Did we just...buy a house?!!

Yes, we absolutely did!! Just closed today too - contract signed and sealed, it's official - a big day for us, homeowners again after 10 long years!! Air shipment came in today, and so did our rental furniture - and the important things, TV and Internet will be setup tomorrow - so yes, we're all ready to move in tomorrow!! I know, I know - we just flew to Peoria barely a week ago - where was the time to buy a house?? Well, of course, there's a story to it - but first, here's a picture of our new home!!

I've always liked browsing real estate websites - and when we finally made the decision to move back to Peoria, well realtor.com was my new best friend!! Of course, it helped that we were familiar with the Peoria area, knew what school district we wanted to be in - but even with the search narrowed down, it was still a wide open market!! Peoria - specifically, the Dunalp area - has literally exploded over the past few years, trying to make sense of all the new neighborhoods was quite confusing!! Quite lucky that Ajey had a business trip planned in October to Peoria - it would be perfect for hime to get the 'lay of the land'!!

I already had a couple of favorites by the time Ajey flew here - he had appointments to see over 10 houses in 2 days - we were hoping to find something that would fit what we needed and liked!! And although my initial favorites fell out of the running due to one reason or the other, Ajey still saw at least 2 houses that were really good possibilities!! Our new home - came on the market while Ajey was in Peoria - and when I saw the pictures, I was so, so sure this was the one!! Ajey was a bit reluctant to make an offer right away, though - he did want me to see the house first. Besides, the market in Peoria didn't seem to be really buzzing, so seemed quite safe to wait until December.

So we made our plan. Rent an apartment in Peoria for 3 months after we get there - plenty of time for us to look for a house. Meanwhile, our shipment would arrive, so we could get the house completely setup and ready, and then move in! Apartment was all lined up for us, rental furniture to be delivered a day before we arrived - and of course, our air shipment was planned to keep us going for 3 months - most importantly, Manasi would go to the school we wanted her in!! Perfectly planned, down to the very last detail - no prizes for guessing how that turned out!!

Now back to exactly a month ago - 29th November - the day before our movers came in! Manasi was to go to Shanghai to play soccer - and when we woke up, it was raining quite heavily. So, at 5am, I'm checking my email - hoping to see an email from the coach saying the soccer was cancelled. Well, soccer was still on - but I did have an email from our realtor, Marilyn Kohn, in the mailbox - informing us that an offer had been made on the house we really liked!!! What - no way - how could this happen - total panic for about half hour - and then we called Marilyn to find out if it was already a done deal.

Well, an offer had been made - but not been accepted - so there was still time to put our bid in, if we wanted to. So we made an offer - and were quite surprised when the sellers came back with a counter-offer within a couple of hours!! Just to put things in perspective - we were in China, Marilyn was driving back from Arkansas, and the sellers were in Peoria - lot of emails and phone calls!! A day of nail-biting anxiety later - yes, next morning as we waited for our movers to show up - checking email every 2 minutes - finally, finally!! Email from Marilyn saying our offer had been accepted!! Woohoo!!! Wait, what??? Did we just...buy a house!!!!

Things rolled along pretty quickly after that! With the 'Authentisign' e-signatures, the initial contract, mortgage application were taken care off completely online!! Then the inspections - the overall house inspection, radon, termite, flood damage, mold...so many!! We hadn't really started telling people yet....just a couple of close friends...I'm quite superstitious that way!! And then funnily enough, a friend of mine who had been a Suzhou expat, and now lived in the our neighborhood (very, very small world!!) posted on FB that a friend of hers moving back to Peoria just bought a house close to them!! Well, all of our mutual friends immediately put 2 and 2 together - but I was still not ready to make the 'official' announcement!!!

Until today - it's all official today!! So, yes, we did buy a house - and I couldn't be happier!! So excited!!

We made it!!

9 check-in bags, 4 carry-ons, 3 backpacks, 2 adults, 1 child and 1 not-so-happy cat - we have finally made the big move from Suzhou to Peoria!! The flight was oh-so-long - so grateful for the Economy Plus - amazing what a big difference an extra 5 inches of leg-space can make!! Sunny had the hardest time, I think - he just would not calm down - and don't know if in 3 years if he has grown bigger, or the flights have gotten better - but he was so very loud!! I'm surprised none of our co-passengers complained - I know I was really glad to get off that plane!!

Actually, last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic - we had a lot of travel going on, one thing going wrong, and we would have had quite the domino effect on our hands!! Last day in school was quite emotional - both for Manasi and me - but we were on a flight to India before we really had time to process!! This India trip was probably one of our shortest ever - a mere 6 nights - but we managed to pack quite the punch in - quality time with family, lunch (and dinner) with friends, shopping, Happy Street (more about this later), a movie in the theater, eating at favorite restaurants, drove to Mumbai, attended a wedding - whew!!

In the midst of all this activity, I was really pleased to receive regular WeChat updates from our ayi and our driver about Sunny. I had been really anxious about leaving him this time - no furniture, new ayi and most important, the vet visit for his health certificate! Huge load off when the driver reported everything went ok, and sent me a picture of the certificate as well!! And before we knew it, we were back at the Mumbai airport for our flight back to Shanghai - as a special treat, we splurged and upgraded to Business class!! So totally worth it - completely flat beds with plush comforters, gourmet meals with smoothies, magazines - I could definitely get used to this - you listening, Ajey??!!

Back in China, we finally hit what would be our final (touch wood!) hiccup!! Trying to call the driver - neither of our phones would work. Ok, maybe no balance - surprising, considering that we had recharged before we left - but not impossible!! Next, tried to connect to the free airport WiFi - now this is definitely one of my pet peeves with all major airports - the WiFi needs a code messaged to your phone - if I had a working phone, would I be needing free WiFi?!! Anyway, tried again and again - but no message. Quite confused by this time!!

Luckily, the driver showed up soon after - and we were on the way back to Suzhou - letting our family know that we had landed safely, would have to wait until we reached home - or so we thought!! No such luck - none of our devices - iPads, computers, phones - were able to connect to our network. Tried rebooting and rebooting again - but nothing!! The landline? - nothing there too. So no phones, no internet - we were completely out of touch with the rest of the world!! And then, Manasi's iPod was magically online - at the very least, we were able to FaceTime our parents before going to bed!!

No magic there - Manasi' iPod was connecting to our neighbor's WiFi - she plays there all the time, and has their password saved!! So, thanks, Bs and sorry about inadvertently stealing your WiFi!! And our service? - well, JRE very helpfully terminated both our cell phone service, and our internet - a week before we were to leave China - without so much as a by-your-leave!! This prompt alacrity is even more ironic considering that in the last 3 odd years, they have been on time for nothing - every single thing we needed help with, we had had to ask multiple times and listen to numerous excuses. And now this - the final touch!! For the last time (again, touch wood!) in China - Aaargh!!!

