Hi, Mary and Francis, this post is  for you and your almost-expat cousins. I’ll let mom or dad  explain “expat.”

We had a perfect day for the party hosted by Auntie Rhonda and Uncle Tom.  Soon, the expats will get to know Swiss Chocolate. Today, we had A.MAZ.ING American Chocolate:

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There were many, many  children. Q was too fast for me, but here are Francis and the  Cronin cousins:

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Oh, and there were grownups — I was enjoying the food and Sangria (ask your mom and dad… or not) and wine, and… Anyhow, I didn’t take many Big People photos, but here are some. How many do you know?

I saw many other great photo ops, too, like Dad/Uncle Chris visiting great old friends (like me, old, I mean). And Ceci with some of her girlfriends, who just threw themselves down on the lawn for a picnic. And Mom/Auntie Teresa drying children’s tears (I’m not saying…!). And old (like them) Nativity and college friends, some meeting one another for the first time! 

By the end of the day,  we knew we were all very sad for ourselves, but very happy for them.

                                  (The Grands, by Auntie Elizabeth – July 2016)

Dear Ceci, Finn, Gus, Mary, Kieran, and Francis,

Now that Christmas break has ended, I know some of you are back to school or back home (or mommy is now home, full time!).  Here at the ashram in India this  week, we ended the Christmas Season, too. You can see the  the crèche as it was being taken down … 

   
 I’m sorry you’re missing  the colored, popping lights, but you can still see how different this is from an American crèche. Do you see the lines of the divided highway? And the sand? The riverbed? 

Speaking of the riverbed, when I Facetimed with Ceci the other day, she noticed the Cauvery River from my hut. Here’s a satellite photo – can you see the river near the top? The long red building near the bottom holds the kitchen and the dining room where we eat. My hut is just above there.

Ananda Ashram

  My broom, up close! 

  Today I arrived early for noon prayer in the chapel, which we call a “temple,” so I whispered this video. 

 Here’s the river, close-up. Not so different-looking, but…  Would you believe that is a fishing boat??!

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The  teachers (and 2 of their daughters) out at BLESS School,  are dressed for A WORKDAY. Yes!  

 They worked in groups, and very hard,  on the assignment I gave them.

Before I close, Here’s  a little video I took yesterday when I went into the village to run errands. I looked down, and look what I saw–!

Missing you all. xxoo

Hi, kids — 

     Special thanks to Ceci and Finn for the great videos telling my students about snow! I know it’s hard to tell  kids who can’t see, about something they’ve never experienced.  BUT YOU DID IT. They  still tell me they don’t really understand how — or why — you go outside and actually PLAY in it, but I think that’s because winter here (now) is 80 degrees or higher,  don’t you?

Today, I thought I’d tell you about 2 trips we’ve taken  (if you click the photos, I think you can make them bigger) —

                          THIS WEEK WE WENT TO THE COUNTRY, TO A RICE FARM.

In fact these students go out to the country nearly every week – to learn where rice (and sometimes other fruits and vegetables) comes from, and how it is harvested.

When the mold is removed, the rice is compact and moist, then hosed down again, really well. before being covered with sheets of straw and plastic. It will sit that way in the fields for awhile, so it can produce the rice you eat…and Northern Thailand loves: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack (on a stick: Sticky Rice), dessert…

We packed it really well.

We made about 50 trips with stacks of damp rice. It was just like wet straw!

After the rice was packed, students – and teachers! Got to stomp on it.

We placed layer after layer in the mold.

This mold is used to pack the rice, which was harvested in September.

After working in the morning, we made lunch —

🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

LAST WEEK WE WENT TO AN EXHIBIT AT CHIANG MAI UNIVERSITY. IT WAS LIKE OUR STATE FAIR, ONLY WITH DIFFERENT FOOD AND NOT SO MANY ANIMALS.

As you know, the kids can’t see, so this is how they figure out what pumpkins are like: how they’re shaped, and where they come from

P

Hi, Kids — 

Mary, I know you’re back home, and Cronin kids, I think you didn’t have school on Wednesday (Finn, you called it: -40 with the wind chill). BRRR I wonder what you did  all day?

Maybe tonight or tomorrow you will have time to look at pictures From a few weeks ago, from  Beijing. As you know,  I was with Uncle Roy and Auntie Elizabeth. There are even videos  for you, Gus, Kieran, and Mary…

Elizabeth toted  my very heavy bags from the airport…

One day I visited a huge palace, with many buildings, and many rooms in those buildings. It is right in the center of Beijing.  Can you guess why this huge palace, many palaces, actually, which is about 600 years old, is known as THE FORBIDDEN CITY?

Inside The Forbidden City. This looks like a very old picture doesn’t it? I took it in December 2014!

I also made a very quick visit to TIANANMEN SQUARE (ask mom & dad) —

CHAIRMAN MAO

One evening we went to see many things, starting with the Chinese National Stadium, called The BIRDSNEST.  Nearby, is this tower. If I’d taken a video, you could see that the changing colors make the lights look as if they are moving.

That night we also visited a huge place called The Water Cube. It was built for swimming competition at the 2008 Olympics. Elizabeth took this video for you:

Inside the Water Cube is a long water path, covered with glass — can you see what WE saw as we walked along the path?We went to see a performance of Beijing Opera in the Water Cube. This introduction by the director gives you an idea of why the singers sound strange to our ears:

…and here are a few seconds of the opera. Ceci and Finn, can you read the words on the red sign? That might help understand what is going on here. Beijing Opera is what is called “stylized,” and what I call “complicated.” I’ve known some who just call it HARD on the EARS. What do YOU think?

One morning,  Roy took me out to a great bakery on”Lucky Street,” near their apartment. Best bakery and cafe in Beijing?

He and Auntie Elizabeth think so! Mary, tell your mommy and daddy that it is a German bakery, and I think they’d like it, too.

STAY WARM!

Love,

Eebie