This past weekend our family of expatriates threw a few parties, had a few dinners, said our goodbyes, and put Todd on the plane back to Minnesota--his contract was completed and was time to return home. What's harder to believe than the fact that Todd has already completed his 12-month assignment for Target India is that I am only six weeks behind him! Yes, I will complete my assignment and head back to Minnesota at the end of October. Funny how time flies...
The events of the weekend included a going away party with a "Minnesota State Fair" theme (everything on a stick!) Tracy and Tom organized this fantastic party with so many of Target India's best team members turning out to wish Todd a fond farewell. There was corn-on-the-cob, homemade corn dogs (yum!), cotton candy, popcorn, cookies, french fries... the list goes on and on. The kids loved the balloons and party favors, and everyone had a chance to get their faces and arms painted (I still have glitter on my hands :o) I felt like I was back on the St. Paul fairgrounds! Sunday brought brunch at Zen, the Asian restaurant at the Leela Palace Hotel--a nice and relaxing time before heading to the airport.
What an amazing year it has been and what an amazing group of expats I've had the privilege to live, work, and play with! Living in our apartment building, Zen Gardens (or affectionately known as the EPC--Expat Central), has been like a college dorm & the Real World meet Indian Melrose Place (I know, that's quite the visual but it's actually quite accurate...) We've all had the unique opportunity to live and work in a foreign country; learn more about the people, culture, and customs that are uniquely Indian; and also take time to travel together, eat together, watch movies, attend concerts, shop, play games, and best of all, laugh together--and SO much laughter!! There's never been a dull moment this entire year.
And so, Mr. Tood (affectionately misspelled by the girl at the food court Domino's Pizza), we will miss your laughter, your smiles, and we will certainly miss watching you do your funky little dance or seeing you twisting your hair... Congratulations on your successful year in India and only the best to you in your new position back at Target Minneapolis. You will be missed.
Now our current expat posse will slowly begin to disband over the next few months... Todd, then me, then Curly (the "other" Michael)... but new recruits are already coming in to replace many of us "old timers" and pick up where we left off. It still seems like just last week when I was getting settled in my apartment, adjusting to Indian food, and looking at my year ahead. This is why it is so important to be present and savor the moments you have.
Life is today--life is now. Live it, Love it, Enjoy it, and Celebrate it! And most importantly, celebrate the people in your life--give thanks often and be grateful. Take the opportunities to appreciate others, for only through your relationships with others do you truly live!
Peace.
This past weekend a group consisting of 10 of our Target expats decided to take a weekend trip to Kabini Park, a wildlife preserve in Southern India. Since earlier this past winter Paul had been to Banipur--another park next door--and really enjoyed the visit, he took the task of putting together a group trip to the same vicinity this spring.Since nearly all of us are living in the same apartment building at Zen Gardens, we took Friday off, met-up outside the building early Friday morning, packed up the van/bus (whatever it was), and started our journey. The six-hour road trip was typical for India--bounces, bumps, twists and turns (not to mention the plethora of animals, cars, motorcycles, rickshaws, people, and various debris on the roads... oh yeah, and India has speed bumps on the highways... yeah... that's a whole other blog entry... I digress :o)
ANYHOO, after singing along to Paul's iPod tunes and lots of snacks, we finally arrived in Kabini, took Jeeps (mighty fast ones!) to the boats, which took us to the resort cabins where we stayed for the weekend. Between the 10 of us we shared 3 cottages--it was just like going to camp! While the days consisted of several "safari" outings (Jeep safari, two boat safaris, and one trekking safari on-foot), the nights were spent playing cards, telling stories, and lots of laughter... in fact, the weekend was filled with laughter from the very start. Yeah!
During the safari outings we saw everything from wild elephants to baboons, peacocks, spotted deer, cows, wild boars, a crocodile, several types of birds, and then the "usual" assortment of cattle, goats, chickens--you know-- the animals that hang out on the street outside our apartment? Yeah, they were there as well... ya just can't completely escape the feeling of home in India--not even in the jungle! Check the online gallery album for more snaps.
All-in-all, the weekend was absolutely fantastic. Yes, the safaris were interesting and we had some interesting guides along the way, like Oopy ("Shhhh! Silent safari! Dancing peacock! Shhhhh... elephant! Oh wait, let me answer my mobile phone...), but the best part of the weekend was the fellowship. We all had time to just hang out with one another--time for stories, jokes, games, and just plain relaxing. It was wonderful.
