Hair

a little wild thing

Glen Lake

the view at Big Glen

We spent Tuesday up north in Glen Lake.  It was a two-fold trip.  We went mainly to celebrate my Dad’s 60th birthday (on the 6th) and my Mom’s 60th birthday (on the 8th).  Neither of my parents seem anywhere near the ripe old age of 60.  I told them that I think there must be some sort of miscalculation.  My brother, Ben, along with his wife, Heather, and daughter, Eleanor, were up for vacation, and even my 82 year old grandmother made it for a delicious Steak lunch and Birthday cake.  It was good for my soul to be up north.  It was good to hang out with family, and it was especially fun to see Leila interacting with her relatives.

Leila with the Birthday Girl and Boy (Ava and Tata)

Eleanor and Leila

Leila with Great Grammie

We also went north so that we could “say good bye to the ol’ place,” as my dad put it as we were about to leave on Wednesday morning.  My parents have lived next to Big Glen Lake for nearly 13 years, but the time has come for them to move on.  (JP and I are particularly excited that they will be located in Holland for the next chapter of life… at least until the chapter after that begins.)  I was very thankful for this opportunity to have my “good bye” day in Glen Lake.  My family moved to Glen Lake after my sophomore year in college, and while it never felt exactly like home, it has become a favorite place of mine.  From the beautiful drive up from Holland, to the scenic hikes and picnic spots, the Glen Arbor area won my heart long ago.  During our day there, we were able to do two of my three favorite things…  We walked down to Old Settler’s Park, which my family has done at least a thousand times, and we played on the swings with the little ladies.  I’m not sure that I have ever played on the swings at the park, but hey, it is Leila’s very favorite thing to do these days.  We also walked out on the dock, which is where I took the photo at the top of the blog.  Later on that night, we sat in the backyard around a bonfire and roasted s’mores.  I love to sit by a fire, and even better, I love to eat s’mores.  It felt good to my soul, and my stomach!  The only thing  guess I missed out on was one last trip to the Cherry Republic.  When my sister, Amy, worked there I learned to appreciate just how yummy All Things Cherry can be.  If you have not been there, You MUST Go.

The good news is that I won’t be staying away from the beauty of Glen Arbor  for the rest of my life.  I learned to dislike and avoid official goodbyes long ago, and simply put, Glen Lake is a place I must return to.  So even when I won’t have my parent’s home to visit, I know I will go there, and my soul will be glad.

Dad and Mom at Old Settler's Park

Some photos from the past couple of weeks…

The analyst and the color commentaries

So…  in the world of sports broadcasting, there are usually two people doing the play-by-play.  One is usually someone with a background in communication while the other tends to be a retired player or coach.   The job of the ex-coach or player (analyst) is to announce the plays being run and other intricacies of what one might see on screen.   The other commentator is there to provide the “color.”  His/Her job is to make sure people are still interested.  They ask meaningful questions, provide thoughtful insights, and help the analyst along in this new world.  So, I’ve figured this out.    I am the analyst in our life while Katy provides the color.   (Note: I know that this is not a hard and fast rule.  I am able to provide color on occasion and Katy can be quite observant.  I am just generalizing.)

So… here are my thoughts since we got back to the US.  We are quite aware that the blog has been quiet for over a month now.   As always, there is good reason for that!  We have hit the road running.   We have had to deal with sickness, jet-lag, family obligations, weddings, and speaking engagements.   Leila took a while to get into her stride.  She had a skin issue to deal with.  The dry-ness here in the US made her cheeks get chapped. She also was teething on our trip.   That combined with the cold Michigan weather slowed things up in terms of getting re-adjusted to life here.   Meanwhile, I was preparing for an ordination service where I lead worship (in Chicago) and for a wedding, the following week (in Iowa).   And as Murphy’s law would have it, when I was getting ready to perform the wedding, our basement in our home in Michigan got flooded.  Poor Katy was alone with Leila.  Fortunately, our dear friend Lori was there to help her out.  Together these two amazing women moved everything we had in our basement up to our main floor and out to the yard.

It took about three days to get the basement completely dry before we could begin to move things back in there.   We are finally getting to that point.  We did find a silver lining in all this though.  This flooding helped us purge the unnecessary junk we had been collecting all these years.  My workshop area is again lined up and raring to go.  Hopefully, I get some projects done there.

