Finishing up the semester

After Thanksgiving the end of the semester came in a flash. Here are some of our experiences chronicled through just a few photos.

First, these two photos are of the INA market in Delhi. Here are a bunch of chickens waiting to be dinner. It was fascinating to see the assembly line, rather, the disassembly line as they were butchered. There mountainous piles of feet, heads, etc. and closest to the consumer--the meat.

This man is butchering goats. His technique is what impressed us; he has his ultra sharp knife in his foot and uses both of his hands to handle the meat and then slices parts of it using his dextrous toes. This is emblematic of a typical solution to a problem in India creative solutions to interesting needs--in this case, the butcher needed a third hand so he trained his foot for the purpose!

This is a particularly good pollution day lately when I took a run to the India Gate. This is Rajpath, one of the main roads of the area.

The week after Thanksgiving was the culmination of the middle school soccer season which I helped out with. The big finale was a trip to Chennai and a big soccer tournament. It was a great tournament and a great experience overall.  Also fun to see a new city.

 On the first morning before the tourney I took a jog with an obsession to see the Bay of Bengal.

What I encountered was an angry ocean and a potentially beautiful beach that was littered with trash and the morning motions of many Indians.

The run through the city was really cool. Chennai was a city on the move and in some areas it was quite different from Delhi with brightly painted walls, palm trees everywhere and a lot of humidity.

Thanksgiving on the Beach

 We've begun what may be a new India tradition for Thanksgiving. Goa. The beach vacation was everything that we hoped for minus the turkey. We had such a relaxing time on the beach (as relaxing as it can get with two 2 year olds and an 8 month old, that is), playing in the waves and eating delicious Indian/Goan food beside the sea.

 We made the trip with Zachis and the Rugs and it turned out to be a wonderful adventure. We even had some surpises--constant visits from buffaloes roaming the beach, we saw a snake eating a lizard, we swam with the dolphins and saw wild pigs and dogs (of course!).

Here are the two little bits playing together on the beach. They must be searching for crabs.












What a stud! Zach is holding down the fort at our favorite lunch/dinner/all afternoon and evening spot!

Above left: the red snapper that we commissioned to be caught. Our chef went out at 4 am and either caught of bought the fish and spent the day marinating it and then cooking it for us.

Above right: a very happy Bernie after dominating the Red Snapper.

Maya wasn't loving the big waves of the ocean so Laura suggested that we move down the beach to a little stream/tide pool. Of course her suggestion worked to perfection adn opened Naila and Maya to the pleasures of the beach!

Mommy knows best!

At left: Maya is playing with her 'bucket'. Delinquent parents as we are, we forgot the beach toys. No matter, a coconut husk works as a shovel, bucket, building block and much more!

Above right, this is one of my favorite pics of little Maya.

This is the other major activity of the vacation. Here Zach, Adam and I all caught the same wave and Julie caught us in action!

We'll have to do it again next year.