Congratulations!

If you are reading this, you likely got our Christmas card in the mail. We're so glad we found you and didn't lose track of you despite our perpetual lack of communication.

Since you've gotten this far, here's some recent photos of us to reward you for your efforts . . .

Rich almost always loves living in India, so much so that he bought a fancy sahib suit to prove it. He doesn't usually act this commanding, but I will say that he sometimes gets quite the ego trip out of being the sahib everyone waits on!
And here is Merinda, glad yet again that she married this fabulous man who never ceases to amaze her with his zest for life and tolerance of her in all her femininity.
And Isaac, big brother extraordinaire. He is such a good friend to Russell and Graham, always willing to help and boss them around when needed!
Russell, who tells me I am his best friend "this much" (with arms stretched out wide), is truly a great friend to all. He is more compassionate than most adults I know (including myself) and has a personality that has blossomed and surprised us in the past few months.
Here is our little Graham, almost always happy, ever adapting to new people and places, mostly tolerant of the cheek-pinching from locals, and stubborn and spoiled to no end. He's learning to walk, but prefers to be carried for now.
Merry Christmas to all! Thanks for being interested enough in our lives to check out our blog. Feel free to browse around and see some of the adventures and learning experiences we have had this year. If you get a chance, drop us a line at merindarich@hotmail.com.

In the words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, everyone!" Well said, Tim.

Dengue Doom Done

Two months ago I caught the dreaded dengue fever. Here is the story. . .

The city of Delhi had been all abuzz about how many cases of dengue there were in the city, how many people were dying, etc. Rich's work party was cancelled to help us all avoid getting it. I was getting SMS messages on my mobile phone from Airtel with tips on how to avoid dengue. You get the idea.

So, when I came down with a fever on 19 October, the day after my Seven Cities presentation, I was a bit worried. Then when my eyes started burning and the fever wouldn't go away I started to feel this impending doom. Did I have the dreaded dengue? How could I be so stupid? I was always dousing the kids with mosquito repellant, but often left myself out of the fun (dengue spreads only through mosquitos).

Then, as I deal with many dilemmas, I started reading about it . . . on the Internet. Luckily, unlike what usually happens when you read up on diseases on the Internet, it didn't sound all that bad. Most sources said you can treat the thing at home. So I waited in my bed for the fever to break. Margaret took care of the kids. Diwali (the Festival of Lights) came and went and I laid in bed most of the time listening to the fireworks, feeling really weird. I read lots of books, including Grandma Funk's book written by Aunt Nancy. Really good reading. I missed Isaac's big United Nations Day Program. Still had a fever.

Finally we went to a doctor Monday, 23 October, and he ordered a blood test and bed rest. By that time I had really achy muscles, and could barely walk up and down the stairs. Felt like I'd run a race, even though I'd been in bed for days. I remember really well we had to take a taxi to get to the doctor and there were several mosquitos flying around in it. Inescapable. Why did I end up being the unlucky one? The weird thing is that I don't even remember having a mosquito bite when I would have been infected.

Anyway, the doctor we had seen was the first one we could get in to at the Max Clinic and we didn't like him much, so we decided to go see our doctor Dr. Monica Mahajan Tuesday, 24 October and see what the blood test results were. She noted some rashes developing on my neck and trunk, and though the blood test still didn't show dengue she suggested I be admitted to the hospital to monitor my platelet count and keep me hydrated. Yuck! I really didn't want to go, but Rich thought it was a good idea, so we agreed. When we got home to get our stuff and say goodbye to the kids I started to get numb in my fingers and hands and started to think maybe this was a good idea after all.

I was in the hospital poked and prodded and bound to my bed for 5 days--the Max Super Specialty Hospital at Saket. The hospital was brand new and very nice. One day they took me downstairs for an ultrasound of my kidneys with a fancy new machine. Later I found out that this hospital is one of the popular ones for the medical tourism that has become so popular lately. People find that it's much cheaper and pretty much equal to travel to India for a big operation or something. Having stayed there as a resident of Delhi, I just don't think it's a good idea. I already feel rather adjusted to India and was stressed about the food and cleanliness. I can't imagine how I would be if I had just flown in for an operation. But whatever floats people's boats. But I digress . . .

