http://emma-indiastates.blogspot.com/
Our time in India came to an end. If you'd like to continue with us on our ex-pat journey please follow the link and pop over and see us in North Carolina, USA for a nice cup of tea.
Friday 28 August 2009
Friday 14 August 2009
The Little Boy and The Pink Bike
Before we left India we had a clear out and donated or gave away a few things. One of those things was Ellie's little pink bike, her legs had just got too long for it and it was pink so it wouldn't do for Luke now would it?
Here is an excerpt from an email I received today from a friend back in Chennai and it tells the story of what happened to that little pink bike.
Here is an excerpt from an email I received today from a friend back in Chennai and it tells the story of what happened to that little pink bike.
How is everyone ? Hope the immenent move is going to plan? Forgot to say thankyou properly making a 4 year olds year!
Mary my maid was so pleased with the bike and later in the week her grandson came to see me to show off his new school uniform(very smart). I couldn't wait to show him the bike even if he couldn't take it home that day as he was on his dad's 2 wheeler.
As soon as he saw it his face lit up and he promptly tried to ride it down the front steps of the house! There he pedalled happily as if he had had done so forever,even though this was his first time.
His grandma said he would have to leave it and she would bring it back for him after work. He wasn't having any of it and said he would sit outside all afternoon until she went home! Somehow the adults relented and a very happy lad went off home,with his new bike.
As he returned to his street he was the envy of every little boy. How come you get a bike ?
He answered with "My white madam's white friend gave it to me."
That night he refused to go to bed (school the next day),soon it became clear that he needed his new bike(worried someone may take it) he slept on his mat with his arm around it!
Since he rides constantly and won't visit his grandma because her lane is too bumpy for his bike!
If you ever get to read White Tiger you will see that Joshua, has had his statis raised which as we all know is very important. He is very grateful and Mary has dined out on the story of his 'white madam's white friend' even if it has backfired a little on her.
I managed also to mend the other toys and were distributed to the rest of the grandchildren, Christmas come early.
It is hard to imagine any boy in the Uk being so thrilled with a pink bike. It was an interesting lesson for our children to realise how consumerism and having the latest gear has really taken over back home. We stocked up on esssentials but their needs were very moderate and this is humbling. I think they really appreciate what they have and have returned with far more enthusiasm than we expected. Long may it last!
Wednesday 29 July 2009
I Haven't Gone Away...
...not entirely.
I've just been very busy not Muttering from Madras and basically getting wet and muddy in this so-called English summer of ours and catching up with friends, family, TV, shopping (supermarkets still overwhelm me!), good beef and meat, crunchy yummy salads, English beaches, driving - wherever, whenever and whichever way I want. Oh yes, and how can I forget the BIG BUMP back to earth when I had to do all our cleaning, washing and ironing.
Hmmm...I admit I am seriously missing the (almost) neverending blue skies and warmth of Chennai...and my maids!
The kids are fine...Ian has been back in India wrapping things up work wise the last couple of weeks and apart from taking root in our Wellington boots in the soggy wet ground we're all doing OK - apart from the camera which ended up in a brook in Devon at the weekend and I haven't summed up the courage to check the memory stick to see if I have now lost ALL our summer photographs.
I've also had a bit of a block on writing and whilst there are still are couple of things to be wrapped up on here I will begin anew very shortly as we depart for North Carolina (US) on Tuesday 4th August where a whole new adventure and chapter will begin.
In the meantime...meet the new neighbours! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8171638.stm
I've just been very busy not Muttering from Madras and basically getting wet and muddy in this so-called English summer of ours and catching up with friends, family, TV, shopping (supermarkets still overwhelm me!), good beef and meat, crunchy yummy salads, English beaches, driving - wherever, whenever and whichever way I want. Oh yes, and how can I forget the BIG BUMP back to earth when I had to do all our cleaning, washing and ironing.
Hmmm...I admit I am seriously missing the (almost) neverending blue skies and warmth of Chennai...and my maids!
The kids are fine...Ian has been back in India wrapping things up work wise the last couple of weeks and apart from taking root in our Wellington boots in the soggy wet ground we're all doing OK - apart from the camera which ended up in a brook in Devon at the weekend and I haven't summed up the courage to check the memory stick to see if I have now lost ALL our summer photographs.