We did put our last day in Suzhou to good use, though!! We still had money on our card from Dragonfly Spa - last chance to finish that off - and I also had my FoD gift vouchers!! And it's a good thing we went - we hadn't realized just how much money was on that card!! First thing, hot stone massages for Ajey and me - while Manasi indulged herself with a mani-pedi. Not quite done - our personal favorites next - foot massage for me, head massage for Ajey!! We came out feeling quite light-headed, and relaxed to the bone!! Ready for the long flight tomorrow!!

Next morning, our helpful JRE agent showed up with our landlord for the final walk-through. Of course, no apologies for the phone/internet snafu - and she had the gall to suggest that we should have called the Nestle people to cancel our water service. Hmmm, yes, of course, we should have called him - except that we had no phone service, remember, no thanks to you!!! And then they just waited in our living room, watching us finish packing, looking at our suitcases - Ajey finally asked them to leave and they still wouldn't!! What was up with that??!!

Finally, our last time to drive from Suzhou to Pudong airport! We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare - which was a good thing, considering how much luggage we had! It still felt quite unreal - just couldn't get it to sink in that this was probably the last time we would fly out of this airport!! One interminably long flight later, we were back in our old stomping grounds - O'Hare in Chicago - where surprise, surprise, temperature was a comfortable 16degC!! We had hired a taxi to drive us to Peoria - no hassle with renting and loading a car at the airport - and were soon checked in at the Residence Inn!! Finally, we're back in Peoria, folks!!

A Harry Potter theme birthday party

Manasi turned 11 this year. And she has been expecting a letter to arrive from Hogwarts any minute now - she recently finished reading the entire series, and has watched all 8 movies many, many times!! It doesn't really help when I'm as obsessed as she is - to the extent that both of us can recite from the books and movies verbatim - and can spend hours analyzing actions and thoughts of the characters from this incredible, magical world!!

Well, obviously she's not going to get an acceptance letter from Hogwarts - but I thought it would be fun to throw her a Harry Potter theme party to celebrate her 11th!! First place to start - Google, of course! - and pretty soon, I was knee-deep in ideas!! Being in China did limit certain things - I couldn't just walk into a Walmart and buy what I needed - but managed to work around that with my good friends, Amazon and Taobao!! I have to admit, I did get a little (just a tiny bit!) carried away - but this was easily the funnest party I have ever planned!!

This post is not really about the party itself - read about that here - this one is more like a DIY post - or how I planned my Harry Potter party. Not taking credit for any of these ideas - most of them are variations, combinations or spin-offs from what I found on Google - but the spirit is all mine!! This is the first time on the blog that I've done a list - yes, me with a list, wonders never cease!! - anyway, here goes!!

• Invitations - The first thing on the list, this was!! I decided to model the party invite on the Hogwarts acceptance letter - the one thing Manasi really was waiting for!! The stationary was simple - ordered cream-color cards and envelopes from Amazon, nothing too fancy or expensive! Since we wouldn't be delivering the envelopes by owl-mail, I put a picture of an owl on the front, with the recipients address. To seal the envelope, I was hoping to get a 'H' stamp and green ink - couldn't find either one - the workaround was to print a large calligraphy H on the back of the envelope. The wording of the invite - quite similar to the actual acceptance letter - I especially loved the 'Department of Magical Celebrations' touch!!

• Decorations - This was a little tricky - we knew our house would be packed up before the party, so we would have very little to work with. I ordered an 'Insta-theme' - stairway, window and torch props - which actually looked very nice and added an instant Hogwarts feeling to our house!! We had a bunch of candles that the movers would not pack - couldn't figure out a way to get them to float, though!! At the last minute, I thought it would be fun to have a 'Platform 9 3/4' banner, and a brick wall for the kids to walk through in our foyer - really easy to make, and really added to the feel!! A long white table to recreate the Great Hall, and we were done. Very minimalistic, but set the mood perfectly!!

• Accessories - What's a Harry Potter party without wands?? There's all kinds of fancy wands available online, with all kinds of fancy price tags - I didn't really splurge on this, bought the most basic available!! With the wands, house ties for the all important Sorting - once again, available on taobao - the striped ties in the house colors were a really great buy!! I had my heart set on getting T-shirts with a 9 3/4 logo on them - but taobao didn't have these in kids sizes - but never fear, we're in China!! A quick trip to Decathalon, and I had the T-shirts I wanted, with the logo and sizes I needed!! In addition, for the goody bags - broomstick pens (Amazon) and Time Turner necklaces (taobao)!

• Activities - Well, the Sorting, of course!! While we waited for everyone to arrive before we could begin the Sorting Ceremony, the girls played a game called Bean-Boozled - remember, Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans? This version has all kinds of disgusting flavors - rotten egg, moldy cheese, barf, dog poop, baby wipes, booger - to name a few!! I have to admit, I was too chicken to try anything - the girls, on the other hand, were quite enthusiastic!! For the Sorting, I had the girls pull a House name from a bag and hand it to me - I then announced the House in my best(!) Sorting Hat voice, after which the the girls got their wand and House tie! The highlight of the afternoon was to be Quidditch! We had goal posts made from hula hoops attached to old curtain posts - and Ajey and I had been brainstorming for weeks to come up with a game that would be age-friendly, fun, and still Quidditchy!! And we did - complete with Quaffle, Bludgers and the cutest little Minion-mini-copter Snitch!! The finale - a surprise for Manasi - was a magician we had hired, the perfect touch, isn't it??

• Food - Manasi wanted a feast to magically appear, just like in the Great Hall - quite a tall order to fill!! Most of her friends are quite picky eaters, so I decided to keep it simple - still had a feast though!! 2 types of sandwiches - egg salad and tomato-cheese - chicken nuggets, french fries, cookies, and birthday cake, of course!! There are quite a few recipes available online to make butter beer - I was leaning towards making root beer floats - in the end, just got bottles of soda. Easier, less hassle!! Gold serving trays and candles made the perfect atmosphere!!

Having a theme party is always a bit of a challenge - getting details right for the 'experts', and at the same time, keeping it generic enough for those who haven't yet caught the bug. Harry Potter - even if kids haven't read the books, they will have at least watched the movies - so even younger kids will be familiar with the general idea! At the end of the day, as long as everyone's having fun, it's a great party - even if that means deviating from the theme!!

Am I really leaving ??

This blog-a-day has proved to be harder than I thought - well, with all that has been going on, doesn't really surprise me - and the Internet being really flaky the last week or so hasn't helped either!! And weirdly, with so much going on - there is so much to blog about - so as always, I'm playing catch-up!! Hope to get out the posts for Manasi's birthday this week - yes, the ones I've had to re-write - but meanwhile, a bit of update regarding our travels!!

40 days - technically correct - but in hindsight, I think a little misleading. We fly to Peoria on the 20th December, making it 40 days from the day I started the countdown. But in these 40 days, we are also going to squeeze in a week trip to India - then fly back to Suzhou for a day, and then finally leave for good - and that really threw the countdown off!! All our Suzhou friends will be traveling home for Christmas, so for all practical purposes, the day we 'left' Suzhou was when we left for India.

