We were awake bright and early this morning at 6 a.m! Luckily I had gone to sleep at 10 and Abi was only up a couple of times during the night so I slept fairly well.
I decided that we're having a day at home today because we were out yesterday and we're going out tomorrow so it's good to have a day just chilling. Going out in India is so much harder than going out in UK. Things just seem to take so much longer, I guess the traffic being horrendous doesn't help but even just going to the supermarket takes twice as long! Also, the heat really wears you out and even just a trip out for a couple of hours leaves us all exhausted. So, as I was saying I decided to stay in today.
We had a fairly uneventful morning and just played and watched some TV and tidied up a bit. I put up the first one of the posters from Laura in DJ's room. It had to be the Peppa Pig one! We decided that we are going to put the majority of the posters in Abi's room as that is going to be the playroom but I couldn't not put the Peppa one in his room. He loved it and spent ages looking at it, naming the characters and pointing things out on it. It was so funny, when Raj Kumar was cleaning DJ's room in the afternoon, he pointed at the poster which has ABC written in the window. He said 'A is for Apple, B is for ball, C is for Cat and E is for Elephant'. It was so funny and very sweet. He told me he took six classes in English. It's the most English I've heard him speak in one go!
Both DJ and Abi went to sleep at 2.45 which is not what I planned, but DJ was so tired he couldn't keep his eyes open. I only let him sleep for 40 minutes because I was worried he wouldn't sleep at bedtime. I was right to be worried! It took me two and a half hours to get both children to sleep and by the time they were both asleep it was 10.30 and I was absolutely exhausted! Pen was late home too so we all had a very late night!!
We woke up this morning (Friday) at 7 p.m. I brought Abi into our bed and laid her between us with loads of toys and tried to close my eyes for 10 minutes more. A few minutes later DJ appeared in our room so chances of sleep after that were impossible! He was climbing all over everyone! So, I got up and started getting children washed, dressed, fed, usual routine :)
Dylan watched a bit of TV while I tidied up and then at about 10.30, I started getting things ready to go out. Pen dropped us at Melinda's house at 12 and we stayed there for lunch and a couple of hours play time. At quarter to 3, we all went in Mel's car to another lady, Kristen's house. There was a play group on from 3-5 p.m for under 4's. DJ had a brilliant time! The great thing about going all these different places is, he is getting more and more comfortable playing with other children and playing without checking that I'm there every 5 minutes! In fact, today at Kristen's house, he didn't even look for me once! I kept going to check on him but he was just really happy which was lovely!
Kristen lives in an apartment within the Golf Course and it is a beautiful place – both the grounds and the actual apartment. It's by far the loveliest apartment I have seen in India and is decorated really beautifully. It made me a bit sad that our apartment is still so bare and doesn't have anything in it! Although I am working on that! Since being here, I have bought the chests of drawers, a pair of long brown curtains, a stair gate and this evening I bought an oven! The lady selling it isn't leaving till the end of the month so I have a couple of weeks to wait for it but it'll be worth it just to be able to cook a roast or a casserole or even to grill things!
Our cargo has now left Mumbai and is en route to Delhi. You would think I would be jumping up and down for joy at this news but I must admit – I'm feeling very pessimistic about it. I guess I don't want to get my hopes up only to be sorely disappointed. At least I know it's somewhere on the way :)
Anyway, back to what I was saying – at 4.30 Kristen ordered me a taxi as we still don't have car seats for the car which means I can't drive and I still don't have a mobile, which means I couldn't call a taxi. The taxi finally turned up at 5.05 and we were the last ones to leave the play group. It took an hour and a half to get home because of the traffic and because of the distance to our apartment. We live on the other side of the highway to all the other apartment buildings so it's quite a distance to go, however, our apartment is on the same side of the big highway as Pen's office, which makes it easy for him to get to and from work. That's a real bonus as Penri hates commuting.
The taxi driver spoke excellent English and told me that his normal job was as a chauffeur for the Sheraton Hotel and he drove a Mercedes for them. He said when it is quiet at the hotel, he takes breaks and does taxi work to make extra money. Not sure how much I believed him on that note. He was chatting to me all the way home and he said something that I must write on here because it made me laugh. He said 'You need three things to drive in India … a good horn, a good head and lots of luck'. He followed it up by saying 'Anything is possible in India' which a few seconds later was just the case. One side of the dual carriageway was closed so all the traffic from the other side was driving head on towards us on the wrong side of the road! It was crazy and probably didn't help the traffic!
