Sunday, August 27, 2006

Quick update



We spent an evening this week at Golkonda Fort a stunning example of past Hyderabad architecture dating back to the 1300's. After wandering through the ruins as the sun went down, we were treated to a beautiful light show explaining the history of the Fort and the city.

On a more important note it has been very encouraging to see that the MK Dons have won 5 out of their first 6 matches... Not only this, but Gareth has now found a way to watch all the games on the internet so he doesn't miss one kick of the ball... Come on you Dons!

Andi spent the last few days of this week organising her trip to World Vision Sri Lanka on 28 August. She has been invited to join her soon-to-be new boss James on a week's visit prior to officially starting her job. They will be supporting and advising the communications team and SL office during this difficult period of the ongoing crisis in the country. It will also be a good learning opportunity for her and chance to begin building relationships with this particular office in the Asia Pacific region.

She also spent some time one afternoon visiting a local street kids project/home/school with friends Sarah and Jonny. Run by a guy called Philip, this is a man who defines the word inspirational. Giving up his job he set up the small charity a number of years ago with little money but a sense of purpose and vision, to among other things provide an education and safe place for kids who've been abandoned. Most were living on the streets, a few disabled sent out to beg by their parents and in some cases children who had been bought and sold like animals.

Since then he has struggled at times to keep afloat, as he's seen hundreds of children come through his doors. However he's continued to be blessed and provided with resources to just keep the charity going. With a few volunteers and his family's support they continue to help change many lives. Jonny, Sarah and I were very moved by the children we met and the work Philip and his team are doing. In this photo Philip is stood at the back far right, Sarah is center back with an arm blocking her face, Jonny is taking the photo and just in case you're not sure I'm the one who's only a wee bit taller than the children, stood in front of Philip...



The "India" Effect

Since we posted the picture of Andi in her sari, many of you have been asking how living in India has affected me (Gareth). As you can see from below, I too have been impacted by this diverse and magical culture....


Monday, August 21, 2006

Andi's Very Sari


Ok, so it’s happened. I’ve done it, I’ve worn my first sari. Choosing the material from a dazzling array of materials, colours, and designs - in a store with hundreds of people pushing around you can be a bit mad. Then you have to take this material to the local dressmaker, one was recommended to me, and explain what style I wanted for the blouse, which is worn under the ‘dress’. I was welcomed by a lovely lady who though she spoke no English and my Telagu/Hindi is minimal we still managed to communicate, I felt very proud of myself for achieving this task! Some of the Indian ladies at STL OM books couldn’t believe I had done it!

Next came the part I wasn’t able to manage myself, putting it on… Thankfully an Indian friend helped me get ready and I couldn’t have done it without her. She tucked, folded, pinned and wrapped - until as you can see from the picture I was saried up! I loved it as the colours are so vibrant and the outfit feels very elegant, plus it hides your stomach after a curry!

This particular sari was more of an evening outfit, as we were attending an event that night with her and a few Aussie friends we’ve also got to know. However I will wear a day sari in a much lighter material and hopefully be able to dress myself at some point (I sound like I’m three-years-old!)

On another note we’re starting to learn a little Hindi, Andi’s been asked to speak at a women’s group and we have also found an apartment, yippee! We move in two weeks time.

More to come on all this…

Dhaba-ling with Cuisine


The Dhaba is an institution in India, an outdoor family restaurant which have playgrounds, local music and some great food. They welcome in people from all over the community for a low cost meal. It is definitely something you have to do while in India as they line the road in certain parts of the city and is a true local experience. Taking friends Jonny and Sarah - we caught the bus (another interesting form of transport) up the road to a recommended Dhaba.

