Webbs World, Hyderabad, India

Pete the Beagle and his door bell

2009-04-25T08:52:00.003+05:30

London Trip

2009-04-04T13:16:00.004+05:30

In February our destination of choice was the UK. Unusual, I know to decide to visit at such a cold time of year, but with the imminent arrival of our new niece it seemed like a good choice. We decided to spend a night in London which we never ever do, and the kids have never been. I had booked a beautiful hotel and booked up to see a show (disaster! booked the tickets for the wrong night) and we gave the kids a brief tour of the London highlights by tube and bus which was a first for them.

So, the London trip turned out to be an expensive night in London for no reason. We then proceeded to Birmingham for the weekend before making our way to Swansea for the week. And who could have predicted that we would not have a drop of rain in the whole ten days! Plus the bonus was, baby Lowri Beau arrived early (30th Jan) and was ready to receive lots of hugs and kisses from The Webbs.

Billy, Lawrence & Bethan

Big Billy & Big Ben

Tired and jet lagged

The wedding of my neighbors brother's son.....

2009-04-04T12:34:00.002+05:30

Living on a small community as we do, and most of the houses being occupied by Indian families, we are privileged to be invited to join in many events such as weddings that we may otherwise not witness.

Indian families save all their lives to pay for their daughters weddings, and the process usually takes place over a number of days. There may be an evening for the men, an event for the ladies and then the finale being where all and sundry are invited.

On this occasion we were invited to the wedding of our neighbor's brother's son, in other words our neighbors nephew.

At the bus stop on the morning of the wedding, we were gently reminded that the wedding was taking place that morning, and those of us who were going assured him of our presence.

The timing of the wedding is dictated by the readings of those in the know (!!). Today it was 11:00, a civilised time. (This morning there was a wedding at 6:30am) A few of us decided to go together otherwise it can be a little overwhelming. We were greeted by our neighbor who was pleased that we had shown up. Entering into the wedding venue, the guests are divided into males on one side and females on the other. We duly proceed to our seats. Being the only 3 westerners at the event our attendance does not go unnoticed. We are smiled at in a welcoming manner, children feel comfortable to come to chat with us whereas the parents just look on.

The wedding party are on the stage, a throng of extended family, a group of men banging drums loundly. Not quite sure of the signifigance of the whole set up. The bride and groom come onto the stage and at a certain point the guests begin to line up to congratulate the newly weds. The men lead the way. A handful of rice is taken from a large bowl and when it is your turn to congratulate the couple, you sprinkle the rice over the heads of the newly weds, who are probably wondering who I am. They are welcoming, and receive the best wishes gracefully. From this point we are guided to the food hall. Many faces watch to see if we can stomach the indian spices. The food is delicious. I keep a glass of water at hand, as the food is prepared for local tastes and is a tad too spicy for me. It almost seems we eat and leave, but that is done by many. We thank our host, and the actual father of the groom before taking our leave. Another experience of the welcoming culture in which we currently live.

Children love to have their photo taken even though they will never see the photos itself.

A handful of rice, this time with pearls mixed in with it

The Bride and Groom

The chairs for the Bride and Groom

The entourage on the stage

2009-04-03T19:25:00.003+05:30

local Indian school at Ellora Caves

Beth & Lawrence taking the easy option

Billy

John - DO NOT LOOK DOWN FROM HERE

The little luxuries of life in India

Train Trip

2009-04-03T17:14:00.004+05:30

A few weeks ago we went on our second Indian train trip. This time to Aurangabad from where we visited the heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora Caves. Having participated in last year's trip to Hampi, organised by our local expat group we were pretty well versed in what to expect on the journey, the train ride in particular. We left Hyderabad at 1:30 on the Friday afternoon and arrived at our destination at midnight. Not being the novices anymore we were well prepared; scrabble board, wine, food and books soon whiled away the 10 hours or so.

Sugar intake during the sight seeing

Inside the train carriage

The carriage, or bogey as they are know by here, was booked for us (65 members of the TEA group) alone and was a second class, 3 tier AC carriage. This means that there is AC (thank god!) and that there are 3 levels of bunks on each side of the compartment and 2 bunks on the narrow side of the aisle. No doors separate the compartments so much better to do this trip when you are friendly with the other travelers.

There were about 20 kids on the trip and they all behaved exceptionally well. For the most part of the journey they swing from the upper most bunks having fun, and only occasionally need reminding to avoid heads below.

At the station we (the group) are looked upon in a strange, though not unfriendly fashion. It is not that often that such a large group of foreigners are seen hanging around the platform.

Here is a pic of Bethan hauling her luggage up the steps of the station. Bless her, she is so good for a 7 year old!

The following morning, we took a 2 hour bus ride from Aurangabad to Ajenta where some of the caves dated back to 6th century BC. These cave were hidden for hundreds of years and were rediscovered by some member of the British military in 1839. They are what is known as dug in caves, meaning they have been carved in through a rock face. The intricate detail within is pretty amazing and some are decorated with beautiful paintings. Having visited Petra in Jordan the month before I was slightly 'caved out', but could not help marvel at the skill and determination of how these magnificent caves were made.

The same day we also visited Daulatabad Fort, which was like visiting the place where all the designers of computer games must go for their ideas. Moats, bridges, secret passages, hide outs, places from which boiling oil was poured (or so we were told!) lol. The rule was at every junction you came to, to reach the top of the hill, you had to turn right, turning left would lead you to a dead end (maybe in more ways than one....)

