While on our travels around New Zealand the baby Maddogs whining really got to me. "Lets go and look at this" said Mr Maddog.
"Let me at it" I said.
Yeeehaaaaah!!!!
Bungy jump above the Waikato River, Taupo, New Zealand.
Monday, December 29, 2008
New Zealand - 5 in a camper van
The Maddogs did their usual thing as ever very last minute and booked flights on the last day of school term, and flew the next day meanwhile booking our camper van in the departure lounge at Chennai Airport! As always flying by the seat of our pants!
We arrived after an exhausting journey via Hong Kong and treated ourselves to a night at the Langham Hotel in Auckland and my first bath in weeks.
The we picked up our camper and made our way over to the Coromandel East Coast where we met up with our friends Lizzie, Henrik and their son and spent our days walking, snorkeling, spying on Stingrays. Then we headed over to Rotorua for visits to Geysers, Maori dancing/cultural shows, and the all important visit to a spa!
After that we made our way to Hawkes Bay to go and visit the vineyards and Art Deco city of Napier, where we spent Christmas day on a beach in the sun watching the surf.
New Zealand is just gorgeous, wide roads, green fields, mountains, fresh air, seafood, New Zealand Lamb, WINE!!!!!
Coromandel Coast
Great to catch up with friends from the U.K. who were also in New Zealand at the same time.
Beautiful white sandy beaches
We arrived after an exhausting journey via Hong Kong and treated ourselves to a night at the Langham Hotel in Auckland and my first bath in weeks.
The we picked up our camper and made our way over to the Coromandel East Coast where we met up with our friends Lizzie, Henrik and their son and spent our days walking, snorkeling, spying on Stingrays. Then we headed over to Rotorua for visits to Geysers, Maori dancing/cultural shows, and the all important visit to a spa!
After that we made our way to Hawkes Bay to go and visit the vineyards and Art Deco city of Napier, where we spent Christmas day on a beach in the sun watching the surf.
New Zealand is just gorgeous, wide roads, green fields, mountains, fresh air, seafood, New Zealand Lamb, WINE!!!!!
Hot water beach on the Coromandel Coast where at low tide you dig your own hot water pool and the temperatures are as hot as a bath from the escaping water deep within the earth.
Coromandel Coast
Great to catch up with friends from the U.K. who were also in New Zealand at the same time.
Beautiful white sandy beachesWhere are the Mad Dogs for the Holiday Season?
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE MADDOGS IN.........
NEW ZEALAND!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Humbling of Mr Maddog
Mr Maddogs department in the Company do a lot of fundraising within the local community and in recent months for a local school in the vicinity of the office where he works. He was asked to make the presentation of 200 flip-flops/thongs/slippers to the children. As all the children didn't possess footwear. There are hundreds of children in this city alone who walk around bare footed all the time exposing the risk to diseases especially during the monsoon season.
The brief was give an inspiring talk to the teachers and staff and present the flip-flop/slippers. We talked about it as a family and decided that a talk on geography and the world would be best. So armed with the Baby Maddogs world globe he went.
What he came back with was gifts from the headmistress and a deep humbling of the situation that these kids, parents and staff endure to just try and give children an education.
This my friends is a classroom believe it or not for 4 classes, they have to take it in turns to use the chalkboard.
No desks, no chairs and most of time not enough pencils and paper to write on.
But the kids are issued with a uniform and it's amazing to see them clean, neatly pressed, braided hair. The parents are immensely proud of the fact their children go to school so the kids wear their uniforms with pride.
But the kids are issued with a uniform and it's amazing to see them clean, neatly pressed, braided hair. The parents are immensely proud of the fact their children go to school so the kids wear their uniforms with pride.
A beautiful show of dancing and singing was performed by the older girls.....and....
the boys
Then Mr Maddog got into action giving a little lesson on where Scotland is!!!!
Then the presentation of the shoes started with the youngest child in the school
This is the Headmistress of the school giving gifts of significance to Mr Maddog a welcoming shawl and an apple. This lady used to work in one of the tall office blocks that surround the village and single handed started up the school as there was no education provision in the village and felt compelled to do something. Quite a lady wouldn't you say?
Mr Maddog returned home that evening deeply humbled by the contrast between what he saw that day and how privileged our own children were going to a school where there is no want for nothing.
A few weeks later we got an update from the school saying how the children were so grateful for their shoes that, can you believe this, they walk to school barefooted and carry the precious footwear to put on at school so not to spoil them or wear them out. This is despite being educated by the teachers that they are to wear them all the time. Makes your heart bleed.
This will not be the last you see of this school, we intend to do more. I'll keep you posted.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Kuala Lumpur and Langkawai
Kuala Lumpur - what can I say?
It's everything that Chennai isn't. Clean, orderly, has drainage and pavements, parks, portable water, reliable electricity, cinemas showing English language movies and the two most important reasons for us going........ Starbucks and SHOPS!!!!!!
This was the view at night from our hotel room - which was simply gorgeous.
6.30 p.m. we arrived at the hotel, 7pm we were sat at the beach bar having sundowners looking at this..........and breathe.......bliss.
The view from our hotel rooms - if this was India what would be missing from this scene?
It's everything that Chennai isn't. Clean, orderly, has drainage and pavements, parks, portable water, reliable electricity, cinemas showing English language movies and the two most important reasons for us going........ Starbucks and SHOPS!!!!!!
Underneath the Petronas Towers that you see below is a huge shopping center full of 6 layers of shops, bars, cafes, cinemas, a concert hall, science park and lifts to wizz you up 30 odd floors to the sky bridge, which is the bit straddling the two towers.
This was the view at night from our hotel room - which was simply gorgeous.
I'm not ashamed to say that I lived in this shopping mall and the equally amazing Pavillion shopping mall for 3 days. The very first thing we did upon arrival was get tickets for High School Musical 3 which the girls simply loved. I got such a kick out of doing something that would be so normal back in the West but is really difficult to do for kids in Chennai when the dominant film language is Tamil. Your lucky if there is a suitable English movie every 3 months or so. So we did all the normal stuff that you do every week back in the U.K. but don't get the opportunity in Chennai.
We shall return to K.L. another time and poke our noses outside the hotel and malls and see something more of the city next time. I did ask Mr Maddog if fancied commuting ;-)
Langkawai
Our arrival at the tiny airport in Langkawai which was a bit like something from that series in the 70's - Fantasy Island?
6.30 p.m. we arrived at the hotel, 7pm we were sat at the beach bar having sundowners looking at this..........and breathe.......bliss.The view from our hotel rooms - if this was India what would be missing from this scene?Half the population using the beach as their local toilet.
One of the other nice things about getting away was being able to hire a car and DRIVE again and do sightseeing en famillie without a driver in tow. Here we are climbing an incredibly steep cable car up to the hills.
We made our way over to the other side of the Island to the Yacht Club to check out the boats and have lunch all happy and relaxed...
Well, while it lasted!
Baby Maddog #3 with her Auntie Margot (Also a Chennaitie Expat from Scotland) and me strolling along a clean beach.
So, the next day Bob hired this.... I yelled for dear life, Bob lost his hearing. The girls and Mr Maddog loved it. I'm definitely more a wind powered kind of girl!
One of the other nice things about getting away was being able to hire a car and DRIVE again and do sightseeing en famillie without a driver in tow. Here we are climbing an incredibly steep cable car up to the hills.
We made our way over to the other side of the Island to the Yacht Club to check out the boats and have lunch all happy and relaxed...
Well, while it lasted!Baby Maddog #3 with her Auntie Margot (Also a Chennaitie Expat from Scotland) and me strolling along a clean beach.One of the things we like about the hotel was it's supposed water sports but unfortunately the kit was poorly maintained and while Mr Maddog and our friend Bob (Our other Chennaitie expat friend) were sailing the backstay broke and the mast fell down . I had been out sailing myself with the girls only 10 mins before, we all had a lucky escape. It took a lot of persuasion to get the guys on the beach to rescue them! They didn't even possess any binoculars, I found the guys on the water 1/2 a mile out to sea on my long zoom lens. Tut, tut.
So, the next day Bob hired this.... I yelled for dear life, Bob lost his hearing. The girls and Mr Maddog loved it. I'm definitely more a wind powered kind of girl!And 4 months later.............................
Coooeeeee - did you miss me?
I shan't bore you with all the gory details of the past few months, no, that shall remain bottled up firmly in my British proverbial backside. Stiff upper lip - best of British eh? Accompanied with a jolly good swear every night when I turned out the lights. That's what the Brits do best 'make the most of it'. Although in a nutshell if I HAD and DID try to put words down I'm afraid that along with my other 15 attempted posts it they would have run a bit like this:
Looks like....., smells like......, feels like........... (you can fill in the blanks in your comments)
So let's face it who wants to hear about that - So I shall leave you with some photos.
THE EARLY DAYS
For all you folks back home - please note baby Maddog has not lost her perchance for dressing up for the occasion - like collecting your big sister from school in your flamenco dress. Middle baby Maddog with some of her chums from school.
