“There and Back Again: A day in the life…”

It was raining the day we were to travel by train a week ago. The taxi didn’t come on time so we hopped into 2 rickshaws Joseph brought from outside our apartment complex. After piling ourselves and luggage into these ‘bullets on wheels’ we drove through the traffic to the station arriving in the nick of time. The train was delayed so we had enough time to go to the proper track at the station. Merrilea even had time to purchase some food from the main vendor and walk back to meet us. The train arrived but we knew it would only stay for 5-10 minutes. We found our proper train couch and got in and found our seat numbers - which were spread out. After settling ourselves in the seats we began asking if some men would change seats with us so we could all be together (a common practice). After some talking, they agreed.

Finally all was OK till the Tickemaster came and said we got on the wrong couch. We were supposed to be in the next one over! So, I slowly moved our belongings and us over to that one. We even talked with the Ticketmaster and he agreed to change our seats so we could be all together. I don’t make mistakes like this often but my family had mercy on me! We were all tuckered out.

Finally all was OK till Maria broke her leg. That would take some pretty tricky work getting on and off the train on crutches when the train only stops for 5 minutes in the train station. We made sure we were got at the right spot where the train would come. I made sure we got there early enough. I think the rest of our family thinks we got there WAY early. About 30 minutes BEFORE the train was to arrive it pulled in…on the OTHER side of the station! We had to bolt with our luggage and Maria on her crutches over the tracks on a bridge, find our couch and get in, all within 5 minutes. All of us scrambled to gather our stuff and ran…well Maria hobbled with Merrilea. Joseph, Danielle and I got in the train just in time as it started pulling away from the station! The kids and I kinda freeked.

In each train couch there are metal cables to pull to make the train stop in case of emergency … well, I did it. Merrilea and Maria were helped onto the train. Someone had helped them with the one piece of luggage Merrilea was carrying...thump, thump, thump down the stairs of the bridge over the tracks. That bag held the new router for the computer. (My hat is off to Linksys…it took a beating but still works!) Through the window, I saw a policeman with a clipboard and some people gathering so I went out and explained in their language what happened. They were ok with it.

Finally all was OK till they told me that our train comes 2 times through this station – once coming to the city and once leaving after about 30 minutes! We had got on the train at the wrong time! So, if we had simply waited another 30 minutes the train would have come to our side of the station without our crazy experience!
We’ve been here for several years and never stop learning new things all the time.

PS
This last week we had guests but very little water pressure in our plumbing. The humidity from the rains make drying clothes take about 2 days. Water pressure has returned to normal now!

No More New Pics :- (

Our digital camera just died so I'll only be able to send pics from before today for the forseable future.

Our washing machine was repaired, computer router installed and our battery back up for electricity outtages was serviced...all today! Getting so many things to happen in one day is VERY rare.

It is so humid now during the monsoon season that our clothes take 1 full day (or more) to dry. Clothes driers are not used in this country very much at all. I've never seen one for sale and only know 1 person in the whole country who owns one!

Joseph is waiting for me in the car...to deliver birthday party invitations. He's turning 12 on Aug 27th! Gotta run.

On the Flip Side,
Bill for the family

Break a Leg!

As I was teaching on Thursday, August 10, Maria was out playing in the front yard of the place we are staying in in the city of Bangalore.

She hopped from one granite bench to another and then missed …. falling with all her weight onto her left foot, causing a break in her bone and growth plate of her lower leg. I’ll try to scan the x-ray when we get back home so you all can see Maria’s handiwork! Her spirits are high, especially as she is calling her friends to tell them all. We will appreciate your prayers for our train trip back to Pune on Sunday and over the next couple of months as Maria remains incapacitated. No more bike rides nor rickshaw rides across town for a while!

The doctors have given a good to fair prognosis that it will heal well and not interfere with her normal leg growth. Where we are staying is very close to a hospital, so it was very convenient that she broke her leg now rather than other times or places where we usually are at least a 30 minute drive away.

We are schedule to leave Bangalore at 3PM on Sunday for a 20 hour trian ride back to Pune. There are 'berths' on the train so she should have an ok time laying down but the movement of the train may make it difficult to keep her leg stable. Getting on and off the train could be a challenge as the trains don't stop for more than a few minutes in the train station. :-)

We'll let you know how things pan out.

August 4th Update

Joseph and I just returned from a 4 day trip north of our home. We left last Tuesday for a 5 hour drive. It did not rain till we got to our destination: Nashik city. No rain made highway travel that much easier/safer. We are having a team come here in October so we went to set up some of the logistics for the trip: hotel, translators, etc. During one meeting we had on Wednesday we heard that there was a riot in the city over someone desecrating a statue of a very renowned historical figure. Many in the area actually worship this historical figure as a deity, so when news spread, people got angry and started throwing rocks at cars. Our hosts advised us to stay inside their home for another hour or so till things settled down. We called our hotel but there was no problem there. We prayed and waited and then went back late in the afternoon. We did see a large presence of police but no evidence of violence.

Such is the context of our lives in India: an undercurrent of hostility exists over protecting that which people here hold dear.

Back home, Merrilea is unpacking from her trip to Korea last week. She went to meet up with her brother, Jonathan, as he went to visit some very special people there. They had a wonderful time!

We are off to Bangalore on August 8 by train. It’s a 20 hour journey and the kids love it. We get to stay in bunks in an air conditioned coach. I’m told India has the largest railway system in the world!

Current Weather: overcast, humid and 75 degrees. Our inverter (battery back up) just quit, so when the electricity goes out...so do we.