Skype, and other amazing things

After sending my incredibly-good-sport-husband on a makeshift hunt for eggs--hardboiled, decorated with Sharpie, and hidden around the apartment--the two of us spent a lazy Sunday catching up with friends and family. Our chosen medium--Skype.

Now, I'm new at this Skype business. In fact, my grandmother--who has gone all the way from rotary phones and party lines to internet video phones--had to convince me to sign up for it. But she was right, as always--it's the coolest thing ever.

After taking showers and getting dressed so that we looked presentable enough to talk on the phone (*weird*), we started our morning speaking with the trendsetter herself. Among other things, we got to see the beautiful glass table my mother had made for her, and she got to comment on how much my hair had grown. From Florida. So cool!

While we were talking with Savta, my parents beeped in, wanting to talk (to "Skype"? Is there such a verb?). Apparently Savta has been after them about it too, so my tech-savvy brother set it up for them this weekend. As they have not yet been able to visit us in DC, they promptly requested a tour of our apartment. Now, I had thought to make sure we were properly clothed to talk on the internet phone (at least from the waist up), but I had neglected to anticipate the need for picking up the apartment. (The hidden flaw in the amazing Skype plan.) So Ankur stalled while I made the bed, and then we showed them around. Thanks to the internet, my mother gets to make sure I am cleaning my room, even while half a continent away.

Finally, and perhaps most amazing of all, we ended our Skype tour with a quick visit to Cousin Milap and family. In London. From across an ocean and six time zones, his mom got to inspect my tummy, see for herself that it was not expanding, and politely suggest that we get on with things.

So much family togetherness, from the comfort of our own living room! Indeed, our world is amazing. (Seriously. Click on the link--you'll be glad.)

See you on Skype!

The best inaugural event!

No, not the inauguration of President Barack Obama--we missed that one, unfortunately. We fled the frozen, jam-packed, war-zone-like city of Washington over inaugural weekend in order to attend another big event in another city important to our colonial heritage--Kayur and Claire's London wedding.

It was a quick trip across the ocean (less than four days for me), and we are both still very sleepy. But we are so glad that we got to share in the joyous occasion! Claire looked absolutely stunning, Kay looked thrilled to be marrying her, the R. family was ecstatic to be inheriting such a wonderful daughter (or sister or cousin)-in-law, and the food and drink were bubbling over for the occasion.

A quick run-down of the details, and an explanation of why the best inaugural party was the one celebrating the inauguration of Kayur and Claire's married life together:

The venue: For the site of their nuptuals and subsequent party, Kayur and Claire selected an adorable seventeenth century hotel in a cute rural area outside of London. It was a beautiful hotel that exuded old English charm, and it seemed tailor-made for their event. The "registry" occurred in one beautiful old-fashioned parlor room; we moved seamlessly to another room for cocktails and "starters," a larger room for a scrumptious meal, and finally another room for dancing and drinking. We stayed the night at the hotel in a charming cottage on the grounds, and I discovered the inspiration for my future home.

Stokes Place

(Although London has a reputation for miserable winters, I can guarantee that it was not half as cold as the National Mall. Wedding 1, Inauguration 0.)

The ceremony: The happy couple were married in a very official British ceremony called a "registry." One of the highlights (other than the obvious happy result): Ankur gave an inspired reading of Percy B. Shelley's poem, Love's Philosophy. Or, I should say, almost Percy B. Shelley's poem. Two of the words had to be altered in order to avoid mentioning "heaven," as that apparently was too "religious" for the Crown.



(There was definitely no Rick Warren reading an inaugural prayer. Wedding 2, Inauguration 0.)

The fashion: In an inspired gesture towards blending the East and the West, Claire wore a gorgeous strapless sheath-style white gown constructed from a white and gold sari. She looked absolutely fabulous.



(The dress was also perfectly symmetrical--the essence of beauty--with no uncomfortable fidgeting every time she moved. Wedding 3, Inauguration 0.)