Had a problem with loading some photos (or rather, in the order they have loaded) so will post some extra photos in the next post.

The Sunday saw us climbing on board the bus again, and this time visiting the site of Ellora Caves. These caves were equally as amazing as the Ajanta Caves, but some of them were different in the fact that they were 'dug out' caves, meaning they started from above and dug down into the rock. In the picture below you can see how they dug down in a big square shape, leaving a block in the centre which was then carved in intricate detail.

Lawrence and Nikhil enjoying all the sites had to offer

Fresh Juice Indian style

The Spar comes to town (along with a ticketing system)!

2009-03-04T21:50:00.002+05:30

A few months ago, the Spar arrived in Hyderabad. Good competition for Q-Mart (the other supermarket that stocks overseas products). The strange thing in Hyderabad is that it is pretty common for supermarkets to be placed on the top floor of a shopping outlet, whereas most other places they would be place on the ground floor for ease of popping in and out.

The Spar decided to base itself on the 4th floor (maybe this is because of a rodent problem???), anyway, after you navigate the funny moving escalator walkways you arrive, slightly dizzy from the zig zagging, at The Spar.

The management have had the foresight to include a butchery and fishmonger department which seem to be well stocked on most occasions. Obviously, they were well received and the queues at the fishmongers must have been becoming quite an issue, so a ticketing system was installed (can remember when these were first installed in Tesco in the UK, about 30 years ago). Well, the ticketing system is not in the most obviously visible place, and who would need a ticket if there is no queue??

My friend Tara, who I have mentioned before (I think?), happened to call into the Spar the other morning and made her way to the fish counter to place her order. There was no queue, not even another customer, and it didn't even cross her mind to take a ticket. The assistant took her order and began to prepare the fish as requested. Suddenly, the assistant stops and tells Tara that he has forgotten a step in the procedure and tells her she must take a ticket. So, having learnt that it is often easier to just go along with the system rather than fight it, she takes a ticket. Number 70. She returns to the counter where on seeing her the assistant presses the 'special button' which calls customer 70 forward to be served. Tara hands him her ticket, he checks it is the special 70, he says "Thank you Ma'am, how can I help you" She says, you can finish gutting my fish, and can't quite believe what has just happened and can't retain her laughter anymore. You can either laugh or cry.

Made me laugh.

Re-entry to India

2009-03-04T21:14:00.003+05:30

Having recently spent a week in the UK, where the weather was crisp and cold, but wonderfully dry the children and I returned to Hyderabad whilst John went elsewhere for a conference. Now, arriving in Hyderabad is a much improved experience compared to two years ago. The airport is brand spanking new but the experience continues to be a frustrating one on times.

On this occasion there were queues at each of the counters, but in India you will rarely find that people observer the red, wait here until called, lines. Instead, there are weary travelers crowding around each counter thrusting passports forward. You will then often be greeted at immigration by an immigration officer who looks bewilderingly at your passport and spends five minutes on each individual passport. The fact that the original visa has been extended (has to be done on an annual renewal basis), and the original and extension stamps are on separate pages confuses matters even further. For this reason little sticky post its are affixed to the original visa page and extension of visa page. All temporary residents in India for longer than a year are faced with a similar problem, and this makes me wonder why such a situation encounters such a 'haven't experienced this before' look.

I am beginning to believe that whilst undergoing training to be on the front line of immigration for their country, as opposed to the Americans "How dare you attempt to enter my country" attitude, the Indian authorities suggest an "act confused" front whilst sussing out each and every visitor for as long as possible.

Finally, get through and take advantage of the duty free shop for wine purchases (previously unavailable in the old airport), and by the time we get to the baggage hall our bags are arriving, which makes me think that the immigration officer has merely known how long the bags will take and has timed the process perfectly for my benefit!

We make our way through the throng of people outside, it seems that 20 -30 people is the average number of family of friends waiting to greet each returning Hyderabadi. It is 5:00 in the morning, a quick phone call to say we are on our way out. Our car arrives and we are met by the ever smiling Shivar. Home we go.

January 2009

2009-02-09T08:31:00.003+05:30

It has been many weeks since I last updated the blog. It is not that we have not been up to much, just been busy. January saw the arrival of Billy and Doreen (my Mum and Dad) to Hyderabad. This was their first ever visit to India and they seemed to absorb all that they saw and experienced during their stay.

My parents had come over to look after the kids whilst John and I made a visit to Jordan. Petra has been on our list of things to do for a number of years and having heard so many good reports from friends who had visited there previously we were very much looking forward to our trip.

The children were so happy to have their grandparents looking after them, that our absence went pretty much unnoticed I would say. More about visit to Petra in the next post.

Christmas Day 2008

2009-01-10T21:32:00.003+05:30

South Africa Dec 08

2009-01-10T21:05:00.002+05:30

A few photos from the SA Christmas trip. Lovely to be back there.

Ostrich Farm, Outdshoorn

Beautiful scenery

Lawrence, Will & Andrew

Andrew,Will, Ruby & Lisa New Year's Eve

Lawrence, Bethan, Nia, John & William

Indian Ocean in the background

Lawrence turns 9

2009-01-10T20:43:00.003+05:30

Lawrence turned 9 on the 6th January.

Having only got back from South Africa on the 4th, it was a bit too hectic to have the party on the 6th so we had a small family celebration on the day and the party was on Friday. He wanted a treasure hunt, as Billy and Bethan had had for their last birthdays. Having to devise a 3rd treasure hunt in the same area, with no repeat of clues meant some brain work from me. Thankfully it all went well, and they seemed to enjoy it.

