Settling in

The last 2 weeks have been overwhelming- exciting, challenging and exhausting.

The flight to Zurich was better than I expected. Both kids were asleep before the flight took off and slept through a large part of the flight. I cheated and gave a sedative to A- I was in two minds but two things made me decide on it. Mainly I didn't want A to keep crying and wake up S as well (and lately she had started waking up in the night and crying for a couple of hours on and off), and then I'll have two crying kids and one lap only, and also some of my friends and my husband warned me that co passengers in business may not look too kindly on having their expensive nights sleep ruined by wailing children. Looks like i was needlessly worried, business was full of infants and many co passengers stepped up to help me out when they saw me struggling- once when I had to get both sleeping children to the seats after giving the pram at the aeroplane gate..I couldn't carry both with me at the same time alongwith the hand luggage. So I left S sleeping in the pram at the gate, took A in, left her on the seat while a helpful lady watched over her and then went back picked up S and gave up the pram. Another was at baggage claim, I was able to lift the suitcases on my own from the pickup, but the silly trolley here had a belt on top so you need to lift up the suitcases and slide them into the trolley and they were far too heavy for me. Luckily a guy with a young kid saw me struggling and helped me even without me asking for it.

The hubby was waiting at the exit and S was terribly happy to see him. A was confused by all the changes and clung to me.

Overall the travel was better than I expected. My dad had come to Bombay to drop me off and that was really helpful, could not have managed without him. Really grandparents are such gems.

We stayed at the hotel for the first two days as our shipment was delayed and our bed was arriving only the next day from the shop. But we went to and fro the flat quite a few times. The first day itself we went home, boiled the milk, watched it spill over and then fretted about whether the stain would ever go from the induction heating top. I managed to make rasam rice for the kids with the pressure cooker and rice cooker I had carried with me, and was quite proud of my achievement!!! The first day being a Sunday we didn't do much, just got back to the hotel after the kids lunch, slept, I took the kids to the downstairs park while the hubby worked on a presentation for work (its so strange usually I'm the one working on the weekends while he chills out :)) and we had a nice dinner overlooking the Zurich lake.

Monday was hectic, we went early to the flat as the furniture guys and light guys were coming. They don't provide lights in the flats here, you need to buy the lights/lamp shades yourselves and get it fitted!! And people charge a bomb to fit the lights and assemble furniture - I should have taken a electric/carpentry course before coming here. The air freight also arrived on Monday which included some of the provisions (though I had smartly packed all the vessels in the shipment) and so by Tuesday we were set to move into our flat with the bare neccesities in place.

And so we slowly started settling in, and its so different here I don't know where to begin...

Firstly having to do everything yourself. In Bombay I was completely spoilt with a battery of help for the cooking, cleaning, driving, laundry, looking after the children and with the amazing home delivery there I could sit in the house the whole week/month and not have to step out for a single thing be it milk/medicine/fruits/vegetables/groceries/movies/wine. And its just absolutely the opposite here. I've already had to run to the grocery shop nearly every other day as either the milk is running out or the bread or the diapers! I need to be much more efficient here. But it is also difficult doing the grocery shopping alone with two kids and using public transport as I have to carry all the groceries back in the bus, while carrying A and making sure S gets on and off the bus safely. And then there's the two sets of staircases to climb before collapsing into the house. So its usually the bulk shopping in the weekends where either the hubby comes with the car, or else I can leave one of the kids at home and manage it a bit easier. This is still supplemented by trips to the grocery shop in between/calls to the hubby to pick up something or the other.

And other than the groceries, there is the cooking. For me even the simplest of things take time, and luckily the kids are obliging. So its the same fare for them everyday for breakfast and lunch, and dinner time I try to make something new- aloo paratha, biryani, chole puri, sambhar rice, bisibelebath and the saviour-mixes to which you only need to add vegetables! But overall its the thought that after you've gone out, done shopping/some sightseeing you still have to come home and cook and feed the children which is tiring. Especially when contrasted with food set at the table for us, and someone else to feed the children! But really I should not crib too much, the kids have been very obliging (keeping fingers crossed that they don't change as soon as I post this) so its not difficult to cook for them, and for our dinner we get a variety of pastas, sauces, frozen stuff here so if I don't want to cook a particular day if I don't want to. The bread is just amazing here, and many days I just have bread and cheese for lunch. I'm a big bread fan, and though I haven't been able to step into a bakery yet, even the large retail shops have an entire bread section where you can pick up freshly baked bread.