The fever finally broke on the 4th day I was there. The IV I was attached to most of the time helped to keep the fever down and made up for the small amount I was eating, partly because of the illness and partly because I was worried about eating the food.

The day after I arrived I started getting the full-on rash and swelling--the very worst part. My hands and feet swelled up to about double their size (almost couldn't get my rings off) and my feet were huge and felt like I was walking on pins and needles if I got up. Most of my body was covered with this bright red, itchy rash. Yuck! So there I was laying in a really uncomfortable hospital bed, mostly sleeping fitfully for days. Rich luckily had a bunch of days off for Diwali, so he faithfully stayed with me during the days and went home to the kids at night.

There's something about having a fever for so long that starts to make you feel a bit crazy. I wondered if it would ever go away. At one point I remember talking to the fever, telling it that I didn't invite it and would it please leave! I knew that once my fever broke and my platelet counts stayed within the normal not-scary range (which they did) I could go home, which was all I wanted once I started feeling better. The kids weren't allowed to visit in the hospital, but Graham came once or twice a day to breastfeed and Isaac and Russell visited once. I missed them so much!

The fever did finally break on Friday, 27 October so Saturday I was released to go home. I did finally test positive for dengue on that morning's blood test. Hooray! I survived! The icky thing I have to worry about now, they say, is that if I get dengue again next year (it's a seasonal thing), it will likely be worse. I'll be better about my mosquito repellant next year, for sure.

The very best result from all of this dengue mess is that my parents got so worried about me that they showed up! They arrived here on 31 October and stayed two weeks. It was great to have them here while I regained my strength. Nothing beats having your Mom and Dad around when life gets really hard. They both played with the kids for hours, told me to go to bed and get my rest, and even washed dishes and cooked.
Dengue didn't kill me, it just stole about 3 weeks of my life from me. Some people ask why, after experiencing dengue, we aren't running back to the USA. I guess that might be the wise thing to do. But we knew when we signed up to live in India that it was risky. Life is anywhere. We also knew (and still know) that this is the right place for our family to be right now, for whatever reason. Dengue didn't kill me, so it must have made me a better (not bitter!) person.

Russell & Isaac Celebrities

So we were outside the Jama Masjid (a mosque in Old Delhi) and Isaac met some guys writing in a book. They asked him to write his name in their book. "You want me to write my name? I'm really good at that." He then proceeded to write his name and everyone in our family. Where else can you go in the world and be asked to write your autograph simply because you look different?
Speaking of looking different, here's Isaac and Russell pictured with their Primary group at church. The other white kid is Thomas, Isaac's best friend who was visiting that day. Sister Pritchett is the American woman on the right who helps run the Primary and ensures there's enough English in Primary so that Isaac and Russell can understand. It was an adjustment at first, but they are loving it now.

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Graham Growing Up

Here's Isaac (in his tie!) helping Graham ride the tricycle up and down the driveway.
The neighborhood isn't necessarily fit for roaming around, so we just ride up and down our long driveway. It's Graham's favorite past-time and is always asking everyone to take him out there with a grunt and pointing. It's amazing how quickly a child learns to get what he wants!Graham has gotten very good at growling. Very scary sometimes!

Graham with Grandpa Gurney at the Taj Mahal (for the third time in his 15 months of life!)

Another Point of View

Lest you think from our blogs that Delhi is all roses and sunshine . . . check out this article:
Dutch Diplomat Calls Delhi a "Darn Nuisance"

Some days we see with his eyes. Stay a while though, and the beauty starts to shine through . . .

30 More Reasons to Visit Delhi

I composed this list for the American Women's Association Welcome Luncheon and thought I'd share it with ya'll in hopes that it will entice you to come visit.

My 30 Favorite Things About Life in Delhi:

Riding a bicycle rickshaw anywhere

Ordering just about anything by phone and having it delivered to my home on a bicycle

Riding with my kids in the back seat while the driver braves the traffic

Changing all my cushion covers every few months, thanks to Cotton & Silk

Meeting people from all over the world

Calling the doctor and he answers the phone directly

It’s cliché, but the Taj Mahal is spectacular

Overnight train travel—what a great idea, and even do-able with kids (especially train-loving boys).