The treasure hunt in progress.

All tasks completed!

John. Billy, Lawrence & Bethan

Lawrence is 9

Rock Walk cont.

2008-12-12T12:00:00.002+05:30

We drove a short distance from the house, parked the car and clambered up the first of many huge boulders. At the top were a few houses, obviously no running water, or electricity but good brick built houses.

As we walked down and around, we came to this old temple that has been built under one of the boulders, it was so well hidden and protected from the elements. As we stood on top of the boulders if we looked one way we could see the ever expanding 'modern' Hyderabad, if we turned and to the other side of the boulder we caught a glimpse of what Hyderabad used to look like, rice paddy fields, men herding their goats and a sense of serenity. Of course, these boulders will probably soon be blasted and developers will encroach even more upon the little greenery there is left.

I love this photo, and shows you how amazing they look, and how finely balanced they are.

At the top of the hill where the houses were, we witnessed the slaughter of two sheep (or maybe goats?). It was the evening before Eid started and Muslims were in preparation for their main religious festival. Pete was with us straining at the leash to get closer to what would have been heaven for him. LOL

Hyderabad's Boulders

2008-12-12T11:52:00.003+05:30

One of the unique features of Hyderabad is the huge boulders that dot the landscape. I have never seen anything like it before. You have huge boulders precariously balanced on top of other huge boulders. Unfortunately, they are now becoming quite rare given the development of the area. Whereas they were previously built around or on top of, they are now blasted to smithereens to make way for new buildings. Apparently, I am told, they stem from the jurassic period!! We joined some friends on Sunday for a 'rock walk'.

A tight channel, have to be careful who is invited on this trail as the path through was rather tight.

Sports Day

2008-12-12T11:43:00.002+05:30

It was school sports day last Friday. The kids were very excited by it, more so William and Bethan. Lawrence had a slightly different approach, odd given that he is the one who is the sportiest. I think this is because he hates to lose, and whereas last year he swept up all the medals this year there was an added element of competition since a new boy has joined the school in Lawrence's year group. For the first time Lawrence has some competition, and he doesn't like it! Anyway, here they are in action...

William competing in a twist on the egg and spoon race

Egg sandwiches and a flask of coffee

Lawrence in the shot putt

Bethan trying so hard in the sack race

One man and his dog

2008-12-10T16:51:00.002+05:30

Have not said much about Pete lately. He is still with us (a dog is for life, blah blah blah!). But, he is definitely John's dog. Here he is having his first bath. Growing well, but still only approx. half his expected adult weight. He has a few friends on our estate, Eddie, a ridge back from Germany (language seems to be no barrier here). Eddie is very tolerant of Pete, who is always the eager, over the top one. And, there is Ashoka, a Heinz 57 Indian street dog. Ashoka is slightly younger than Pete but has already taken over Pete in height. Again, Pete is the eager 'beagle' and you can tell that Ashoka thinking "For god's sake Pete, calm down."

John tells me we are expecting too much too soon of Pete. He is 5 months next week and as yet all furniture etc is intact.

The mornings are a lovely and cool 22 degrees at the moment and I walk Pete around the park for a few kms. I then drop him off to John where Pete has been going to work with John for the past few weeks, only a couple of hours a few days a week. He seems to be excepted though does run circuits like a lunatic around and under all the desks, and then collapses with exhaustion like a good boy when John is in a meeting.

He is off to the kennels again next week when we go on holidays, but Ashoka will be in the same kennels with him so hopefully he won't feel too home sick.

Mumbai Blasts

2008-11-27T13:37:00.002+05:30

Was woken at 6:30 this morning (27.11.08) with a call from our neighbour, Sylvette, telling me that there would be no school this morning. Why? Because of the blasts in Mumbai. Given that foreign nationals were targeted, the school had taken the decision to close for the day. This had been the case during the previous bombings that had occurred in Hyderabad.

The first thing you think is who do I know that is in Mumbai at the moment. It is a place that John frequently travels to, as do many of our friends. A neighbour returned only two days ago as she and her daughter had been there to seek the vibrant life that Hyderabad is somewhat lacking.

For those of you who are not familiar with the geography of India, I have inserted a map below detailing the main cities.

As you can see, we are a fare way from Mumbai, an hour and a half by plane.

It is Thanksgiving today and I suppose we should give thanks (to who I am not sure, as I am not a follower of any religious faith), but do think, wow, we were lucky not to be involved in that.

Tonight we celebrate with our american friends Bill, Tara and their boys, with a thanksgiving dinner at their house. I will post photos of the event.

A room for the night

2008-11-24T18:25:00.003+05:30

Friends of ours told a very funny story over the weekend. They have been living within a particular estate for a few months now, previously they had lived in a house that would be extremely hard to describe.... just imagine having a huge, huge boulder in the middle of your living room, the landlords living on the top floor, and a zillion servants servicing the various occupants of the house. Well, Tara and her eldest son Liam were sitting having breakfast on Sunday morning and reflecting upon the privacy the 'new' house provided them with, when she saw some men walking down the path to the back of her house. Confused as to why they were there and what they were up to she went outside to question them.

It turns out, they had been in earlier in the morning to clear out the unused maid's room at the back of the house and now they were in the process of depositing their suit cases in the room. Why? Who gave you permission? etc etc asked Tara. The guys pointed to the house opposite and told Tara she should speak to the 'Madam' of the house opposite. It turns out that the lady living opposite Tara was having some work done inside her house and that these men were the tilers. So, asked Tara, what has this got to do with them being on her property?