The food: In another expert nod towards cultural harmony, the lovely couple selected the best of both culinary worlds. The guests enjoyed a scrumptious indian meal, served family-style on each table, followed by English wedding cake and lemon tarts. Indian "savories," English "sweets" -- the perfect combination.

(And it sure beats wild game and root vegetables. Wedding 4, Inauguration 0.)

The entertainment: The speeches and toasts were hilarious. The DJ was excellent. The dancing was exuberant. The alcohol was copious. But the biggest entertainment of the night for me was my adorable little baby cousin-in-law Carys, who I got to carry, dance with, and play with for the majority of the evening. It was much fun and an excellent workout--my arms were unbelievably sore the next day!



(We got to stay at one great party, rather than dance the exact same dance at 12. Wedding 5, Inauguration 0.)

The result: The beginning of a wonderful, happy, and long-lasting marriage!

(This was a close one--I am a big fan of the regime change in Washington as well. But ultimately I have to go with the wonderful new addition to family--Wedding 6, Inauguration 0.)

In sum, a good time was had by all. It also brought back very fond memories of our own wedding a year and a half earlier. To all who made it possible--thank you for a fantastic trip!

A Snapshot

Two mzungu lawyer sister-in-laws are sitting on a couch, adorned with much gold jewelry and red dots on their foreheads, drinking indian tea and eating chevro. One turns to the other and says: "when you dreamed about being an old married woman, is this what you pictured?" They laugh, and together appreciate their wonderfully unpredictable lives.

Happy Birthday Ankur!

On this day in history, many years ago, my best friend and soulmate was brought into the world. To celebrate the momentous occasion, we 1) went to McDonald's for lunch (his request); 2) went to Whole Foods and explored (also his request), and 3) had a little get-together at our favorite local Thai place, followed by cake and Rock Band at home (a surprise). And so many people called and emailed and facebooked--it was a really nice, low-key day spent reconnecting with people.

Happy Holidays!

Greetings! I hope that you all had a wonderful, warm, and merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah. We have been having a lovely time here, although we have definitely missed our friends and family back home.

DC has been an absolute ghost town these past few days. The office was open but deserted, parking was plentiful, traffic was tolerable, lines were short, lunches were long, the blackberry was not buzzing... in other words, it has been entirely pleasant! When everyone clears out to go home for the holidays, it becomes even more apparent that no one is actually *from* DC, and that home is somewhere else entirely.

In a strange fit of ambition and nostalgia, I cooked my first ever holiday feast--turkey, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, grandmother's secret macaroni and cheese recipe, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top, and pumpkin pie (with healthy doses of cool whip of course). In a small Christmas miracle, everything actually turned out properly. Rachel and Oz and Jeanne, you can stop snickering now.

Other than eating far more than I thought was humanly possible, we have been enjoying spending time with Ankur's sister, who is up visiting for 10 days. Ankur has been showing her around DC, and on Saturday we all took a day trip back in time to Williamsburg, VA.



May your days be merry and bright!

Oklahoma Part Deux

We're back! It's amazing--we generally get to come to Oklahoma about once a year, and this time we're here twice in one month! This long break between jobs was the best thing we ever did.

It has been a fantastic trip thus far. We arrived on Friday night, just in time to catch some shut-eye before heading down to Norman for the game of the year--OU vs. Texas Tech. We stole my brother's tickets (don't worry, he did not miss his first game in 20 years for us--he was able to procure some more) and I got to show Ankur what a REAL football game is like. The crowd was electric, it was cold but not too cold, and the score of course was much to our liking, so it was a great day. (By the way--everyone should wear red tomorrow. Or at least not orange.)





At the game, we also had a classic Oklahoma moment: taking a picture in front of a stretch limo pickup truck. Awesome.