Playing Holi—I am still trying to get the color out of my flip flops and underwear!

Learning to be more patient. Realizing that “kal” means yesterday and tomorrow . . .

Climbing on top of a building in Old Delhi and watching all the kites flying, the people at the mosque, and all the other busyness below

I never cease to get tickled when I see an elephant, a monkey, a cow, a camel strolling down the road with the masses of humanity

Taking walks in the early morning and seeing this strange world wake up--everything from bathing in the alleys and the newspaper man on a bicycle, to groups of old men doing yoga or philosophizing in the park.

Buying a bunch of neat stuff and not stressing about it because it didn’t cost too much.

Fresh & cheap fruits, vegetables & flowers. Mangoes. Okra. Lilies. Ohkla Vegetable Market is an experience not to be missed—I walked away with a bag of produce I could barely carry for Rs. 100!

The brilliant colors of the women in their saris—even the women working on the roads carrying bowls of concrete on their heads.

Having to rely on people (instead of computers, phone books, the Internet, machines, dishwashers, etc.) to get information or get anything done. It’s more complex, but it leaves me feeling much more connected to humanity.

Rajasthani music, dancing, and those great hats the men wear on their heads.

Neemrana Fort is fabulous! You could spend hours exploring its maze-like structure, not to mention the beautiful pool and great food, and going to the Stepwell on a camel cart.

The Independence Day Parade—a bit surreal with all the weaponry and elaborate floats for every state, but spectacular!

Osian Camel Camp in Rajasthan. We took the overnight train there. Highlights were the evening entertainment, the luxurious tents, the gorgeous pool on the top level, riding the camels and driving down the sand dune in a jeep at an almost-vertical angle.

India Gate and it’s carnival-like atmosphere.

The India Gate Children’s Park is great—lots of shade and plenty of clean play equipment. If you get hot, go stand by the fountain and enjoy the mists.

Eating Indian food with my hands and feeling my mouth warm and tingly with the spicy, earthy flavors.

Being close enough to poverty every day to feel uncomfortable enough in my comparative wealth to not take it for granted.

Not having daylight savings time.

Having someone to clean my toilets and fold my laundry.

Geckos.

Mastering the art of the head bobble (and learning to distinguish what it means in different situations!).

The religious fervor everywhere and embracing of everyone else’s religions. Every day seems to be some sort of religious holiday and we all celebrate them despite our religious leanings.

No News is Good News

Hello World! Time marches on and we blog less and less. Life feels more and more normal and pedestrian here in Delhi. Most of the time anyway. This morning while bathing Graham a friend called and while I was chatting with her for a bit I started hearing this sizzling, then popping, then a big pop, then some smoke out of the outlet the water heater was plugged into. I paused in my conversation for a bit and said casually, "We're having some electrical problems here," and then the conversation went on. Weird.
I've been busily setting things up to do some Musikgarten classes again. It's been lots of work to set things up, but people are really excited about it around here because there's not really anything like it around in this city of a gazillion people. I have now taught four demo classes and after I teach I am exhausted but almost giddy with excitement. I love to teach, I love to teach music this way, and I'm so energized by the kids. It's fun also to be doing it with Russell and Isaac and see the concepts sink in so quickly and to bring more music into our home. I even set up a website so people can get information easily. The egghead in me was so happy doing that little bit of web programming. Check it out at www.merindacutler.com.

We finally got a Young Women's president, so our Young Women program at church is finally starting to thrive. On the left is our president Tamanna Bhati, in the middle a new beehive Dolphin Verma who just took communion at a Catholic church so isn't really interested in ours, and on the right the 1st counselor in the YW, Dolly.

We have a (semi-)prepared lesson most weeks and last week we had five girls come! We have been meeting as a presidency on Saturdays for 3 hours or so to visit girls and we normally visit one per hour because it's so hard to find places and brave the traffic. It takes forever, but it's completely worth it to meet these girls in their homes and begin to understand what they're all about.