I am alive and not succumbed to some nasty tropical disease.
No, I didn't jump back on a plane to home, I stayed on in Chennai, although I must admit I've been fighting the temptation to wander into the departure lounge of Chennai airport for some time. The endless traffic jam to the airport always seems to stop me literally in my tracks.
I shan't bore you with all the gory details of the past few months, no, that shall remain bottled up firmly in my British proverbial backside. Stiff upper lip - best of British eh? Accompanied with a jolly good swear every night when I turned out the lights. That's what the Brits do best 'make the most of it'. Although in a nutshell if I HAD and DID try to put words down I'm afraid that along with my other 15 attempted posts it they would have run a bit like this:
Looks like....., smells like......, feels like........... (you can fill in the blanks in your comments)
So let's face it who wants to hear about that - So I shall leave you with some photos.
THE EARLY DAYS
The infernal wait at the immigration office with Mr Maddog just about to lose the will to live with the youngest baby Maddogs.
Meanwhile Mrs Maddog sat in her own bubble as the hours ticked on reading the latest Country Living mag - dreaming of green fields and roses.......
The car got a makeover -Indian style for the Pooja festival - you actually drive your car around town like this. Banana leaves and all. Imagine, they do this to all vehicles, appliances like my refrigerator and washing machine! Something to do with asking the gods for another year of service and pleeeeease don't clap out on me. Judging by some of the early specimens on the roads you can't help but understand why - they need all the help they can get.
Eldest baby Maddog on her first day at school sans school uniform - note the jumper tied round her waist - it was in the high 30's deg c when we arrived but Arctic conditions (allegedly) in the classrooms with the A/C.
Going for a walk on our local 'clean' beach at a 5* resort, taken in November. Note the lack of thermals - people back home :)
Youngest baby Maddog going for a spin on the driveway with Gus and her favourite friend - the guard.
For all you folks back home - please note baby Maddog has not lost her perchance for dressing up for the occasion - like collecting your big sister from school in your flamenco dress. Middle baby Maddog with some of her chums from school.
Our trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during Diwali/end October on the Petronas Towers sky bridge - very smiley here aren't we? I wonder why?
More on Malaysia to follow.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Lady Penelope and Parker
For the first time since I have been in India (4 weeks now) I found myself in the car on my own with my driver with no BMD’s in tow. Suddenly I felt like Lady Penelope and Parker was doing the driving.
When I’m with the girls in the car I’m normally so distracted by the constant whining of “those people are staring at us” (don’t know when the little darlings will get the concept of we ARE the exhibits in the zoo now, get used to it) that until now I never noticed the concept of the driver. Really. Actually – (whisper) how nice it is.
Thoughts of days when I could download a podcast or two and spend my time in the car listening to my favourite shows from BBC Radio 4 to keep in touch with Blighty started popping into my head.
Until Parker decided that this would be a good time for some therapy, on me.........
It kind of went like this.
“Madam join a gym?” Parker.
“Yeah, when I’ve got the house straight, BMD#3 in nursery, got the Staff together, organised our first R & R, watch my nails dry, bla, bla, bla......” (Not anytime soon, if you get my drift)
“Madam could get a running machine and bike and some dumb bells, and do an hour in the morning and evening” What in God’s name are dumb bells?!?
He then (no kidding) starts to tell me in his heavily Tamil accented broken English what sort of stomach exercises I need to do and how he gets up at 4.30 a.m. every day and does an hour in the gym before work and how it would do me good.
“Are you telling me your Madam is fat Parker?”
“Oh no Madam, just want to get my Madam in shape”.
By now I’m rolling about the back of the car in convulsions of laughter and I couldn't resist the next line.
“Are you ashamed of your Madam, Parker?”
“No, No, Noooooooo” came the reply.
“Yes you are” teasing him.
He shut up after that. I carried on chuckling to myself for a while but then couldn't help wondering if all the drivers size up their Madams.
I’ll make sure I’ve got my IPod with me next time.
Cheeky bugger.
When I’m with the girls in the car I’m normally so distracted by the constant whining of “those people are staring at us” (don’t know when the little darlings will get the concept of we ARE the exhibits in the zoo now, get used to it) that until now I never noticed the concept of the driver. Really. Actually – (whisper) how nice it is.
Thoughts of days when I could download a podcast or two and spend my time in the car listening to my favourite shows from BBC Radio 4 to keep in touch with Blighty started popping into my head.
Until Parker decided that this would be a good time for some therapy, on me.........
It kind of went like this.
“Madam join a gym?” Parker.
“Yeah, when I’ve got the house straight, BMD#3 in nursery, got the Staff together, organised our first R & R, watch my nails dry, bla, bla, bla......” (Not anytime soon, if you get my drift)
“Madam could get a running machine and bike and some dumb bells, and do an hour in the morning and evening” What in God’s name are dumb bells?!?
He then (no kidding) starts to tell me in his heavily Tamil accented broken English what sort of stomach exercises I need to do and how he gets up at 4.30 a.m. every day and does an hour in the gym before work and how it would do me good.
“Are you telling me your Madam is fat Parker?”
“Oh no Madam, just want to get my Madam in shape”.
By now I’m rolling about the back of the car in convulsions of laughter and I couldn't resist the next line.
“Are you ashamed of your Madam, Parker?”
“No, No, Noooooooo” came the reply.
“Yes you are” teasing him.
He shut up after that. I carried on chuckling to myself for a while but then couldn't help wondering if all the drivers size up their Madams.
I’ll make sure I’ve got my IPod with me next time.
Cheeky bugger.
Scrub a dub, dub and I'm sorry, your fired!
I have been learning how Indian houses run and why we need staff. Let me explain. On Monday I took 5 of my friends maids/houseboys plus my own to the house to basically try and scrub up a pretty dirty 9000 sq ft house ready for the shipment arriving Thursday.
They all set to work the ladies preferring to work together as a team having a good 'blether' (Scottish for chat) on the way. The two boys joined me in commando style guerrilla warfare on the kitchen. By the time we finished the kitchen gleamed. The ladies meanwhile had ripped all the netlon from all the windows on the house, dumped it in a huge pile in the hallway and done an extremely good job of mopping dust into the marble floors. Need I say more?
While all this was taking place imagine this: your electricity cutting out (the usual 'Monday power-holiday' for 2 hours!). Realizing that a) the generator was bled dry of its fuel by the previous staff, b) the generators batteries were dead and old and needed replacing. Then your electrics blowing, toilets stop working, showers don't spray water and taps don't either. Whew. So no wonder you need the staff - just handling all those switches and pumps!
After the electrician/plumber had visited me more than 4 times in two days - I realized that to keep this guy coming back I needed to sweeten him. So retainer was paid and informed that this would happen every month so long as he would turn up within 1 hour of my call. He was going to be visiting me A LOT!
So I had a crash course in housekeeping Indian style; like turning the pump on for one hour in the morning to pump the water up to the holding tank on the roof terrace. Running the generator for 10/15 mins per day so the battery won't lose its charge. Making sure generator man comes out after 250 running hours to service the thing.
The maids all hung their mops up and went home leaving me with mine.
"Mam?” my maid.
"Yes Mary", me.
"You need to pay me 30 rupees extra a day".
"Eh? We arranged your salary last week Mary and you agreed to it, I have been paying you since last Tuesday at your interview. This is your first full day at work. Why do you need more now?"
"For my taxi to work". Mary
"What's wrong with buses?” Me
"No buses, mam".
"What those big blue and green buses that stop at bus stops, that go all day up and down the road where you and I live are not buses Mary?"
Silence.
"I'll talk to Sir", I say knowing this is the best get me out of jail card. A tried and tested method of the Madam of any Indian household.
Next day she doesn't show up for work or phone. Later in the day I learn my driver had taken a call from her saying she's not well, can he pass the message on. He tells her to phone Madam herself. She does not. But seems well enough to go to her old employer’s neighbourhood and in the words of the local guards "Bad mouth her old Madam and her new Madam". So they banned her from the street.
Sir got home, phoned her and said in his best 'The Apprentice - Alan Sugar style'
"You’re fired".
In future I shall heed the words of my driver who said I should wait 2 weeks before I decide to like my new staff. I think he knew she was not right for us. Ignoring him I gushed over Mary and her good English, her claims that she was Christian. Three sets of household staff of friends knew her and knew of her lying. I shall be more cautious in future.
To be honest she did me a favour not turning up for work, it made it much easier.
I now have a maid who speaks no English but who watches, learns and just get's on with it.
End of.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Culture shock in full swing.
Well, I have been in India for just over 3 weeks and people are asking why have I not blogged, haven't I got loads to say and show? But in a nutshell would you believe this if I told you I am stumped for words to describe India? I think I have been slightly shell-shocked by just about, well, let me see......EVERYTHING.
So here is what's been happening..............
Week 1: Drove around with our new 23 year old driver who well, shall we say,
# 1. Doesn't speak or understand much English.
# 2. Has never driven for expats before, therefore doesn't know where we need to go, where to get plugs, basic household needs. FOOD!!!