And then we come to the cleaning. Things do get dirty here (I was under the misguided impression that they don't)- ok not as much as Bombay, but you need to sweep/vacuum the place at least once in two days especially with two young kids who keep dropping crumbs all over the place. The weekly cleaners started yesterday, and I had signed up for four hours for the appartment which seemed quite a long time for just an appartment. But after four hours the mopping was still not done and the lady ran away like Cinderalla for her next appointment. I spent the next hour finishing off the cleaning and am pretty sure the house is going to be dirty again in a couple of weeks. Sigh...

And then the language of course. Everything is in German from the road signs to the ingredients in the shops to the signs in the park. Today i went to a new park near the house and there was a big sign outside which mentioned some restaurant and some park. There was a slide and sandpit next to a restaurant but I couldn't figure out whether the play area was only for customers of the restaurant or for everyone. I just took the kids and went since we had come all the way. Then in the shops i don't know what is half the stuff I am buying. The other i bought some frozen quiches where the cover looked vegetarian since there was some green stuffing on the cover. Before cooking I asked te hubby to check the ingredients on the iphone application for languages and it was spinach and bacon! Sigh again, at least one of us is non-veg in the house and the food wont be wasted. The hubby's solution is that i keep checking the iphone application in the shop which is what he does, but he doesn't have two children -one wriggling in the trolley and the other running around the shop searching for lolliops/snacks to tie him down. I just want to get in , buy the stuff and get out asap. And its also very difficult to ask for directions. People are quite helpful, but sometimes they just don't know English so you can get pretty stuck. And even in the large shops most of the cashiers dont speak English and are very surprised if you don't speak German, so its very tough if you have some query (we were trying to figure out home delivery in a furniture shop and had to wait for an English speaking customer to translate for us!)

On the positive side, and there are many but its so much more fun to crib, the public transport is great. There's a bus stop just outside the house and the city is extremely well connected. I can get to the city centre in 15 mins using the bus and the tram, and the frequency is also great. Its not usually crowded during the day and the kids quite enjoy going in the bus/tram/furnicular etc. The parks are also very nice- there are many open gardens for children to play and the parks are uncrowded mostly. There are so many activities for children to do here, and I've just started reading up on a couple of them. If we wanted we could do something new every weekend! The drives are also nice- we drove to Rhine Falls last weekend (will write a separate post on that) and the roads were almost empty. The hubby is enjoying his car, an SUV which I practically don't think I will every be able to drive.

But I am missing company, especially friends and family. Being able to just call up someone you've known for ages, or make a plan to meet them for an hour somewhere, or go to Bangalore for a long weekend- well those are some luxuries which seem very remote. Hopefully I should settle in, mentally and as well as physically soon.

Even the google

Even the google and gmail is in German. Took me five mins to figure out what is the right option to sign into this blog!! All is well and kicking, we are settling in, will post soon about the last 10 crazy days!

And off we go

D day has approached and in two days this time I'll be boarding the flight to Zurich with the two little ones.
Am I prepared?
Not nearly enough. I've not learnt much cooking. A is still not sleeping properly at night. S is still having milk from her bottle. Three things to be ticked off in the last month not done
Am I looking forward to it?
Yes, with some trepidation. Its going to be a lot of work, running a household, cooking, driving to each place, looking after the two brats. But somehow I'm looking at it as an adventure and an opportunity to spend time with the kids without the pressure of work. It helps that Switzerland is such a beautiful place and the plan (as of now) is to drive out as much as possible in the summer months. My brother is visiting in June and my parents are coming in August for a month, already looking forward to it. It helps that some of the groundwork has already been done- we are getting our flat tomorrow night, the hubby is getting the car on Saturday and S has got admission in her school (touchwood).
And why am I confident that I can manage
I am not. I've been sleepless nights over the last week wondering how I will manage. Even my mom yesterday said she was worried about how I will manage. I'vebeen terribly spoilt my whole life - i took up my mba college to be near my parents and have the comfort of home. Even for both kids, my mom was there for more than 2 months around the delivery time, and then I pushed off for 3 months each to my parents place! Even my friends pamper me! I'm going to have to manage it by myself (the hubby has already spent 15 days out of the last month outside Zurich and warned me that this is the way things are going to be) and that too in a place where I don't speak the local language. The only thing which gives me hope that I can manage is that I don't have a choice. And sometimes that's the best way for it to be..

