Humbling experience

After living in the same place for more than a decade it is a humbling experience to move to a new place and a really good reminder to help new people whether at work or in the neighborhood feel comfortable and welcome.  We've been so lucky to have neighbors and co-workers reach out over and over again to see if we have questions or need anything.  We are very grateful to all the people who have done so and we plan to "pay it forward". 

 

We also appreciate all the people back in Minneapolis who helped us make this transition.  I'd like to say a special thank you to Crystal Gillis for being our "family" in Minnesota.  Without Crystal continuing to help us we would have so many more concerns and trouble.  THANK YOU, CRYSTAL!!!

 

I'm still trying to learn to walk consistently on the left side of the hall, stairs, and sidewalk.  I keep confusing people coming the other way.  Just like in London, traffic drives on the other side of the street than in the U.S. and that carries over to sidewalks.  Probably the most important thing to remember is to change the sequence of looking in both directions before crossing the steet to avoid getting smushed.  At least in the hallway people just look at you funny until you remember to move to the proper side.  I've decided the adage "Do something 17 times in 21 days and it will become a habit" is not true when trying to change something you've done your whole life.

 

Other things that have been learning experiences are:

• Phones... I've had to learn a whole new set of strategies about how to make calls.  Calling varies whether calling land line to land line, cell to cell, cell to land line, and land line to cell.  I'm not sure I'm ever going to be able to memorize a phone number here because they are so much longer.  Thank goodness for the Contacts function of cell phones. 
• In additon, I'm having to learn to understand what different sounds mean when I call someone.  It's not the typical ring, ring.  There can be buzzes, beeps, music, dead silence, or clicks.  I haven't figured out what they all mean yet.
• Palm Trees have to be trimmed.  It is an interesting process to see a whole frond pulled off.  I'm hoping to get a picture sometime.
• Coconuts are cut open and sold like soft drinks.  Vendors are all over.  I'm anxious to try one.  We are trying to figure what happens to all the coconut husks every night.  By the end of the day there a huge piles of them next to the vendors.  They are gone by the next day.  Our theory is that perhaps they are picked up to be made into charcoal.  We seen charcoal here that is made from them. 
• Monkeys like coconuts. 
• Gecko's come out at night.  And we have lots of them on the outside of our house.  We've only seen two in our house so far.  They eat bugs so they are welcome.
• Spiders seem to be rare in Bangalore.  Allison likes that!
• Water buffalo seem to have an inate sense of time.  Every day you can see them going in one directio nat 9:20 am.  They return at 5:30.  How do they know???  It's not like any human with a watch is leading them along.  They are unaccompanied.

Ta ta for now!