So it was a very surreal feeling - last day of school, saying goodbye to all our friends - and in the back of my head, I'm thinking, what's the fuss about - I'm coming back!! It's not exactly denial - I know I'm going - I just can't believe that it's already here, that our time in China has almost run out!! Also, all these dear friends I'm saying goodbye to - no way that this is the last time I'm seeing them - how can that be possible? Of course, I'm going to see all of them again - maybe not in a week's time, but soon, very soon. On some level, just hasn't sunk in as yet, I guess!!

Sunny is by himself this week in Suzhou - our driver and ayi will be taking care of him. A bit of added complication this time, though. Our vet needs to issue a health certificate for him to travel - but it has to be within a week before the departure date. Small detail - I'm in India for the entire week before we travel to the US. Almost derailed our India travel plans - but in China, nothing is impossible!!! There's no way that anyone can put Sunny in a crate and take him to the vet - so we're just having the vet come home to him. I've given her all the paperwork she needs, and the driver will bring her home - and hopefully, everything will fall in place for this!! Fingers crossed!!

India time this week - 4 days in Pune, and then 2 days in Mumbai to attend a wedding - vey hectic. It feels like an ordinary vacation - just our usual December India visit - and the upcoming big move seems to be very far away. Again, that totally unreal feeling - I'm going back home, back to Suzhou, and it's very hard to visualize the next step!! Am I really leaving Suzhou?? Or is this just a dream?? Really, I'm really leaving Suzhou - but just not yet!!

It's one of 'those' days!!

Yup, one of those - a very typical 'China' day - when, for no apparent reason, everything that can go wrong will, and everything that should be perfectly fine, will go wrong too!! If you've lived in China, you've definitely had one of these China days - and the only thing to do is to grit your teeth, and shoulder on - hey, at least you'll end up with a good story, if nothing else!!

So today started off innocently enough. The errand of the day was to go to the bank, withdraw enough rmb for the next few days, transfer the remaining money in my account to our US bank, and close the account. Simple enough, isn't it - except it wasn't!! To start off, I had to juggle some money - transferred all the money from Ajey's account into mine, so that he wouldn't have to come in to the bank. Then, got my token and waited my turn at the cashier's counter. I had to spend a few minutes explaining to the cashier that I was leaving China, and didn't need the account in the Chinese bank anymore, and would he pretty please send all of my money back to the US??

Well, after a furious round of whispering with his colleagues, he comes back and tells me that before I transfer the money, I have to change it into dollars first - and then go to a different counter for the wire transfer. Ok, whatever, let's do it! Some more furious whispering - and then he asks me how much money I want to change to dollars. Umm, all of it??!! More slowly this time - I'm m-o-v-i-n-g!! Again, the whispering - this time I'm told that since I'm not a Chinese national, I can only exchange up to $500 a day. What now??

I'm not a happy customer at this point, but still trying to be polite. Ok, clearly, going the 'exchange-your-money-to-dollars-and-then-wire-transfer' is not working. How about I just close my account, and I get all my money in cash - then I can get it exchanged at the airport when I fly out? Oh yes, close account - but no cash - they can only give me a cashier's check?? And this helps me how?? Ok, then I asked the guy to give me a solution - I'm leaving in 3 days, I have this largish chunk of change in your bank, I'm not leaving it behind - so how do we do this?? And please, enough with the whispering!!

Short of yelling "Gimme my money!!" - and even that wouldn't have helped - I had nothing!! The bank's solution?? - find a Chinese friend with an account in the same bank, transfer all the money to their account and then exchange it - Chinese nationals can go up to $5000 - and then move it. Did that just make perfect sense - or have I just lived too long in China?!! So all I need is a Chinese 'friend' - aargh!! Ended up calling our HR, few (many) phone calls later - Ajey and I both have to show up at the bank with proof that we've lived here 3 years, our tax returns, passports, Ajey's work permit, and then maybe we get our money back!! And it's only 10am so far - this day is just beginning!!

Let's just say I was not in the best of moods when I returned home - and imagine my surprise when I unlocked my front door and stepped in. Why? Oh, nothing much - just a random Chinese lady sitting at my table, in my chair, and her kid running around my living room, touching Manasi's birthday cards and playing with the stuffed toys she had left out. Totally a regular, normal day here in Suzhou - not!! I almost hit the roof!! My ayi comes running down the stairs, totally flustered, explaining that the landlord had walked in to show the house to potential buyers!!!

I had a lot to say about that to my realtor - ok, I may have yelled a little. But seriously, she's justifying the landlord to me - ohh, it is his house, and he needs to sell it...No, no, no - as long as I'm paying rent here, it is my house, and whether he sells the house or not is really not my problem!! Besides, who walks in to see a house, and then just makes themselves at home with the occupant's things??? Unbelievable!! It's not even noon yet!!! Deep breaths, deep breaths!!!!

And it keeps getting better. My realtor was here soon after to do an initial walk through for the house - just so that we could get a couple of days to fix anything if needed. She walks in with another colleague, looks around, and asks me where all the landlord's furniture was. Excuse me, but just a few weeks ago, you told me the landlord sold all his furniture after he moved it out of the house 3 years ago!! A lot of back and forth - and what about the bedside tables, and the dining room cabinets, and the sofa, and the mattresses - where are the landlord's mattresses?? I'm this close to losing it by now!!!

I finally got them to agree that I had not secretly stashed the landlord's furniture somewhere - and they walked upstairs to 'inspect' the rest of the house - while I tried to settle my nerves with a FaceTime session with my mom. We're talking - and all of a sudden, I'm disconnected. Muttering a few choice words under my breath about the Internet in China - I tried to fix the problem. Rebooted the iPad, rebooted the main modem in the garage - no luck - so went up to the 2nd floor to reboot the modem there. No flashing lights, hmm, that's weird. Any more troubleshooting ideas??

Wasn't really that hard in the end. My realtor's colleague needed to recharge her phone, and without so much as a by-your-leave, in an empty house filled with unused outlets, she chose to - wait for it - unplug my modem to plug in her charger. Seriously, there at least 3 other outlets in that room - not to mention the rest of the house! I was absolutely speechless - what was I even supposed to say?? Please ask before you disconnect any of my electronics?? Is that a request that anyone should ever have to make in their own house!!! I give up - at this point, this is officially a China day!!

The afternoon made up for the absolutely absurd morning I'd had - thank you SB for listening to my rants, and letting me cuddle your little one!! But the day still had one zinger left - and this one was a real biggie!! So my blog-a-day resolution has not been going too well for the last couple of days - and I was kind of hoping to catch up by doing a pair of complimentary posts about Manasi's birthday. Since they were so closely related, I wanted to publish both at the same time.

And at 7pm today, just as I was putting on the finishing touches, the usually trustworthy Blogger decided that this wonderful China day deserved an equally wonderful climax!! Yes, Blogger crashed - and my 2 ready-to-publish drafts were gone without a trace - lost forever in cyber space. I was absolutely crushed - not only do I have to rewrite those 2 - I'm once again left without a post for the day!! But what's that saying - if life gives you lemons, make lemonade? I'm changing that to - if life gives you a China day, blog about China day!!