The neighbour tells Tara that as her maids room is empty she has told the labourers they can sleep there. "Absolutely Not" says Tara, "But they'll only be there in the nights" replies the neighbour. "ABSOLUTELY NOT" says Tara. Needless to say they were evicted before they had the chance to take root.

Can you believe this?

To date, we can only say positive things about our fellow residents and an incident like this is surprising.

Outsourced

2008-11-24T18:18:00.002+05:30

Watched the film 'Outsourced' over the weekend. I had previously put off watching it because I thought it would be a bit corny, when it actually turned out to be very well done indeed. It seemed that a lot of jokes could of been overlooked without having experienced life in India. Watch it if you get the chance as it will provide you with a glimpse of what it is like to live in India. My favourite line of the film is when one of the characters says that I.N.D.I.A means....

I'll

Never

Again

Really made laugh, as this sums up my state of mind on a regular basis. lol

Children at work

2008-11-20T10:05:00.002+05:30

It is illegal for any child under the age of 14 to be employed.... or so the notices on the back of auto rick-shaws inform us. This is definitely not the reality of the situation. On a daily basis I see young children being part of the Indian work force, and do realise that a practice that has been going on for centuries won't stop overnight.

The photos below are 'just' two examples of what you see. The boy hand embroidering the sari did not look quite so happy as the handkerchief seller.

The fabric for the sari is stretched out on the wooden frame and the pattern is chalked onto the fabric. The worker (usually male) then proceeds to hand stitch every detail and sequin onto the fabric. The cost of a sari will depend on the fabric used and the level of detail and adornment i.e. how long it took for someone to complete the finished item. Each sari is about six metres long. The speed at which the stitching is done is unbelievable, the workers hands operate like sewing machines.

The handkerchief seller was full of smiles and was very happy at being asked if I may take his photo, especially thrilled when I played back the photo to show him. He did not ask for anything, and though I thought his smile could not get any bigger, his face was a picture of happiness, but also confusion (as to why???) when I gave him 10 Rupees and did not want any handkerchiefs in exchange.

To eat or not to eat.

2008-11-20T09:13:00.002+05:30

Continuing on from the Charminar experience...... I mentioned that there are various food vendors about the streets. The foods are wonderfully presented. Mostly you will see that the sellers sell one product, or a variation on the same theme. I rarely eat from street vendors, purely to avoid the risk of a stomach upset of some kind. It is so tempting to buy something but when any one experiences sickness and diarrohea it can usually be traced back to something they know they should not have eaten.

Tara did buy some peanuts as the smell of the hot roasted peanuts was too much to forgo.

Fresh coconuts, whole, sliced or iced.

Mental Strength!

2008-11-18T17:44:00.007+05:30

On Tuesday morning , feeling revitalised after my morning walk with Pete, followed by an hour of yoga I felt mentally strong enough to undertake a visit to Charminar, the down town, old city, part of Hyderabad. A quick phone call to my friend Tara got me a fellow shopper and off we set. Charminar is about 45 minutes from where we live. We timed it so that we should arrive as most shops open at about 11 am. Watching the workforce within India is like watching a colony of ants. It is really busy and lots of people around but it never seems like anything is being accomplished, then you take a second look and everything is set up!

The Charminar shopping experience is made up of wandering down little alley ways which are packed with locals going about their daily business, hawkers touting their wares up and down the place, snack vendors and their 'delights', beggars, motor bikes galore manoeuvring their way through the chaos and the odd car beeping it's way through the crowds as they negotiate the tiny streets, meanwhile the police men put in place as traffic calming influences do little to alleviate the grid locks that arise.

On previous occasions when I have visited Charminar, the weather has been too hot and has contributed to the experience being an over the top sensory overload. This time of year the daytime temperatures are a cool 26 - 30 degrees and helps make the trip a more pleasant experience.

The main purpose of the expedition was to buy a few trinkets in preparation of our Christmas travels, mainly adornments for the female friends. Our first stop was Bangle Alley and as seen in the photos below is mainly made up of shops selling the traditional Indian bangles, worn by virtually every Indian female, young and old, that you will meet. I love the way they are displayed.

Rubbish collection

2008-11-17T18:39:00.003+05:30

It has been a few weeks since I last updated the blog. Apologies.

The weeks go by so quickly and good intentions to write on the blog on a regular basis seem to fall by the wayside.

There is just 4 weeks until we break up for the Christmas break, but being in a community with quite a few Americans, we first have Thanksgiving to celebrate. Also, when Obama was elected President there was a real 'good feel' vibe in the air.

Whilst our children start thinking about what they would like on their Christmas list, some children in India are already part of the work force. I took the photo below of the kid who collects the rubbish from our bin outside the house. He is sometimes by himself and other times accompanied by a young girl of about 12 years of age. The rubbish is thrown into the bag on the back of the bike and then taken god knows where to be recycled. John tells me that India has one of the world's highest recycling rates. Everything is reused, and reused, and reused a few more times. Everything is mended. And even when someone regards an item useless there will be an even poorer person who will find a new lease of life for the said item.

Bananas

2008-11-06T19:47:00.003+05:30

Ring, ring. In amongst all the rubble, and at many points along the road side you will find a phone attached to a tree or pillar.

I have been meaning to stop and take this photo for ages. We buy our bananas from the side of the road, on their original branch and then suspended from another tree. There are not many things I find a beautiful site in India but this is one of them.

