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!!

5 dining tables!!!

At this moment, in my house, I have 5 dining tables - and, let me see, 30 chairs. No, I'm not kidding, not even a little bit!! And why do we need so many? - well, that's the thing - we really don't!! There's 3 of us - 4 if you count Sunny, but he prefers the couch, anyway - so 3 people, 30 chairs - something doesn't add up there, does it?? Definitely a story waiting to be told here!!!

So, way back when, we bought our first furniture together as a newly-married couple, and a charming little dining table was one of the first things we picked out. Yes, the one Ajey was dismantling to pack in our air shipment. It was more of a dinette set really - 4 chairs, a metal framework, and a rectangular glass top with scimitar sharp edges that I had permanent bruising - what, I'm clumsy, I bump into things, and sharp edges leave bruises!! This was our main dining table in our Grenoble house as well, and Manasi, being apparently more well co-ordinated than me, managed not to have any serious run-ins with the table top!!

In Grenoble, we had a beautiful backyard, with a spectacular view of the Alps - we spent a lot of time outside, and a patio table was essential. So that was our 2nd table - and we upgraded to 6 chairs this time. We did have a lot of family and friends visit us here, and the weather was mild enough in our little valley, that we could use this patio table almost year round!! This one was glass top too, but no sharp edges!! So when we moved from Grenoble to Chennai, the count was - 2 tables, 10 chairs!!

Chennai was where Ajey and I bought our 'grown-up' furniture - actually, most of the furniture we have right now, all came from Chennai!! The arrival of our magnificent, Burma teak dining table relegated our little dinette to an upstairs sitting area, where it languished in a corner for almost 3 years!! The latest addition to our table family - an intricately carved solid wood base, and a thick glass top, with fancy etching and curved corners - 8 chairs for this one!! Anyone keeping count?? We're upto 3 tables, 18 chairs!!

I was ready to sell the little dinette set in Chennai - we didn't really use it, plus the upholstery on the chairs was faded and worn-out, and the sharp edges were still a menace!! But this was India, and anything and everything can be fixed or modified!! So the treacherous rectangle was transformed into a graceful oval, new fabric and a fresh coat of paint refreshed the chairs - and voila, our little dinette had metamorphosed into an elegant breakfast table!! And our next 2 houses - in Peoria and Suzhou - both had a separate formal dining area and a breakfast nook, and a patio - so all 3 of our tables had their own spot, and were used quite regularly!!

And that would have probably been the end of our dining table story - except that ever since we moved to China, Ajey has had a hankering for a round Chinese style dining table, with one of those revolving Lazy-Susans in the middle. And I have been dead against it - no, I have nothing against round tables, but seriously, didn't we have enough tables already??!! Still, Ajey has been looking into furniture shops, and trying to talk me into it - and every time he came back from a company dinner with those huge round tables, he was even more convinced that we needed a round table!!

I finally agreed to look at tables with him - only after we knew we would be moving soon. I did want to buy a piece of 'Chinese' furniture, and the table seemed to be a good option - on one condition, I would sell the little dinette!! And it seemed almost preordained - after days of turning up my nose at every table that Ajey suggested - a couple of months ago as we were browsing in Suzhou's gigantic Furniture Town, Ajey and I both converged on this table at the same time - hey, this could actually work!! The decision to buy was instant - and table number 4 was ours, with 6 chairs to go with it!!

The Chinese table!!

And so much for selling the first table - not only did I have zero buyers, our sentimentally kicked in - so we decided to keep that one as well. Our patio table, on the other hand,  has braved the inclement weather and pollution in China, and is way beyond all hopes of salvage. But we do need a patio table - my good friend, MW, the Queen of Taobao to the rescue - and we had a brand-new wicker patio set delivered in 2 days!! Table 5 - bringing up the chair count to 30!!! But we will definitely leave our old patio table behind - so by the time we move, we'll be down to only 4 tables and a mere 24 chairs!!!

We're looking forward to entertaining friends and family at our new house, quite soon!! And wherever we may live, one thing is certain - we'll never be short of seats for our guests, and there will always be a place at the table(s) for unexpected company!! Cheers!!!

Happy Diwali, folks!!

It's becoming a tradition now - Diwali celebrations at the new Ganesh!! 2 years in a row - and I'm only sad that we won't be here to celebrate another Diwali, Suzhou style!! I do hope, though, that this tradition keeps getting bigger and better, always bringing together the Indian community here in Suzhou!!

Happy Diwali from Suzhou!!

It took a bit of time juggling for all 3 of us to get to the party. Manasi had a birthday party to attend that evening - missing out on that was undoubtedly out of the question!! But she also really wanted to go to the Diwali party - luckily I had the car and driver that day, which made the to and froing a bit easier. So, 5pm, I took Manasi to Ligongdi for her Karaoke party. Came back home, got dressed and drove back to pick her up - with her Indian clothes. Ajey and I caused quite the stir as we walked through the KTV to find Manasi!! Quick change, and then finally we were on our way!!