I've also had a bit of a block on writing and whilst there are still are couple of things to be wrapped up on here I will begin anew very shortly as we depart for North Carolina (US) on Tuesday 4th August where a whole new adventure and chapter will begin.
In the meantime...meet the new neighbours! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8171638.stm
Friday 5 June 2009
My Final Muttering from Madras
(My Final Muttering From Madras was unfortunately cut short on Friday evening when I went to publish the post and only half of it appeared...and then I ran out of internet time at the hotel so was unable to complete it...and now I've pretty much forgotten what the rest of it said exactly! Anyway...
It has been a busy and tiring emotional roller-coaster of a week.
The packers came, they packed our lives back into boxes,again. They removed the boxes and they moved them to Chennai Port. Strangely we have fewer packages than we arrived with, I obviously haven't done a good job at shopping here as I thought.
Ellie's school broke up for the Summer holiday today and I was doing just fine until I went to collect her...cue the tears, thankfully I wasn't the only one, it's the transient nature of the ex-pat life...people coming then going and the cycle continues...it's tougher on the ones staying behind in the long run I'm sure.
What I can't quite actually believe is that we have only been here for 8 and a half months, and yet we've done so much, but so little of what we had planned, and been through a whole raft of experiences and emotions that could probably sustain us for a lifetime...but it's been great and I wouldn't change our short spell here for anything and I don't think that anywhere else could quite ever meet the challenge or offer the experiences, the sights, the people...and the wonderful friends met and made here. We will miss you all.
After just a few hours sleep Kumar and Murasoli will be picking us all up one last time and delivering us to Chennai airport where we will board our BA flight direct (thank goodness) to Heathrow. For me, Ellie and Luke this will probably be the last we see of India for a long while. Ian however, will be back in just a few weeks and every couple of months thereafter.
It has been a busy and tiring emotional roller-coaster of a week.
The packers came, they packed our lives back into boxes,again. They removed the boxes and they moved them to Chennai Port. Strangely we have fewer packages than we arrived with, I obviously haven't done a good job at shopping here as I thought.
Ellie's school broke up for the Summer holiday today and I was doing just fine until I went to collect her...cue the tears, thankfully I wasn't the only one, it's the transient nature of the ex-pat life...people coming then going and the cycle continues...it's tougher on the ones staying behind in the long run I'm sure.
What I can't quite actually believe is that we have only been here for 8 and a half months, and yet we've done so much, but so little of what we had planned, and been through a whole raft of experiences and emotions that could probably sustain us for a lifetime...but it's been great and I wouldn't change our short spell here for anything and I don't think that anywhere else could quite ever meet the challenge or offer the experiences, the sights, the people...and the wonderful friends met and made here. We will miss you all.
After just a few hours sleep Kumar and Murasoli will be picking us all up one last time and delivering us to Chennai airport where we will board our BA flight direct (thank goodness) to Heathrow. For me, Ellie and Luke this will probably be the last we see of India for a long while. Ian however, will be back in just a few weeks and every couple of months thereafter.
Sunday 31 May 2009
NOT the Type of Pedicure I Had In Mind
Oooops! Had a bit of an accident today. Well I couldn't let Ian take all the sympathy now could I?
A large crowd of us descended on The Park for our last Sunday Brunch and all was going well, the adults enjoying good food and all the children fed watered and ensconced in the hotel's viewing room watching Shrek.
Luke decided he wanted to climb up on my lap and as I pushed my chair back to let him up, my flat soled sandal skidded on a chip and my toes rammed straight under the metal base plate of the table. Huge pain, blood, stars, nausea, the lot.
My very own Florence 'Juliet' Nightingale quickly and deftly administered first aid and ice while Nurse Sejal made calls to her doctor...and it was straight off to Apollo hospital for me. Xrays to make sure nothing was broken, nothing is. But once my toes were cleaned up it was apparent that my big toe nail was split right down to the base. "We'd better take it off", says the Doc.
After two lots of local anaesthetic a crowd of around 10 Doctors and nurses have gathered around my feet to watch the removal of my big toe nail and I just feel like fainting, but I managed to stay awake with Juliet focusing my mind. Credit due, when it was all over it looked as though the lovely Doctor had done a good job!