We got home and I made Dylan some dinner then I fed Abi and washed and dressed both the children for bed. I couldn't believe it was already 8 p.m! Abigail fell asleep immediately and then I took Dylan to his bedroom. Within 10 minutes he too was asleep. Exhausted after a very busy, very fun filled day. Looking forward to the weekend and spending some time as a family :)
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Showing posts with label apartment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apartment. Show all posts
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Day Three - Wednesday 16th June
This morning we were awake super early again. Dylan woke us all up at 5.30 by coming to my room and telling me he needed a nappy change (that's the polite way of saying what he actually told me lol). I need to start potty training and will do as soon as our cargo arrives and I have a potty for him.
I got up and got the children washed, dressed and fed. Penri went back to sleep as he had to go to work at 11 and he didn't come home until late last night. After breakfast I took the children to the playground. Dylan had a whale of a time playing on the swings and slides and Abigail even went in the baby swing! She seemed to enjoy it! I was quite impressed actually as she was holding herself up in a sitting position in the swing for about 10 minutes and even stayed completely upright when the swing was moving! Clever girl! :)
I took some photos in the playground and then when we got back to the apartment I took photos of the inside as so many people have asked to see where we live. It is still very minimalistic at the moment as we don't have any of our belongings here. On the plus side, it's easier to keep clean and tidy, but on the downside, Dylan is getting bored with the very few toys we brought with us. It won't be long now anyway (I hope!)
Pictures from the playground:
One of the negatives of living in India is the cockroaches! Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!!!! I went in the bedroom this afternoon to check on Abi who was sleeping and there was this huge brown ugly cockroach which scuttled under my bed as I came into the room. I RAN to the kitchen to get the sweeping brush and by the time I came back into the room and looked under the bed, he had gone! I went to tell Penri and asked him to come and help me find the roach (I'm itching now as I'm typing this – I hate them!) Pen said to just leave it and he'll turn up again, which he was right about. About an hour later I was putting my washing away when sure enough, the cockroach scuttled across the floor and under my suitcase. This time the brush was to hand so I grabbed it, lifted the suitcase and pushed the cockroach across the floor and then squished him. They're really hardy insects and in the end I literally had to batter him with the brush a few times to kill him! Obviously, me banging a brush on the wooden floor woke poor little Abi up from her nap. Anyway, I was so relieved to have killed the bug as it was playing on my mind and I know I wouldn't have slept well tonight if he was still creeping around my room.
From negative to positive … I had a lovely chat with my friend Debs on Skype this afternoon and we were talking about the whole 'servant' thing. I was telling her about sorting out a driver, maid, cleaner etc when my doorbell rang. It was a guy called Sanjay, who works on our compound and he basically collects your clean washing, takes it away, irons it, wraps it in cellophane and delivers it back to you. For this service, we pay 15 pence per shirt and you get everything back the same day he takes it! Penri's shirts that he brought back yesterday were so well ironed and wrapped in cellophane that they look like new! Impressive or what?!
I was so tired by 7 p.m that once the children went to bed at 8.30, I went straight to sleep too!
I got up and got the children washed, dressed and fed. Penri went back to sleep as he had to go to work at 11 and he didn't come home until late last night. After breakfast I took the children to the playground. Dylan had a whale of a time playing on the swings and slides and Abigail even went in the baby swing! She seemed to enjoy it! I was quite impressed actually as she was holding herself up in a sitting position in the swing for about 10 minutes and even stayed completely upright when the swing was moving! Clever girl! :)
I took some photos in the playground and then when we got back to the apartment I took photos of the inside as so many people have asked to see where we live. It is still very minimalistic at the moment as we don't have any of our belongings here. On the plus side, it's easier to keep clean and tidy, but on the downside, Dylan is getting bored with the very few toys we brought with us. It won't be long now anyway (I hope!)