I'm putting this day to bed now - tomorrow will bring a fresh new day!! Good night, everyone!!

And they're done!!

The big question today - can the packers finish packing and then loading all our furniture by the end of the day?? We woke up to rain - oh no, where did the 2 days of sunshine go?? Luckily, although the skies stayed grey and muggy, there were no more showers - none of the boxes got wet!! The crew started off at a good clip - finishing up Manasi's bedroom and all of the downstairs before they broke for lunch!!

But they still had the entire 3rd floor left - the master bedroom and the office. And then after that, loading the truck!! It was incredible to watch - I think they all upped their efficiency a notch!! By 4pm, they were still packing - and the supervisor was still saying they would be done tonight! Well, we aren't going anywhere - work as late as you want!! I was tired just watching them work - so I did the best thing under the circumstances - took a nice nap!!

Incredibly, against all odds - they started loading by 6pm. The last few boxes - especially my master bedroom furniture has been packed a little haphazardly, I think - they were in quite a rush to get done!! I do hope that it makes through safely!! And then, to move things along even faster, they actually setup slides on the stairs - and slid the boxes down from the higher floors to the main floor. Wonder what that pleasure ride did to the contents of the boxes!!

It was 9pm by the time the last box got on that truck!! The house is completely empty now - cavernous almost!! And our goods are on the first leg of their long journey back home!! Tomorrow will be a day of cleanup - it's amazing how much dust has collected under the furniture - 3 years worth of dust bunnies!! I think we'll all sleep well tonight - even the mattress on the floor is looking pretty inviting after the long day!! Until tomorrow then!!

No-pack zone!!

Day 2 - The juggernaut rolls on!!

I know, I know - it's total overkill to use the word 'juggernaut' regarding something as mundane as packing and moving!! I really, really just love that word - it's got to be one of my favorites, top-ten at least - and I've been dying to use it!! And it is kind of like a mini-juggernaut - with packers in every room of the house, churning out box after box, all our belongings clad in the monotonous white!! So, I think I'll stick with juggernaut!! Oh, and word trivia of the day - juggernaut is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Jagannath' (Lord of the world), in reference to the massive annual procession of the deity Lord Jagannath in Puri!!

Well then, day 2!! Turned out to be better than I was expecting - the crew showed up bright and early at 9:30am - and set to work right away. Still only 4 of them, but they seemed to moving a lot faster today. The good news - they got through a lot of stuff - I mean, a ton!! Bad news - there's a still a lot of stuff still left to pack!! They haven't touched the bedrooms yet - dismantling and packing 2 queen sized and 1 king sized bed is going to take ages - let alone the rest of the furniture!! The supervisor is still estimating to finish by tomorrow, but my money is still on Thursday!!

Like I said yesterday, they really are doing a good job - very thorough, not stinting on the bubble wrap or the cardboard. I'm a bit nervous about a couple of things - well actually, just 1 thing - and I think it's kind of a biggie!! My glass table top - the huge, thick glass slab - that's supposed to go in a crate - well, they're not going to crate it here. It will be bubble-wrapped, transported to the Nanjing warehouse, and then go in a crate. I do not have a good feeling about this - not even a little bit. I'm still trying to figure out a way to somehow confirm that the table top will definitely be crated - maybe get them to send me a picture? Any ideas??

On the other hand, they were kind enough to leave us our couch and beds for another night!! Which means another good night's sleep!! And although all our chairs have been packed, we were able to rig up a nice little dining table by setting the lazy-susan from our round table onto the boxed coffee table - worked perfectly for tonight!! A very relaxing dinner, by candle-light, no less - candles don't get packed, so there will be quite a few candle-lit dinners in the next week!! It's going to be stretch tomorrow - especially if they want to finish by end of the day!!

The first day of packing

So last night, Ajey and I worked till late, finishing up our end of the organizing and sorting. Sent Manasi off to school this morning, and we were ready for the movers by 9am - ready for a busy day of packing! And then - nothing!! The hours ticked by - we weren't totally in the dark - kept getting hourly updates from the supervisor saying that the truck and crew were stuck in traffic, and would be there soon! Really?? Ok, but exactly how soon is 'soon' - not a clue!!!

There wasn't really anything we could do but wait. And it ended up being quite a relaxing morning - a few hours of quiet talk time with my husband, no distractions - it's been a while side we've had free time like this!! We even managed a quick Starbucks run across the street, had a leisurely breakfast, and just - for lack of a better word - chilled!! It was almost 1pm when the tuck finally rolled outside our house - turns out that morning fog had closed down all major highways in the area - leading to horrendous traffic pileups everywhere!!

Once the crew got here, though, things moved pretty quickly. They had 1 person packing the air shipment, and he got through it very efficiently - our organization, ahem, did simplify things a bit - he was done in little over an hour!! In the meantime, the others were unloading the truck - bringing in stacks of boxes, giant rolls of bubble wrap, packing paper, duct tape - and funnily enough, a bag of the little silica gel desiccant packets - one went in every box!!

It was a really beautiful day, today, weather wise - perfect to pack up the garage. Over the last week, all my sea shipment kitchen stuff I had moved to the garage - so in effect they were packing the kitchen slog with the garage!! They brought a lot of things outside to pack - including our family room couches - guess it was just more comfortable that way!! One guy seemed to be chair guy - all he did the entire time was pack chairs - don't know what the deal with that was!! Maybe they read my blog about the 5 tables, and decided to bring in a specialist!! Ajey's joke, that one!!

The big difference, this time, is that instead of all the packed boxes being stacked in the house - they were loaded up in a truck and taken to Nanjing - where they will be loaded into the actual container. So there isn't one day dedicating to loading - each day will end with a loading session. So today, they stopped packing at 4pm - yes, they barely worked 3 hours - and the truck was loaded and on the way to Nanjing by 4:30pm!!

I have to say - I couldn't really fault their packing techniques - and that was one of my biggest worries. The time it's going to take them - my money is still on Thursday - Wednesday night, if they work really, really hard!! We'll wait and see - so far so good!! End of day 1 - we still have our living room couch, and most importantly our beds - one less night of sleeping on the floor - yay!! Tomorrow is supposed to be an early start - well, at least an earlier one - the crew is expected to arrive by 9:30am!! Fingers crossed!!

Most of the air shipment

Empty family room

Loading the truck

Ready or not...

This is it!! Tomorrow the movers come in to pack up all our stuff and send it on a 6 week journey around the world!! Last night of (relative) peace and quiet at the Kulkarni household!! The moving company has estimated that 2 days will be needed - well, I'm not quite so sure about that - so keeping fingers crossed that they will finish by Wednesday!!

Most people think that moving with a relocating company is really easy - all you do is sit back, and they come in and pack everything for you, right?? Couldn't be further from the truth - as we have learnt, sometimes painfully!! There's a ocean of belongings that needs to be sifted through and sorted, to begin with!! Then there's the decisions - what do I need right away? Can this be put away for 2 months? What are the absolute essentials for the air-shipment? And so on...tons of second-guessing, and changing of minds - until finally, ready or not, it's time for the movers to come in!!