Gareth and I have embraced the Indian practice of eating with our hands a few times, which is not necessarily a new skill we’ll bring home to the UK, but as our Indian friends say it does actually make the eating experience better! The skill is not to have too much gravy and use the rice or naan to soak up the meat, dal or sauce. For just £6 (in total) the four of us had a great meal. We must have had 7-8 dishes between us plus drinks, bargain! We had a great night and then decided we needed to walk off the food and as we weren’t too far from home wandered down the road where, we spent most of our time avoiding the ‘sacred’ cows blocking our path….

Independence Day


Millions of Indians across the country celebrated 59 years of India’s independence from the British on Tuesday, 15 August 2006. As it was a national holiday, Gareth had the day off work and we were keen to see some of the festivities planned and learn more of the history of this amazing and diverse country. We had been invited to the local Good Shepherd School where 200 plus students from primary to secondary age were performing a series of plays, dances, songs and speeches for parents, teachers, guests and dignitaries gathered in the playground.


Around 8am we wandered down and took our seats ready to witness the display. Just before 9am we got started. With Uncle Alfie sat beside us, an inspirational man who helped found the school eight years ago and whom everyone loves hence the term Uncle, we enjoyed an array of performances, some of which included demonstrating how they fought the British for their freedom (this is where I assumed my Australian nationality and Gareth pleaded ignorance, as hey, it really was the English to blame.)


It was a fantastic morning and actually quite emotional at times as the children gave speeches celebrating figures such as Ghandi, raised the Indian flag and sang the national anthem. Other parts were more light-hearted including a dance sequence by a group of 19-year-old strapping lads who all really looked around 40 years old, gyrating across the stage with tassles attached to their trousers and shirts. As Gareth said if you tried that in Glasgow you’d not live long…


The school is special for another reason, as 90% of the children are from Dalit families. Called the ‘untouchables’ these are children who along with their families are the poorest of the poor, the lowest caste in India and often not seen as worthy of any interaction - never mind an education. Part of the emotion of the day was witnessing these children and young people some of whom live in slums, speaking so eloquently, dressed in their smart uniforms donated by a local business, explaining what a difference the school had made in their and their families lives.

Late morning the event finished and a snack of Bombay mix was given out as a gift. Chatting with some of the other guests we eventually left to spend the rest of the day quietly, as westerners whether British, American or Canadian etc are told to be low key on that day i.e. don’t go into town wearing a, ‘I love Britain’ t-shirt. There is generally no trouble as most people are happy and excited during the day. But we heeded the advice and stayed in the vicinity of the campus, where the school and our temporary accommodation are both based.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

In the news...

Well, it didn't take long - last week Gareth made it into the Deccan Chronicle, one of the largest selling newspapers in the region. At the exhibition he attended in Chennai, they had a 2km Bible, a hand-written Bible, and the smallest Bible (not in the world, just "the smallest Bible"). Gareth was asked to hold the smallest Bible and the next day his debut in the Indian press was captured on page 4 of the daily newspaper.

Friday, August 11, 2006

Floods



We mentioned in a previous blog that it had rained quite a bit in Hyderabad. It turns out that we have actually been very fortunate because the rain continued throughout our state and also in many other states on the west coast. In our state alone, over 100 people have died and around 250,000 families have been displaced. One city on the west coast of India is 90% under water. It really shows how under-developed the infrastructure is over here and, despite having monsoon weather every year, millions of people have been affected.

We didn't think this would be covered in the western news, so wanted to let you all know.

The Chennai Express


When I (Gareth) was told that I would need to travel to Chennai (formerly Madras) for a few days on business, I thought "great, I'll get to see some more of India"......when I heard we were taking the train, that the train was 13 hours each way, and that we were travelling in third class, I've got to be honest, my feelings were mixed! However, after travelling this way I can honestly say it was a great way to travel. Not only do you see parts of India that would normally be unseen from the road or air, but you also see more of Indian life and the way Indians interact and live. I've put a few photos up on the blog to give you an idea, but I would say that it's not until you have done it for yourself that you really know what it's like.


