Never a Dull Moment in India

Domenic has been home for a day and a half and boy did I miss him. He didn’t arrive until the middle of the night but we stayed wide awake just waiting and waiting and waiting until finally we heard the rattling of the downstairs gate. OMG….they are here!!! Down the stairs we zoomed to greet Dorcy and Domenic who were on the other side of the fence still trying to shake the gate open. Might I remind you that we have a paid security guard on duty, sleeping so soundly, that the ruckus caused from trying to pry open the iron gates wasn’t even enough to shake him out of dreamland and back into reality. Don’t we feel super-safe.

The initial embrace was just like in the movies, long, strong, and dramatic. Domenic and Seth rode the elevator, packed to the weight limit with guilty pleasures from America, while Dorcy and I hiked on foot, one step at a time to the 4th floor. It took all of 60 seconds before the contents of the bags exploded in every direction, blanketing the freshly cleaned floors. We were all but on our hands and knees rummaging through bags and clothes in search of the lifelines that were to sustain us till June when we returned home for a visit; a desperate picture at best. We looked as if we had been stranded on a desert island for 6 months waiting for the cargo ship to port. With enough persistence we were able to locate our treasures; See’s dark chocolate—is there anything better?, Starbucks Christmas blend coffee—good coffee is harder to find than you’d expect, refined white flour—Seth is in dire need of a carrot cake, brown sugar—the only way to enjoy the taste of oatmeal, feather mattress pad—it’s a toss-up between the marble floor and the mattress for comfort, Timewise lotion from Mary Kay (how else do you think Seth retains his beauty)?, Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum—to help keep our local Indian connection motivated, and much, much more.

It’s Saturday night and all is quiet on the home front; really quiet, I’m the only one awake. Jetlag has finally caught up with Domenic and he is sleeping peacefully in our bed where Seth is also sleeping, but not so peacefully. He’s been down for the count since early this morning with horrible intestinal cramps. Identifying the source of the pain can be most simply summed up in one word—INDIA. No matter how careful you are, it takes time to adapt to this country. With the exception of Domenic (knock on wood) we’ve all had our bouts. I was just too sick to blog about my own illnesses, vomiting, and trips to the doctor and hospital (although the hospital visit was definitely blogworthy.) I burned through my sick days so rapidly that at one point I thought I might have to start paying the school to work here. After several months I’m beginning to get acclimated.

Dorcy and I ordered pizza for dinner from a little Italian place down the street and around the corner. The pizza there is actually very good. The crust is thin, NY style, and fired in a brick oven. We ordered two vegetarian pizzas; much safer that way. The delivery guy showed up, pizzas in hand, and a bill for half the price than the last time we placed the same order. Nothing is standard or consistent around this place. We put Domenic’s slices aside and dragged Seth out of bed to eat before taking some medicine. One of the pizzas had a cockroach camouflaged in the toppings—super gross. Seth was given the honors of disposing the meat topping from our vegetarian pizza. I then served Seth a piece of Siciliana pizza, “Here, this one is less cockroachy and probably easier on your digestive system.” Thanks.

I’ve been checking on the boys. Domenic is still out like a light and looking awfully comfortable. Just how chameleons change colors to blend in with their surroundings, Domenic changes sizes to accommodate his space. Our bed is large and he is taking up all but a small sliver on the edge of the bed where Seth is hanging on. The last time I checked, the only request from Seth, “Unwrangle him please, I can’t breathe.”