Giving Thanks

In my memories, Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of getting together with family and friends, eating too much, telling stories, laughing a lot and playing games like ping pong, board games, and of course the "blackboard game". This year was very different, but better than last year. Last year, I think we just stayed home and it was pretty much like any other day. This year we went out to dinner at Sunny's with some friends here in Bangalore. It was a very nice celebration and we did have some good laughs, but still not the same as getting together with family.

But Thanksgiving is also about giving thanks. And I have a lot to give thanks for. The whole family is healthy, and doing relatively well. Those of us in India have a tremendous opportunity to see things we otherwise wouldn't. And those 'at home' in CA can come to visit us here if they wish. As frustrated and sometimes homesick as I get around holidays etc, I still really love being here in India. And I love the new experiences all the time.

The last couple of weekends have offered a couple of new experiences. First we went to a village about 100K outside of Bangalore. It took several hours to get there, partially because we had to cross through Bangalore before exiting the city.

It was organized by Rachel-the wife of someone I work with. She's very interested in animals, and supporting good animal care. The reason we went to this village, Mittur, is because one of the families that lives there is supporting a charity which promotes good animal care, adopting stray dogs, etc. This village has done a lot for the local dogs, and we went to show appreciation and to see a bit of village life. When we arrived, we were immediately welcomed by the local children with a welcoming ceremony. Then we traipsed up to the local high school. We got to sit through the standard welcome at the school, where we saw the local officials speaking (this same family had donated the school building a couple of years ago), and then some of the children did various skits, dances, or music. This was the most fun part for me during this part of the day.

Then we got a tour of the village. This included a visit inside a local farmer's house. He raises silkworms. The house has to be kept dry, the mulberry leaves must be dry, and the sound of the worms munching is audible as soon as you walk into the rooms. They have two methods, one is large stacked trays, the other is more like large racks.

We also got a musical performance, as well as wandering through the rice paddies. Then we finished it all off with a rest period. During this time some of the local girls were wanting to see their photos on Cindy's camera, then she got them to sing a song for her, and she sang one for them. They sang a couple more after this. It was very interesting to see that when they were singing in English, then they were very animated and smiling. When they were singing in Kannada (or some other local language), they were almost droning, and their faces were almost blank. Odd, somehow, but interesting. The children were lovely and very friendly. And I got a lot more fun pictures.



Soma Vinyards:



The next weekend, we were invited with the OWC Wine Club to visit Soma Vineyards. We went for an evening barbecue-- some of the best steaks I've had here in India, and potluck salads and desserts. The Vineyard was absolutely beautiful in the late afternoon sun. We arrived a bit late as I had to go downtown to pick up plane tickets to the US. But we did get there around 5pm. When we arrived, we were served a welcome drink-fresh tender coconut juice-straight from the 'can'. We got a vineyard tour. They use an interesting way of managing the bugs, they have a lake with a bright light in it. The bugs are attracted to the light, which is by a sort of fountain, or spray of water, so the bugs get knocked into the water, and the fish eat them. Then the workers get to eat the fish, and the leftovers go to fertilize the vines again. There were very few mosquitoes during the evening, so I guess it works fairly well.

As it got dark, a bonfire was lit for us in the middle of the tables. We didn't need it for warmth as it was just the right temperature out to be out in shirtsleeves without getting cold, but it added a nice atmosphere. The best part was that we could see the stars, and there was no noise. The vineyards are about 1.5 hours drive outside of Bangalore. We also had a lovely chat, and lots of information from our host Raju. All in all, I think I have a lot to be thankful, and certainly enjoy being here in India--though I am missing my family now on the Thanksgiving weekend when I see the photos of them all around the table.

Vikings Ho

As an antidote to the warm balmy, slightly humid, sunny and slow paced Thai holiday, I went where it is just above freezing, dark, and rainy. Yes to Scandinavia. I spent a week in Finland (for work) and had to stay over a weekend. The only bonus was that there was a lot of color in the trees. This was in a park close to the office I walked through every day on the way to and from the train station. Most days it was wet and cold, although the day before I left it turned downright freezing.

Oh yes, the vikings--well since I was there for the weekend, I thought I should make something out of it. The weather forecast was for no rain, and even possible sun, on Saturday. So I decided friday to catch the boat to Sweden. It goes overnight--leaving at 5:30, and arriving about 9:30am in Stockholm. The boat ride wasn't much to speak of. The rooms are small, and I had decided to take a shared room to keep the cost down. There are 4 bunks with just enough room to walk between them, and a little toilet w/ shower. Not exciting. I had dinner and then went to the party lounge. There were a couple of acts, neither exceptionally good, but lots of alcohol being consumed by the passengers probably made them seem better than they were. Eventually I got tired of it and went to bed. Arriving in Stockholm was beautiful, but cold enough not to want to be on the outer deck. So some of the pictures are through the window.

I took a bus tour around the city. We stopped at the palace, the city hall, a couple of nice viewpoints, and the penultimate stop was at the historical museum. There was a line out the door when we arrived. The exhibit was fabulous, though much of it was not very well lit, and therefore hard to see. But it was pretty much empty of people. The line was for a local festival of bread. You gotta love a place that has a bread festival and allows selling lots of yummy bread in a museum. I would have bought some, except I had no real need for any and most of it would have gone bad. So I just tasted from the samples available.

Then we drove around an island which is mostly museums--6 or 7 if I remember right. The guide told us that Stockholm is about 1/3 built up, 1/3 parks, and 1/3 water. That seemed to be true and it was a nice light airy and green city. There is also art everywhere, indoors and out. In the old town there are many art galleries, and outside, sculptures and beautifully built buildings and gates and... I also happened on a market with stalls and stalls of mushrooms. I recognized the chanterelles, but not the others. I also think I found the narrowest street in town-not sure though. And I enjoyed the odd displays I came across during my wanderings around town. I would like to go back when the weather is better. Although it didn't rain on me the whole day, for which I was really happy. It was cold and somewhat bleak. I would love to explore the city more and visit the museums with more time.