October in Chennai

From left to right: Pool man, gardener, helper, my driver with his daughter, security guard and Farid's driver.



At the OWC Ball.

Emma with Puna's daughter.

Oct. 31, 2007



We've had a busy October here in India. Sorry for not sending more news but this blog is an attempt to keep in better touch with family and friends. You can check in with us anytime and send us your news as well!







OWC Fire and Ice Ball - Oct. 13, 2007



Farid and I attended the OWC (Overseas Women's Christian) Charity Ball with our neighbors Lynn and Mark Vannette. We got to dress up for a night on the town where we enjoyed a nice dinner and dancing with friends. I'm not sure what the attendance was, but it seemed like every ex-pat in Chennai was there! We met some very nice people from the U.S and many other countries as well.







Puja Ceremony - Oct. 20, 2007



This was our first experience with an Indian ceremony and it was so interesting! Here's what my Google search turned up to explain this ceremony:

Pujas are typically directed towards different deity forms in order to invoke the attributes of that deity, connect with the light of God, and receive blessings. Pujas may be done for specific areas of life such as health, career, relationships, spiritual growthand so forth. During a puja elaborate steps are performed by the priest (called a “pujari”) in order to cleanse and prepare the space for worship; to invoke the deity and all his/her qualities; and bring in positive energies to the puja space, to those attending the puja, and to the world at large. Pujas involve Sanskrit mantra chanting along with offerings of flowers, fruit, rice, sweets, incense, milk, honey, water and other substances.



Ultimately a puja is performed for the purpose of honoring God and receiving blessings. By performing a puja, our minds and souls become purified and negative tendencies are washed away.



All the staff members at our house insisted that we have this ceremony. They spent all day cleaning the cars, the generator, the yard, the pool, and decorating for the event which had to occur at a particular time to be most beneficial. So at dusk, we went outside to witness this ceremony. They offered prayers for blessings on all the things used for the coming year--that they would work well and that they, their families, our household would be blessed for the coming year. One of our drivers, Puna, brought his seven year old daughter with him and Emma enjoyed meeting her. They offered us a tray filled with flowers, fruit, puffed rice and sweets. We, in turn, gave each staff member a bag filled with similar items, that thankfully, Farid's secretary prepared for us, since we were clueless about this event!







United Nations Day - Oct. 25, 2007



The American International School, where the kids attend, celebrated United Nations Day with a flag ceremony and a lavish international lunch prepared by the parents. Each country set up a display with foods from their home country and the entire school came through to sample all the delicacies. The school educates children from several different countries including- but not limited to - Korea, France, England, Belgium, Australia, Finland, Denmark, Canada, and of course, the U.S.! I believe Emma and Zach would say this was, by far, the best school lunch they've ever had!







Basketball!



Both Zach and Emma are playing basketball. The season here runs from October to the end of November. Emma has practice every morning at 6:45 and Zach's practice is after school until 6 pm. He was selected for the traveling team and they will travel to Bangledesh in mid-November for the tournament. He is very excited about this opportunity and we're glad he is enjoying it! The coach said of course Zach needed to defend the Kentucky pride!!!