This picture is Ekta Rajoria who had such a peaceful, happy face and was so excited to meet us. She didn't speak any English, but through some translation I learned that she doesn't come because her parents don't like her to and it's difficult for her to get there without someone to take her. I told her to call me and I could give her a ride. But she has no phone, and when she calls, what would she say? Still working on that one.

We visited another girl who isn't coming because she can't pass her exams to move up a grade and so she feels like all day Sunday she needs to study.

The third picture is Sara Jordan and her mom. Sara is just barely twelve and is an accomplished ballerina, swimmer, and gymnast. Her mom thinks we might see her in the Olympics someday. They don't come to church because Sis. Jordan has back problems and just has trouble getting out of bed in the morning. She says in the winter they will start coming again when it's not so hot. Endless opportunities for service here.


Isaac talks non-stop these days about getting a television. The reasons we don't have one are complex--mostly having to do with technical issues, but some ideological. But periodically Isaac asks me with a grave face if we can sit down and talk about getting a TV. He very convincingly presents the pros and cons from cost to ease of use (over using the computer for movies) to how many adapters and transformers we'll need to buy. He's got it all figured out. I'm not sure if he wants it more so he can watch it, or so he can set it up! At first I thought we'd get him one for his birthday, but then we realized that if it is HIS TV we might get some flack when we tell him not to watch it. So then I decided we could get it for Rich's birthday as a (pseudo) surprise! So Isaac and Russell have been working like mad to earn the money to buy Daddy a TV. We have a chart taped to a plastic juice pitcher and we have nearly 200 rupees of the 6000 we'll need to buy a small TV! Now when I ask Isaac what he wants for his birthday he tells me money!
Russell is now officially 100% potty trained. Hooray! He goes to the potty by himself and narrates the whole thing for anyone in the house to hear ("I'm going to go potty now!" and "Did you hear that plop?") and wipes, washes hands, and gets all dressed again by himself. Miraculous. It warms my heart every time he does it. I think the trash boy is feeling pretty happy too that he now only has to deal with 1/2 the diapers he did before (yes, he's taking them now that we separate them, and we give him a little bribe every once in a while!).
Russell goes to the Busy Bees preschool now at the British High Commission and loves it. They have loads of great toys they bring out in waves and they just play and play all morning. The Brits are a bit stiff and stand-offish (Russell calls his teachers his "guard teachers" for some reason), so that's a fun cultural experience. He says his new best friend is Ellie--Tom's sister who also attends preschool at Busy Bees. He is thrilled to have his own friends now and a school to chat about at the dinner table. And chat he does. He is so full of joy and kindness. He and Graham are starting to really play together and it's fun to see.

"Garam Masala's" First Birthday

Graham had a fabulous first birthday. Isaac decorated a carrot cake for him with a blue star and Sarita brought over a fruity cake of sorts she'd spent all day making. We put him on the kitchen table with both of them in front of him. Despite Isaac's efforts to take charge of the situation, Graham quickly plunged into both cakes and had them smeared all over himself, the table, and everyone else in no time. He was more interested in playing in it that eating it, though! For his birthday he had a great runny nose and climbed out of his high chair onto the marble floor, falling on his four new top teeth and bleeding all over. We also took him to pick up Dolly and while I was inside her house sampling her South Indian cuisine, Dolly's neighbors made friends with Graham (Rich assures me he didn't let any of them touch our little Garam Masala).





So now we're trying a new model of posting photos that's much faster. Check out lots more photos of Graham's big day(s) here.

Reason #67 to Visit Us in India . . .

What do Catholic Nuns, Nazis, women bedecked in clolrful saris, brown paper packages and painted feet have in common? You guessed it!

The Bharatanatyam (Indian classical dance) adaptation of the Sound of Music. Our Friday date night, and one of the most surreal things we have ever seen. I wished we would have brought our camera.

It just showed us what a strange world this is and how much you need to come visit us!

Fun Ideas with Rope

Note Merinda's hair. Woo hoo!!

