[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

making the kids self sufficient is unfortunately NOT a norm here. I guess it is conveniently disguised as 'doting' on your child.

Kids see us asking maids / drivers to run errands for us.

And we being the point of reference for them, this behavior gets copied.

If my kids start eating by themselves, it would like Nivana for us.

[normally_crazy]

Sam,

Is your next blog/book going to be titled - The YETI way of bringing up kids

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by TheOne®

Our society is very different from yours. No maids, no cooks, no drivers... kids are educated to be self-sufficient from very young and they actually enjoy it.

I think it has more to do with availability as well. In western societies, a full time maid would ask for $2000 but in India you can get one for as little as 2/3000 rupees. Since there are so many people (read poor/BPL) who can't get/ are not qualified for any decent employment they take up these jobs.

Same goes for the BOSS GPS. You can find people at every nook and corner (and even on Highways) in India to get directions so you don't need those gadgets here. I am not sure how successful are those navigation companies in India.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

I guess after living with Yeti, traveling in India, wearing a salwar kurta, learning 'kutte kamine', bargaining with street vendors, you can now proudly say that you now belong to our society

It's a bit of both Kalpesh, it has to be. She has become a little more Indian because she lives here now. Now European people we know say she has developed the Indian sing-song accent too, lol.

I have become a little more German because I live with her.

She threw out the cook and cleaner too, lol. Now we cook and clean the kitchen ourselves. Yes, in Mumbai.

And no, this is not a living room and kitchen in Germany, lol.



It's our home in Mumbai.

As you can see, she brought a little bit of Europe with her.

Back to my story now.

[Sabareesh]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

BOSS navigation

ROTFLMAO awesome

[maddy42]

M addicted and addicted and m in love with the place. Guess a person would get bored after seeing so many many many flowers!!!

Sam great going.
The way you explained the people in india was simply hilarious Boss:-)

There is no paan-ki-dukaan, no testicle-scratching watchman, no paan-spitting mazdoor, no bekaar loafer-launda - nobody. Who will we ask?

@Jenny: Aapko India pasand aaya? Settle ho gaye??

[Sam Kapasi]

No, I am not to sleep long enough. The kids wake me up by 8.

Wake up, you two. says Jenny's older sister. Mom's coming over for breakfast.

I groan and rise. Thank God we've cancelled all other plans. Earlier, yesterday, while sitting at the cafe-on-top-of-the-hill, we had all decided to go to the river Rhine and spend a day by the river.
Beautiful yes, but I'm just too pooped to do anything now.

Breakfast is fun and later we hop out into the garden to sit in the sun like sparrows. It is a wonderfully warm day. I see the kids running around getting their things.

What things? one may ask.

Wasserbombs!! - translate that as water balloons!!

Good God! I watch as Jenny's mama helps them fill the wasserbombs. She also gives one to everyone else as a good measure.

The weather is probably between 25 to 30 degrees. The sun is hot and shining.

Phachak!

Somebody has struck somebody else. The spray hits my legs and I wince - the water is freezing cold.




I get up and walk away with the watergun in my hand. I see Jenny talking to the kids.

Oh what the heck.

I aim.

Phoosh! It gets her straight on the head.

Sameer Kapasi how dare you!

I giggle and prepare to aim again.

YOU WOULDN'T DARE!!

Phoosh - I squeeze. It hits her on her sunglasses.

She gets up and strides off to the garden hose.

She can't be serious. She can't.

I see her connecting the garden hose to the tap. No no, she can't. She wouldn't.

She aims at me.

YOU WOULDN'T!! Oh no, JENNY, YOU WOULDN'T!

WHOOOOOSSSHHH!!

AAARRRGGHHHH!!!! I fire back with my piddly little gun as hard as I can but the water is FREEZING!!! HAAALLLPP!!



We stand there fighting with our lightsabres, the evil Sith Lord and I, Yeti van Kapasi. The force however, is stronger with the Dark Lord.





SQUARCH-SQUARCH!!! My gun is out of water. Clearly her hose is not. I am freezing!!



OK OK OK, STOP!! You WIN! JESUS CHRIST!


Ah, the mature games of a mature couple, lol.

The sun goes to the bathroom for a bit.

The kids are cold and get inside.


I get upstairs and change into some dry clothes. Today is the Blumenmarkt - the flower market in Bad Nauheim and we're going out to enjoy it!

[ajmat]

Sam, is this the same place where we camped out before we took the yeti twins to Bangalore?

[Sam Kapasi]

We drive off in the rather large Opel. (Jenny, what model was it?)

we drive through town - WOW - who said that there are no people in the towns of Germany? lol









First stop - to Jenny's Grandma. She loves me and I love talking to her. How much the garden has changed since I was here last December.



We spend a little time here with Oma and decide to walk through the little flower festival.

it is a walk that greatly tries our patience.

JENNY!!

Every 400 metres we walk, somebody from the little town of Bad Nauheim recognises their superstar and starts talking while the rest of us play with our thumbs.