Halloween

2008-10-31T19:41:00.005+05:30

Love it or hate??? The kids love it. Any excuse for a dress up and some treats. Halloween was celebrated with a party organised by the school and the local expat association.

1. Bethan

2. Bethan and two ghouls

3. Boo!

2008-10-30T11:51:00.001+05:30

Picture of Bethan, Chantelle & Hannah after doing the Rangoli work outside of Jo's house.

Pete's Progress Report

2008-10-29T12:59:00.003+05:30

God, beagles are a stubborn breed, or maybe it's just our Pete!

He can be the cutest thing but also the most infuriating. But, he is only 16 weeks old so I suppose I can't expect too much too soon. I am wondering how long this puppy stage lasts.

When he came to us he was 1.8kg, and now weighs 6 kg, amazing to see how much he has grown in such a short time. John continues to put in much time and effort with him. I am wondering whether Pete will miss John when he goes away for 2 weeks on Saturday, maybe all the past 8 weeks training will go out the window whilst he is away. I will keep you posted.

Diwali

2008-10-29T12:31:00.004+05:30

The previous post was bit of the background of Diwali celebrations. At our estate all residents were in full celebratory mode, and the four day weekend only added to that mood. On Friday night John's company put on a party at a local hotel. Lovely food and company. Too many scary fireworks, where children are allowed to get unbelievably close them. Growing up in the UK gives you a very different approach to fireworks, on a dark cold winters night it was always difficult to even see the men who were setting off the displays, partly because it was so dark and because you had to be so far away from the actual fireworks.

Sunday night there was a Diwali celebration evening at the Cameron's house. Bill Cameron wound the kids into a frenzy with bangers and sparklers (again, you could tell that no safety certificate was required here). Monday night saw another party organised for the residents kindly sponsored by a resident. Having been very social for the previous three evenings, The Webbs decided to lie low and stay at home.

But the big Diwali celebrations were on Tuesday 28th. Fireworks galore! Pete seemed unperturbed by the whole event thankfully. The main event of the evening was seeing a 200 metre trail of fire crackers go off. The trail is laid, people gather. Whilst waiting for the trail to be lit, sweet indian delicacies are passed around and then WOW! it starts. It gives you an idea of what being in a war zone must be like. It is so loud and dangerous. After being hit a few times by flying shrapnel and uttering a few "ow's" I was advised that it was best to follow behind at a slight distance which did prove to be good advice but still got caught a few more times. This lasted for about half an hour. How anyone can sleep through this is unbelievable.

It was nice to be at home and see how our neighbours celebrate this, the biggest festival in their calendar.

A couple of photos to show how the houses are decorated. In the evening, lots of houses are lit up, which I just love as I am a sucker for some twinkly fairy lights.

Diwali - Festival of Light

2008-10-28T10:58:00.004+05:30

Deepavali or Diwali is a major Indian festival. It is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs around the world and is known as the "Festival of Lights", where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being.

Diwali is celebrated on a grand scale in almost all the regions of India and is looked upon mainly as the beginning of New Year. Houses and business premises are renovated and decorated. Entrances are made colourful with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. To indicate her long-awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermillion powder all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the night. Believing this day to be auspicious, women purchase some gold or silver, or at least two new utensils. "Lakshmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lighted to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. "Bhajans" - devotional songs - in praise of Goddess Lakshmi are sung and "Naivedya" of traditional sweets is offered to the Goddess. In villages, cattle are adorned and worshipped by farmers as they form the main source of their income. In the South, cows are offered special veneration as they are supposed to be the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and therefore they are adorned and worshipped on this day.

4 day holiday (yay)! notice these words rhyme...

2008-10-26T15:33:00.003+05:30

Welcome back to the blogger's boy, with fresh news for you all! This week, we are having a 4 day break from the 6 and half imprisonment of the school. In India it is the festival/celebration of Diwali. Today is the second day of the holiday. The world is nice and comfortable. The dog is running around. Th..... OK, thats enough delight's. If any of you want to know, I made this blog because you may want to ask a few questions yourself. I do not tolerate any rude or private questions. You can ask "Hi, what is the name of your teacher?" or, "what does your house look like?" Some answers will have videos and some may have pictures. Well, anytime you want, send in a question and I may answer. Well, see you later, Blogga-gator!

Beep, Beep!! Bring out the dead!

2008-10-26T14:34:00.004+05:30

Please excuse the lack of updates of late, after a very relaxing holiday in Phuket, and saying to people it is the kind of holiday that you don't need a holiday after, Beth and I made a trip to the UK for 9 days. John and the boys stayed in India.

It is rare for us to visit the UK in the winter months, but a trip last October and again this week, where the weather is dry, crisp and sunny is just beautiful. I love the freshness and the visible change of seasons, plus I like wrapping up in winter clothes, something that is a rarity. Anyway, a busy but productive week. Love being in Swansea but so nice to be back with my three boys who all survived extremely well minus the women of the house.

There is a constant source of noise in India even throughout the night. Last night a pack of wild dogs were in situ in the empty plot behind the house. Their constant howling and barking is a pain, I thought that Pete would be joining in but thankfully it all seemed to bypass him. Another disturbing way of being woken up is the next door neighbour beeping his horn in order to get one of his staff to open the gate. The gardens and outdoor space in Whisper Valley are not spacious, there is just enough room to park 1 car in the drive, so to open the gate is not a big deal and does not take too much time and effort, but our neighbour who is very polite and friendly to us is above opening his gate, instead he sits in the car and beeps, beeps, beeps, beeps, until the gate is opened. Our bedroom window faces onto his drive and this is too much for me first thing in the morning. Next time this happens I plan (if I have the energy) to jump out of bed (remembering to put some clothes on first! lol) and run downstairs, and open the gate for him.