Katie's Pics of Us on Home Leave in Texas

Check out these great photos of our family at Sea World and the Dallas Children's Museum. Dave and Kate: August 2006

Jet Lag

It's 11:48 pm and Isaac just emerged from bed ready to go! He came downstairs and explained to me how our new power strip is configured for the computer and told me about the new friend he and Daddy made at the electrical shop. Rich is asleep on the couch in his shirt and tie after coming back from District Conference. Graham is in his high chair throwing bits of banana and pizza onto the floor (he woke up from his too-long jet-lagged nap a few hours ago). Russell is still asleep upstairs on the hard tile floor and I don't dare move him because he has underwear on!

The second night we were here the kids went to bed at 6 pm and woke up at 1 am. The third night we took a long nap during the day and stayed up until 1 am to avoid that early waking. The fourth night they went to bed early and woke up at 2 am! Now we're on the fifth night and it's not looking so good because everyone took long naps and is waking up just now.

Okay, so here's what Isaac has to say . . .

Now he has nothing to say . . .

Isaac: "Why did you make those dots? What are those dots for?"

Me: "To show that I"m thinking . . ."

Isaac has been enthusiastically helping around the house to fill his wallet with rupees. He is a man with a mission. Some kids are scared to start kindergarten. Not Isaac. Any fear he could feel is swallowed up by his total excitement to eat lunch in the cafeteria and pay for it out of his wallet with his own money. So he has picked up numerous toys, ran errands, helped his brothers, and even memorized articles of faith . . . anything to earn an extra paise for the cause of school lunch. I hope he's not disappointed. I've told him he has to eat five bites of vegetables every day in order to eat the ice cream and I'm just going to trust him to do it. The beauty of Isaac's little exacting personality (and I sincerely hope this doesn't disappear as he grows older) is that I'm pretty sure he'll do it.

The stupendous news of the day is that Russell is on the fast track to being fully potty trained, thanks to wonderful Aunt Katie. Katie got us started on the timer method. At first Russell wanted to set it for "free" [three], but Katie convinced him to go for 60, which is like two threes. We set the timer for 1 hour and if we can convince him to go sit on that potty when the timer goes off, the Spider Man underwear stays dry!! He always makes a big to-do about WHICH Spider Man underwear he will wear and then throws all his clothes around looking for a "cool shirt with cool things on the back and the front" and equally cool pants. Usually he ends up putting on winter pajamas or rummages in the back of his shelf for some cozy warm long-sleeved shirts perfect for the sweltering heat! And then another favorite potty training antic is to choose one bathroom to go potty in, then another to wash his hands in, and then inform me that he doesn't like the soap in that bathroom while he moons everyone in the house. Loads of fun. But I am crossing my fingers that all those pull-ups I bought before I left the USA will have to be donated to someone else's potty training efforts!

Graham is doing much better after his whirlwind of sicknesses in the USA. He is crawling around everywhere, cruising up and down steps, and eating spicy Indian food voraciously. I haven't weighed him, but he feels a bit heavier when I lift him. He and I have started taking walks in the mornings at around 5:30, thanks to jet lag, and he seems to love wandering around our neighborhood watching this strange world we live in wake up.

In other news . . . we finally got a painter to come give us an estimate, and thank goodness because it was 1/4 less than the last guy. He got to work right away and the wall in our living room that was all patched up from the a/c work for months is now a lovely mint green. I picked the color on a whim and it doesn't really match anything else, but it's kind of fun.

Other big news is that despite all the well-meaning advice of everyone but Rich I chopped all my hair off. Actually a French hair stylist chopped it all off. I told him I was tempted to chop it all off but had decided not to. So he cut it chin length and then decided it didn't look good that length and I should cut it much shorter. Rich promises it looks great, but the jury is still out on my end. As I look around at people here I think it looks a lot like the haircuts the young Indian men are sporting. When I have the patience I will upload some photos.

Anyways, that's the news from New Delhi. We miss ya'll!

Uncle Brandon

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Originally uploaded by merindarich.

Uncle Brandon was a hit while we were in Utah! He endured endless hours of swimming and letting kids jump on him and scream in his ears.

Brandon the Pizza Man Superhero

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Originally uploaded by merindarich.

For two little boys, the pizza man was pretty much a superhero. We just hope our tip was big enough that he didn't complain to his friends that we "stiffed" him!