BIG thanks to Paul for helping to organize a fantastic "Memorial Day Weekend" trip (although India doesn't celebrate Memorial Day and we had to work on Monday...) I am sure we will all remember this fantastic time for years to come. It was, indeed a safari so good--or, in the unforgettable words of Oopy every time we'd see another elephant, "Success!!"
This past week our training team visited a local NGO (Non-Government funded Organization) named Narendra Nele--local care centers/orphanages for boys and girls here in Bangalore. Established in August 2000, these centers provide food, shelter, health supervision, and formal education to children whose former ‘"home" was the streets of Bangalore. Target teams spend time with local NGOs to connect with their children, learn about their services, and better understand how they support the community.
The site we visited this week was a center exclusively for boys between the ages of 5-13. Needless to say, the boys were delighted to see us--we had come to spend the afternoon playing games with them, show movies, and give gifts to the shelter on behalf of Target. When we first arrived, the 40+ boys were sitting neatly in rows being very attentive and quiet... but that soon changed. With our excitement of the day's events in mind and their eagerness to begin, the troops were up and running within minutes. We all looked at each other and thought, "Here we go" ...and go we did!
The day was amazing--constant stream of movement, shouts, yelling, laughing, screams, shouts, and explosive energy running everywhere. All of that energy made us all feel like 6 year-olds again! The activities of the day consisted of games like "Dog and Bone", where a "dog" from each of two teams attempts to steal the "bone" from a central spot when their number is called (a very high-spirited game involving timing, 
speed, and lots of encouragement from your doghouse!) - and other games. Then, after much anticipation, the big "finale"--a balloon popping contest. Have you ever tied a balloon to your leg and tried to keep other people from popping it? Total chaos--all of the boys running around trying to pop each others' balloons--just the way the boys liked it.
Finally, we all took some down time to watch 
Tom & Jerry cartoons (much to the relief of the Target team members!) and the day concluded with our team giving out school bags, paper and pencil kits, toys, and books on behalf of Target. Our team also donated CDs, movies, clothes, stationery, and toys to help replenish their supply--a great opportunity to not only give these gifts, but to give of our time and energy as well. We all left the center exhausted from the experience, but energized. These little souls had stirred-up some powerful energies within all of us and had reminded us of the universal energy of kids--a memorable experience, indeed.
Well, this weekend was surely nothing less than eventful--if there isn't a holiday to celebrate, we'll just create our own! Whereas last weekend consisted of national and international holidays, this weekend was several social events creating all sorts of opportunities to connect with coworkers, charities, neighbors, and friends.
Friday night was the BEC's Black & White Ball held as a benefit for Sukrupa, a school for street kids in India. Besides getting "dressed to impress" in stylish black & white, the night included dinner, dancing, and a silent auction consisting of paintings by the children, fun activities, and even dinner cooked by Barbara, BEC President and Hungarian cook extraordinaire. A group of us from Zen Gardens (or Expat Central, EPC, as we call it) went to the gala affair in our best black & white. Michael Hubbard (now known as "Curly Mike") and I ("Burly Mike") 
coordinated our black & white Indian kurtas so it gave us a great opportunity to shop for some new Indian formal wear, which is always a perk! Another one of our TTS team members from Minneapolis, Tim, also had a chance to attend the event in an Indian kurta, so that was great. It's always so nice when our HQ team members visit! Hope you had a great trip, Tim :o)
Saturday night brought the EPC Progressive Party--somewhat like a progressive dinner, but just simple drinks and snacks throughout the 8 different apartments we occupy at Zen Gardens, Building A. Every 30-minutes we would rotate to the next apartment, 
thus giving all the guests an opportunity to view the different apartment layouts, decor, and "warm" each apartment with their cheerful spirit. It was a fun night of conversation, music, laughter and stories, and a wide variety of drinks and snacks. Fun for everyone! I had a great time helping to organize the event and, of course, taking snaps of the entire night--
I love being the Paparazzo.Next weekend Michael, Paul, Will, and I are off to Sri Lanka to do some exploring, and then I'm preparing for a whirlwind tour of central Europe with Mom & Dad on Eurail--I love vacation time. Never a dull moment in the life of this expat :o)
Even though it's sunny at 90 degrees virtually every day in Bangalore, springtime still brings a freshness and feeling of renewal. The change of the season marks the entrance into summer--new flowers bloom, the winds change, and vacations are planned. May this spring renew and refresh you--get outside and soak up the natural beauty of this earth. What a gift!
Happy Spring to All :o)
These last two weekends have been quite busy--St. Patrick's Day, Holi (an Indian holiday marking the start of spring), Good Friday, and, of course, Easter weekend. Never before do I remember St. Patrick's Day and Easter being so close in the calendar, but it's rather strange to think that it's spring anyway since in India it always feels like summer--reminds me of living in Hawaii all those years!