Sunday we went up to Tulsa to visit our old and wonderful friends, Zac and Julie. We got to see their beautiful new house (they are such real people!), and they gave us the VIP tour of the city. Despite the fact that both of my parents grew up Tulsa, we never spent a whole lot of time there as kids--at least, not outside of the grandparents' houses and the Coney Islander. So it really was a new experience for both of us. We saw the Giant Praying Hands, Riverside, Brookside (?), Utica Square, Harolds, the dive shop, the park where I took prom pictures that one time, and other Tulsa landmarks. We also ate coneys (no one in my family can go to Tulsa without eating coneys) and a scrumptious dinner at Lucky's, Z&J's favorite restaurant. (Oddly enough, while stopping at Starbucks to fuel Zac's caffeine addiction, we also ran into a guy we met in Rome!) It was great to spend time with two of my best friends, and great to add a city to the (very short) list of potential future homes.



Monday we went to another OKC Thunder game. It was a very exciting game--unfortunately, they gave up a 20 point lead and lost by one in the last seconds. Oh well. We'll get better. And we saw Shaq. In a suit. I wonder where he buys his suits.

Tuesday and Wednesday were largely spent preparing for Thursday, Turkey Day. Mom and I both came down with the death cold at the same time. As we were the ones preparing Thanksgiving dinner for 20, that was an unfortunate turn of events. I hope that nobody suffers ill effects from the bacteria pie.

Thursday we all medicated up and prepared for the onslaught of the W family. As always, Thanksgiving with the Ws was loud, rambunctious, drama-filled, and fantastic. We continued the tradition of Grandmother's standard low-calorie Thanksgiving meal for 25: turkey slow-cooked in cream-of-mushroom soup, stuffing, green bean casserole, rice, secret-recipe macaroni and cheese, brown and serve rolls, some needless filler vegetables, and gravy on top of everything. Then pumpkin pie with loads of whipped cream. And alcohol. Much alcohol. Then we started a fire. Then Aunt Liz walked into a door. And a good time was had by all.

We also had a few visitors for Thanksgiving. Karen, who is basically one of the family, and Michelle, a girl who lived in the house behind my grandmother and grew up with the W clan, came by, but they are used to us. We also had Ankur's sister, who came down from Kansas to experience her first real turkey day. I hope she doesn't convince Ankur to leave me. Finally, we had my potential future in-laws--if yesterday doesn't change their mind.




Today is Recovery Friday. We'll need it!

I hope you all had a warm, happy, and wonderful Thanksgiving too!

Long time no see

Boy have I missed Kansas! The land of the waving wheat, Jayhawks, wide open spaces, old friends, smiling strangers, basketball, easy parking, family, salt-of-the-earth people, Mass Street, and more. It has been wonderful to be back.

In addition to our Indian festivities and family visits, we have been busy catching up with old friends. On Wednesday, we drove to Lawrence, home of our alma maters. It was great to troll Mass Street, have lunch at La Parilla (my absolute favorite cheap restaurant), walk the KU campus, and visit old professors and debate coaches. That evening we met Cassy--my brilliant, thoughtful, quirky, delightful roommate of four years--at our favorite sushi place in Lawrence. I almost didn't recognize her, as she had cut off all of her trademark long hair; but other than that, she has remained true to the wonderful Cassy I've always known and loved. She even brought me a Macaroni and Cheese cookbook--awesome! =) Dinner was followed by a delicious home-made ice cream cone at Silas and Maddy's, and then the three of us retired to the delightfully hippy, unique, Lawrence-esque Java Break to round out the evening. It was great to see her.

Yesterday, we met Justin--Ankur's roommate of four years--at Boston Market. It may sound like a weird place to meet for lunch, but I was very excited about bland food. He regaled us with stories about medical school while doing a relatively good job of keeping it lunch-table appropriate, which was much appreciated. It was great to see him as well.