#3. Spent most of the first week abandoning outings to try and find places, he can't read maps either. One day, I swear, we drove for a 40 min detour to a ATM to get cash en route to somewhere, only to discover 10 ATM's on the road once we were back on correct route. You get the picture, right?
Week 1 &2.
Discovered that our house which we are renting was left in an awful state by the previous tenants staff who had moved their families in while the house was empty for 45 days. I had not seen the house before as Mr Maddog had found it while he was here on his own. We turned up on the first day to discover rubbish all of the grounds of the house, the stench was nauseating. Ants, roaches and other 'interesting' looking invaders all over the house. Plus some horrendous smells coming from the plumbing. The pool was black, tinged with green water. The worst bit was that most of the windows were frosted glass, upstairs and down. On first impressions it felt like a prison straight away. I promptly burst into tears. This was too tall an order to put right. Normally am very resourceful person who will just go and find the right people and put things right. But suddenly I felt completely and utterly impotent. I didn't have the first idea how to put it right or who to go to. It was such a shock. I mean I had done the move from the U.K. on my own, had handled the 3 girls since April, on my own and I was exhausted by the process. I guess I just didn't expect......this.
We promptly dismissed all the staff that had come with the house. Sat the landlord down and gave him a list of work that we wanted done before we would accept the house. (I think even he was embarrassed of how it had been left).
Then I went to ground, refused to go to the house for over a week and a half as one of the previous member of staff refused to leave. (Even though they were never in my employ!) In then end it got so bad that we had to pay them off and threaten to call the Police to evict them if they didn't leave. They finally left Wednesday this week.
If I am honest I spent the first two weeks blubbering, I don't think my bottom lip ever stopped quivering. If it had not been for some extremely kind people who rallied round by feeding us, inviting us over to swim, took us out, poured extremely large G & T's and in general distracted us while assuring us that it life here would get better I swear I would have boarded a plane back to the U.K.
But life did get better.
School started on the 4th for Baby Maddog #2. We attended an orientation day on the 2nd where we met many kind, positive and welcoming teachers and familiarized ourselves with the school layout. In addition she had been moved to a class where she already had two friends who are daughters of two good friends of mine. On her first day we were warmly welcomed by the staff of the school. The school was buzzing with parents of 750 children, my friends seeked me out thinking I would be a wreck in the corner faced with such crowds. In truth I loved it, being surrounded by expats from all over the world! I walked into the school parents cafe to find a group of french parents sipping their espressos and munching on croissants. Just hearing European languages made me feel good. Within seconds I was chatting with a french mother. For my friends back home reading this you will all know that a good strong coffee and a croissant for Baby Maddog #3 after dropping the girls off is how I always like to start the day. The chaps in the shop offered to personlise my coffee to just the right strength from now on! A good start.
But it got better still.
On day two of the new term Mr Maddog got a call from the Middle School Principle asking if we could attend a meeting with Baby Maddog #1 at 2.00 p.m. We had no idea what it was about, Were we going to get a place? Or was this an official meeting to confirm that there would be no hope for the year? We were all really nervous. Remember the last confirmed number on the waiting list in June was 4th.
So what a lovely surprise to discover that we were actually now first and a child had not turned up for school so we were in! Yay!!! I practically skipped around the school telling anyone who would listen.
Again Baby Maddog #1 was very warmly welcomed by the Principle, teachers and children from her grade. Being placed in classes with another daughter of a friend of mine helped enormously too. On her first morning she climbed the stairs to her classes with her teacher and a group of girls from her grade all eager to talk to her. I felt an enormous sense of relief at that moment.
This turned into an auspicious 24 hours as I was recommended a maid/mothers help who I interviewed and turned out to be Catholic and spoke very good English. Another yay!!! So now I have a Catholic driver and maid. Although this does mean that anyone else I take on will need to be Christian as I have been told mixed household staff do not generally work out.
Suddenly this week, life does not seem so bad. The girls are in School, I have help, my driver is slowly working out where we have to go and is showing signs that he may get the idea of what's involved in driving for expats. Plus at the moment he appears trustworthy.
So maybe I will write more often now, I do have lots of stories to share, but I think if I had written in the previous two weeks my posts would have just copious amounts of expletives!
Hey we may even move into our house this week and send for Gus!
This week I got my sense of humour back. Finally :0
Toodle pip Mrs Mad Dog
So here is what's been happening..............
Week 1: Drove around with our new 23 year old driver who well, shall we say,
# 1. Doesn't speak or understand much English.
# 2. Has never driven for expats before, therefore doesn't know where we need to go, where to get plugs, basic household needs. FOOD!!!
#3. Spent most of the first week abandoning outings to try and find places, he can't read maps either. One day, I swear, we drove for a 40 min detour to a ATM to get cash en route to somewhere, only to discover 10 ATM's on the road once we were back on correct route. You get the picture, right?
Week 1 &2.
Discovered that our house which we are renting was left in an awful state by the previous tenants staff who had moved their families in while the house was empty for 45 days. I had not seen the house before as Mr Maddog had found it while he was here on his own. We turned up on the first day to discover rubbish all of the grounds of the house, the stench was nauseating. Ants, roaches and other 'interesting' looking invaders all over the house. Plus some horrendous smells coming from the plumbing. The pool was black, tinged with green water. The worst bit was that most of the windows were frosted glass, upstairs and down. On first impressions it felt like a prison straight away. I promptly burst into tears. This was too tall an order to put right. Normally am very resourceful person who will just go and find the right people and put things right. But suddenly I felt completely and utterly impotent. I didn't have the first idea how to put it right or who to go to. It was such a shock. I mean I had done the move from the U.K. on my own, had handled the 3 girls since April, on my own and I was exhausted by the process. I guess I just didn't expect......this.
We promptly dismissed all the staff that had come with the house. Sat the landlord down and gave him a list of work that we wanted done before we would accept the house. (I think even he was embarrassed of how it had been left).
Then I went to ground, refused to go to the house for over a week and a half as one of the previous member of staff refused to leave. (Even though they were never in my employ!) In then end it got so bad that we had to pay them off and threaten to call the Police to evict them if they didn't leave. They finally left Wednesday this week.
If I am honest I spent the first two weeks blubbering, I don't think my bottom lip ever stopped quivering. If it had not been for some extremely kind people who rallied round by feeding us, inviting us over to swim, took us out, poured extremely large G & T's and in general distracted us while assuring us that it life here would get better I swear I would have boarded a plane back to the U.K.
But life did get better.
School started on the 4th for Baby Maddog #2. We attended an orientation day on the 2nd where we met many kind, positive and welcoming teachers and familiarized ourselves with the school layout. In addition she had been moved to a class where she already had two friends who are daughters of two good friends of mine. On her first day we were warmly welcomed by the staff of the school. The school was buzzing with parents of 750 children, my friends seeked me out thinking I would be a wreck in the corner faced with such crowds. In truth I loved it, being surrounded by expats from all over the world! I walked into the school parents cafe to find a group of french parents sipping their espressos and munching on croissants. Just hearing European languages made me feel good. Within seconds I was chatting with a french mother. For my friends back home reading this you will all know that a good strong coffee and a croissant for Baby Maddog #3 after dropping the girls off is how I always like to start the day. The chaps in the shop offered to personlise my coffee to just the right strength from now on! A good start.
But it got better still.
On day two of the new term Mr Maddog got a call from the Middle School Principle asking if we could attend a meeting with Baby Maddog #1 at 2.00 p.m. We had no idea what it was about, Were we going to get a place? Or was this an official meeting to confirm that there would be no hope for the year? We were all really nervous. Remember the last confirmed number on the waiting list in June was 4th.
So what a lovely surprise to discover that we were actually now first and a child had not turned up for school so we were in! Yay!!! I practically skipped around the school telling anyone who would listen.
Again Baby Maddog #1 was very warmly welcomed by the Principle, teachers and children from her grade. Being placed in classes with another daughter of a friend of mine helped enormously too. On her first morning she climbed the stairs to her classes with her teacher and a group of girls from her grade all eager to talk to her. I felt an enormous sense of relief at that moment.
This turned into an auspicious 24 hours as I was recommended a maid/mothers help who I interviewed and turned out to be Catholic and spoke very good English. Another yay!!! So now I have a Catholic driver and maid. Although this does mean that anyone else I take on will need to be Christian as I have been told mixed household staff do not generally work out.
Suddenly this week, life does not seem so bad. The girls are in School, I have help, my driver is slowly working out where we have to go and is showing signs that he may get the idea of what's involved in driving for expats. Plus at the moment he appears trustworthy.
So maybe I will write more often now, I do have lots of stories to share, but I think if I had written in the previous two weeks my posts would have just copious amounts of expletives!
Hey we may even move into our house this week and send for Gus!
This week I got my sense of humour back. Finally :0
Toodle pip Mrs Mad Dog
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Padstow Cornwall June 2008
North Cornish coast where we spent two weeks on a surf, seafood fest spending time with family and friends. The light here is amazing - the area is famous for artists.
My good friends from school days who came to stay, play and surf.