Like last year, our Diwali celebrations were at the new Ganesh. Over this year, quite a few of our close friends have moved out of Suzhou - so we were missing some familiar faces!! What remains constant, however, is the spirit of Diwali, the camaraderie of celebrating together, the shared laughter and togetherness. A good dinner, followed by fireworks and the lanterns - lots of fun, with great company!! The Ganesh is a beautiful location, and was breathtaking to set off the lanterns over the canals and the lighted bridges! I'm sure everyone had an amazing time!!

Signing off then, until tomorrow!! Happy Diwali, folks!!

Counting loose change...

I knew this was going to happen!! Day 4 and I'm already lagging behind - although, technically it is still the 14th somewhere in the world, isn't it??!!! I think the more sensible option would be to tweak my words - let's do a blog-almost-every-day for the next 40 - should never forget to write in loopholes!! This way, I won't be drowning in guilt if I ever miss a day - which, of course, I never ever will!!

We are rapidly(!) checking things off our to-do list - Ajey being home on weekends certainly throws things in a higher gear!! We're concentrating right now on sorting out our air shipment - the absolute essentials we will need once we land in Peoria, which we cannot carry with us. Blankets and comforters - all that we can spare, TV and DVD player, clothes, a few kitchen things - space is limited, so we have to make careful choices!!

And in all our previous moves, we have flown out the day after our shipment left. Not so in China - customs officials need Ajey's passport for a week after we have packed - so including the days of packing, we will need to be here in this house, without any of our things, for at least 10 days!! We had blithely assumed that the landlord would give us his furniture for those days - just like he had when we moved in - only to find out that he had sold all the furniture from this house, and we were scrambling for a Plan B!!

So now we had to plan for 4 sets - the air shipment, our suitcases, the all-encompassing sea shipment - and then, the stuff we'll need to use here, which would be then discarded when we leave. Hmmm. What do I own that I can leave behind without too many qualms??!! Well, there's our old patio set for one - we've had it for ages, and the outdoors has not been too kind to the table or the chairs. That could double as our living and dining room furniture!! And mattresses - we have at least 3 that have reached end-of-life!! So perfect - that's all settled then!!

Meanwhile, for our air shipment, Ajey had a brilliant idea - why not take our itty bitty dinette set with 4 chairs - other than the glass table top, it dismantles completely, and it would be perfect for our temporary apartment in Peoria!! So, there's a project for the morning then - dismantling the chairs and the table. But to be honest, even dismantled, the set is actually quite large - we'll have to make a judgement call on the day of packing - will it really go on the air shipment or not!!

The other big chore we got done today - sorting out our loose change!! We have a green pottery jug, and all our loose change goes in there - and we do dip into it quite often - coins for the bus, or to buy bread from Yumway. But still, 3 years makes for a lot of coins - and Ajey made Manasi an offer - sort out the coins, count them, and she could then have all that money to spend on snacks in Yumway!! She readily agreed to that - although about halfway through, she counted out 20 rmb, and said that was all she was needed, and could she now go?? Doesn't work that way, Manasi - you only get the money if you finish all the coins!! And it ended up being quite a lot - almost 100 rmb - and this is only what was in the jar - I still have to turn out all my pockets and purses!!

So that's it for this one - I'm going to have to hustle to put out the next one!! Do hope that I can keep up - fingers crossed!!

Last time as a FoD volunteer??

It makes me really, really sad to write the words 'last time'. And there are so many of those already - and many more to come before we finally leave China! Just 2 days ago, on what normally is a very happy time of the year for me, on Diwali night - I got very emotional because this Laxmipuja was the last puja I would have in this house. Crazy? Maybe a little - but isn't that part of saying goodbye, part of starting to let go - recognizing and cherishing these 'last times'??

Anyway, today was probably the last time that I was in school as a FoD volunteer. This year, our school is hosting the U15 Fobisia games, and like with all sporting events, FoD has a stall to sell drinks and healthy (ahem!) snacks to the kids and the visiting parents. I've lost count how many times in the past 2 years I've done this - in all kinds of weather, for all kinds of tournaments - I have to say that I've always enjoyed these selling stints!! And today, I'm done - no more hauling Gatorade and water bottles, soda cans, bags of chips, and the ever popular gummy hamburgers! No more cash boxes, petty cash - no more exasperation when a customer hands over a 100 rmb note to buy a 5 rmb soda!! Oh, I'm going to miss this so much!!

Of course, selling drinks and chips is not all what FoD is about - and although there have been plenty of ups and downs, there has never been a dull moment in the 18 months or so that I have been on the FoD Executive Committee. I've really enjoyed being the Secretary - and I would like to take a moment to point out that there is a world of difference between being the Secretary of an organization and a secretary as in a personal assistant - ok, feels good to set that record straight!! And although it was incredibly stressful, I also enjoyed my very short stint as Treasurer!!

