Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Six Months and Counting

Well, we are back in Bangalore for our last six months. Christmas vacation was wonderful in Canada - visiting, eating, everything was familiar - there's nothing like being home for Christmas. But there was also the shopping - not for "things"  - but grocery stores and wine stores and kitchen stores. The choices! Seriously, when we went into this new wine store we just walked around in awe. Michael actually asked the clerk, "Where should I begin?"And then the grocery store- the fresh fruits piled up, the cheeses, the breads and meats - all in one store! Again I just gazed around not knowing where to start.

There was fast food and restaurants and Starbucks. We didn't overindulge that much but it's just knowing that you have choices, that you can have something if you want it. And knowing that what you buy is good quality. It all made me a little less eager to get back to Bangalore.

But here we are back in Bangalore and all of a sudden I feel the clock is ticking fast. We walked out of the airport and it too seemed familiar... and warm. It was 2:30am but lots of Indian people were there to greet their friends and family. Ladies in sari's sat outside chatting like old friends - but probably they were strangers. The Indian people are very social and friendly.

Our driver met us right away and we walked to the van. He pulled forward so we could get our bags in but maybe he didn't put the emergency break on or left it in neutral because after he got out of the van it started to roll forward. He ran back, jumped in and hit the break just before it would have hit some trees. We just looked at each other and smirked- we're back in India! Always interesting, never boring.

We got home and into bed at 4:00am, didn't make the kids go to school even though the principal sent out an email that there would be a math and english test on the first day back and anyone who missed it would be given a zero. Oh well, some things can't be helped.

Michael, on the other hand had the pleasure of getting up first thing and going to the FRO (Foreign Registry Office) to get his visa extended. He had tried to do it in Dec. and made a couple frustrating trips but the paperwork was never quite right or something was missing.

I got a call from him at 11:30am with a few choice words that once again the paperwork he was given from work was wrong. He needed a copy of his work contract, signed but the one he had wasn't signed. Always a big hassle going to the FRO office. Luckily he was able to get a proper copy and eventually he got his visa extended to June 14th - so that's it, the final date for us. We'll be leaving India on June 14th.

Today the kids and Michael are off to school/work and I just got back from yoga; now sitting outside enjoying a very warm day. The pool is closed for two weeks but that's ok. The banana's are ripe from our own tree and a big pile were on the counter for us when we got home. And now I'm off to get groceries as the cupboards are bare. Here's to the next six months!

1 comment:

  1. You must be happy heading home, glad for you!

    ReplyDelete

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