So there you go…  my analysis of the month or so since we got back!   I know that the color commentary will follow soon enough!;)   Thanks for checking in with us.   Photos will be coming soon too!

Jet-lagged

It is a beautiful sunny day here in Holland, Michigan.   The thermometer in our house is hovering at a gentle 70 F.   We left for the US exactly a week ago and cannot believe in some ways that it has only been a week since we boarded the Paris bound Air France flight.    

I know a lot of you have wondered how we fared in our trip.   Our flight from Bangalore to Paris was the longest leg of the journey.  This was also, coincidentally, the most problematic flight for Leila on our way TO India.   I was a little nervous but Leila did sleep for about 5-6 hours on this flight (this was a 10 hour flight).  I was quite relieved to arrive in Paris.  We were hopeful about the shorter (6 hours) flight to NYC.   However, that hope vanished in a couple of hours.  It was a noisy flight.  We had a baby that wasn’t sure what was day and what was night.   Needless to say, I walked the aisles of the airplane for almost 3 hours.  Now, I must preface all this by stating first that Leila was a really good girl.  She just did not sleep.  In over 36 hours of travel, our little wonder got maybe 7 hours of sleep TOTAL.   That began to wear on her and exponentially began to wear on us.  

We landed at the JFK International in New York City.  We found out at this time that while all our luggage made it, our stroller did not.   This was a pretty big blow because now we had to negotiate 7 hours at JFK with 7 suitcases, 3 carry-ons AND a baby.  For as great a city as New York City is…JFK leaves a LOT to be desired.   We had to switch over to the domestic terminal which reminded me of a crowded bus station in India.   The only difference being that we were hauling a lot of luggage on a rickety little trolley up and down elevators and over floors that were carpeted heavily.  (Note:  Katy and I try to avoid O’hare Airport in Chicago and Heathrow in London.   After this trip, I have sworn to not make fun of those fine cities ever again).  Our journey was, however, not over at JFK.  We had to catch our connection (2 hours) to Detroit.   In all honesty, the passengers (well…one loud mouth and his friend) on this flight were probably the most inhospitable to new parents and a baby.   That made the 2 hours extra long.    

We were so glad to see Katy’s parents waiting for us at the Detroit Airport at 9:30 PM on Monday night!   We spent the night with Katy’s brother Ben, his wife Heather and Leila’s cousin Eleanor.   Best sleep we had in a while.   Sometime on Tuesday, we loaded up the car again and began the three hour ride to Holland.   Leila did well in her car seat.  

Anyway, we are still battling jetlag.  Our stuff still lies strewn about in the living room as we unpack, do laundry, and get things back in order.   Thank you for your prayers.   We are glad that the travel went well.   How did we fare?  I’d say that I’d give the trip back to the US a B-.  

Leila is slowly beginning to behave like the Leila we know.   We are excited and happy about that.  For a little 7 month old she sure is quite the traveler!   

We hope to update more now that we are settling in.

And we are back!

After a week of roaming the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, we are all finally back in Bangalore. Our boss was in town, so we took the entire staff of WCOI (including those from our two other offices in India) down south with us to participate in a distribution and then a retreat, something we had been praying would happen for a long time now. This was an unprecedented event. Following the distribution in Tamil Nadu, we crossed state boundaries into the beautiful state of Kerala. We were there to take some time off together as a team and enjoy the beauty of the land. We were treated to some unparalled sights but the real beauty came in our sessions together as one big family. We have a very special team here at WCOI, and it showed. Leila again proved to everyone just how hardy she is as a traveler. In six months on earth, she has traveled more than most people do in a lifetime. I am a proud papa, but she is a tough cookie too. I must admit, though, that even Leila was glad to finally be home.

On the train again

Lining up to receive audio Scripture kits

Leila meeting Pastor Hallelujah at the Distribution

Retreat Time

The group out for some sight-seeing

Tea Plantations

This week back has been a long week. We’ve had board meetings and other official meet and greets. And of course, the phone line to our home got “cut” and took with it our DSL line. So needless to say, it took us more than four days to get the line patched up, modem hooked up, modem reset, modem exchanged, modem reset again, and other modem related oddities– BUT we are now up and running. That always makes me happy.

I am also setting another trend here. This is the first time I have typed up an entire blog on my iPod Touch. I make no apologies for being a geek. Got to love wifi!:).