Like all volunteer organizations, FoD has its drawbacks - the cliques, personal whims, strong personalities, even stronger egos - but at the end of the day, what matters is the amount of money that is being raised for charity. The glitzy parties and the spectacular event all go towards supporting a child with need of medical aid or pay for a library in a village school - and that is what makes everything worthwhile, what made working on FoD so fulfilling for me!!

So, this is it - the last day of FoD. Ok, I really don't know how to end this on an upbeat note - so I should stop. Thanks for the memories, all you lovely FoD ladies, and keep up the good work!! I am going to really miss being a part of this team!!

Making the decision

The last 10 years, our family has lived in 4 different countries. This wasn't really on the agenda when I first moved to the US - we fell into this expat life quite unexpectedly. And while I'm incredibly grateful for every moment of this wonderful experience, I do sometimes wonder how our lives would have turned out if we had just stayed in the US, never moved out of Peoria. No doubt, we would still be happy, claiming our little piece of the American Dream, content to be a part of the growing Indian diaspora!!

But even then, back before this nomadic lifestyle, Ajey and I still dreamt of eventually moving back to India, to live in our own country, be close to our culture, and our families. 3 years of living in Chennai showed us that this was not an impossible dream, that we could eventually make it happen. And staying on in India at that time would have probably been the best - except the China carrot that was offered to us - come back to US for a year, and then 3 years in China! Another international assignment - no way were we turning that down!! So that move to Peoria didn't really hit us that hard!!

This time around, it's different. This time, wherever we go, it will be for the long haul. So what were the options, if any?? We would have loved to stay on in China. Except for the pollution - and that really is a huge issue - our life here is pretty great. Good school, great friends - and it is so easy to fly home to India! Except that we always knew this was a short-term assignment!!

The default option is back to Peoria, back to the US. And that's what it came down to in the end - move back to India for good, or back to the US. Which one, which one?? This is probably the first time in my life, that I've faced such a dilemma - no easy decision here! So we did what all sensible engineers do - drew up a Pugh matrix, and spent 6 intense hours weighing the options - Ajey, me and a white board to hash it out!!

Soo...India - with the emotional pull, our home, our country. We would be close to our parents, Manasi would get to be around her grandparents, our Indian culture. And Peoria....so very far from India, with the bitterly cold winters, getting sucked up into complacency - but with better standards of living. The considerations are many - emotional, financial, social, education, health, it's endless!! Back and forth we went - until finally, we had a decision.

After all these years of wanting to go back to India, ultimately our decision is now taking us back to the US. I do believe that right now, all things considered, this is the best direction for us to move in. Right or wrong - only time will tell. Either way - que sera, sera - whatever will be, will be!!

The countdown begins - last 40 days!!

Well, here it is - the announcement, finally!! Our time in China is coming to an end, and we are headed back to Peoria - flying out in exactly 40 days from today!! Why 40 - no reason, really! Sounds portentous, though, doesn't it? Last 40 days in Suzhou - chills, goosebumps!! This post also means that I'm officially over my denial phase, and starting to accept that whether I like it or not, this move is really happening!!

Not that I wasn't prepared - our 3 years were up last summer - but we came back to Suzhou in August, and I think all 3 of us were hoping that we would get to stay 1 more year, if not more! And I am so not looking forward to moving in winter - not to mention the middle of the school year, which will make it lot harder for our youngest repatriate - who, unsurprisingly, is having a really hard time with the move to begin with!!

So, what next?? Once the move is announced, things move pretty much at break-neck speed. A hundred forms to fill out, assessment by the movers, setting dates, sorting out our stuff, booking airline tickets, making arrangements for temporary living, looking for a new house, new school, new cars, figuring out the pet stuff - whew! My head is already spinning!! And this is, what, our 5th international move? You would think it would get easier - but believe me, it really doesn't!!

Even as we are finishing up all the formalities, getting all the must-do stuff out of the way - there's also this whole other lot of activities. Getting ready to say goodbye to all our friends, trying to fit in 1 last dinner or lunch with people that have meant so much to us - and of course, the mad dash to buy up every last thing that's been on my list for the last 3 years, to go see places that we would probably never go to again!!

The craziest thing is - in the midst of this whirlwind, the house needs to run as usual, on the old familiar routines. Homework to be done, uniforms to be washed, meals at regular times, lunch boxes to be packed, yes, even festivals to be celebrated - soccer games, music recitals, late night meetings, FoD activities - it's quite the surprise to find out that the world doesn't stop just because you're moving!! I think it's the hardest to dredge up enthusiasm for these everyday things when mentally, you're already checked out!!

And the blog?? Once the Kulkarnis leave China, what happens to 'Coolkarnis in China'?? Honestly, I haven't thought that far ahead right now. For these last 40 days, I would like to do something special - a blog-a-day countdown, until we leave. Not that all posts will be move related - as always, I have a ton of catch-up posts, lot of things I've wanted to write about - so should be an interesting ride!! The countdown begins today...so stay tuned!!