I think one gets used to seeing what goes on in India and it all begins to seem 'normal', which it is in this society, but sometimes I remind myself that we are witness to a culture that most of our friends and family will only read about. After picking the children up from school on Friday afternoon we begin our drive home to pass a funeral procession. The body is being carried on a stretcher, covered by a white cloth and flowers. This is the real India, which however much you read can only truly be experienced in the flesh.

Phuket Holiday

2008-10-12T20:14:00.005+05:30

We have returned from our holiday in Phuket refreshed after a lovely week. As I have said previously, the accommodation was excellent and the facilities superb. The kids pool was complete with slide, water jets etc and this took a couple of days for them to get even slightly bored with what was on offer. As with most kids clubs these days, they are separated into a 'teens' room and a play area, where game stations are available, or even plain old paper and pencils. As could be predicted, the boys lurk around the games consoles while the girls get to know one another over the drawing table. lol

The hotel provided a circus school activity which involved trapeze training, and a few other not quite so exciting activities. Beth loved it (as you can imagine). Below is a photo of her on the trapeze.

Thailand is well known for its massage culture. On the beach you could get a proper thai massage, John made the most of this, I only tried it the once and I have to say that whilst it was nice it was also painful at times. We also partook in a family massage session when in Patong. We all had a foot massage, the kids' first! Lawrence then proceeded to ask for one on a daily basis. Spoilt or what?

On a couple of the days we hired a car and drove around the island. Very small island, and easy to get around. I have heard that the beauty of Phuket has been spoiled by the number of tourists, I am sure this is true, but it was a very enjoyable break and we will definitely visit Thailand again.

Phuket

2008-10-07T13:29:00.002+05:30

Well, we have been in Phuket for the past four days and I have to say it is absolutely beautiful here. We are staying in the Marriott Resort and Spa which is half hour from Phuket town but is practically faultless in its surroundings. Really, truly, beautiful. But I have to say as with all other hotels they take the p#$%# with their internet charges, so I write this post quickly from an internet cafe in Phuket town. Unable to post any photos just now but will do that when we return home. Speak soon.

Nia & John

2008-10-03T12:24:00.002+05:30

Last week our friend Tara celebrated her 40th Birthday. Here is. a photo of John and I from that party.

hooray! hooray! holi-holiday!

2008-10-03T12:10:00.001+05:30

Tonight we are going to Thailand, The land of Thai. With suitcases ready, tickets in hand, we head off for a 10-day holiday (Hoorah!). At the moment it is a bit harder to talk about my holiday as I don't know what is going to happen. My mom says we connect from Hyderabad to someplace else, and then someplace else to Thailand. As I am typing this blog now, I am thinking, " What should I write?" Let's say that we go to a few sandy beaches, hotels, and then, after 10 days, we come back to Hyderabad. Um... In a way, I think that's all for now, and I'll see you later blog readers!

Blogger Boy's Birthday

2008-09-30T21:50:00.001+05:30

Billy turns 10

2008-09-30T21:03:00.007+05:30

Today, Billy celebrated his 10th Birthday.
Double digits!
After school we had his friends from school over and had a party at the house. There was a treasure hunt, pizza, ice-cream and swimming. All in all a lovely day. Billy's review of the day was "Best day ever!"

A few photos of today;

All three opening Billy's cards and presents (love the way they are so excited for each other on the birthdays)
Figuring out one of the clues to the treasure hunt
Friends on the treasure hunt

The poem I wrote, by William Webb

2008-09-25T16:11:00.006+05:30

Hi, all you blog readers, and welcome back to the Blogger's boy's blog. A few days ago I wrote a poem that my parents said was very good. Let's have your say about the poem:

Sirens sound,
The Wind calls,
For the myths,
From the Forgotten Halls,
The Clock of Time,
Heads back,
From the pain,
It did wrack,
Facing the End for now,
Turning away,
I do not know how,
In the Dungeons of War,
It brought Peace,
That is when the battles will cease,
To the centre of Famine,
It brought Plenty,
But more to do,
So it sent Thee,
To the green sides of Pestilence,
To bring the Box of Health,
To heal,
The horrible self,
To the heart of Death,
Bringing Life in tow,
So that is the End,
Waiting for Nature to grow,
Remember this now as you lie in Peace,
You cannot avoid the idea,
That your Life must cease.

Thank you for reading my poem. I hope I see you next time.

Sign of the day - Police Outpost

2008-09-24T19:49:00.002+05:30

In February we visited a place called Hampi, which was a national heritage site. Lots of old 'things'. Loved the Police Station.

Summer in Swansea

2008-09-21T10:03:00.006+05:30

We have now been back in Hyderabad for five weeks, and our long summer holiday in Swansea feels like it was a lifetime ago.

Apart from a few days in Plymouth with the Hartley's, the remainder of our 8 week holiday was spent in Swansea. Lots of visitors; The Axes from France, The Burtons from South Africa, The Webbs from Birmingham, The Hartleys from Plymouth and of course, John from India.

The weather was unpredictable and mostly wet, but we decided that we would get out whatever the weather and make the most of what Swansea has to offer, the walks, the cycling, the sea etc, all of which we do not have access to in India. Full wet suits were purchased so that the kids could enjoy themselves in the sea without any limbs becoming so numb amputation may be a possibility. Boogie boarding and skim boarding were favourite activities, and if it rained it didn't really matter when you were wet anyway.

