The Last Day of 2010

December 31, 2010

Because we lost a day or so, on this trip, it is very difficult to remember that today is the last day of the year, but here we are.  We are snuggled away at the Choudhrie farm/mango orchard, and couldn’t be happier about it.  We arrived yesterday evening, after a grand total of 40 hours of traveling (not including the times sitting around waiting at airports, etc.)

Lys

 

A view of the farm.  Its very green and lush.  Very different from where we live.

We’ll post some pictures of the place soon, but know that it is a serene and beautiful place.  A simple, but ample house—we’re staying in what was the chicken coop when Sanjay was a child, but is now a very nice little guest room for us.  And the farm is beautiful.  It’s no longer mango season, but the guava trees are full of fruit, and the wheat fields are a deep green.  Lys and I went for a walk through the little village—small little mud houses with livestock running in and out and lots of little kids to giggle at us making a strange sight. 

All of Sanjay’s siblings are now here with their families in tow.  This means a grand total of 6 cousins for Daya and Lys to play with.  They have been playing with the dogs, racing around, picking flowers and watching the cows get milked all day.  More relatives will continue to arrive tonight and tomorrow for the big 50^th anniversary celebration tomorrow.  This one will be a “small” gathering with only 125 people or so—not like the weddings which have 1000 guests. 

Daya and her Uncle Ashish

Sanjay and I wasted no time in getting good, inexpensive health care.  We both saw the eye doctor this morning, and will go to the dentist next week. 

I used to have hair like that.

I still feel a little like I got hit by a truck, so I’m moving slow and took a nap while Sanjay got a tour of Padhar Hospital, the mission hospital that his brother Rajiv now runs and the other siblings work at.  Rajiv has lots of new projects going on to serve this rural part of India better.