A few weeks back, JP being a major GEEK with his "twin," Divya

Bangalore is beginning to cool down and the evening breezes make walks around the neighborhood absolutely delightful. Hard to believe we are only here for a few more days. Hope you are all well wherever in the world you find yourself tonight.

Porulkatchi

Last night I got a little carried away in reflective mode, and did not end up posting the original thoughts that I had been having about Tulip Time.  So, here we go– round two…

JP and I were happy to learn that this year our travel dates coincided with those of the Porulkatchi, or the fair.  I was able to go to the fair once a few years back, and I loved it.  It was the year that Teresa was living here, and so we went first with Teresa.  That year my mom and dad also came to visit and explore India, and we figured the fair was a pretty good way to explore some of the nitty gritty of Indian lifestyle.  The fair isn’t typically geared toward foreign guests, and hence is a perfect place to live large with the locals.  (Just don’t plan to blend in!!)  We have many fond memories from these two prior trips to the fair, and so it was with eagerness that we piled into the Tavera with Tata and Ava and drove the short distance to the Porulkatchi grounds.  Leila even got strapped in the Baby Bjorn for this one.

 

at the bazaar: bed sheets, table cloths, and the like

Upon entering the fairgrounds, you go through a large bazaar area where vendors are selling everything from washing machines to jewelry, from dried fruits and nuts to tortilla makers (used to make chapatis).  The bazaar area is probably my favorite part of the fair.  There is so much to see, and there are so many unique items at great discount prices.   Plus, there is this one guy who hands out the most amazing samples of spiced cashew nuts.  We definitely bought a packet of those!!  Once you make your way through all of the booths, you’ve reach the rides and the fair food, which is JP’s favorite part– the food, that is.  :)  This is what got me thinking about Tulip Time.  It is so fun to see all of the Indian fair food options.  At the top of our list of favorites is definitely the Chaat Stall.  Chaat comes in many varieties, and is usually a mixture of fresh chopped items like tomatoes, onions, and cilantro mixed with different kind of crunchy savory and spicy items.  Some chaats involve broth, some are more like buns with a spicy marinara sauce, some resemble chips and salsa with fresh pico, some are like rice krispies…  It is a long and delectable list.  Perhaps some day I will be able to write a more helpful chaat entry, but for now, hopefully a few photos will suffice.  

 

Pani Puri Chaat (this is what JP ordered)

Samosa Chaat (this is what I ordered)

After the chaat stall, we headed for the fresh sugar cane juice.  Sugar cane juice is sweet and also lime-y.  Very refreshing, and it is oh-so-enjoyable to watch the squeezing process.

 

Making Sugar Cane Juice

 

one for JP, one for mom, one for dad

So many kinds of goodies, just like 8th street and Tulip Time.  There were fried rice and noddle booths, cotton candy, spicy versions of our elephant ears, and bhajis, which are deep fried, batter-coated bananas, peppers, potaotes, and the like.  Check out our banana bhajis below.

 

Bhaji

The other thing that always happens when we go to the fair is that it rains just as we begin making our way through the food area, and we have to make a sprint toward home.  This year was no different.  My photo-taking and eating spree came to a quick close, but it was probably for the best as Leila was ready to head home for a nap.  Good times were had at the Porulkatchi this year.  If ever you get the chance to to meander through a Porulkatchi yourself, I highly recommend it.  And for those of you who enjoy Tulip Time, it just might seem familiar… minus the tulips, of course. 

 

a parting shot of the fairgrounds

Tulip Time

Back in Holland, I know that Hope College has just graduated the class of 2009 (CONGRATs to my beloved students!!) and Tulip Time is in full swing.  This is always a favorite time of year for JP and me.  For as long as we’ve been married, Tulip Time was a signal.  Seeing the spring rains arrive, and the tulips poking their colorful blooms into the fresh, bright world was just one reason to smile.  JP would gladly admit that Tulip Time is a favorite time because of the carnival food carts that line up along 8th Street.  (In fact, JP loves those visits to the food carts so much that he occasionally talks about organizing our trips to India so that we can be gone during the worst of Holland’s winter, but make it back in time for Tulip Time!)   And, while I admit that we both like to go for a corn dog and a fat ball– which sounds gross, but tastes like a Boston Creme donut, but better– I think we both love Tulip Time for the way that it marks a change of season, a change of attitude, a change of pace, and even a change of place for us.  Tulip Time, for me, always indicated the close of another school year, with lovely hints of sumer beginning to loom before me.  It was both the end of something, and  a sweet, blessed beginning.  It was the scramble and rush of life and work at the college giving way to hopeful piles of books to be read, walks to be dilly-dallied along, and grilled meals to be savored.  In addition to these things, Tulip Time generally pointed toward an imminent trip to India for JP and me.  Tulip Time, rain or shine, warm or cold, was a breath of life, with the heavy undertone of excitement.    