Being able to walk to the beach from the house is something that I love being able to do, even if it does mean being like a pack horse carrying the picnic, toys, chairs, and other paraphernalia required. John's view is that you only take the minimum amount of stuff and that everyone has to be responsible for carrying their own things, so when he takes the kids, they take a towel each, and wear anything else they may need. I like this idea but I also like my chair, my tea, my food, my book, and spades to keep the kids busy with digging (so we can stay for longer).

We love being in Swansea, seeing the immediate family and all the others like Aunties, Uncles and cousins. Now there are so many kids and everyone has such busy lives we do not get to see each other very often. So, when we were home in April I set a date in July when we would have a family gathering and not sit back to wait for the next wedding before everyone was in the same venue together. It was great to have everyone together. Bill, Joan, Ian and Trish were down from Birmingham to join in the festivities. Of course, the weather was terrible and we were all inside but it didn't seem to matter. There was about 60 people including loads of kids. Will definitely have to make this an annual event.

Sign of the Day

2008-09-20T15:22:00.004+05:30

There are many amusing signs to be found in India. I will post some on a regular basis. The words are often not funny, but the manner in which the signs are often displayed, or some other quirky thing about them, sums up India.

This sign was found in the Charminar tower. The fact that it is broken, hung by an old wire, and strung to some electricity cable makes me laugh.

About school(shock!horror!) in a Positive enough way

2008-09-20T12:12:00.003+05:30

Hello, blog readers, and welcome back to the blogger's boy's blog.

Now I will tell you about my school (dread! Horror!) in a more POSITIVE way (yay!Woohoo!) that positive enough? then let's start!

My school is called ISH (short for International School of Hyderabad *whistle*) Long eh? Well I am in 5th Grade and there are about 14 or 15 people (including me) in my class. Here are a few names. There is.......
Varun (one of the brains behind the class)
Siddarth (at my table)
Kailash (also at my table)
Chahat ( part of the mixed table)
Lukman (another member of my table)
Maya ( the girl brain of the class. From my point of view she is the arch-nemesis of Varun) Maya (another one at Maya number 1's table.)
Daniel ( part of the mixed table)
And many more......

There are three castes at Grade 5. There is the boys caste, girls caste and mixed caste. The boys caste is filled with only boys, who are Lukman, Varun, Kailash, Siddarth and ME. The mixed caste is Chahat, Mario (You'll learn about him later), Daniel and someone else (hmmmmm.......) The girls caste is, obviously, only girls. There is Maya no 1, Maya no 2 and then 2 others who i forget (another hmmmmmm......). The teacher of my class is Mrs/Miss Chandi (i forget which is which) the students, (all of them) claim she is the kindest teacher in the school. I also think that.

And thats it for now folks, and I'll see u tomorrow!

Where we live

2008-09-16T20:58:00.006+05:30

Since our arrival in India we have lived on a small estate (commonly referred to as a 'colony' here). There are about 80 houses, a club house, restaurant, swimming pool, badminton court & tennis court. The residents are made up of local Indian families, NRI's (non-resident Indians, those who have American/ Canadian passports) and people like ourselves, so there is a sense that while we do live in a nice community we are not isolating ourselves and living in a Western bubble. The children in the community play together and if a game of cricket, baseball or whatever is started up on the green opposite our house we find that there are many people eager to participate, including drivers.

When we first chose this estate the relocation company were reluctant to promote the estate, telling us it was too far out from the school, airport etc but Hyderabad is developing at such a pace we now find that we are located central to most venues that we frequent. A new airport has recently opened on our side of town, and much to John's delight, a new golf course has opened 10 minutes from the house. John has 10 minute drive to work, and the school is 15 minutes from the house.

The houses on are old in comparison (approx. 10 years old) to the brand new estates that are popping up everywhere, but it's one advantage is it's maturity and of course, lack of ongoing building work. The roads within the estate (all four of them) are tree lined and the gardens lush with foliage, which is a stark contrast to some of the areas you see on a daily basis living in India. Another plus, is the fact that there are no building works (hence no squatter camps) adjacent to the estate and hence the noise levels are about as peaceful as you can get living in a built up area.

Over the past month or so a few families, who are close friends of ours, have moved onto the estate, much to the delight of our children who now have a constant supply of friends to call on. This arrangement works as well for the adults as it does for the kids. An impromptu game of scrabble with G& T's is becoming a regular habit and if achieving nothing else, we are at least improving our knowledge of accepted 2 letter words. lol

Given it's maturity, the estate is geared up to celebrate most festivals that locals celebrate (and there are a lot of them). Last week was the festival of Ganesh, which involved the offerings to Ganesh for a 9 day period and then the immersion of the idol into local lake. Not one of these events seems to be a quiet occasion. There are lots of rituals that are beyond our comprehension but it is nice to see the community celebrate together.

Photos:

1. Ganesh idol on display at for 9 days
2. The procession that proceeded the immersion of the Ganesh
3. Friends who had joined in (ie. got caught up in) local street celebrations of Ganesh festival
4. Children waiting for school bus in morning

My house (my refuge from school, dread!horror!)

2008-09-16T20:17:00.004+05:30

Ello, blog readers, I'm back with some new news, ready to put down some food for thought(or food for blogs, hmm.....)

Today is about my holy house, a point of light in a sea of darkened schools. This is where I relax,play with Pete, read a few chapters and then set down my upgrade to the blog.
This may be a daily routine through my average day.