It just wasn't the kind of last Indian pedicure I'd been planning - I had intended that once we had moved out of the house and into the hotel for a few days I'd slip down to Salon 2000 for one last complete works...because it ain't half cheap here and as of next week I'll be back to taking out a small mortgage for any pampering of that kind...Ah well, at least my toe's not broken, and, I got to see the inside of yet another Indian hospital before we leave!
PS...A very big thank you also goes to Andrew Purdy who also accompanied us to Apollo and kept reminding me that I do have a sense of humour. Like you said Megan, he doesn't 'do' blood though!
A large crowd of us descended on The Park for our last Sunday Brunch and all was going well, the adults enjoying good food and all the children fed watered and ensconced in the hotel's viewing room watching Shrek.
Luke decided he wanted to climb up on my lap and as I pushed my chair back to let him up, my flat soled sandal skidded on a chip and my toes rammed straight under the metal base plate of the table. Huge pain, blood, stars, nausea, the lot.
My very own Florence 'Juliet' Nightingale quickly and deftly administered first aid and ice while Nurse Sejal made calls to her doctor...and it was straight off to Apollo hospital for me. Xrays to make sure nothing was broken, nothing is. But once my toes were cleaned up it was apparent that my big toe nail was split right down to the base. "We'd better take it off", says the Doc.
After two lots of local anaesthetic a crowd of around 10 Doctors and nurses have gathered around my feet to watch the removal of my big toe nail and I just feel like fainting, but I managed to stay awake with Juliet focusing my mind. Credit due, when it was all over it looked as though the lovely Doctor had done a good job!
It just wasn't the kind of last Indian pedicure I'd been planning - I had intended that once we had moved out of the house and into the hotel for a few days I'd slip down to Salon 2000 for one last complete works...because it ain't half cheap here and as of next week I'll be back to taking out a small mortgage for any pampering of that kind...Ah well, at least my toe's not broken, and, I got to see the inside of yet another Indian hospital before we leave!
PS...A very big thank you also goes to Andrew Purdy who also accompanied us to Apollo and kept reminding me that I do have a sense of humour. Like you said Megan, he doesn't 'do' blood though!
So Long, Farewell
Just take a look at how the Desperate (ex-pat) Housewives of Chennai spend ALL their time!
Last week a very fond group of us did the school run and then de-camped down the coast to Fishermans Cove for my leaving lunch and we had THE BEST time. Expertly arranged we enjoyed a peaceful time relaxing around the pool...the first time I have been able to do this since...well I can't actually remember when! And then enjoyed a lovely lunch in the Bay restaurant overlooking the Bay of Bengal with a nice sea breeze to cool us down.
Fruit Mocktails - it was only 10am after all!
A wonderful group of girls who have all helped me settle in here and made my life in Chennai a little bit easier with regular injections of humour and shared experiences and tales of our lives in India. Thank you all for coming, Thank you for the wonderful gifts which will always remind me of you all...and thank you for being here in Chennai the same time as me! There were a couple of girls that I include in all of that who were missing on this day, you know who you are. Going to miss all you girls xxx
Where's that box of tissues?
Last week a very fond group of us did the school run and then de-camped down the coast to Fishermans Cove for my leaving lunch and we had THE BEST time. Expertly arranged we enjoyed a peaceful time relaxing around the pool...the first time I have been able to do this since...well I can't actually remember when! And then enjoyed a lovely lunch in the Bay restaurant overlooking the Bay of Bengal with a nice sea breeze to cool us down.
Fruit Mocktails - it was only 10am after all!
A wonderful group of girls who have all helped me settle in here and made my life in Chennai a little bit easier with regular injections of humour and shared experiences and tales of our lives in India. Thank you all for coming, Thank you for the wonderful gifts which will always remind me of you all...and thank you for being here in Chennai the same time as me! There were a couple of girls that I include in all of that who were missing on this day, you know who you are. Going to miss all you girls xxx
Where's that box of tissues?
Countdown
1 day until the packers arrive
1 week (yesterday) until departure day
4 days since my lovely leaving do
1 hour before we see the English Patient
1 hour before our last ever Chennai brunch with many lovely friends
1 week (yesterday) until departure day
4 days since my lovely leaving do
1 hour before we see the English Patient
1 hour before our last ever Chennai brunch with many lovely friends
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