In the evening, we finished our tour of KU roommates by going to McLouth, Kansas--a tiny town of about 800--to visit the mayor and his wife. Yep, my former roommate Jennifer is now the wife of the mayor and the mother of three beautiful girls (see the pictures above), not to mention a pharmacist herself. I got to hold the baby much of the evening, which was heaven! =) Jennifer made us a lovely dinner, and the wine fueled a spirited political conversation. When you get me in the same room with someone who regularly listens to Rush Limbaugh, you might expect sparks to fly--however, it remained remarkably civil and fun. A great evening.

That's all the excitement for now. Hope all is well with you!

Happy Diwali!

It is the biggest holiday of the year for Indians--Diwali, or the Festival of Lights. This festival is like Chanukkah (also the Festival of Lights), Christmas (the big, relatively secularized national holiday where families get together and eat a lot of sweets), New Year's Eve (tomorrow actually is the New Year in the Hindu calendar), the 4th of July (Diwali is usually celebrated with Fireworks, but the city of Topeka won't allow fireworks outside of the 4th of July), and everyone's anniversary (most businesses, new relationships, etc. are begun on a special day in the Diwali season, considered an auspicious day to buy gold and start new things--my engagement ring was purchased on this day)--all rolled into one big multi-day celebration. We are fortunate enough to be able to be in Kansas with the Indian half of our family this year, so we can join in the festivities!

We arrived on Saturday, just in time to change into our Indian finery and go to a Diwali show. The show was basically a talent show by the Indian community here, with singing, dancing, and skits. My mother-in-law sang a beautiful song--I was quite impressed with her skill and composure! There were also a number of traditional dances performed by small children who were learning to dance, which was incredibly cute. Afterwards, as at every other Indian event that I have attended, we had a big meal.

The next night we began the cycle of visiting families for Diwali. We actually have a dinner scheduled every night this week. I am always keenly aware of my status as the mzungu wife at these events, being the only non-Indian, non-Gujarati-speaking, non-chili-eating, etc., etc., person in the room. Everyone is more than kind to me, however, and I am sure that it will become easier with time. I am definitely getting an appreciation of how it feels to be a minority, however, and what my husband went through when he first came to America. Which is unquestionably good for me.

And with that, I must go join in the fun! Happy Diwali!

Off to see the wizard

We're going home! Hooray!

As we haven't seen either set of parents in a year, we figured it was time to head home for a longer visit (before I start work and am never heard from again). So we're off to Kansas tomorrow, and then to Oklahoma on Nov. 5. Our original plan was to head to Oklahoma on the 4th, but my father kindly informed us that we were not welcome in his home while the election results were coming in. I thought he was kidding. My mother informs me that he wasn't.

So ... speaking of election results ... if any of you who don't have an elephant shrine set up in your living room would like some company on November 4, please let us know!

In other news, we are basically unpacked from the move now, which is quite a relief. The boxes are gone, we have hung pictures, and our canned goods are nicely placed in their kitchen drawer (you read that right). We even had our very first houseguest, Pat, over for dinner yesterday. (Having learned our lesson from our first dinner party in South Bend, when I forgot to include the chicken in the "chicken pasta," Ankur cooked the salmon and I stuck to the salad and couscous.) I think this means we are officially DC residents now, even if we are not DC domiciliaries.

Home Sweet Home

Howdy! After a very long trip yesterday, we are HOME! It was a great trip, but we are pretty thrilled to be back.

Just because we're back, though, doesn't mean we won't be continuing this blog. After a month of paying by the minute for internet access, we have unlimited use of the internet. So we will be able to post a few more things that we were thinking about during our trip. Look for posts on:

-The European view of the American elections
-Things we missed about America
-Things we can learn from the Europeans
-And, of course, a link to all of our pictures once I get them uploaded and captioned.

We also have quite a bit more activity lined up before getting back to work, including moving, a trip to Kansas, Diwali, a trip to Oklahoma, a wedding, and Thanksgiving.

So we're looking forward to catching up with all of you soon! In the meantime, keep checking back!

Breaking News!

We are pleased to inform you all that...

Ankur's dad has had his dissertation approved!

Congratulations! We are so happy and proud of him.