She is of course, very eager to introduce the man - and they are most eager to see the guy responsible for taking away their girl to India.









It is like a mini-carnical, only a lot more peaceful. Everyone is out, laughing, chatting, smoking and drinking Barley water.
we help ourselves to some Ice Cream and some bratwurst and walk around.





Oh we walk around having fun. People have set up little stalls where they sell pure and beautiful things to eat, made at home. Jams and syrups and other things.
we try and buy some berry marmalade.

It is wonderful.

[Sam Kapasi]

I'm hungry!

we stop for some Flammkuchen (a very thin Pizza like base with cheese and meat on top)

Want some wild boar sausage?

The guys roasting the sausage look incredible massive and weather worn.

Yeah, they're my Dad's friends. they go hunting together, she says nonchalantly.

The wurst is delicious.









After lunch we walk through the flower market.















Soon it will be evening. Time to go home and pack. This trip has gotten over before it has begun.

[anupmathur]

Sam & Jenny, thank you for sharing this!

I'm out of words.

[Sam Kapasi]

We're back home.

Everyone has gone inside. I choose to be outside for a little while.

There is a great sadness in my heart.

I don't want to go home. It is a bit of everything.

This beautiful, calm serene place. Have I only been here a weekend?

These beautiful people, Jenny's family - that have adopted me as one of their own and share everything they have with me.

These children, that I have known for a year or two, but who have taken me in and loved me, despite the fact that we hardly understand each other.

And her? Will I now have to say bye to her again? When will she return to India. She plans to stay here for a few weeks more. Hell, she doesn't even have a ticket to come back to India.
Saying bye the last time around was easy, I was going to meet her in Amsterdam a few days later...

There is a lump in my throat as I stand outside, pretending to look out at the rapeseed fields.







I stare at the setting sun and my face lightens up. It is the very same sun that set a few hours ago in India.

So beautiful, warming up the entire sky with a deep ethereal glow - shining down upon us miniscule humans, little nuisance creatures. And we worry about distances between India and Germany.

I am shaken out of my reverie by the sound of my colleague dragging his bag to the car.



I have still not packed. I rush inside and busy myself.

[Sam Kapasi]

Our flight is at 10.20pm.

As we begin to say our goodbyes a little before 8, I feel inside me that this one is the hardest one yet. I don't want to prolong it. I quickly say bye to the lovely couple who have been our hosts and get a few kisses from all 3 children.

Jenny will drive my colleague and I to Frankfurt. The drive is quick, uneventful and very quiet. I do not know what is going on in my colleagues head, but I can see that even he feels that the weekend was too short.

I stare at the hand as she shifts gears. It was easier before, now the house will seem totally empty without her.

We park and walk up to the terminal. There is no time to eat or drink or chat. While we're still talking and walking I suddenly see that we're at immigration.

How did that happen?

I stare at the immigration officers, stamping their goodbyes on the passports. I touch my breast pocket, no I haven't forgotten my passport. I leave my hand there for a few seconds to feel the thumping of my heart.

Bye Jenny.

I walk up to the officer and stand there as he stamps me out of Germany. I am in a state of trance. I pick up my passport from his counter wordlessly and walk out of the doors.
A few seconds later I turn.

I see her walking away, her back towards me. Isn't she going to say goodbye?
She turns and waves.

I want her to return to India as soon as possible. Man she doesn't even have a ticket yet.

Buy your ticket to India tomorrow, I mouth out.
She says WHAT? wordlessly.
I point to my boarding pass. And then point to her. You. Buy this tomorrow. Come soon.

She understands and nods.
Call me when you land, she signals.

I take another step inside and can't see her anymore.

THE END.

[Sam Kapasi]

I was upset, really upset.

Upset enough to forget to take any pictures at Frankfurt terminal and of the Aircraft.
I slept a little, in fits and starts all the way to Dubai.

At Dubai, we walk around aimlessly for 2 hours, shopping for little meaningless things that don't change our lives. I try a fisheye on my camera.



How stupid.

We land on Monday afternoon at 2. It is boiling hot and the air is thick with cement from all the construction. I step out into the mess as the hot air and humidity sting me across my face.

The car is waiting, I get home. The bed is waiting.

I sleep at 4 pm for 16 hours straight. Finally.

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Thank you everyone for enjoying our story. It has taken us a week to relate a story that lasted a week.

I have read and really enjoyed all your comments in between but I know that there are many of you that have patiently waited for me to end.

Well this is it.

Of course the floor is open to ask any question or to point out any cultural oddities or just general rambling. We will answer them all, the very best we can.

Already the number of views (well over 12000! - I am surprised!) of this story has surpassed the number of views of our first story together, the Christmas in Bavaria thread.

From Sam and Jenny - thanks everyone - for enjoying yet another one of our travel stories.

[arindamray]

As always, wonderful and makes me speechless.

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

I stare at the setting sun and my face lightens up. It is the very same sun that will set a few hours from now in India.

A small query - isn't this sentence wrong (no, not in english, but in geography)?