Pictures from the playground:
One of the negatives of living in India is the cockroaches! Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!!!! I went in the bedroom this afternoon to check on Abi who was sleeping and there was this huge brown ugly cockroach which scuttled under my bed as I came into the room. I RAN to the kitchen to get the sweeping brush and by the time I came back into the room and looked under the bed, he had gone! I went to tell Penri and asked him to come and help me find the roach (I'm itching now as I'm typing this – I hate them!) Pen said to just leave it and he'll turn up again, which he was right about. About an hour later I was putting my washing away when sure enough, the cockroach scuttled across the floor and under my suitcase. This time the brush was to hand so I grabbed it, lifted the suitcase and pushed the cockroach across the floor and then squished him. They're really hardy insects and in the end I literally had to batter him with the brush a few times to kill him! Obviously, me banging a brush on the wooden floor woke poor little Abi up from her nap. Anyway, I was so relieved to have killed the bug as it was playing on my mind and I know I wouldn't have slept well tonight if he was still creeping around my room.
From negative to positive … I had a lovely chat with my friend Debs on Skype this afternoon and we were talking about the whole 'servant' thing. I was telling her about sorting out a driver, maid, cleaner etc when my doorbell rang. It was a guy called Sanjay, who works on our compound and he basically collects your clean washing, takes it away, irons it, wraps it in cellophane and delivers it back to you. For this service, we pay 15 pence per shirt and you get everything back the same day he takes it! Penri's shirts that he brought back yesterday were so well ironed and wrapped in cellophane that they look like new! Impressive or what?!
I was so tired by 7 p.m that once the children went to bed at 8.30, I went straight to sleep too!
First day in our new home - Monday 14th June 2010
Day One has been completely manic!
Our day started with Dylan waking everyone up at 6 a.m. I got up and pottered around for a bit before taking the children out for a walk around the compound at about 7 o'clock. I actually went out for a reason … we were outside on the small balcony bit by the kitchen this morning (trying to figure out the best place to put our washing machine) and Dylan threw his dummy over the side so I went out to look for it. I also thought it would be nice to get my bearings and see what's around the compound. It's very confusing as there are lots of tower blocks of flats and they all look the same from outside. Anyway, I eventually found his dummy and we had a nice walk in the process.
We got back inside and I played with Abi and Dylan for a while and then at 11 a.m everything started. Pen left for work and one of the guys from Penri's office came over to help get some things sorted. During the course of today we have had several visitors regarding several different things. I won't go into too much detail but it makes me laugh … someone delivered the fridge and then someone from the same company came a few hours later to show us how to use it. That's right … a lesson in how to use a fridge! The same with the washing machine … two guys delivered it and then an hour or so later someone came to install it and show me how to use it. There's service for you! Lol.
We also had someone come and sweep and mop all the floors and a couple of guys just sorting out some basic things such as covering plug sockets with safety covers (to stop Dylan from touching them), installing extraction fans, moving the air conditioning controls up high (as at the moment, the controls for the a/cs are within Dylan's reach and he keeps pulling them all out and playing with them). It has been a really busy day anyway and people have been coming and going all day. I am exhausted and cannot wait till bed time. Both Dylan and Abi went to sleep at 4 p.m and are still sleeping now (at 6.30 p.m) which is how I have been able to sit and type this. It's been a manic day but I'm feeling happy and glad to be in our new home! I think as things get done and the house starts feeling more like a home, it can only get better!
Our day started with Dylan waking everyone up at 6 a.m. I got up and pottered around for a bit before taking the children out for a walk around the compound at about 7 o'clock. I actually went out for a reason … we were outside on the small balcony bit by the kitchen this morning (trying to figure out the best place to put our washing machine) and Dylan threw his dummy over the side so I went out to look for it. I also thought it would be nice to get my bearings and see what's around the compound. It's very confusing as there are lots of tower blocks of flats and they all look the same from outside. Anyway, I eventually found his dummy and we had a nice walk in the process.
We got back inside and I played with Abi and Dylan for a while and then at 11 a.m everything started. Pen left for work and one of the guys from Penri's office came over to help get some things sorted. During the course of today we have had several visitors regarding several different things. I won't go into too much detail but it makes me laugh … someone delivered the fridge and then someone from the same company came a few hours later to show us how to use it. That's right … a lesson in how to use a fridge! The same with the washing machine … two guys delivered it and then an hour or so later someone came to install it and show me how to use it. There's service for you! Lol.