Now it is Tulip Time, but here we are, already in India.  I’ve been a bit out of sorts these last few days, and without trying to be overly dramatic about it, I think I’m rather homesick.  It was this time last year that I bid a bittersweet farewell to my beloved Hope College, and my ministry as a chaplain.  I was a little less than half way through my pregnancy, and JP and I were looking forward to an exciting, busy trip to India that included his brother’s marriage.  This was to be followed by my sister’s wedding shortly after we returned.  During this whole time period, I was also trying to grasp the details of a new profession as I joined JP as his partner in mission work.  Needless to say, this has been a year of major change for me.  I’m not sure I’ve given myself the time and space for proper reflection, but I am suddenly realizing that my heart has not forgotten to reflect.  My heart is tugging at me, reminding me of the things that have been my rhythm for so many years.  There is a quiet sorrow in me for that which is over, and I’ve found myself missing Tulip Time and all that it signaled for me in previous year.

 

my little tulip

However, to be most truthful, I must also admit that God is planting good seeds in my life right now.  In this year, God has gifted me with my precious little Leila.  She is my tulip this May.  And, God has been (and will continue) planting seeds related to my new professional life.  I trust that these seeds will grow into bright, daring blossoms, all in due time.  It will take some time for these seeds to grow, for the blossoms to emerge.  So, I say, I am grateful to be here.  Growing is good for me, and flowers are worth waiting for.

JP’s Good Night/Day

Last night was arguably one of my favorite nights so far in Bangalore.   We did not have to go out to a fancy restaurant or an exotic locale here in India.   We actually stayed home.  My cricket team, the Bangalore Royal Challengers, were playing a team from Kolkata.   It is the shorter (3 hour game) and more entertaining form of cricket.   As I began to watch, my mom asked me if I’d like to eat dosas for dinner.  Now dosas are probably my most favorite food item here in India.  I cannot leave India without eating a dosa.  And while restaurants make AMAZING dosas for 15 rupees (a little more than 25 cents), nothing compares to my mom’s hot dosas.   She had an amazing chicken curry and yummy coconut chutney as accompaniments to these crispy rice crepes.   She just kept serving up dosas to Katy and me till we could have no more…  seriously… this is the life.   My night was complete right there but this was a special night because Bangalore won their game as well!   

 

A standard dosa (courtesy of the internet)

In honor of their victory, I wore their jersey today.   I had to drop Katy off downtown so she could buy some things.  On my way there, I stopped by a gas station to fill some petrol in the scooter.  As the gas station attendant was filling the vehicle, a few of his friends joined him.  I wasn’t sure why they were all there so I took my helmet off to hear what they were talking about.  While the vehicle was almost done filling, the man asked me in halting Kannada where I got my jersey.  Then realizing that I also spoke Tamil, he switched and wanted to know ALL about it.  So here I was, in a busy gas station, with a WHITE girl, and nobody even looked twice at Katy.  All they wanted to know was about my jersey!    Now… I am not trying to gloat, but even Katy had to admit, somedays, even JP gets to be the star!   

I am not going to get used to it… but it was fun while it lasted.

 

The sweet jersey!

One fine day in India

Most days, JP and I wake up at 6:30am. JP heads to the shower, and I wake Leila up for her first feeding. Leila and I often play on the bed for awhile, especially if JP has to iron a shirt. Then, the three of us head downstairs, and make our way “home,” which is just a hop, skip, and a jump across the campus to JP’s parent’s house. Leila usually goes for a short walk with Tata, and looks at the plants. She also has a nice good morning chat with Ava, who is usually cooking breakfast. Ava also brings JP and me two hot cups of sweet, milky Indian coffee, and then we know for sure that the day has begun. JP reads the newspaper, and I think about a plan for the day, drink my coffee, and head to the shower.