6:45-wake up and have breakfast

7:30- go to school(hasn't started luckily.)

8:00- school starts (Shock!Horror!)

2:30- school ends (Sigh!Relief!)

3:30-After-school ends(More sigh!Relief!)

3:00-we get back to our house(Yay!)

3'ish to 3:16-Qualility time with Pete(unless he bites.)

3:17-Race to the computer!

4:16-computer time finishes.

4:16-Random activities.

8:30 or 9:00- Bedtime

Ok. I think I'll have to end this for now, and I'll see ya (not really) tomorrow!

Pete, The New Addition

2008-09-15T18:57:00.005+05:30

After many years of saying "No" to having a dog, a summer of walks in Swansea made me change my mind. Why, I am not so sure..... Maybe it is seeing how a dog makes you get out of the house in all weathers, or was it seeing the lone man and his dog walking across Underhill Park as I looked out from the house (at all times of day)? Whatever the reason, the main one was that I thought a dog would be great for the kids.

John and the kids had already done the research on what breed we should have if we were ever to get one; short haired, medium build, average amount of exercise. Of the breeds that fell into that category, they decided that a Beagle would be the dog of choice. So, on our return to India and me finally saying my thoughts out loud, John sprang into action and given that he works for the ideal company to help source such a request, a Beagle breeder in Delhi was recommended. A vet was sent to check them out, and yes, they had a dog that would be ready to leave it's mother in about 10 days.

So, Friday 29th August arrived and the dog was flown from Delhi accompanied by one of John's colleagues. Apparently he has never received so many calls in one day, and all to check on the dog. The problem was we had arranged to go away on this weekend and did not want to cancel because of the dog, so another colleague of John's had arranged to look after it until we could collect him on the Sunday. After popping into the office to see him (locked away in his own meeting room) John and I could not resist bringing him home for the night. At this point the plan was still a complete surprise to the childen.

The three of them arrived home from school, shortly followed by John and the 'surprise'. "We've got a dog " yelled Bethan. Lots of oohs and aahs etc etc. What shall we call him? A unanimous "Pete" was the answer, as this what the Webb family call their dogs.

So Pete it is. Born 10th July 2008.

Three weeks later, I am not so sure it was such a good idea. Lots of training. Too much fuss. But yes, he is lovely, and he is cute and does funny things. Bit like when you have your kids small.

Here he is.....

Blogger's boy (the very first!)

2008-09-12T20:53:00.004+05:30

Hello all you blog readers out there,

I'm the first son of the Webb family and I am a literature-addict. Here are a few main points about me.

Favourite drink: Tea(very important to me,i'm not kidding (even though I am a Kid, (even though i think you cant put a bracket in a bracket, we'll make an exception)).

Favourite food: I'll give you two guesses. Can't get it? all right, I'll tell ye. It is Marmite sandwiches(i think you hate it, everybody seems 2).

Favourite Pastime: Reading.

Favourite Outdoor hobby: Hiking.

All right, I'll have to stop now, my mom says im boring her and you. bye, blog readers. See u next time.

Charminar, Hyderabad

2008-09-12T18:30:00.002+05:30

India at its best

2008-09-12T16:51:00.004+05:30

To start on a positive note, let me tell you about my experience at the local hospital today.

After suffering from a blocked and painful ear for the best part of two weeks, I decided today it was time to address the issue as I was fed up of saying "Pardon?" to everyone who spoke to me. So, after picking the kids up from school and returning home I called the hospital at 15:05 and asked to speak to the ENT specialist. Immediately I am put through to the correct department where I request if it would be possible to see the consultant today. Yes, I am told. The consultant will be available until 16:00 hrs and I can see him at 15:30. Great! I leave the house and reach the ENT's front desk at 15:30 where upon the consultant is just slipping off somewhere. Being the only Western person in the hospital you stand out and you usually get seen straight away, as I was on this occasion. Yes, I did feel some slight guilt for the other 20 people sitting outside his room, but not enough to sit there and wait. I did have an appointment for 15:30 after all.

I tell him I will be quick, so off we go to his room and I explain the problem. Within 5 minutes I am out of his room after having the necessary stuff removed from my ear, collected my prescription from the pharmacy and sitting on a wall at 15:40 waiting for Shivar, the driver, to come back from his chai (tea) break.

For the pleasure of this amazing service which took 35 minutes from making an appointment to waiting for the driver to collect me I am charged INR 300 for the consultants fee and INR 150 for the necessary medicines. Why would you bother submitting this to PPP (Health Insurance) for the small amount you'd be reimbursed?

This is not the first time we have received such service there, but if it was something serious I would be on a flight to Singapore asap. Experiences of friends when something goes seriously wrong suggests you get out as soon as you realise the problem is serious.

1 year, 4 months, 3 weeks in Hyderabad!

2008-09-12T16:38:00.002+05:30

.....Not that I'm counting.

Many times throughout the past year I have contemplated keeping a blog on our experiences in India. If I had started the blog this time last year, I would have moaned non-stop. The transitional period of arriving and adjusting to life in India took longer than I would have expected. But now, one year later, my outlook is much improved. No, the transitional period did not last the whole time, it is only now I am getting round to implement my desire to keep a blog.

So, here we are. The five of us quite settled, a new addition to our family, Pete (more about him later), and a very pleasant social life.

As I have not noted any of our experiences from the past year the blog will be a mix of experiences from our first year and others that happen from here on in.