We also had someone come and sweep and mop all the floors and a couple of guys just sorting out some basic things such as covering plug sockets with safety covers (to stop Dylan from touching them), installing extraction fans, moving the air conditioning controls up high (as at the moment, the controls for the a/cs are within Dylan's reach and he keeps pulling them all out and playing with them). It has been a really busy day anyway and people have been coming and going all day. I am exhausted and cannot wait till bed time. Both Dylan and Abi went to sleep at 4 p.m and are still sleeping now (at 6.30 p.m) which is how I have been able to sit and type this. It's been a manic day but I'm feeling happy and glad to be in our new home! I think as things get done and the house starts feeling more like a home, it can only get better!
Arriving in Delhi
We arrived at Delhi airport at 6.20 a.m on Sunday 13th June and were met by an entourage of people. Very kindly, Penri's company had arranged for a car to collect us and the people who came to meet us were really kind and helpful. Also, luckily there were 3 cars as we had so much stuff with us. We had to put all our cases into one big car (we had 6 large suitcases, 1 small suitcase, 2 hand luggage and a pushchair), we went in another car and then a few of the people who had met us went in the third car. It didn't take too long to get to the apartment; it's probably about 15/20 minutes drive from the airport. By the time we got here I was so relieved and happy to have finished our journey and ready to start the next chapter of our lives.
Our journey was actually pretty good. On the flight to Delhi we were able to get four seats next to each other so Dylan was able to lay down and sleep in the two middle seats which helped loads. Also, Kingfisher Airlines who we flew with, were really efficient and it was really as pleasant as it could be. The flight was very comfortable and the food was actually pretty decent. I also managed to get some sleep, which is nice.
Arriving at Delhi airport and travelling in the car brought back so many memories of our life in Chennai. It is so similar – the driving, the little shops, the auto rickshaws and taxis, the noise, the smells … I could go on and on, however once you are in the apartment because it is so nice, you could be anywhere in the world.
Our apartment is lovely! The only thing I don't like about it is it's on the 7th floor, but I knew that before we got here. Seeing the balconies and the drop down from the windows just turns my stomach! I can't get too close to the edge because it makes me queasy so I just admire the nice views of the city from a distance. When we got in from the airport, we had a good look around and then I showered and dressed both children so that they could feel refreshed and have a little nap. As it turned out Dylan didn't sleep at all; he just spent the entire time running between the rooms naming what all the different rooms were. He learnt which room was his bedroom very quickly and kept saying 'DJ bedroom' and climbing into the big double bed! I think he is quite happy to have a double bed to himself! Plus, he has his own en suite bathroom. Quite nice for a two year old lol.
Our apartment has three bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms and there's a living room, dining room, kitchen and then a servants quarters with its own bathroom (which we are going to use as storage). There are three balconies; all of which are going to be locked at all times!! Can't risk the little man getting out there without supervision. One of the balconies is off our bedroom and overlooks the swimming pool, the second and main one is off Abi's bedroom and also off the living room; this one overlooks the city. Then the third balcony is a small one and leads to the servants quarters. They all have half walls around them and then a rail above but I can't bear the thought of getting close to the edge so I don't see myself going out there at all. The swimming pool looks very inviting and I'm looking forward to getting settled and taking the children outside swimming.
Our compound also has a children's playground, tennis courts, squash courts, a gymnasium and a community centre (not sure what is there yet; will have to have a walk over there over the next few days). I also just found out that there is a little supermarket on the compound. It's about 2 minutes walk from the apartment … how convenient is that?! I was so happy to see that even though the shop itself is tiny, they have everything you could need – drinks and snacks, cereal, milk, bread, toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, toilet rolls, soap and Pampers! Brilliant! On the walk back from the shop I noticed a little stall next to one of the apartment blocks. They sell fresh fruit and vegetables and I found out, the stall is there every day from 7 a.m till 7 p.m. I ended up buying a few bits and then only had to walk 100 metres to our house! Some things (such as fruit and vegetables) are very cheap. I bought – two tomatoes, two lemons, a handful of green beans, two onions, two carrots and a small cauliflower and it cost me 50 pence! It put a smile on my face :) We have noticed that some food products are more expensive than the UK, but it's mostly imported stuff like Marmite, American juice drinks and squash and jams and things like that. I suppose they're more luxury items here. A lot of things are priced very similar to UK, such as Pampers, cheddar cheese, milk etc.