Girls ready for some surfing action, with the armbands adding to the look.............
In rock pools, some of which were deep enough to swim in.
My lovely Cornish Cottage that we retreated to rather exhausted after packing up the house.
I've heard of sisterly squabbles, but this was ridiculous!
The Baby Mad Dogs in Cornwall June/08Happy Memories.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Well hello from India
I feel like one of those characters out of a Jane Austin novel who spends her entire summer travelling from one destination to the other, passing through at least 3 different beds to get there. Since we left our house in June I have literally lost count of how many beds I have slept in. Think it's up in the teens.
Finally our summer travels are over and we arrived in Chennai at 3am this morning from Dubai all bleary eyed and in dire need of a bed. As we trundled across the car park to our cars (summer progresses always have heaps of luggage, don't they?) eldest baby Mad Dog whispered to me " Dubai this isn't". "Yep, welcome to the third world" I replied. "What's that smell?" came the next question. Guess the smell was something we proceeded to play for the rest of the day while fending off baby Mad dogs #2 yelps of "Did you see that?" continuously from the car. With Mummy Mad Dog replying with "Yes, yes, yes, all quite normal, you'll get used to it" trying to sound calm. By 4pm if someone had handed me a ticket back to London I may have quite easily have popped myself and the Baby Mad Dogs back to what is normality to us. Now I know why 'The Company' only gives you a single ticket out.
I know I have been off-air for some time but you see technically I went into the dark ages. When I left London and arrived in Cornwall for the girls 2 week surfing/seafood fest, Internet access became a hunt for the holy grail! No broadband at the cottage I hired, no wifi for miles around, only access was at the Library in the nearest town 5 miles away which was on the slowest speed I have ever seen, 5 mins to load a page, yawn. This was coupled with no mobile signal either, unless you stood on a hill (Cornwall is a tad hilly). When I asked the owner could I get a signal anywhere in the house or garden I was told that if you stood by the kitchen sink you got one there. Technically he was correct. What he failed to say was that you had to stand with your head next to the kitchen tap. So with trying to finish up business with the house and talk to Mr Mad Dog every now and then one ended up with a stoop from always being at 45 degrees simply trying to communicate with the outside world!
We also don't have any photos of Cornwall (yet) as Baby Mad Dog brought her camera and of course....... the cable link to download the shots are, you guessed it, in the sea shipment! So I took some pics on my mobile phone only to lose it out of my back pocket while pulling my trousers up at the M5 motorway services down the loo! Yuk! The phone is a gonner. Plus the cable link to my Dad's camera which had lots of good pics is somewhere in the depths of his study and has no idea when it will get located. IF I manage to get a new phone in next couple of days I may just get a couple of pics loaded up.
Tomorrow another day of smells, trails and automobiles and another bloggy fix with some more stuff of what the Mad Dogs did over the last 6 weeks.
Finally our summer travels are over and we arrived in Chennai at 3am this morning from Dubai all bleary eyed and in dire need of a bed. As we trundled across the car park to our cars (summer progresses always have heaps of luggage, don't they?) eldest baby Mad Dog whispered to me " Dubai this isn't". "Yep, welcome to the third world" I replied. "What's that smell?" came the next question. Guess the smell was something we proceeded to play for the rest of the day while fending off baby Mad dogs #2 yelps of "Did you see that?" continuously from the car. With Mummy Mad Dog replying with "Yes, yes, yes, all quite normal, you'll get used to it" trying to sound calm. By 4pm if someone had handed me a ticket back to London I may have quite easily have popped myself and the Baby Mad Dogs back to what is normality to us. Now I know why 'The Company' only gives you a single ticket out.
I know I have been off-air for some time but you see technically I went into the dark ages. When I left London and arrived in Cornwall for the girls 2 week surfing/seafood fest, Internet access became a hunt for the holy grail! No broadband at the cottage I hired, no wifi for miles around, only access was at the Library in the nearest town 5 miles away which was on the slowest speed I have ever seen, 5 mins to load a page, yawn. This was coupled with no mobile signal either, unless you stood on a hill (Cornwall is a tad hilly). When I asked the owner could I get a signal anywhere in the house or garden I was told that if you stood by the kitchen sink you got one there. Technically he was correct. What he failed to say was that you had to stand with your head next to the kitchen tap. So with trying to finish up business with the house and talk to Mr Mad Dog every now and then one ended up with a stoop from always being at 45 degrees simply trying to communicate with the outside world!
We also don't have any photos of Cornwall (yet) as Baby Mad Dog brought her camera and of course....... the cable link to download the shots are, you guessed it, in the sea shipment! So I took some pics on my mobile phone only to lose it out of my back pocket while pulling my trousers up at the M5 motorway services down the loo! Yuk! The phone is a gonner. Plus the cable link to my Dad's camera which had lots of good pics is somewhere in the depths of his study and has no idea when it will get located. IF I manage to get a new phone in next couple of days I may just get a couple of pics loaded up.
Tomorrow another day of smells, trails and automobiles and another bloggy fix with some more stuff of what the Mad Dogs did over the last 6 weeks.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Packing up and learning curves
Good grief I am done in.
Last week we packed our house up and saw our belongings load into a 40ft container bound for the high seas down to India. Not being one of those experienced expats who just sling a few items into a case and lay their hat in wherever their new home happens to be in the world, I on the other hand, the novice expat experienced a huge learning curve in how much C-R-A-P can one ship?
Having spent the best part of the last two months culling the family Mad Dog emporium of dare I say, rubbish? I thought I was ready for my packers, 3 chaps who answered my 'morning!' with some kind of monosyllabic grunt (I initially thought they were Romanian, turned out they were from North London, born and bred.) as they arrived. Oh dear, this will be interesting I thought.
However they got stuck in and it was like a plague of locusts moving through my house, hoovering up the contents and making them disappear into boxes. Needless to say counting on all my fingers and possibly my toes I found myself spotting something going into a box bound for Chennai and musing whether actually that item should be winding it's way to the civic amenity site instead. Oh dear, never mind.
In fact, on the last day watching these guys plus the extra drafted in for the day load our container I peered into it and thought to myself that I may not have anything to sit on but at least we can all play a decent game of Scrabble when we get there. Yes, plenty of toys and books, loo rolls and copious bottles of Mr Mad Dog's beloved HP Sauce, but not much furniture. That all went to the dump after Gus chewed through it and my idea of sneaking in some nice new oak dining room chairs never materialised as I never made it to the shop to get them. But hey, I managed to get the new trampoline delivered in time! So we can all get fit and lose weight eating standing up at the dining room table, which only I need to by the way, the rest of the Mad Dogs are built like whippets.
My parents who were helping me through the move kept on lerching from "do you really need to take that?" to "Your not leaving that here, are you, you may need that XYZ, winter quilt, (naff) garden chair etc., etc.," sending me into a spin ,wringing hands and looking into space. Meanwhile the Romanian sounding North London locusts had packed it. Blast.
I'll give the stuff to Charity when I get there I thought, but really, who in God's name needs a 13.5 double winter quilt in Southern India? Still it will make an interesting entry into the local bring and buy sale, dare I say?
Still it was an interesting week and I learnt a lot, like cull the kids toys, and learn to shop more. (But not for toys) We had some fun too, especially when I took the locusts around to the garden shed and said "hoover that up", I got some hard stares. But the youngest baby Mad Dog diffused the moment, found the water guns, the sun came out and we all proceeded to have a huge water pistol fight in our back garden with her clinging to their legs while they packed. Those girls do like a challenge and they succeeded in getting these 3 to laugh and smile. Plus the baby Mad Dogs got lots of rides in the vans and container to boot.
I did have some super pics of our hard working packers and all our boxes etc., But you will have to wait because guess what? Yes, the cable to download them from my phone is steaming it's way down the Atlantic. On dear....
Last week we packed our house up and saw our belongings load into a 40ft container bound for the high seas down to India. Not being one of those experienced expats who just sling a few items into a case and lay their hat in wherever their new home happens to be in the world, I on the other hand, the novice expat experienced a huge learning curve in how much C-R-A-P can one ship?
Having spent the best part of the last two months culling the family Mad Dog emporium of dare I say, rubbish? I thought I was ready for my packers, 3 chaps who answered my 'morning!' with some kind of monosyllabic grunt (I initially thought they were Romanian, turned out they were from North London, born and bred.) as they arrived. Oh dear, this will be interesting I thought.
However they got stuck in and it was like a plague of locusts moving through my house, hoovering up the contents and making them disappear into boxes. Needless to say counting on all my fingers and possibly my toes I found myself spotting something going into a box bound for Chennai and musing whether actually that item should be winding it's way to the civic amenity site instead. Oh dear, never mind.
In fact, on the last day watching these guys plus the extra drafted in for the day load our container I peered into it and thought to myself that I may not have anything to sit on but at least we can all play a decent game of Scrabble when we get there. Yes, plenty of toys and books, loo rolls and copious bottles of Mr Mad Dog's beloved HP Sauce, but not much furniture. That all went to the dump after Gus chewed through it and my idea of sneaking in some nice new oak dining room chairs never materialised as I never made it to the shop to get them. But hey, I managed to get the new trampoline delivered in time! So we can all get fit and lose weight eating standing up at the dining room table, which only I need to by the way, the rest of the Mad Dogs are built like whippets.