The train is divided into 4 or 5 different tiers - 3 of which have A/C. The A/C carriages are divided into First (where you get a carpet), Second (where there are 6 people to a compartment) and Third (where there are 8 people to a compartment). I was in Third.

The way the beds work is that during the daytime, everyone sits on the bottom bed as it is used as the seat, the middle bed is stowed away, and the top bunk is used for keeping the blankets/pillows/etc. Once everyone decides to go to bed, the middle bunk (pictured below) is pulled out and attached to the hooks from the top bunk. I was on the bottom bunk on each journey and was suprised how well I slept - it really was very comfortable. You are given a pack which includes two bedsheets, a towel, a pillow, and a blanket.



All throughout the journey, people walk through selling food, drinks, and even pirated DVDs!! Johny and I had bought some food previously so did not indulge in the on-board dining. However what we did have was amazing, and I am now totally sold on the offerings of the Indian bakery.

26 hours on a train was a long time - don't get me wrong. But, because the beds are really quite comfortable you sleep well and the journey flies by. It certainly won't be my last train journey - I have heard that there is one journey that takes THREE DAYS!!!! I'm not quite ready for that one yet.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Wildlife


In the true spirit of our blog along with the more serious updates on what we’re doing, we’ve also shared a few ridiculous moments, which go hand in hand with moving to another country and culture. This little exert focuses on wildlife (kinda) of Hyderabad.

Let's talk gekos (lizards). We have had a few running around our bedroom in the past week, they’re not bad for getting rid of mossies but they also have a habit of running across your face as you sleep.. They've generally eventually left by the bathroom window however on the evening of Gareth’s departure to Chennai for a few days with work, I was alone in the apartment…

Now don’t get me wrong I’m not a particularly queasy or girlie girl and quite happily cope with spiders etc, but that night there was just me and a fair sized lizard sharing our bedroom and one of us had to go.

Considering sleeping on the couch I decided no! this was our bedroom and I was tired after a long day so would take the 'little' beast on by myself. Grabbing a bowl we had a playful chase around the room as I tried to stifle screams anytime it crossed by my feet or over my head.

Taunting me with speed I couldn’t match it ran round and round the room, till at last after having pulled every bit of furniture into the middle I trapped it in the corner. Raising the bowl I went to close over its body however though my intention was just to trap it then release outside, I actually managed to chop its tail off while putting the bowl down.

This is where it gets a little nasty - the nerve endings in the tail were still active, which meant the tail was still alive and wriggled about for minutes after, so I had to get another bowl to cover that, while keeping the almost intact though tailless lizard under the other bowl. I felt like I was in a horror movie.

Following this little drama I stood there feeling like a murderess, red faced and exhausted, though secretly relieved. The next half hour consisted of me inching both bowls little by little across the carpet to the main door to get both bits of animal outside. Eventually I did this and locking the door went straight back into the bedroom, where taking wads of newspaper I stuffed every conceivable hole I could see with paper, the room looked ridiculous but I felt better and slept like a baby that night. Am sure in the future I'll be used to sharing a room with them, but am looking forward to seeing Gareth on Friday!

A few highlights from last week


I (Andi) spent a day last week with Lissy Jonny, the wife of Gareth ’s boss who is quickly becoming a friend and advisor on all things Indian. Back in March when we or actually I visited Hyderabad for the first time, Lissy and I met and she made the rash promise to try and teach me how to cook a real Indian feast, none of this jar rubbish! So off I pottered at 10.30 am and with her two girls at school and Jonny at work this meant we had the house to ourselves.

Lissy is an instinctive cook and therefore following her recipes for meat masala, chapatis and dal, meant I had to make up versions of the measurements used in the dishes. For example what she described as a pinch was in fact 2 tablespoons of some form of spice - this could be very dangerous... It was impressive to watch her throw everything together and the meal we were preparing was to be shared by the family and Gareth and I that night.