Rich Home Alone . . . sort of

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Originally uploaded by merindarich.

Here's the eight BYU students who crashed at our house while Rich was home alone in Delhi and we were still in Utah. The massive amounts of imported peanut butter and Tide with Bleach they consumed was worth the companionship they brought to Rich.

Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Nelee

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Originally uploaded by merindarich.

Thanks, Aunt Nelee and Uncle Jeremy for being our gracious hosts, locksmith, rodeo companions, babysitters, personal shopping assistants, and buff fitness inspirations. We had lots of fun hanging out with you. Did the couch end up smelling from its experience with Russell? We take full credit for any future decisions you may make to postpone childbearing . . .

Goopy Graham

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Originally uploaded by merindarich.

Graham had goopy eyes and nose for about a week in Utah along with other ailments before that. He wasn't eating, wasn't gaining weight, was dehydrated, yadda-yadda. Who knew that when you LEAVE a third-world country you get sick! But thanks to an emergency room visit and lots of worrying and prayers, he is doing much better and eating like a horse in India.

Cozy Cuddling Everywhere

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Originally uploaded by merindarich.

Once Rich left us for India we moved around a lot. The kids were pretty tolerant of all the moving by this time, and we got pretty accustomed to cuddling up together wherever. I was snuggled in this bed too at Nelee and Jeremy's, but I had to get out to take the picture!

Blue Russell

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Originally uploaded by merindarich.

This is the most pleasant-looking photo I could find of Russell on home leave! Being away from home is hard for Russell, but he really seemed to take refuge in his relatives and latched on to his aunts and uncles and cousins beautifully after the first few weeks of clinging to me. He also decided blue is his absolute favorite color and I had to constantly be washing the two blue shirts I had and the "cool" pants he liked.

Grandma and Graham

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Originally uploaded by merindarich.

Grandma was so sweet with Graham, holding him on her lap while Mindy packed and playing little games with him while Brandon played hymns on the piano and Janielle sang in the background.

Funk Family Reunion

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Originally uploaded by merindarich.

Okay, this is the ONLY picture I took at the reunion! I guess we forgot to take pictures because we were so busy catching up with our cousins and second cousins and aunts and uncles. We're proud to be Funks and we think this year's reunion might have been the best yet! We especially liked the not-too-rough camping.

Brandon on the Radio!!

Nana in India on Gurney Blog

Click on title above to go see it.

A Good Day

Rich told me several days ago that I need to write a positive blog. Well, I had a pretty decent day today, so here's all the positive, fabulous things that happened today:

1. Even though the high temperature today was 114 degrees, we managed to stay cool all day, thanks to car A/C, swimming pools, and generators. We are so blessed.

2. Isaac and I mowed the lawn together this morning. It felt so normal and suburban to do such a thing. And a little physical exercise is always a good thing!

3. Umesh, our handyman, showed up and fixed a bunch of things that were bugging me--a leaky toilet, a screen door that wouldn't stay shut, a broken light, and an outlet that kept frying multiplugs (literally . . . last night it was sizzling). When he shows up, Umesh is the greatest! Perhaps the greatest part about all of this is that I delegated to Sarita the job of calling him, waiting for him, and directing him. She did a superb job arranging it all.

4. I knew we would be gone all day but I had enough foresight to leave instructions with Sarita to make dinner for tomorrow (Sunday). So I don't have to cook and we have enough food I could even invite someone over.

5. Before bed we all knelt in a row on Isaac's bed and Russell volunteered to say the prayer ("because I in the middle!"). He always goes on and on and we can't catch it all, but he is so sincere and reverent. Most of tonight's prayer revolved around Grandma and Grandpa and trains. I think he blessed the food too. But so sweet.

6. Graham tried tofu rolled in wheat germ today and he liked it! He's also been eating graham crackers in the car when we're on the go and he loves them.

