Settling In...some observations

When Kyle and I began discussing the possibility of a move to India several months ago I delved into the research - in typical Kristin style!  I truly feel like we entered this adventure with eyes wide open.  I knew India was a third-world country with third-world problems and that the adjustment would be extremely difficult.  Moving two children from a beautiful, tiny NH town of 5,000 people to a dirty, crowded city teeming with millions of people would not be an easy transition.  Our mantra was...Just survive the first month.  We figured if we could get through the difficulties of the first month we could get the kids adjusted enough to enjoy living here and get the most out of the experience.

Well, we have three more weeks to go to get through that first month and so far the experience has been as difficult as expected.  Some of the more challenging aspects:

• I do not have phone service.  We have been trying to get me an Indian cell phone for the past week and have not been able to.  In India phones and service plans are purchased separately.  So, technically I have a cell phone.  But the AirTel service provider has a million hoops to jump through before allowing service.  We've been told we can't have service because I don't have any paperwork with my address on it.  So, we used Kyle's name for my phone, but his Indian address is a different one then where we live because he was in temp housing for several months.  Since AirTel verifies addresses with a personal visit (can you imagine AT&T coming to your house to make sure you live there!) they will not approve coverage.  We finally convinced them that we live where we say we do so they agreed to use Kyle's US license as one form of ID (in addition to his Indian Visa, passport, lease agreement, and official Indian work permits).  Since his license expires in December (3 months away!) they told us it was an invalid form of ID and could not approve the service plan.  MADDENING!!!  So, still don't have a phone...
• And, since I don't have a phone the school can not call me if something goes wrong.  Which is a definite possibility since school has been a challenge as we expected.  It is difficult to adjust to any new school, but one where your teachers speak heavily accented english and follow a different curriculum is especially challenging.  And, there is far less handholding at this school than US schools (which will eventually be a great thing) but will take time for the kids to get used to.  As an example, the teacher will mention homework in passing and expect the kids to make a mental note of the assignment and then remember that assignment when they get home.  No one is reminding them to write down the assignments at the end of the day.  Again, I think this could be a very good thing once the kids get accustomed to the situation, but it makes for high-anxiety evenings when they get home and have no idea what their homework assignments are.
• We have a driver - which is great because driving in India is insane.  Imagine Boston drivers driving through downtown Boston without traffic signals or lane markings and with tractors, cows, goats, walkers, bikers, pushcarts and various other vehicle forms all sharing the same roads.  So a driver is great!  But, I am totally dependent on him to get anywhere and he is gone from 8:30 am until 10:30-11:00 am every morning to drive Kyle to work.  So, if there was a problem at school and somehow the school managed to contact me, I'd need to find my driver that I can't call (who could be driving Kyle somewhere or out running errands for us) and then get to the school which is at least 45 minutes away traffic depending.
• I've attempted to communicate with the school via email since I don't have a phone, but that has been a challenge as well since our WIFI has gone down twice this week for several hours each day.  When WIFI goes down I lose all ability to communicate with anyone.  I guess its kind of like how my mom lived when I was a kid in the 70s and she didn't have a cell phone, email, or even a car to get us even if we needed to be picked up!
• We lose power Every. Single. Day!  several times a day, sometimes for hours at a time.  We have a backup generator that powers the fans, the fridge and some lights, but nothing else works, including the remaining kitchen appliances and AC, which makes sleeping difficult.  And sometimes when the power goes out it is accompanied by noises which can be scary for kids that don't know what it is.  And, sometimes we'l spend ten minutes in a vicious cycle of: power goes out, generators kick in, generators kick off, power comes back, power fizzles out, generator kicks in...mostly this is annoying, but when it happens during the night it will cause the boys to get nervous.
• One thing the kids really dislike...the constant application of sunscreen and bugspray!

I know I sound very down on India, but that is not the case!  I realize how fortunate I am to have this amazing opportunity for me and my family.  I've already begun planning my first weekend away with a couple of women I've already met (other Fidelity wives) for a photography excursion to Veranasi to view the Ganga of Benares (I'll let you know more about that when I learn more about it!)  I have met some amazing people and my boys have already met some great friends and I'm sure they will meet more as they get settled into school.  The weather is unbeatable - 90s, sunny.  We are currently in the rainy season which means it gets humid and rains a little bit each evening, but it hasn't been too bad.  I guess it will start to get colder - and by colder I mean 70s - as we get to the end of the year, but pretty much the weather is amazing year-round.  

I'm getting more sleep now that I am finally getting over the jet lag!  More sleep means that I should be able to experience more and hopefully write more.  Let me know what you want to hear about and I will do my best to answer your questions!