Occasionally allowing me the responsibility of stirring a pot or chopping a tomato, I mostly sat and watched the master at work. Sipping chai (tea) and taking notes as we went along, just as importantly we started sharing stories and getting to know each other better, with Lissy telling me about growing up in Kerala a city further south than Hyderabad it takes 24 hours to get there by train.

As the steam rose from the pots Lissy’s stories of her childhood flowed, she also shared with me how she became a Christian, worked with OM (Operation Mobilisation not OM Books/STL who Gareth works for) for two years, which is also where she met her husband. Her stories brought to life another part of India with its different cultural practices, food and language.
It was fascinating and she handled my many questions with patience. Lissy also has a great sense of humour and would often break out into infectious giggles especially as I tried to roll the dough, used for the chapatis, into a perfect oval shape as she had tried to show me, but didn't quite master ..

Around 3.30pm her two girls Brija and Silja returned from school and immediately dragged me off to watch a performance from one of their school open days. This mostly consisted of me admiring their dance moves and singing abilities…

Finally the day’s cooking was completed and with Gareth and Jonny back from work around 6pm, we eventually sat down to eat the amazing array of dishes Lissy had whipped up for us (unfortunately though I’d like to I can’t take any credit for them).

Now I just have to use the recipes myself, trying not in the process to subject Gareth to any serious stomach issues….

Lissy’s next lesson she has told me, is to demonstrate how I wear a sari properly so it doesn’t look like I've wrapped a bandage around my body (for those on my MK hens night this might ring a bell!)


The next day I spent some time with Leah Kadwell. Leah and her husband Kevin are from the States but have lived in Hyderabad for over eight years now. Their two children Clark and Claire were both born here and they give invaluable advice on how to settle in/integrate as expats and make it your home. Leah and I met up to walk round the community she lives in to see if any of the homes were available to rent. This is sometimes the best way to find somewhere to live, apart from word of mouth. However there was nothing for us to look at that day, but it gave me a good idea of the sort of area we’d like to live in and again had time to get to know Leah better.

We really value and are enjoying developing friendships with both Indians and some of the expats who we've met and are starting to feel more and more at home in Hyderabad and India.

Finding a permanent home is part of this process and we've spent a good deal of time recently looking for apartments and had thought we found the right place a few days ago. Unfortunately the landlord was unsure about renting to non-Hindus who may cook meat in the apartment. So there you go, we either convert or stop eating meat… Ok, so we couldn’t handle not eating meat....

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Faux Pas Of The Week

Gareth in a telephone conversation with an Indian telecoms agent...

The agent introduces herself and the reason for calling

Gareth: "Sorry, could you please speak in English?"

Agent: "I am speaking in English, sir"

Gareth: "Carry on..."

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?


Let me start by saying that, we don't mean to only put stories up here that are more extreme or unusual, but let's be honest - it definitely makes for more interesting reading.

In light of which, we decided to go to watch the new Superman movie at the IMAX cinema in Hyderabad.

Once we had bought the tickets and had something to eat, we headed to the screen. As the cinema was an IMAX, it meant that the screen was massive...and it also meant that we were given 3-d glasses as we entered (something I was never given in a UK cinema) - every time the glasses logo came on screen, we were to put our glasses on and the images literally flew out at us. It certainly brought the film to life.

Another peculiarity of the Indian cinema experience, is that they have an interval half way through the film. The actor could be in mid sentence and the screen literally goes black, the sound is cut off, and the house lights go up. I (Gareth) had experienced this once before on a previous visit to India, however this time a very official looking man in uniform asked us all to leave the auditorium to allow the sniffer dogs in!

Although they assured us it was a routine drill, it turns out there had been an anonymous and, as it turns out, hoax (or bogus, for all you Americans) call that there was a bomb in the building. Every one of the 6 movie theatres in the building had to be evacuated.

To our relief we were allowed back in after about 25 minutes, but the experience certainly added a little more excitement to our cinematic experience than we had anticipated - and it made the front page of The Hindu Times.