My parents who were helping me through the move kept on lerching from "do you really need to take that?" to "Your not leaving that here, are you, you may need that XYZ, winter quilt, (naff) garden chair etc., etc.," sending me into a spin ,wringing hands and looking into space. Meanwhile the Romanian sounding North London locusts had packed it. Blast.
I'll give the stuff to Charity when I get there I thought, but really, who in God's name needs a 13.5 double winter quilt in Southern India? Still it will make an interesting entry into the local bring and buy sale, dare I say?
Still it was an interesting week and I learnt a lot, like cull the kids toys, and learn to shop more. (But not for toys) We had some fun too, especially when I took the locusts around to the garden shed and said "hoover that up", I got some hard stares. But the youngest baby Mad Dog diffused the moment, found the water guns, the sun came out and we all proceeded to have a huge water pistol fight in our back garden with her clinging to their legs while they packed. Those girls do like a challenge and they succeeded in getting these 3 to laugh and smile. Plus the baby Mad Dogs got lots of rides in the vans and container to boot.
I did have some super pics of our hard working packers and all our boxes etc., But you will have to wait because guess what? Yes, the cable to download them from my phone is steaming it's way down the Atlantic. On dear....
Monday, June 2, 2008
Shopping
Let me explain, I am not good at shopping. Never have been. I walk into a store and if I do not source the item I went in for in less than 5 minutes, or there is a queue, or God forbid, it's crowded then I exit. So not a lot of shopping gets done. In fact it's the standing joke in our family.
Browsing, comparing prices from store to store? No, that's not my bag either. So when I asked around a few ladies on the ground in Chennai what should one bring out with them the list was huge. It appears that you can get a lot of items, however I am reliably informed that the quality is not the same as 'back home' or worse because they are imported they carry a super inflated surcharge.
So thank goodness for Internet grocery delivered to my door as I ordered probably my largest ever home delivery grocery order from Tesco's ready for the packers. A screaming £747.00! Plus an eye smarting £355.00 from Boots. and £159.00 of dog food. In addition I had already visited Costco and departed with over £400.00 for 'stuff'. Ouch, Ouch, Ouch......
For people who are planning to move to Chennai in the near future I was told to bring by expats in Chennai and our doctor:
Sunscreens for the fair skinned such as moi :)
Insect repellents with 50% deet. (difficult to get)
Children's med's (Indian one's taste 'different')
Mosquito nets (for first few months)
Shampoos, Shower gels, soaps, (quality not the same)
Usual skin care products
Laundry care products (quality not the same)
Toilet Paper (very expensive - $1. a roll!)
Dishwasher products (expensive, quality and not easily available)
UV 50+ Swim Suits for Children
Herbs, dried basil, oregano, anything Italian etc.,
Olive Oil (expensive)
Parmesan Cheese (Dried - very expensive)
Vinegars, Balsamic, etc (expensive)
Dried yeast and breadmaking flour, caster sugar, and brown sugar.
Browsing, comparing prices from store to store? No, that's not my bag either. So when I asked around a few ladies on the ground in Chennai what should one bring out with them the list was huge. It appears that you can get a lot of items, however I am reliably informed that the quality is not the same as 'back home' or worse because they are imported they carry a super inflated surcharge.
So thank goodness for Internet grocery delivered to my door as I ordered probably my largest ever home delivery grocery order from Tesco's ready for the packers. A screaming £747.00! Plus an eye smarting £355.00 from Boots. and £159.00 of dog food. In addition I had already visited Costco and departed with over £400.00 for 'stuff'. Ouch, Ouch, Ouch......
For people who are planning to move to Chennai in the near future I was told to bring by expats in Chennai and our doctor:
Sunscreens for the fair skinned such as moi :)
Insect repellents with 50% deet. (difficult to get)
Children's med's (Indian one's taste 'different')
Mosquito nets (for first few months)
Shampoos, Shower gels, soaps, (quality not the same)
Usual skin care products
Laundry care products (quality not the same)
Toilet Paper (very expensive - $1. a roll!)
Dishwasher products (expensive, quality and not easily available)
UV 50+ Swim Suits for Children
Herbs, dried basil, oregano, anything Italian etc.,
Olive Oil (expensive)
Parmesan Cheese (Dried - very expensive)
Vinegars, Balsamic, etc (expensive)
Dried yeast and breadmaking flour, caster sugar, and brown sugar.
Once all this runs out I may have just found out where to source some of it in Chennai. That's if I can do the queues, crowds, heat and haggling!
The packers arrive tomorrow, am I ready? Am I heck!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Moving
The ever ending roller coaster of emotions of moving to India trundles on.
Update - BMD#1 (11 yr old) has jumped from 9th to 4th on the waiting list for AISC! How did that happen?
So The Mad Dogs live in hope of maybe, just maybe walking into AISC on the 4th August and delivering 2 of our kids for lessons. Fingers & toes crossed.
Today we close some doors. The girls leave their school, Gus goes to doggy borstal, last swimming lesson the youngest Baby Mad Dog (teacher has taught her since she was 3 months old).
Suddenly I'm nervous and apprehensive. If one had been asked back in October could I move to India, do the move on my own with 3 kids and a dog, without the guarantee of International schooling, you can guess what my answer would have been. No way! But here I am in May living it.
So my coping mechanism is 'Best of British', in a nutshell, stiff upper lip, "Oh it's fine" during the day. I keep thinking of those old Colonial gals trundling out to India as the trailing spouse, accompanying their Colonel Mustard's and Major-General Farquahars during the days of the British Empire and ponder did they do the same as me? Turn out the light at night and swear profusely to themselves. I bet they bloody did!
Update - BMD#1 (11 yr old) has jumped from 9th to 4th on the waiting list for AISC! How did that happen?
So The Mad Dogs live in hope of maybe, just maybe walking into AISC on the 4th August and delivering 2 of our kids for lessons. Fingers & toes crossed.
Today we close some doors. The girls leave their school, Gus goes to doggy borstal, last swimming lesson the youngest Baby Mad Dog (teacher has taught her since she was 3 months old).
Suddenly I'm nervous and apprehensive. If one had been asked back in October could I move to India, do the move on my own with 3 kids and a dog, without the guarantee of International schooling, you can guess what my answer would have been. No way! But here I am in May living it.
So my coping mechanism is 'Best of British', in a nutshell, stiff upper lip, "Oh it's fine" during the day. I keep thinking of those old Colonial gals trundling out to India as the trailing spouse, accompanying their Colonel Mustard's and Major-General Farquahars during the days of the British Empire and ponder did they do the same as me? Turn out the light at night and swear profusely to themselves. I bet they bloody did!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Parties, Plans & Padstow......
We have been celebrating some farewell parties for the baby Mad Dogs. First we had a party for BMD#2 and combined it with her 7th birthday. She had a great time with friends, classmates and cousins playing lots of games and dancing organised by the entertainer.
Next it was BMD#1 who wanted a party with a disco as she would miss the yr 6 leavers party at the end of July. She had so much fun and so did I. Our entertainer not only managed to keep them dancing for 2 hours, but also threw in some great games resulting in some extremely humorous scenes! As it was the end of the SAT's exam week they were all ready to let their hair down (literally) and ready to party. Many happy memories to treasure........
Baby Mad Dog #1(center) with her dearest friends
A fun time was had by all
I think she will miss this lot
All been together since they were 4 years old
We are going to really miss them too, they are a great bunch of kids
BMD#2 Birthday and Farewell party - having a good time!
Some of her best friends
Baby Mad Dog #2 ready to blow the candles out on the cakeDespite our schooling problems for BMD#1 plans for our departure are in full swing. Our itinerary is set, so here goes:
Gus leaves 23rd May for 3 weeks correctional behaviour training. Otherwise known as doggy borstal, don't ask.
Packers 1st week of June,
Clear house 2nd week,
Collect Gus and spend a day learning what a lovely calm dog he's become from his trainer.
3rd and some of the 4th, Padstow, Cornwall, for some surfing, sand and seafood with friends plus Gus who will show his mummy all his newly learned commands and behaviours. Like not chasing vacuum cleaners, brooms, mops, tearing my washing off the line, pulling on his lead any more. He's a lovely boy, honest.
Then on the way back from Cornwall, drop Gus back to the trainers for more doggy borstal until he flies out to Chennai.
After that, fly to Edinburgh and meet up with Mr Mad Dog who would have flown in from Chennai the same day. Say goodbye to Mr Mad Dogs clan over 4 days. Try and find some haggis to take for Burns Night Supper (25th Jan), and additional items in our clan Lamont tartan for India. Where I hear all Scots break out into a fever of nationalism and clansmanship when abroad. Och Aye!
Then fly back to London to spend our last week tying up loose ends and throw a farewell party for our friends and family.