Anyway, going back to what I was saying before I went off on a tangent ... when we got to the apartment (from the airport), one of the guys had bought us some bread, butter, biscuits, cans of diet coke and bottles of drinking water, plus some cleaning products and toiletries. It was really sweet. Really lovely and we were so grateful, especially to be able to have a drink each as soon as we got in. All the people left our apartment at 3 p.m and then Penri had a quick nap (as did the children) and I started unpacking all our cases and putting stuff away. At 5 p.m a couple of guys came back and took Penri to get some shopping. I gave him a list of a few items of food and drinks that I needed but the main reason for him going out was to buy a fridge, a washing machine and some bedding for us. By 10 p.m we were all absolutely shattered and got into bed to go to sleep.
Our journey was actually pretty good. On the flight to Delhi we were able to get four seats next to each other so Dylan was able to lay down and sleep in the two middle seats which helped loads. Also, Kingfisher Airlines who we flew with, were really efficient and it was really as pleasant as it could be. The flight was very comfortable and the food was actually pretty decent. I also managed to get some sleep, which is nice.
Arriving at Delhi airport and travelling in the car brought back so many memories of our life in Chennai. It is so similar – the driving, the little shops, the auto rickshaws and taxis, the noise, the smells … I could go on and on, however once you are in the apartment because it is so nice, you could be anywhere in the world.
Our apartment is lovely! The only thing I don't like about it is it's on the 7th floor, but I knew that before we got here. Seeing the balconies and the drop down from the windows just turns my stomach! I can't get too close to the edge because it makes me queasy so I just admire the nice views of the city from a distance. When we got in from the airport, we had a good look around and then I showered and dressed both children so that they could feel refreshed and have a little nap. As it turned out Dylan didn't sleep at all; he just spent the entire time running between the rooms naming what all the different rooms were. He learnt which room was his bedroom very quickly and kept saying 'DJ bedroom' and climbing into the big double bed! I think he is quite happy to have a double bed to himself! Plus, he has his own en suite bathroom. Quite nice for a two year old lol.
Our apartment has three bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms and there's a living room, dining room, kitchen and then a servants quarters with its own bathroom (which we are going to use as storage). There are three balconies; all of which are going to be locked at all times!! Can't risk the little man getting out there without supervision. One of the balconies is off our bedroom and overlooks the swimming pool, the second and main one is off Abi's bedroom and also off the living room; this one overlooks the city. Then the third balcony is a small one and leads to the servants quarters. They all have half walls around them and then a rail above but I can't bear the thought of getting close to the edge so I don't see myself going out there at all. The swimming pool looks very inviting and I'm looking forward to getting settled and taking the children outside swimming.
Our compound also has a children's playground, tennis courts, squash courts, a gymnasium and a community centre (not sure what is there yet; will have to have a walk over there over the next few days). I also just found out that there is a little supermarket on the compound. It's about 2 minutes walk from the apartment … how convenient is that?! I was so happy to see that even though the shop itself is tiny, they have everything you could need – drinks and snacks, cereal, milk, bread, toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, toilet rolls, soap and Pampers! Brilliant! On the walk back from the shop I noticed a little stall next to one of the apartment blocks. They sell fresh fruit and vegetables and I found out, the stall is there every day from 7 a.m till 7 p.m. I ended up buying a few bits and then only had to walk 100 metres to our house! Some things (such as fruit and vegetables) are very cheap. I bought – two tomatoes, two lemons, a handful of green beans, two onions, two carrots and a small cauliflower and it cost me 50 pence! It put a smile on my face :) We have noticed that some food products are more expensive than the UK, but it's mostly imported stuff like Marmite, American juice drinks and squash and jams and things like that. I suppose they're more luxury items here. A lot of things are priced very similar to UK, such as Pampers, cheddar cheese, milk etc.
Anyway, going back to what I was saying before I went off on a tangent ... when we got to the apartment (from the airport), one of the guys had bought us some bread, butter, biscuits, cans of diet coke and bottles of drinking water, plus some cleaning products and toiletries. It was really sweet. Really lovely and we were so grateful, especially to be able to have a drink each as soon as we got in. All the people left our apartment at 3 p.m and then Penri had a quick nap (as did the children) and I started unpacking all our cases and putting stuff away. At 5 p.m a couple of guys came back and took Penri to get some shopping. I gave him a list of a few items of food and drinks that I needed but the main reason for him going out was to buy a fridge, a washing machine and some bedding for us. By 10 p.m we were all absolutely shattered and got into bed to go to sleep.
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