This last week, with Ajey in Japan, I had nothing else to do but get the house ready. This time, I'm just a little more jittery than usual. Two reasons. First, we are not working with Allied Relocations anymore - they have done all our previous moves, and it has always been a great experience. This new company - well, we're sort of the guinea pigs, our move the first they do for our company. I really don't know what to expect!! Second, as I said before, the 2 days really worries me. The problem is that the customs officials need Ajey's passport for a week after the last box leaves our house - and since our air tickets have already been booked for our onward journey, it would be a real problem if they don't finish on time!!

So where do you start?? I always like to bring all our knick-knacks, ornaments, decorative stuff together in 1 place. There's no reason for these to be be packed by room - they don't really have any designated spots as such!! All go in 1 box together - saves them from being accidentally packed with heavy things like books or lamps!! And then, when unpacking, it's so much fun to open this box - all the little frills and fancies to make your house a home!! So slowly, over the week, all these little bagatelles made their way down from various places in the house to the dining table!!

The air shipment - a lot of thought goes into this!! This is limited space, so prioritizing is of the utmost importance!! Starting with kitchen items, my most precious woks and vessels - well, actually the 2nd most precious - most precious are the pressure cooker and the polpat-latna which travel with me!! Add a few dishes, cutlery, glasses - for those few days in the new house. A TV, of course, and a DVD player - much to Manasi's disappointment, we ruled against the X-Box!! Clocks, chargers, a few tools. Since we're moving in winter - extra blankets, pillows, covers. And then the clothes, of course - right down to boots and extra coats! All put together in a little nook - ready to leave tomorrow!! Not too bad, is it?!!

Air shipment

The hardest to organize - the kitchen, a close second is clothes!! Especially things I put aside for the air shipment - I kept running up to fetch that 1 little thing I absolutely needed - it was maddening!! How can you estimate the number of spoons you need daily?? Or glasses??!! Aargh!! And clothes - what I need for the next 2 weeks, next 2 months, and thereafter - 3 sets!! Well, the sea shipment was easy - all summer clothes in there - easy-peasy!! But deciding between what to carry in suitcases, and what to send with the air shipment is incredibly hard!! Quite sure I haven't really done a good job on that - I just wanted to get it done!!

Personally, my least favorite part of any move is when the frames come off the walls. That, somehow, of all the other things, seems so very final! The bare walls, now with the odd tattoos of nails, are so sad to look at. I always leave this until the last moment - nothing depresses me more!! Although, it is a good idea to have all the frames in 1 place, I think - like the trinkets, they pack well together, and accidental damage is minimized!!

In the end, no matter how much work has been put in - moving days are inevitably chaotic and frenetic!! I usually lose my head about halfway through - the whole process is incredibly stressful - and a crying jag is certain to be on the schedule!! Still, as of now, D-day-minus-1, we're quite primed to go - down to having designated 'no-pack' zones on each floor, which the movers won't touch - although I'm absolutely sure there's still a ton of things we've forgotten!! Oh well, ready or not - here come the movers!!

Finishing up the groceries...

One of the challenges we've faced here in China was the availability of groceries - especially the staples for our Indian cooking!! Of course, living away from India for the last 18 years has made me quite adaptable - make-do with what's available, and skip if not available!! It did help that I didn't really start cooking until I left home - so I didn't really have any favorite recipes requiring only 1 particular ingredient, and I learned to cook with what was easily found!! A somewhat slapdash style, to be sure - but hey, it works!!

Even with so much flexibility, I found China difficult - because even the very basics very hard to find here!! Quickly learnt to stock up on my twice-a-year trips to India - spices, lentils, and of course, black tea!! Seriously, I'm probably the only person in the world who brings tea to China - with the wide variety of green teas and herbal teas here, you would think I could find something to suit my palate!! And every time I've had visitors, tea and lentils are always on my list of things to bring with!!

And then there's the US groceries - none of these are essential, to be sure - but still, it's nice to have a box of our favorite Honey Bunches, and nothing can come close to Kraft mac and cheese - don't even mention the Rice Krispies or the Pop-tarts! Yes, all junk food!! These are all available in Suzhou, but at exorbitantly high prices - so anytime Ajey goes to Peoria on business, a suitcase full of goodies comes back with him!! The best part is, I can order everything from Amazon, he doesn't even need to go shopping!!

So, it's no surprise that the pantry is always pretty well-stocked at the Kulkarni household!! Which wouldn't be a problem, except that the moving company will not ship any food for us!! We either find a way to eat our way through our stocks, or end up giving away a ton of food before we leave! So about a month ago, started Operation Finish-the-Food!!! It's quite a difficult balance to achieve - to prepare a full meal using only pantry ingredients - obviously, some things will run out faster than others!!

Like red chili powder - I was initially at a loss when I finished this key ingredient - but I did have a ton of dry red chilies, and I just put them in the grinder - voila! - fresh chili powder!! And this fresh powder actually tasted better than the store bought one!! The spice mixes went pretty quickly too - so we had our last batch of chhole (chickpea curry), rajma (red beans), and pau-bhaji!! Finished up all the sprouts - missal is now a family favorite!! And sabudana khichdi for breakfast - got both sabudana (sago) and peanuts with that one!!

We almost had a crisis when I ran out of tea, though - that's one thing I just cannot do without!! I had a couple of boxes of the Hills Bros cappuccino mix, but those were soon gone, too - and we were down to plain old Nescafe!! After a few days with a grumpy start - I'm sorry, I need my morning cuppa to function - I'd had enough!! So the next time I was in Shanghai, I made a quick detour to the Indian store, Bhoomi - broke the no-buying-new-grocery rule for a box of Tajmahal!! 

The one thing I always stock up on - consequently, the one thing I have tons of - is rawa (cream of wheat or semolina)!! Upma and sheera didn't make much of a dent, and my favorite rawa dosa - well, Manasi grew sick of that pretty quickly!! So was scrambling for recipes to use it up - when, as always, Nupur to the rescue with this wonderful recipe for Jhaptpat appey! I've always made appey the traditional way, but this recipe is simply awesome!! Wonderfully quick to make, with no compromise on the taste - a keeper for sure!!!

We're literally counting down days on - and it doesn't look like I'm going to finish everything - I'm hoping to at least finish the packets that are open. The sealed packets I'm planning to take with me - everything else, will stay here, I guess - I'm not sure anyone is going to want my bits and pieces of spices!! Overall, a pretty decent job, though - even if I do say it myself - thanks to Ajey for making sure I stuck to the plan!! Makes life ways too - knowing what the meal plan is for the next 10 days!! Cheers!!!

Is it winter already??!!

Ok, best intentions yesterday - but could not get the Internet to co-operate. Maybe it's because of the big meeting here in Suzhou?? Yes, the same one that has led to miraculously low pollution here - such a co-incidence that a visit from a bigwig almost always leads to better air quality!! And what was with the license plate deal - apparently, only cars with Suzhou plates were allowed on the roads for the last 3 days? Don't ask me why - seriously, who comes up with these rules?!!