Then departure day to and fly to Chennai? Well, not exactly.
We thought we would have a little stop-over, you know, for the children.
In Dubai, for...... well, 9 days actually. A little R & R. Mrs Mad Dog will really, really need it after doing the 'move' all by herself and playing single parent for goodness knows how long. She just needs a visit to the spa, maybe once. No, make that 9 times.
Also, we want to do lots, and lots of sailing. (just to make sure the manicurist at the spa earns her money!) Not sure how much sailing we will be able to do in Chennai. We have a date set with the Royal Madras Yacht Club to have a mooch around and see if they like us. It will all depend on boats. We were unable to ship ours over so it will be a case of buy some or try and rent a yacht for the duration of our posting. Fingers crossed.
Right, mooning over boats and Dubai finished. Back to sorting, packing and shopping. More on shopping later.
Toodle pip fellow bloggers.
.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Room for one, but not the other.
Well since my last post a flurry of emails have been dashing across the globe in search of a solution to our schooling (or lack of) situation in Chennai. So the good news first, baby mad dog #2 has a school place in grade 2 of the AISC! Yay!
The bad news is baby mad dog #1 there does not appear to be a school place for the foreseeable future.
We have discovered through well connected sources (thank you) that baby mad dog #1 has slipped back down the waiting list. This was created by the kids who were already on the waiting list for a place in the year 07/08 (most never got a place) are now on the list for 08/09, subsequently pushing our daughter further down.
Enquiries about going onto the grade 7 waiting list came to nothing as she would be 8th.
In addition, there are now 240 kids on the waiting list for the school and the situation is deteriorating as number of ever increasing multi-national companies are expanding their operations in Chennai and in India in general. Only 23 kids are leaving the school this June the smallest number ever.
So my family are not the only one's who are struggling to find continuity in education, it appears there are many other families in the same boat. I'm probably not the only mother in the world having sleepless nights about how are their children are going to be educated while in Chennai!
If businesses are going to expand in India then they (the multi-national Companies) need to look at the schooling situation, fast.
Senior management in companies (of a certain age range) generally have kids in tow when doing an International Assignment and if decent International schooling cannot be offered, this will in time have a detrimental effect on the business as employees will be unable to take up postings or worse, Assignments will fail costing Companies.
HR managers in all these multi-national companies need to look at their demographics, establish predictions of where the most pressure will be for International Schooling and throw money at solutions. Fast.
In the meantime Mr Mad Dog is looking at other alternatives.
The emotional impact has been tears from my 11 yr old daughter this week as she struggled to come to terms with knowing she will not be going to school with her sister and has no idea where she will end up. The 7 yr old let this fact slip out (by genuine accident when she learned she had a place) during the week which is unfortunately SAT's week. Subsequently it all got too much for bmd#1 resulting flunking one of her papers this week, she's been teary ever since.
At the moment I question what I'm putting my children through.
The bad news is baby mad dog #1 there does not appear to be a school place for the foreseeable future.
We have discovered through well connected sources (thank you) that baby mad dog #1 has slipped back down the waiting list. This was created by the kids who were already on the waiting list for a place in the year 07/08 (most never got a place) are now on the list for 08/09, subsequently pushing our daughter further down.
Enquiries about going onto the grade 7 waiting list came to nothing as she would be 8th.
In addition, there are now 240 kids on the waiting list for the school and the situation is deteriorating as number of ever increasing multi-national companies are expanding their operations in Chennai and in India in general. Only 23 kids are leaving the school this June the smallest number ever.
So my family are not the only one's who are struggling to find continuity in education, it appears there are many other families in the same boat. I'm probably not the only mother in the world having sleepless nights about how are their children are going to be educated while in Chennai!
If businesses are going to expand in India then they (the multi-national Companies) need to look at the schooling situation, fast.
Senior management in companies (of a certain age range) generally have kids in tow when doing an International Assignment and if decent International schooling cannot be offered, this will in time have a detrimental effect on the business as employees will be unable to take up postings or worse, Assignments will fail costing Companies.
HR managers in all these multi-national companies need to look at their demographics, establish predictions of where the most pressure will be for International Schooling and throw money at solutions. Fast.
In the meantime Mr Mad Dog is looking at other alternatives.
The emotional impact has been tears from my 11 yr old daughter this week as she struggled to come to terms with knowing she will not be going to school with her sister and has no idea where she will end up. The 7 yr old let this fact slip out (by genuine accident when she learned she had a place) during the week which is unfortunately SAT's week. Subsequently it all got too much for bmd#1 resulting flunking one of her papers this week, she's been teary ever since.
At the moment I question what I'm putting my children through.
I know one is bleating - but one still has steam coming out of ones ears!
Mrs Mad Dog.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
No room at the School.
I am speechless, numb, in total disbelief of what occurred yesterday. In fact, I can't sleep. I have been lying in my bed just going over and over what has happened. So at 2.30 a.m., it's the sofa, my dog, my laptop and I. I have to get this off my chest.
We received an email yesterday from the American International School of Chennai informing us that they would be unable to give our eldest baby mad dog a place for August school year 2008/2009 due to exceptional demand and would we still like her to be kept on the list for 2009/2010?
I am absolutely incandescent with this news .
When Mr Mad dog and I first came out on our Pre-assignment trip in January we visited the school and filled out our application forms there and then, as we knew there was a waiting list at that point. We were told that our eldest daughter, 11 years old, was at that moment in time placed 3rd on the list for March and our second daughter who is now 7 years old was 5th. We were told by the school that if we waited until August we would most certainly get places for the girls.
O.K. we thought. We talked this over with Mr Mad Dog's company and decided not to bring the girls out before this time and wait. Mr Mad Dog accepted to go on a split-assignment for a few months until we came out in July.
Mr Mad Dog started his new job in April in Chennai. He paid another visit to the school to see how things were progressing. This time he was told that our eldest was now 7th on the waiting list and that it was looking dodgy for August. Huh? How can she be 3rd in January, now 7th in April?
They told us wait until May when we will have a clearer picture of what the situation.
So here we are in May and I now have the news that she is now, get this, 9th ON THE LIST!!!!!
What the blazes is going on!!
How can a child slip further down the waiting list not go up it? It does beg the question as to what is going on at this school. They claim to operate a strictly first come, first served basis at the school in order of application and as I said earlier, ours was from January. I don't believe a word of it!
I believe there are more clandestine methods of getting children into this school. As when Mr Mad Dog looked at the list in front of the member of staff at the school our eldest daughter's name was at the top of the list and there were many, many names after hers.
It was a condition we made with the Company that appropriate adequate, decent schooling for our children would have to be available in order for us to accept this posting for 3 years in Chennai. It is well documented that Expat Assignments fail because of the break down in continuity of schooling for Expat families.
To make matters worse we have no schooling now in the U.K. as we have given up our places at the baby mad dog #2 school. The girls finish on the 23rd May. Plus, as baby Mad Dog #1 was transitioning from primary to secondary school we have NO school for her for September start of the 2008/09 academic year. We thought we would be out of the U.K.
We have our flights booked, the house sold to the Company, packers booked, Cat re-homed, dog booked for kennelling, and have completed a 10 week immunization programme for India for the baby Mad Dogs.
I have absolutely NO IDEA what we are going to do. I feel I am staring down a very long dark tunnel with no glimmer of light at the end of it.
So, what are our options? Send her to boarding school? That would break our family up, we are a very close, tight knit sort of family. Although I know it works for some families, we don't come from that tradition. Us in India and our eldest in a boarding school in England? Nope. That won't work.
Home School her? Well we could, in fact we had thought that if we had to wait a few months, say until Christmas '08 then it could be an option. But not long term. Moving her to a Country where we are told that the only real social life that families really get is through the school. No access to extra curricular activities, sports and no opportunities to make friends. Doesn't sound appealing does it?
Stay in the U.K.? That would mean breaking up our family too. Mr Mad Dog out there, myself bringing up 3 children on my own for 3 years, when the youngest is only 3. Plus they all adore their dad. It would kill us.
An impossible situation. I'm in a very dark place today on my sofa, with my dog writing this at 2.30 a.m.
We received an email yesterday from the American International School of Chennai informing us that they would be unable to give our eldest baby mad dog a place for August school year 2008/2009 due to exceptional demand and would we still like her to be kept on the list for 2009/2010?
I am absolutely incandescent with this news .
When Mr Mad dog and I first came out on our Pre-assignment trip in January we visited the school and filled out our application forms there and then, as we knew there was a waiting list at that point. We were told that our eldest daughter, 11 years old, was at that moment in time placed 3rd on the list for March and our second daughter who is now 7 years old was 5th. We were told by the school that if we waited until August we would most certainly get places for the girls.
O.K. we thought. We talked this over with Mr Mad Dog's company and decided not to bring the girls out before this time and wait. Mr Mad Dog accepted to go on a split-assignment for a few months until we came out in July.
Mr Mad Dog started his new job in April in Chennai. He paid another visit to the school to see how things were progressing. This time he was told that our eldest was now 7th on the waiting list and that it was looking dodgy for August. Huh? How can she be 3rd in January, now 7th in April?
