancer.  Maura was a wonderful young woman, amazingly strong, hilarious, full of life and love, and a blessing to those around her.  I am a better person for having known her and thankful for the impact she has made on my life and those around her.  Maura loved elephants.  I was happy to celebrate her life in Malaysia in a way that would make her smile.
If you want to see pictures (um... yeah, there are a bunch - be warned) feel free to click HERE and scroll through them all.  Otherwise, here are a few below of the highlights.
We left KL early Monday morning and relaxed Monday until we were back at Barbeque Nation (at Mom's request) for a nice family dinner.  The rest of the week we did some running around in Chennai, taking the family to Spencer's Plaza for some handicraft gifts and souvenirs, meeting up with some friends from church for yummy ice cream, and a nice dinner with Tom and Cherie at a local cafe we enjoy... but we decided the outside venue would have to wait until after the peak of summer (we are reaching 42 Celsius here these days, which is 107+ for my Fahrenheit friends)  and even with the sun down and fan blowing, it was just entirely too hot. So that took us to Friday.  The day everyone left.  Michael's flight was at 4:30 AM so I rode with him to the airport at 1 and cried most of the way there.  And then dropped him and cried most of the way back.  After a few hours of sleep, I woke up knowing Mom & Dad were leaving next.  So after more crying, I pulled myself together and came out of my room to visit and spend the last hours together.  I have never been such a big cry baby in my life, but I guess certain life experiences bring it out in us...  Being 10,000 miles away from my family, best friends, and the man I love is rough.  I am thankful for the strength of prayer, God sending us to Word of Life church and the great friends we have made there, and my friends from work who help relieve the sadness of missing them.  I am so blessed and thankful that my parents can (and WILL!) make the long journey to come see us, not to mention Michael, who doesn't like to fly.  
So... yeah.  There's May for ya.  Hoping there aren't any grammar issues here, as this has taken forever to write and I am ready to be off the laptop.  Forgive me, if so.  And enjoy the pictures in the meantime.
Thanks to all who prayed for Mom, Dad and Michael during travels and for Savannah and me when we were sick.  We love you all and hope everyone is doing well!

Mom and me in Singapore

Savannah, Nana & Pawpaw in Singapore

Michael and me at the Merlion

Savannah enjoying a drink from the Merlion while I show off my fabulous photog skills LOL

Daddy and me at the Sentosa Aquarium

Cable car ride in Genting

Fish feasting on our dead skin

Batu Caves in KL

Sav & me at the old king's palace

Savannah & her Pawpaw

National Mosque in KL

KL Tower

Beautiful fountain in Bukit Bintang

My parents and Savannah on the plane to Singapore

View from the Singapore Flyer

Fire dancers at the night safari

Sunset at Sentosa

Michael and his new BFF (as long as he has bananas)

Sunset before our firefly tour

Feeding sugar cane to the 4 year old elephant

Savannah (teal) and Michael (no shirt) bathing the baby elephant

My mother got my daughter addicted to slot machine games on the iPhone on this trip. 

Dynamo loves his Pawpaw