We've been having real lovely weather here in Suzhou - nonstop rains, grey, overcast skies and absolutely no sign of the sun. Perfect weather to curl up with a book - except that, with so much to do - I don't really have that option!! The steady drip-drip of the rain has become a constant backdrop, and worse, temperatures are plummeting too - expected to drop to -3degC in the next couple of days! Freezing temperatures. In Suzhou. And it's barely end of November!! Brrrrr!!

And then, to add to my overall sense of well-being(!) - reports of snow in the Midwest. Not just a dusting, as would be expected in November - but a full fledged snow dump - almost a foot of snow in Peoria!! Snow in Peoria - well, why would that bother me - oh yeah, remember that tiny little detail?? I'll be moving there in less than a month!! And I dare not imagine what it's going to be like when we land there!! Hibernation is sounding pretty good at this point - sleep away the cruel winter months, dreaming of tropical vacations!!

Winters in Pune are pleasant - in fact, after the sweltering October heat, everyone is looking forward to that slight nip in the air, the misty mornings, the brisk evenings! Woolen clothes and blankets are dragged out from storage - and despite numerous airings, the lingering smell of moth-balls just never dissipates!! Weather reports were followed obsessively, and the forecast of a particularly cold night would send everyone into a tizzy - imagine, the temperature will drop to below 10Deg tonight!! Celsius - not Fahrenheit!! I know, not really 'winter' cold - but keep in mind - no floor heating, no insulation, no running hot water, windows always wide open - 10DegC can be much colder than it sounds!!

So from this balmy winter, I landed straight into the winter wonderland of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!! Houghton - where the locals say the 3 seasons are last winter, this winter and next winter!! I still remember the thrill I felt the first time it snowed - and then seriously, it never stopped for about the next 5 months!! I would not have believed that so much snow could exist in one place!! I think I was in shock for pretty much all of winter - by April, the snowbanks were 6 feet high, and entire cars had disappeared under the snow!! Swift learning curve there - this is Winter!!!

At least, that first real winter in Houghton - I didn't know what to expect - ignorance certainly was a kind-of bliss!! Now, heading to Peoria, in the middle of December - I know exactly what we're heading to - and I am flat out dreading it!! The grey snowbanks, the grey sky, the grey trees - the short, short days. the weak, watery sunlight - the ice on the roads, shoveling the driveway - the piercing cold that slices straight to the bone!! No matter how many layers I wear, or how high I crank the thermostat, I can never, ever get warm enough - toes and fingers always numb, nose always freezing!! That hibernation is sounding better and better!!

Yes, winter is certainly not my favorite time of the year! I'm envisioning many days spent snuggling with Sunny, while Ajey and Manasi are off to office and school!! I know there's a lot of people who enjoy the snow - actually look forward to it - and I have to admit that this baffles me. Cold, icy snow vs warm, radiant sun - is there even a choice there??!! Anyway, choice or not - winter is what I have to look forward to - so the plan is to bundle up and stay indoors - possibly until April!! Stay warm, people!!

A Thanksgiving to remember

It's been 18 years since I first moved to the US - and over the years, although we have adopted many American customs and traditions - the Thanksgiving dinner has not been one of these!! No turkey for us - although, I never did say to pumpkin pie!! Actually, the only real American Thanksgiving dinner I've been to is in Michigan Tech - when my advisor, Dr. R, kindly invited me and a couple of other Indian students to his home. Of course, at that time, none of us knew anything about Thanksgiving, and Dr. R didn't know that we didn't know - so it was a bit of an awkward situation, 3 vegetarians sitting down to a turkey dinner!! Poor guy - he ended up taking us out for pizza in the end!!

Fast forward to last weekend - and the Thanksgiving celebration here in Golden Lough!! This is not new - in fact, every year that we've lived here - we've been invited to the GL Thanksgiving - but somehow, I have never been able to go. Oh, I had plenty of excuses - I can't make any of the traditional dishes, I don't eat turkey, I don't know most of the people - bit silly, really!! Anyway, this year, Manasi really wanted to go - all her friends would be there - and I didn't really feel right about sending her by herself without at least making an appearance myself. Moreover, my friends, SB, MW and AM - thanks, ladies! - didn't really give me a choice!!

And what do you know, I actually had a really good time!! It was a wonderful party - hosted jointly by the Ss and the Ms - almost 75 people, a huge, huge turnout!! Everyone brought a dish to share - and I guess I should have stepped up and made an appetizer or something - I compromised by bringing a box of Belgian truffles!! In any case, there was a staggering amount of food - all the traditional Thanksgiving fixings - turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls - and 3 kinds of pies, plus a bunch of other desserts!! Green bean casserole and mac and cheese made a perfect dinner for me!!

The big difference this year was the number of 'foreigners' - translated as non-Americans - really, we are all foreigners in this country!! But the Europeans - mainly the Brits - joined in with a gusto!! Anyway, wasn't it really the British who sat down to the first Thansgiving meal - they weren't Americans until much later, were they?!! I did not voice this thought in public - perhaps not entirely politically correct??!! More the merrier, though!! And even though I had gone with the fullest intention of only staying a short time, I stayed till the end - and it really was fun!!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!! 

The first of the farewells

So it's starting - the slow, painful process of saying goodbyes to friends who have been so close to us for the last 3 years - celebrating good times together, sharing sorrows and frustrations, bound together by this unique expat experience. And there's no saying where our paths lead us next - whether these dear friends will meet us ever again - are these farewells final??

Kind of bittersweet, these farewell lunches, dinners - one last time to share laughter and a good meal, one last time to reminisce - and some of the lunches I've been to have got quite emotional!! Although, it is a bit weird - crying on each other's shoulders one day, with profound declarations of everlasting friendship, and then the very next day, meeting at the school bus - just like every ordinary day - because as I've said before, life doesn't stop just because you're moving!!

Ajey will, of course, get a send off lunch with his colleagues - but in addition, it is traditional for Cat expat families to get together for a dinner with repatriating families. I first thought these would be 'official' dinners - very formal, with toasts and such - but no, it's very casual - just friends catching up over dinner!! And actually, this Cat farewell is not even really a farewell - simply because with Cat, all roads lead back to Peoria, and sooner or later, we will be seeing these families again!!

Our farewell, combined with the Bs who are also leaving in December - was this Saturday at the New Ganesh. After a tiring morning of rainy soccer, dinner at an Indian restaurant was a great way to finish the day! The turnout was quite good, despite the weather - almost 10 families - some very close friends, some I'd never met before! The food, and service was excellent as always - seriously, this is easily the best restaurant for Indian food in Suzhou!!

What a wonderful way to start our round of farewells - many thanks to SH and ME for initiating, planning and inviting everyone!! And thank you to all those who came to spend the evening with us - Ajey and I hope that our paths will cross again sooner rather than later!! Enjoy your time in China - and see you on the other side!! Cheers!!