They told us wait until May when we will have a clearer picture of what the situation.
So here we are in May and I now have the news that she is now, get this, 9th ON THE LIST!!!!!
What the blazes is going on!!
How can a child slip further down the waiting list not go up it? It does beg the question as to what is going on at this school. They claim to operate a strictly first come, first served basis at the school in order of application and as I said earlier, ours was from January. I don't believe a word of it!
I believe there are more clandestine methods of getting children into this school. As when Mr Mad Dog looked at the list in front of the member of staff at the school our eldest daughter's name was at the top of the list and there were many, many names after hers.
It was a condition we made with the Company that appropriate adequate, decent schooling for our children would have to be available in order for us to accept this posting for 3 years in Chennai. It is well documented that Expat Assignments fail because of the break down in continuity of schooling for Expat families.
To make matters worse we have no schooling now in the U.K. as we have given up our places at the baby mad dog #2 school. The girls finish on the 23rd May. Plus, as baby Mad Dog #1 was transitioning from primary to secondary school we have NO school for her for September start of the 2008/09 academic year. We thought we would be out of the U.K.
We have our flights booked, the house sold to the Company, packers booked, Cat re-homed, dog booked for kennelling, and have completed a 10 week immunization programme for India for the baby Mad Dogs.
I have absolutely NO IDEA what we are going to do. I feel I am staring down a very long dark tunnel with no glimmer of light at the end of it.
So, what are our options? Send her to boarding school? That would break our family up, we are a very close, tight knit sort of family. Although I know it works for some families, we don't come from that tradition. Us in India and our eldest in a boarding school in England? Nope. That won't work.
Home School her? Well we could, in fact we had thought that if we had to wait a few months, say until Christmas '08 then it could be an option. But not long term. Moving her to a Country where we are told that the only real social life that families really get is through the school. No access to extra curricular activities, sports and no opportunities to make friends. Doesn't sound appealing does it?
Stay in the U.K.? That would mean breaking up our family too. Mr Mad Dog out there, myself bringing up 3 children on my own for 3 years, when the youngest is only 3. Plus they all adore their dad. It would kill us.
An impossible situation. I'm in a very dark place today on my sofa, with my dog writing this at 2.30 a.m.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Permission for take off
Gus our true mad dog CAN come to India!! I have found a solution to his quarantine issue on re-entry into the U.K. This is a huge weight off my mind.
All I can reveal is, that Gus will NOT be spending 6 months in solitary confinement with no exercise. We have an alternative route back and let's just say it's better than I could ever have expected.
On other news Mr Maddog is now in India working in his new posting. He seems O.K. apart from his driver not turning up to collect him from the Hotel for an important meeting at work, making him late. He did not speak any English either. I understand you go through a few drivers before you find the right one for you!
Our house is about to hit the market for sale - our Company are buying the house off us, yay! I just hope it sells quickly as the housing market in the U.K. is falling and our buyers will absorb up to 20% off the selling price. It's getting very scary here with people in the City talking about a 30 -40% fall in house prices and many job losses to come in the next year.
When I asked someone who works in the City where should we put our assets after the sale, they replied that we should buy gold and dig a hole in the garden! This is all reminiscent of the early-mid 70's.
On another note, the baby Maddogs have their last jab this week, another yay! I have been so impressed how they have handled jabs every week for over 9 weeks. True professionals now, no tears and hardly any flinching.
All I can reveal is, that Gus will NOT be spending 6 months in solitary confinement with no exercise. We have an alternative route back and let's just say it's better than I could ever have expected.
On other news Mr Maddog is now in India working in his new posting. He seems O.K. apart from his driver not turning up to collect him from the Hotel for an important meeting at work, making him late. He did not speak any English either. I understand you go through a few drivers before you find the right one for you!
Our house is about to hit the market for sale - our Company are buying the house off us, yay! I just hope it sells quickly as the housing market in the U.K. is falling and our buyers will absorb up to 20% off the selling price. It's getting very scary here with people in the City talking about a 30 -40% fall in house prices and many job losses to come in the next year.
When I asked someone who works in the City where should we put our assets after the sale, they replied that we should buy gold and dig a hole in the garden! This is all reminiscent of the early-mid 70's.
On another note, the baby Maddogs have their last jab this week, another yay! I have been so impressed how they have handled jabs every week for over 9 weeks. True professionals now, no tears and hardly any flinching.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Quarantine for Gus
The Mad dogs have hit a road block in terms of their dog Gus.
We knew that we would have to be subjected to various rules and conditions to take the boy to India. We knew he would have to do 6 months quarantine on his return to Britain. But what we did not anticipate was that this 6 month period would be in solitary confinement with NO EXERCISE whatsoever.
Our dog is only a year old and I have spent the past year training and putting up with my all my plants in my garden either dug up or eaten, my kitchen chairs chewed to pieces and many, many toys destroyed. All of which are subsiding or ceased. I can see light at the end of the tunnel in terms of dog he will become.
It is common for dogs to pine away to their deaths in quarantine in Britain. They are allowed only 2 hours a day visits from their families. I'm really worried that the dog who enters quarantine will not be the same dog that leaves.
The British laws for rabies quarantine are nothing short of draconian and are completely out of date. Modern vaccines now can prevent rabies and other diseases. One of the criteria for entering India with a dog stipulates that they are completely vaccinated in the first place! The pet passport scheme allows dogs travel to associated countries of course India is not on the list.
Our relocation company suggested that Gus did his time in France where although they still subject the same 6 month rule, only that exercise the dogs every day.
We are giving up a lot to go and live in India. Our house, schools, friends, family, clean civilised environment, our cat and now possibly our dog whom we are deeply attached to. It just goes against everything I believe in to put him through such an ordeal. We have had a couple of offers for him, where I'm sure he would have the time of his life and live very happily. But leaving the dog behind may prove to be one step too far for the baby mad dogs in terms of settling into India.
We don't know what to do.
We knew that we would have to be subjected to various rules and conditions to take the boy to India. We knew he would have to do 6 months quarantine on his return to Britain. But what we did not anticipate was that this 6 month period would be in solitary confinement with NO EXERCISE whatsoever.
Our dog is only a year old and I have spent the past year training and putting up with my all my plants in my garden either dug up or eaten, my kitchen chairs chewed to pieces and many, many toys destroyed. All of which are subsiding or ceased. I can see light at the end of the tunnel in terms of dog he will become.
It is common for dogs to pine away to their deaths in quarantine in Britain. They are allowed only 2 hours a day visits from their families. I'm really worried that the dog who enters quarantine will not be the same dog that leaves.
The British laws for rabies quarantine are nothing short of draconian and are completely out of date. Modern vaccines now can prevent rabies and other diseases. One of the criteria for entering India with a dog stipulates that they are completely vaccinated in the first place! The pet passport scheme allows dogs travel to associated countries of course India is not on the list.
Our relocation company suggested that Gus did his time in France where although they still subject the same 6 month rule, only that exercise the dogs every day.
We are giving up a lot to go and live in India. Our house, schools, friends, family, clean civilised environment, our cat and now possibly our dog whom we are deeply attached to. It just goes against everything I believe in to put him through such an ordeal. We have had a couple of offers for him, where I'm sure he would have the time of his life and live very happily. But leaving the dog behind may prove to be one step too far for the baby mad dogs in terms of settling into India.
We don't know what to do.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
3 year old's don't normally say................
The youngest baby mad dog was having her medical today. The doctor asked me to help my little one remove her cardigan and sleeve of her shirt for her examination. Whilst doing this she pulled away from me and said "don't want a rabies shot today mummy". Doctor remarked "that's something you don't normally hear your average 3 year old coming out with!" Too right. Next she will be checking her airmiles balance.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside..........
OK, so after many deliberations with various friends and family, the baby Mad Dogs are being pulled out of school at May half term. We intend to set off to explore Cornwall and the West Country for a couple of weeks with two old school friends and their children staying in a gorgeous cottage by the sea.
We plan lots of surfing, picnics, visits to Padstow and Rick Steins to consume as much seafood as possible. There is much of Britain that we would still like the girls to see, so we shall take the opportunity to do so. Sans crowds, queuing the entire length of the M5 and all those naughty boys and girls from the Public schools who descend on Cornwall for their 'kiss me quick' version of a holiday. In the meantime I'm giving those girls a proper summer break.
Oh I do think Blighty looks her best in June! Strawberries, Pimms, mid-summer night, sailing and Wimbledon (I feel an early morning queue coming on for tickets). Poor Mr Mad Dog will be sitting with sweat dripping off his nose in India while his family swan around the country looking in rock-pools. However, I, have to pack the house, tie all the legal stuff up here and look after 3 children plus Gus the mad dog single handed. In addition, it could lash with rain, hail or worse for the whole month and an awful lot of monopoly get played. So I think we will be pegging rather level.