7. I hired a driver named Roy Issac today who can start Monday, speaks English, has good references and experience and will work for a reasonable salary! After having major communication and navigation barriers to lumber over today with my current driver, this will be a welcome relief. And he doesn't need a place to live, so that means one less person living here to cause trouble. Hooray! Now I can go explore the city more without worrying about getting hopelessly lost and hopefully start sending the driver out on some of my errands. Blessed again. What a relief. And Isaac is thrilled that we will have a driver named Mr. Issac and we also know Isaac Isaac Pritchett.

8. We went to a birthday party for Isaac's classmate Charlie at the British High Commission Lounge. It wasn't as formal as it sounded on the invitation, our kids didn't make any scenes, and I wasn't too socially awkward and chatted with some interesting people I hadn't met yet--a woman from Peru and some Japanese new mothers, and an American heading off to Moscow or Singapore.

9. Sister Pritchett from our branch invited us to ACSA (the American Embassy club). We had hamburgers, fries, root beer, M&M's, and swam in a wonderfully shaded pool and Isaac got to walk their dog Jaya (he likes dogs now since he's spent some time with her). The Pritchetts have been so good to us. Brother Pritchett wants to go back to the USA to teach economics at Harvard soon, but we're hoping they decide to stay.

10. Rich is in Taiwan on business but we have talked to him several times today. I also talked to Dad in New Zealand. What a blessing our mobile phones and phone networks are! I am happy to hear Mom is also a little better from whatever disease she caught in Delhi and that Dad survived the earthquake that hit Tonga while he was there for work. Blessed again.

So there you have it, Rich . . . a completely positive blog.

Another India Maxim

Okay, this one probably isn't one of those universal maxims that would apply to your life in any way, but it's a lesson we learned anyway:

"If five guys show up one night to hoist a car-sized generator on your roof with a pulley and ask you to buy them dinner, don't just give them the money . . . they might get drunk!"

Yes, it's true. Not only did these guys stay up all night putting the generator on the roof even after we asked them not to. No, it gets better. They were also drunk the whole time! All of this came out when the engineer guy came to collect the money and I started chewing him out because they worked all night. "But Madam," he said, "They had drunk wine before working, so they were strong enough to work the whole night." Say what?!?!? I was pretty in control after that, but I was definitely yelling. Smoke coming out of my head. Servants tiptoeing around me all afternoon after that one.

The clincher is that when I refused to pay the balance we owe until the generator was actually working, the guy couldn't believe I would be so troublesome. Then when I did pay him some money I asked for a bill (receipt) and he couldn't believe that I didn't trust his word enough to go without a receipt this time. Ha. Unbelievable.

Nana Came!

Mom came to India! You can come too. Check out all the fun we had . . . and we didn't even take pictures of half of it.

Nana read lots and lots of stories to the boys while I was stressing about something I can't remember now . . .

Russell and Nana had lots of fun playing. I think by the end of her stay Nana had figured out how to decipher what some of the members think is Chinese (the way Russell speaks). While she was here we convinced Russell to say "wa-Ter" instead of "wa-wa" and "In-Di-a" instead of "ee-a." I had visions of Nana potty-training like Great Grandma Gurney potty-trained Brandon on a visit. But we take what we can get . . .

This is a photo Mom took of us at Khan Market--the upscale place where all the foreigners shop. She didn't believe me that it's upscale until later.

This is a photo of us swinging at the India Gate Children's Park. You can come swing with us there too! We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo . . . You can come too, too, too. Come to India! We promise to do our darndest to keep you from getting as sick as Nana did...

Isaac the Lawn-Wallah

Isaac got a new lawn mower for Easter! Yes, it's just like the one we sold before we moved here. Why buy another one, you ask?

Well, this is our mali-jee (gardener--isn't he just so zen?). We sold the lawn mower because we knew we would have a gardener and figured he would cut the lawn somehow.

Well, it turns out our gardener doesn't cut lawn--it must be a lower caste thing or something. Instead, he asked us to pay extra to have some other guy come in a mow the lawn. When this other guy showed up with a lawn mower like our old one, we decided this was a great chance to keep Isaac remembering what real life is like.

Amazingly enough, once we brought the lawn mower home, everybody wanted a chance to try it out--the guard, the driver, the mali, Mommy, Tom. The same thing happened when we brought the hand wheat grinder out after the electric one burned out . . . but that's another story for another day.