CISSA in Shanghai

Manasi's first soccer lessons were in Chennai - at that time, she spent the entire hour picking daisies by the side of the field - and that was it, until Dulwich! Over the last 3 years, she has gone from a reluctant goal-keeper to an enthusiastic striker, and this year she was picked to be on the Dulwich CISSA team. Now, the whole selection process for the CISSA team led to a few sleepless nights for me - Dulwich sometimes is really confusing about these sort of things - I wish there would be more transparency, especially when selecting sports teams!

Anyway, all things said and done - Manasi did make it to the team, and has been traveling regularly to Shanghai with the team this year. CISSA plays Thursdays and Saturdays - and I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't been to see her play even once! I know I should have been more supportive - but I don't think Manasi was too cut up about me not going - besides, Saturdays are such an early start - the bus leaves from Suzhou at 5:45am - and that is waaay to early for me!! My contribution thus far has been having her football kit washed and dried on time, and making her lunch on Saturdays!

Today, I thought, was to be the final day of the season - so Ajey and I both decided to go. The PE staff were a bit shorthanded today - football is serious business at Dulwich - we had no less than 6 teams traveling from Suzhou to play in Shanghai!! I signed us up as extra help, and as a reward(!) we got to ride on the bus with the team. Mercifully, the start time was a bit later - 7:30am at Singa Plaza - now that I can do!! Although, when my alarm went off today, it was pouring - hoping for a cancellation there - but no, didn't happen!! Rain or not, we play today!!

Selfie on the bus

We didn't have too far to go - the school we were playing at, Western International School Shanghai, was barely an hour away, somewhere in the Hongqiao area, I think. Weather hadn't really improved by the time we got there - and although it wasn't really raining heavily at that time - it has been raining continuously for about a week now - and the soccer fields were a waterlogged, squelchy, muddy mess. On the bright side - the pollution was really low!! I was wearing sneakers - bad choice in the rain - and every time I crossed the filed - my shoes got wetter and wetter.

They did end up cutting the tournament short - eventually, it started to rain quite hard, and the girls were all almost completely soaked. So they played 3 games instead of 5 - won 2, lost 1 - not bad at all!! There was a plenty of slipping and sliding on the wet grass - and the astroturf was even worse - and a couple of tumbles, but thankfully nothing serious!! Anticipating the wet day, coaches had asked the girls to bring a change of clothes - and by 12:30pm, we were back on our way to Suzhou!!

And you know what - turns out that today wasn't the last day, after all!! That's actually next weekend - so I guess, I'll be headed to Shanghai for that too!! Hoping for better weather then!!

What I'm looking forward to...

Yesterday, we went to a standup comedy show with our friends, PS and MS - yes, that is why I didn't have a post yesterday!! Anyway, the Kungfu Comedy club in Suzhou routinely hosts comedy nights on Thursday, and about once every 6 weeks, they have a headliner show - where they bring in an internationally famous comedian for a show - and Suzhou ren, if you haven't been to one of these, you really need to!!

Anyway, after the show, over drinks at our house, PS asked what we were most looking forward to about moving back to the US. Ajey's answer was instantaneous - cars! Well, specifically, buying new cars - we haven't owned a car in forever - Ajey, of course, has certain exacting specifications, and I'm sure that deciding which car to buy will be just as entertaining as all our other decisions!! I actually have just 1 specification - I'll drive anything but a mini-van!! Don't tell me how practical they are, and how every family needs one - I just don't want to drive a mini-van!! Keeping it real simple there!!

Obviously, cars is not really high on my list!! Next apparent choice - houses?? Well, yes - we'll be homeowners in the US after a really long time - and the houses we are looking at this time around are really exciting!! It's going to be nice to have a big yard, a full basement, fireplaces, all the fancy appliances - decorating, maybe some new furniture - ooh, it's going to be so much fun!! For sure, a new house is something I'm looking forward to very, very much!!

Next on the list - to know me is to understand this choice - the Public Library system!!! I absolutely love the public libraries!! And the new library in Peoria?? - if there is a heaven, it must surely look like this!!! I distinctly remember the first time I stepped into the Peoria Public Library - this was ages ago, in 1999, before all the grand renovations. The first shock - there is no membership fee!! And this almost finished me - no limit on the number of books checked out!!! Seriously, heaven = here!! The hands-down choice, then - the Peoria Public Library!!

It's all going to be great, of course - no matter how much I whine, Peoria has a special place in my heart, and I'm actually quite happy to be going back - and not just because of the library!!! And knowing that I will be close - once again - to some of my dearest friends, is what keeps me going right now!! Bottom line, that is what I'm most looking forward to - all my Peoria peeps, can't wait to see you!! Won't be long now!!!

Traveling with pets

One of the biggest challenges of all these international assignments has been traveling with pets. If you don't have pets, you'll probably think this is crazy - not just the cost, but also the added stress - but if you've ever opened your heart to a furry four-legged friend, you'll understand why we've willingly jumped through all these hoops - and not only once!!

Snowy was such a big part of our lives from the minute we brought her home, that when Ajey came home with the offer to go to France, the biggest consideration before we accepted was if we could take Snowy with us!! We were lucky enough to find an awesome vet, who helped us through the process - the first thing was to get Snowy micro-chipped - yes, that means exactly what it sounds like - a tiny microchip with a number was inserted between her shoulder blades - and the number along with along her vaccination records was entered in a national pet registry.

When we finally got done with the paperwork, I had a file about an inch thick - I had any and all documents that Snowy might need to clear immigration. Then we heard that the Paris airport was really hard to pets flying in, so we changed our travel plans - to fly into Zurich, and then drive to Grenoble! And the microchip - well, apparently these are not standardized - and the European microchip readers would not be able to read Snowy's chip. Obviously, where there's a problem, there's an online solution - and we were able to rent an US microchip reader for a month to take with us!!

The rules have changed now - but 10 years ago, we were able to wheel Snowy's crate right to the check-in counter at O'Hare, like other checked baggage. Our hearts were in our mouths watching her crate being taken away, and before we boarded the flight, we had a flight attendant check at least 3 times that she had been loaded onto the plane. And it wasn't until we landed and saw her crate by the baggage claim, that Ajey and I were able to relax!! And Zurich airport was a breeze - a porter got us a trolley for the crate, and we walked out - not a single person looked at my impressive array of documents!!!

And stressed as we were, Snowy must have been scared out of her wits!! Outside the airport, we found a bench - imagine the scene - we had 6 large bags, a baby car seat and stroller (Manasi was only 10 months when we moved), and Snowy's crate. The minute we let Snowy out, she jumped on my lap - all 60 pounds of her - and sat there trembling like a leaf, while I tried to comfort her! Poor baby!! Anyway, we were soon on our way to the French border - we were sure we would be stopped for a document check at the border control - but here, too, we were waved in - no, really, the guards were actually waving at us as we drove past the security control!!! And there it was, our little puppy's first international flight!!!

