God Bless India!

Namaste!

Perhaps our favorite stop on our world travels this year, thus far, was in India. India holds a very special place in our hearts, as we have been privileged to have many dear friends over the years who come from India. Our youngest has often declared that she believes she has been called to live in India some day, taking care of orphans. In the meantime, we have been "family," through Compassion, to Elissa, from the rural community of Upper Sahi (Dambo) in India, for about 10 years.

See how Ellisa has grown!

Elissa when we began sponsorship.

We learned many things about India during our "stay." India is about one-third the size of the United States, with approximately four times the population (there are more than a billion Indians). This has earned India the claim to having the second largest population of any country (China has the largest) and one out of about every six of the world's people lives in India! About 80 percent of the population is Hindu. There are thousands, perhaps one million, Hindu gods. On Maha Kumbh Mela, Hindus will wash in the Ganges to rid themselves of sin. We learned about castes, reincarnation and that cows are sacred in Hinduism. There are 18 official languages in India, but more than 1500 are spoken.

The colors of the Indian flag are saffron, white and dark green. The wheel in the center is an ancient symbol called the Dharma Chakra (Wheel of Law). India is home to the smaller-eared Asiatic elephants, which live mostly in Northern India. Their trainers are called mahouts. Sikh boys never cut their hair. However, Hindu babies have their heads shaved because it is believed by Hindus that it is unlucky to keep the hair with which you are born. The Taj Mahal was built by an emperor for his wife. Bindis, colored dots worn between the eyes of women, can be different colors to match an outfit. India's rail system has more trains and train stations and carries more passengers than any other country in the world. Bharat Natyam is 2000 years old and is a serious dance art form, telling a story with the hands, eyes and neck positions. India produces more films than any other country in the world. Films featuring singing and dancing are especially popular.

Kathakali is a classical dance form in India, known for its elaborate costuming and make-up. Here, the girls have tried their hand at applying kathakali make-up.



Every year, Indians celebrate a festival called Raksha Bandhan, during which brothers and sisters affirm their relationships with one another. The girls tie a bracelet to their brothers' wrists who, in return, promise to love, protect and help their sisters.  Historian was not available (or willing... I can't remember) for our version of this ceremony, so the girls tied a bracelet to our dog Hank's "wrist." Certainly, he loves his "sisters." It remains to be seen whether or not he will help or protect them, but that's OK.

For our feast day, held January 26, which is also India's Republic Day, we invited VCU, church and work friends, all from India. We decorated with an Indian flag and table runner, dupattas (long scarves) and an elephant figurine.

Rajesh, Lester and Siddarth

Solomon, Jasmin, Arjoo and Dolly



Arjoo, both a history buff and a music enthusiast, shared many fascinating things about India with us, and brought Indian music for us to enjoy as well. 

Solomon brought this exquisite representation of the Taj Mahal and made us feel as if we were standing before the actual monument, as he vividly shared information about its features and history.

Dolly, in her gorgeous sari, with her beautiful son.

Siddarth, Pranovaa and Lester.

Arjoo and Solomon.

Jasmin, Dolly and Butterfly.

Solomon and Jasmin's older son.

Siddarth, Pranovaa and Lester.

We had some really wonderful conversations about India, its history and culture. It was interesting to hear perspectives of the different generations present. Ironically, we felt a bit like the ones in a foreign land as, on occasion, we looked quizzically on as our guests laughed or nodded their heads at various things spoken that only someone who had lived in India would understand. We loved every minute of it!

Earlier in the week, I had attempted to wrap the girls in saris.

Fortunately, our sweet friend Pranovaa had bought dupattas for the girls and showed us the proper way to wrap them.

The kurta and scarf I am wearing are also gifts from Pranovaa.

India. It is a country that is incredibly diverse. It has contributed vast amounts of culture, religion, art and science to our world. We hope we will some day be able to truly visit India, to begin to further appreciate its beauty. Until then, we will keep India and the people from India who we have come to call our friends close to our hearts.

God Bless Kenya!

From Germany, we travelled to Africa, spending two weeks in the beautiful Kenya, culminating in, what else but a feast. I did not have high hopes for African food, but it was, to my surprise, delicious, Butterfly's favorite so far.

We decorated the table with country cards from a geography card game;the flag of Kenya; a book; a photo of one of our adored Compassion kids, Roy, who is Kenyan; and a couple of African animal figurines.

As God blessed us with each of our children, we "adopted" a Compassion child. With Historian, we adopted Roy from Kenya; Lizard's counterpart is Elyssa from India; and Butterfly's partner is Shirley from Ecuador. We are blessed to have them in our lives.

New to our feasts were my mother-in-law and nephew. They were in town (along with my nephew's parents who were on a date) to celebrate an early Christmas with us. In meal planning for their visit, it occurred to me that this would be a perfect time for Historian to cook one his feasts. Even my nephew enjoyed most of his food, but he went simply crazy for the tapioca with pineapple.

Ethiopian curry chicken had just the right amount of spice. Historian accompanied it with other African-inspired dishes: mashed potatoes, tapioca with pineapple and cornbread.

By mixing peas and corn into mashed potatoes, you create irio, a dish originating with the Kikuyu people of Kenya. Irio has many variations, but this is a popular one.

North America, South America, Europe and Africa: we've visited four of the seven continents in our first semester geography study. The itinerary for our next continent will allow us to spend the most time there, perhaps because of the vastness in size as well as the diversity and beauty of the peoples who live there: here we come Asia!

God Bless Germany!

Studying Germany was especially fun for our family, as all three of our kids have been involved in Bavarian schuhplattler for several years. Schuhplattler translates as shoe slapping. We got involved, not because we are certain we have German ancestry, although we might, but because I was looking for a physical fitness opportunity for Lizard.

Butterfly in her dirndl for a schuhplattler performance during Oktoberfest.

Historian, especially, loves all things German. Perhaps part of the reason is that one of his best pals in Pittsburgh has a German-born mother. He is interested in the culture, the language, the history and the food. We felt this was his best "feast" yet, not just because it was absolutely delicious, but also because he showed more confidence than ever in the kitchen.

Historian showed excellent knife skills in preparing the pork to become schnitzel.

The table was decorated with the colors of the German flag, a doll in a dirndl, an Oktoberfest stein, a puzzle and game from Germany as well as German-made Schleich figures.

Historian and his perfectly cooked pork shnitzel and spaetzel (homemade German noodles).

The applesauce represents the more than 130 quarts made and canned by my friend K and me in October. I was taught how to make bulk applesauce by my German-born friend Vera.

Historian also prepared a scrumptious Black Forest cake that had us all raving.

After dinner, we played Labyrinth Der Meister, a German-language game given to us by our German-born friend Heidi.

Fortunately, we never completely left Germany. Because of schuhplattler, Historian's status as a Germanophile and our love for the German friends God has put in our lives, Germany will always be close to our hearts.

Next stop, Kenya!