Between the holiday events and gatherings there were plenty of opportunities to connect with other expats and traveling visitors these past two weeks. Todd's parents were in town, we have Ron, Amy, and Tim from our International HR in town, and our newest expats, Will and Pam, have moved into Zen Gardens. A group of us took another Bangalore Walks tour this past weekend (thanks, Roopa!), the OWC (Overseas Women's Club) had a St. Patrick's Day dinner, BEC (Bangalore Expat Club) had its St. Patrick's Day party and weekly mixer, and Easter Brunch at the Taj West End was attended by a big group of us from Target.
Between the two weekends there's been lots of great conversations, stories, activities, and holiday cheer. Paul, Pam, and I colored easter eggs over the weekend--which I hadn't done in years! Paul had gotten some dye powder and I brought my magic markers, paints, and colored dyes from the Mysore market (remember those bowls of colored powder in my photos? They were used to dye eggs this weekend :o)
It was fun to celebrate the holidays with the other expats--not the same as being home with family, but like Christmas, another opportunity to connect with my extended family of friends here in Bangalore.
Happy Spring, St. Patrick's Day, St. Urho's Day (for the Finns :o), Holi, Spring Solstice, Easter, and everything good that springtime brings!
Since this was my last weekend in Minnesota I drove up to Bemidji to spend time with my family before I embark on my journey to India. My Mom & Dad (Tom and Yvonne) still live in Bemidji after 41 years (in our new house since our original home burned in 2002), and my sister, Becky; my brother-in-law, Jim; and my nieces Nicki and Natalie drove over from Erhard, Minnesota (a cozy little town over towards Fargo) so we could all be together.
It was a typical family weekend--we just hung out, ate Mom's great cooking, ordered Dave's Pizza (mmmmm...), watched football (wow-the Vikes actually WON!), played 2500 (our latest card game craze), and just visited with each other. I love going home! We are all such good friends and really enjoy one anothers' company. What a gift family truly is...
Since I am going to miss our family Christmas together this year we even set up the Christmas tree and did a little "early celebration". Nicki, Natalie, Louie (the dog), and I played with my new camera-- total blast. Check out his tongue in this shot.
Since I've been in the routine of driving up to Bemidji every month I am going to miss my visits... but I bought M&D a webcam, loaded up Skype, and showed them how we can do video conference calls with VOIP. Excellent :o) I'm in no mood to pay $2.00/minute for AT&T service--yeah, I think not!
Okay--time to finish final packing. Off and flying in no time. India--ready or not, here I come.
This past weekend our family of expatriates threw a few parties, had a few dinners, said our goodbyes, and put Todd on the plane back to Minnesota--his contract was completed and was time to return home. What's harder to believe than the fact that Todd has already completed his 12-month assignment for Target India is that I am only six weeks behind him! Yes, I will complete my assignment and head back to Minnesota at the end of October. Funny how time flies...
The events of the weekend included a going away party with a "Minnesota State Fair" theme (everything on a stick!) Tracy and Tom organized this fantastic party with so many of Target India's best team members turning out to wish Todd a fond farewell. There was corn-on-the-cob, homemade corn dogs (yum!), cotton candy, popcorn, cookies, french fries... the list goes on and on. The kids loved the balloons and party favors, and everyone had a chance to get their faces and arms painted (I still have glitter on my hands :o) I felt like I was back on the St. Paul fairgrounds! Sunday brought brunch at Zen, the Asian restaurant at the Leela Palace Hotel--a nice and relaxing time before heading to the airport.
What an amazing year it has been and what an amazing group of expats I've had the privilege to live, work, and play with! Living in our apartment building, Zen Gardens (or affectionately known as the EPC--Expat Central), has been like a college dorm & the Real World meet Indian Melrose Place (I know, that's quite the visual but it's actually quite accurate...) We've all had the unique opportunity to live and work in a foreign country; learn more about the people, culture, and customs that are uniquely Indian; and also take time to travel together, eat together, watch movies, attend concerts, shop, play games, and best of all, laugh together--and SO much laughter!! There's never been a dull moment this entire year.
And so, Mr. Tood (affectionately misspelled by the girl at the food court Domino's Pizza), we will miss your laughter, your smiles, and we will certainly miss watching you do your funky little dance or seeing you twisting your hair... Congratulations on your successful year in India and only the best to you in your new position back at Target Minneapolis. You will be missed.