Moving to India, we took the easy way out - we hired an agent to help us fly Snowy into Chennai!! Our agent helped us get an import authorization - but this was valid only for a particular day and a particular flight. As luck would have it, we missed our Paris-Chennai flight - yes, we have actually missed an international flight - considering the amount we travel, I'm surprised it has happened only once!! New flight meant getting new papers for Snowy - and despite half of Chennai being shut down because of the tsunami that year - our agent managed to get us new papers in time - and we all managed to get to Chennai safe and sound!!!

The next move - back to Peoria - an added complication, we were now flying 2 pets instead of 1 - we now had both Snowy and Sunny!! Sunny had to go through the whole micro-chipping process, and I spent half a day at the Department of Agriculture to get the export authorization. A lot of money, and many hours later I had all the necessary documentation!! And this time would be the first time that our pets would have to transfer in Europe - Chennai-Frankfurt-Chicago - with a layover of 6 hours in Frankfurt. More anxiety!!!

But Lufthansa did such a wonderful job!! Both Sunny and Snowy were clean, their crates lined with fresh new paper - and we found out later that not only had Snowy been walked in Frankfurt, but even Sunny had been let out into a cat room to stretch his legs!! A wonderful, wonderful experience!! Once again, at Chicago airport - the customs officer let us leave with only a cursory look at our pets and their papers. His actual words were - "Well, they don't look too rabid, I'll let them in!!" Um, thank you??!

Flying to China, we no longer had our beloved Snowy - and rather than deal with United's new PetSafe policy, I chose to bring Sunny into the cabin with me. Not only was it cheaper, but I could keep my eye on him through the flight!! He has always been a nervous traveller - he doesn't even like riding in the car - so it was no surprise that he meowed for 14 hours straight!!! And now, we're getting ready to fly back with him!! Poor little guy, he has no idea about the ordeal he's about to face!! Like India, we need export authorization to leave with him - and thanks to JM, I have a vet who will take care of the paperwork - so that's one thing off my list!!

Yes, flying with pets is incredibly stressful - both for them and us - but then, what other option do we have?? And things do really work out - as long as you spend the time getting all the paperwork in order!! So no regrets, absolutely none!!

Our well-travelled pets!!

Shanghai running and Sports Day

Ok, dinner is done, dishes cleared away, kitchen counters wiped down, Manasi is in bed, Ajey is in a meeting - pretty standard for us this time of day! Perfect time to sit down with my computer, and get that new post rolling - but today, Sunny has a different idea. He's insisting on sitting on my lap, demanding to be cuddled, digging his claws into my jeans when I tried to push him off - I guess he's not moving anytime soon!! So while he purrs contentedly, I have my computer set at a weird angle, I'm typing with one hand - cats!!!

Last month, we had the opportunity to participate in a 5K fun race organized by Shanghai Running - well, I say 'we' - it was actually Manasi and Ajey who ran, I just went along for the ride! Our friend, CW runs about a zillion marathons a year - and he had signed up his younger daughter for the 5K kids race. He wasn't planning to compete - but just to accompany her along the course. That sounded like a great idea - and would be perfect for Manasi and Ajey!! So we registered online, and Manasi was ready for her first ever 5K!! A few of her friends were running as well - which made her quite amenable to the whole thing!!

The biggest drawback of any event in Shanghai - the very early start! To get to the race venue by 8am, we had to leave home by 5:45am - and since my 2 athletes needed a good breakfast, I had to set my alarm for an ungodly 4:50am - which meant that I didn't sleep a wink, worrying that the alarm wouldn't go off!! Luckily, our driver is never late - so that's one less thing to worry about, and we set off as planned, and made it to Gucun Park with time to spare!!

I had never even heard of Gucun Park - so was quite surprised to see this huge complex - we walked past what looked like a dinosaur themed amusement park, a large number of stalls busy with breakfast customers, even little cottages for rent - it was about 2km from the entrance to the registration desk! Quite the warm-up for the runners!! The registration desk, as we lined up for Manasi's T-shirt and number, was a bit of chaos - I think the organizers had not expected such a large number to turn up, and were a bit overwhelmed!!!

The event kicked-off with a warm-up session. Now this was not some gentle stretching as can be expected, but instead a rousing, full-blown aerobic work-out!! Manasi and her friends joined in with gusto - and so did Ajey - hope they have enough energy to actually run the race!!! The race itself was done quite quickly!! Manasi and her friend, SW came in at a decent time, with Ajey not too far behind - the real surprise was little AW who ran like the wind, and just missed out on a trophy!! Manasi was exhausted, but ecstatic that she had run her first 'marathon'!!!

Enjoying the aerobics!

And they're off!!

Finishing strong!!

Exhausted!!

Within a week, was Sports Day at school - and the successful 5K certainly put Manasi in the right frame of mind for the 800m race. This year, the format for Sports Day was different - unlike previous years, when kids were assigned specific events - this year, everyone would participate in everything - with a couple of exceptions - the 800m races, and the 4x100m relays. Now running is one thing that Manasi is good at - she has consistently won events both at earlier Sports Days and at Fobisia - so imagine my surprise when she came home, quite crestfallen, that she had been selected neither for the relays nor the 800m!!

In my opinion, Sports is like Maths - no grey area, you either got it or not - and I was so baffled by Manasi's exclusion, that I actually wrote to the Sports Teacher to ask for an explanation - something I've never done before! What I heard was even more confusing - Manasi's times were not good enough, and anyway it was too late to add her to the relay team, but they would still consider adding her to the 800m!!! Does that make any sense at all?? She just won a medal at the 800m at Fobisia in May - what timings were they looking at??!! And she has a perfect track record in the relays - last 3 years, every relay she has run, the team has won!!!

Anyway, she was finally added to the 800m event, and was quite excited about it. On the day, I had to leave home a little late, and as I walked to the stadium, I saw some kids running already - looks like the events have started. A little closer, I was startled to see Manasi running with another girl right behind her - almost missed it, this must be the 2nd lap of the 800m - oh no, don't see the other kids, Manasi is last!!! - and then I looked behind her, and saw the posse following her - she wasn't last, far from it, she was actually leading!!!

I was so excited that I almost forgot to go to the finish line - almost missed seeing her power her way to gold - what a sweet, sweet win!!! She was just happy to win, I was happy for a whole another reason - my reaction not really good sportsmanship, but hey, couldn't help but feel that I was justify this one time!!! Way to go, Manasi - seriously, I've never been more proud of her!!! The rest of Sports Day was a blur - she went on to win a bunch of other events - the 100m, 60m, 3-springs jump - but the 800m win, was the absolute high point of the day for me!!

For the school, too, the new format worked really well! Yes, the transitions took a little longer than expected, and things could have been a little more streamlined - but parents were happy to see their kids on the field, watching them compete rather than just sitting in the tents!! A lot of Manasi's friends won ribbons too, and the icing on the cake was Manasi's house - Shackleton - winning the House Cup!!

Go Shackelton!!

Another last - Sports Day at Dulwich!! Glad to go out on a high!! Well done, Manasi!!