Mr Mad dog will return in June and we shall say our so-longs, farewells, auf wiedersehen's and goodbyes prior to a final jaunt in Europe en famille. We then plan to fly out to Chennai/Madras in early-mid July for the shock and awe process of initiation ready in time for School term beginning 4th August. So we have a plan. Well, we do today, 5th March 2008. Tomorrow? Who knows.
There seems to be no right time to go. But at least the girls would have had a summer break and get a chance to visit all their relatives in Scotland before departure.
I have also found a new home for my moggie Josie who, is simply too old to go globetrotting so will move in with my old school chum and her young family sometime soon in Windsor. A big weight off my mind. We will miss our mog terribly but my friends are real animal lovers and we know she will live out the rest of her days quite purrrfectly....
We plan lots of surfing, picnics, visits to Padstow and Rick Steins to consume as much seafood as possible. There is much of Britain that we would still like the girls to see, so we shall take the opportunity to do so. Sans crowds, queuing the entire length of the M5 and all those naughty boys and girls from the Public schools who descend on Cornwall for their 'kiss me quick' version of a holiday. In the meantime I'm giving those girls a proper summer break.
Oh I do think Blighty looks her best in June! Strawberries, Pimms, mid-summer night, sailing and Wimbledon (I feel an early morning queue coming on for tickets). Poor Mr Mad Dog will be sitting with sweat dripping off his nose in India while his family swan around the country looking in rock-pools. However, I, have to pack the house, tie all the legal stuff up here and look after 3 children plus Gus the mad dog single handed. In addition, it could lash with rain, hail or worse for the whole month and an awful lot of monopoly get played. So I think we will be pegging rather level.
Mr Mad dog will return in June and we shall say our so-longs, farewells, auf wiedersehen's and goodbyes prior to a final jaunt in Europe en famille. We then plan to fly out to Chennai/Madras in early-mid July for the shock and awe process of initiation ready in time for School term beginning 4th August. So we have a plan. Well, we do today, 5th March 2008. Tomorrow? Who knows.
There seems to be no right time to go. But at least the girls would have had a summer break and get a chance to visit all their relatives in Scotland before departure.
I have also found a new home for my moggie Josie who, is simply too old to go globetrotting so will move in with my old school chum and her young family sometime soon in Windsor. A big weight off my mind. We will miss our mog terribly but my friends are real animal lovers and we know she will live out the rest of her days quite purrrfectly....
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Caught between a rock and a hard place
Trying to decide the most appropriate time to make the move to Chennai is proving difficult. We will not have school places (due to being oversubscribed) until 4th August when the new term begins. The baby mad dogs school term breaks for the summer holidays on the 23rd July.
So, take them out a couple of weeks early?
Not so easy, in the case of the eldest mad dog. She is in year 6 primary which is the final year before moving onto (English) secondary school. In the final couple of months of the term, after finishing the SATS, they produce a musical and have lots of departure/goodbye events (they have all been together since they were 4). The final being their leaving party scheduled for the 25th July.
If we flew out on the 26th, this would give the girls the grand total of 8 days summer holidays, and usually my girls are burnt out and in desperate need of a few weeks of rest, beaches and sailing. (Mum is too).
But the other option of going in May when Mr Mad dog is up and running in India is equally galling. Trying to keep 3 mad dogs entertained in the hottest month of the year (40+ almost daily) with no school and most expats with kids departing on the next available plane after school breaks on the 6th June for 2 months is not an attractive proposition either.
Eldest mad dog will not want to leave once the rehearsals start for the 'show' so she has to be pulled out early enough that the impact will not hit too hard either. But in a nutshell, we feel caught between a rock and a hard place.
The process of moving to India is taking an age. We just want to get on with it. But I suppose this is what living in India will be like, waiting and keeping hold of my patience.
So, take them out a couple of weeks early?
Not so easy, in the case of the eldest mad dog. She is in year 6 primary which is the final year before moving onto (English) secondary school. In the final couple of months of the term, after finishing the SATS, they produce a musical and have lots of departure/goodbye events (they have all been together since they were 4). The final being their leaving party scheduled for the 25th July.
If we flew out on the 26th, this would give the girls the grand total of 8 days summer holidays, and usually my girls are burnt out and in desperate need of a few weeks of rest, beaches and sailing. (Mum is too).
But the other option of going in May when Mr Mad dog is up and running in India is equally galling. Trying to keep 3 mad dogs entertained in the hottest month of the year (40+ almost daily) with no school and most expats with kids departing on the next available plane after school breaks on the 6th June for 2 months is not an attractive proposition either.
Eldest mad dog will not want to leave once the rehearsals start for the 'show' so she has to be pulled out early enough that the impact will not hit too hard either. But in a nutshell, we feel caught between a rock and a hard place.
The process of moving to India is taking an age. We just want to get on with it. But I suppose this is what living in India will be like, waiting and keeping hold of my patience.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
So we went, we saw and because we're mad we are going back for more....
Chennai traffic at 8.00 a.m., this is usual traffic load accompanied by a strong whiff of smog, nice.
Fresh fruit and flower stands on many street corners of neighbourhoods, not Mc'D's :)
Family travel - Indian style, this picture is rather like those instructions you get on airplanes to put your oxygen mask on first before sorting your child out...
So why do people do pre-assignment trips? Is it to shock the living daylights out of you of what you could be bringing your family to, spend hours looking at inadequate housing that is over-inflated by a booming rental market? To feel like you are banging your head against a wall for simply asking why you can't have a hot water tap in the kitchen when you’re told "madam they are not standard in India".
Marvel at the cows jumping over central reservations on a dual carriage way and narrowly missing your car, or the herd feeding on the rubbish outside the baby mad dogs prospective school? (This image makes my pup's existing school look like something from an Agatha Christie - Miss Marple movie, all clipped hedges and nice clean vistas). Or, the numerous wild dogs we saw roaming around looking for a scrap or two?
We were warned by most of our friends and family who have visited India that it would be an assault on the senses upon arrival and this was true in our case. There was so much to take in. The traffic (maddest I have seen anywhere in the world, although I hear Bangkok can give it a run for its money), the unrelenting sun and its accompanying heat which defines its seasons by being hot, hotter and unbearable by April/May. We were visiting in hot. The poverty and the rubbish, the sheer number of crowds we encountered. The lack of apparent infrastructure in the city. We found it difficult to sleep and eat. The silver lining was that I did lose 6lb's so hence shifting some post Christmas overindulgences :)
If it was not for those lovely ladies (you know who you are) who took us under their wing and fed us Banana cake and tea, met for coffee and showed us housing I think we would have been in a more difficult place mentally. Thank you ladies!
But all in all I like the vibe of India, it's colour, it's optimism for the future, the way they drive in a passive way (although still mad) honking their horns (mind out I'm here behind you, not get out of the way). I did not feel threatened once as opposed to other countries I have visited. I love their Indian/British woven language, i.e., did you know that the word Bungalow comes from India. The Brit's took that word and well, they covered their tiny Island in them. Up and down the land in almost every cul-de-sac.
I liked that almost every house we looked at has a bedroom downstairs ready for the elderly relatives to pass their autumn years out, looked after by the respectful family. Not the endless elderly care homes that so many families in Britain resort to. But to be fair we have a welfare state.
India did not feel as different as I was expecting. Probably to do with our influence of the old Empire and the generations of Indian culture which have woven their thread into the national psyche of what is Britain today. I have only seen Chennai and that does not make up India, far from it.
But as introductions go, this was O.K., we will see some more please ............Next!?
We were warned by most of our friends and family who have visited India that it would be an assault on the senses upon arrival and this was true in our case. There was so much to take in. The traffic (maddest I have seen anywhere in the world, although I hear Bangkok can give it a run for its money), the unrelenting sun and its accompanying heat which defines its seasons by being hot, hotter and unbearable by April/May. We were visiting in hot. The poverty and the rubbish, the sheer number of crowds we encountered. The lack of apparent infrastructure in the city. We found it difficult to sleep and eat. The silver lining was that I did lose 6lb's so hence shifting some post Christmas overindulgences :)
If it was not for those lovely ladies (you know who you are) who took us under their wing and fed us Banana cake and tea, met for coffee and showed us housing I think we would have been in a more difficult place mentally. Thank you ladies!
But all in all I like the vibe of India, it's colour, it's optimism for the future, the way they drive in a passive way (although still mad) honking their horns (mind out I'm here behind you, not get out of the way). I did not feel threatened once as opposed to other countries I have visited. I love their Indian/British woven language, i.e., did you know that the word Bungalow comes from India. The Brit's took that word and well, they covered their tiny Island in them. Up and down the land in almost every cul-de-sac.
I liked that almost every house we looked at has a bedroom downstairs ready for the elderly relatives to pass their autumn years out, looked after by the respectful family. Not the endless elderly care homes that so many families in Britain resort to. But to be fair we have a welfare state.
India did not feel as different as I was expecting. Probably to do with our influence of the old Empire and the generations of Indian culture which have woven their thread into the national psyche of what is Britain today. I have only seen Chennai and that does not make up India, far from it.
But as introductions go, this was O.K., we will see some more please ............Next!?
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