I am a Type-A personality. India is either Type-B, or in a category all its own… I’m note sure which. This incongruity is an on-again, off-again struggle for me, especially if my aforementioned plan for the day is too detailed. If I’m not careful, I end up feeling like I spin my wheels a lot in India. I’m constantly trying to make myself meet India in the middle. Perhaps what I need more to do, is skip the plan-for-the-day part of my day. That is what I did today (unintentionally, of course,) and it was a very superb day.

Let me tell you all about it.

Last week I ventured out to fabric and tailor shops. By Saturday, I had three brand new, neatly tailored “dresses” in hand. The only problem was that we had neglected to take the dupattas (scarves) to be finished, and so I could not really wear the outfits until Tuesday of this week. So today, my day happily began by wearing the second of my new salwars. I like it very much…

Next, timing things properly with Leila’s second feeding and nap time, JP and I went to the shopping district where it was our mission to buy 60 green scarves from “Dupatta House.” A friend from home asked if we would bring these for the purpose of decorating her wedding, and to hand out as gifts/favors. It was a worrisome venture for me, as I was having to choose from limited stock, dozens of greens scarves that may or not not actually match or be the correct style of material for the right cost. It took about 45 minutes to dredge the bottom of all the scarf seller’s piles, and even he said that no one else would be able to buy green scarves from him for awhile. I took a picture of our 20 lb. bag of scarves, but what I wish you could see would be a picture of JP and I riding the motorcycle back with this parcel between us! I am so relieved to have this project taken care of… at least until we have to Fed Ex them in Michigan.

it is bigger than it looks, I think...

DISCLAIMER: We will not be doing this again for obvious reasons!:)

One of the things I miss most when I’m in India is cooking and baking. As it turns out, there were some very ripe bananas at home that were just begging to be added to some bread. During the first weeks that we were in India, two things happened. First, we bought an oven for JP’s parents’ 32nd anniversary. It is like a very large toaster oven, and is actually an oven/toaster/grill, akin to the microwave/oven/grill that was here previously.

Oven on right, next to the microwave.

Next, I found a very decent looking recipe on a favorite cooking blog that I follow. I actually like to follow this particular blog because Ilva, the author, posts a lot of beautiful photos from Italy, where she lives, but I’ve never made one of her recipes. However, she posted a recipe for Gluten-free Chocolate Banana Bread, using Chickpea flour, and it jumped out at me because chickpea (or channa) flour is very readily available in India. So, this afternoon I was able to go to town on the banana bread. I was excited to use red bananas, as well as one mini-banana to fill things out. I even thew in some walnuts, as I’m newly converted to walnuts.

Leila is introduced to red bananas

The bread turned out quite well, especially considering my baking history here in India is less than perfect. (Many of you have heard “The Cake Story,” which nearly ruined my relationship with JP the first time that I came to India.) I’m grateful that things get slightly easier each time I bake here. For example, JP is always careful to buy unbroken eggs from the shop nearby. I’ve learned where the oil is. I know how to “powder” the sugar, which is very granular here. I even found something to sift the flour with this time! And, I especially enjoyed using this recipe because the measurements were in milliliters, (she also converts to American equivalents) and she listed the celsius temperature, which I usually have to convert with JP’s help. The only “oops” that I had, was forgetting to flip the switch that turns on the electrical power for the oven. (Outlets here often have an on/off switch next to them that you must turn on for the current to flow. That is the switch that I forgot to flip.) So, when I went to put my little loaves in the oven, it was still cold, and I had to wait another ten minutes. (Oops.) It was worth waiting for, thankfully, and we ended up with a nice warm loaf of bread to eat with our evening chai.

note my innovative cooling rack

Chocolate Banana Bread with walnuts

Just as the last loaf was finishing in the oven, I went upstairs to check on Leila and came upon the man who came to fix our water filter. The apartment has its own aqua guard filter, but it broke down about two weeks ago. It took about four days to get the guy to come look at it, and since then we’ve been hauling our water bottles up and downstairs, waiting for the correct parts to arrive for our 17-year old water filter. At long last, the parts came, the man came, the filter got fixed, and we have drinkable water again. Hooray!

Aquaguard-- all lights say go

For a day without a plan, I sure felt like a lot of things got accomplished.

…And now, for the ironic ending… I was having so much trouble with loading the pictures from the computer to the blog that I gave up and went to bed, and now I am posting this the following day!!

Leila being a little crabby, and chewing on Tony the crab.