A conversation in the dark

Yesterday the electrcity was off from the evening onwards due to the heavy rains. So it came to pass that after the children's dinner, S and I went to sit in the balcony, instead of congregating around the TV to watch Karadi Tales (if S has her way) or the IPL (if Ajji has her way). A was inside with Ajji while S was swinging on her red swing, and I was swinging on the cane chair (you know the kind which hangs from a hook in the ceiling). And S and I have the following conversation...
S : I have six things to tell you mama
Me: Yes
S: Don't scold A. If she is not sleeping tell her nicely and she will sleep, don't scold (the last few days A has been sleeping very badly and resultantly I have been getting more and more bad tempered)
Me: Ok
S: And don't scold her if she does not have her food. Say nicely, thinnu ma (eat dear) and she will eat
Me: Ok
S: Today you scolded me so much no. In the morning you scolded me and I felt like crying
Me (feeling bad): sorry dear. I was just telling you not to spend so much time washing your hands (S reaches the sink in her Ajji's bathroom and her favourite pastime is to keep washing her hands, turning the tap, pressing the liquid dettol soap, turning the tap....)
S: And today, when A fell down in the park, I felt very sad (A fell in the roundabout when she was trying to reach for the central post, which S was doing!)
Me: That's very sweet of you. You must look after your little sister no.
S sudden change of topic: Why are there two Bombays?
Me: You mean , we have two houses in Bombay.
S (not really getting the point): Yes..
Me: See we were staying in one house, then we had to pack our luggage for Zurich and so we moved into a hotel where we stayed for some time
S: But why do we keep changing houses in Bombay
Me: But we moved only once recently dear, as I explained above to pack..
S: but why do we have to move so many houses in Bombay
Me realising this could go on and on : Ok dear
S: Why does the current keep going in Bangalore
Me: Because of the heavy rain . Don't worry it will come back soon
S: It keeps going in Bangalore no, it doesnt go in Bombay
Me: yes dear. The electricity problem is less in Bombay
S: But why does the current keep going in bangalore
Me again realising this conversation this could go on and on
Me: So we are going to Zurich next week
S: You stay in Bombay with Aditi and Daddy will take me to Zurich!!!
Me not knowing what brought that on.
S then kept chatting to herself on some topic or the other, while I watched and wondered where my little baby had gone and who was this big girl!

The snack corner is open

Its true. Children pick up their eating habits from their parents. In my case, the hubby and I are snackies and so are the children. And in their Ajji's house, they have been having a ball! The first two weeks were restricted by their tummy upset, but have they made up for it over the last few days! The usual delights are chakuli (home made) and mixture, and they each get a bowl which they take into their snack corner- the window ledge behind the sofa and we don't hear a peep from them for the next 5 minutes. S often calls A to come with her behind the sofa and share her bowl of snacks and they look so cute that my dad has named it their snack corener and keeps asking S during the day when the snack corner would be opened.
S was always a snackoholic, and A has also turned into one. We have a ledge next to the dining table, where bottles of mixtures, chips (I have to have khara chips with my sambhar rice!) biscuits etc are kept, and once in a while A will walk upto it and point to one of the snacks and will not relent till some piece is offered in her mouth! Luckily A has also developed a taste for healthier things like palia (vegetables cooked with no gravy, just seasoning) so I try to give her some between her snacks. S is also encouraged towards healthier snacks like apples, cashewnuts etc but what is one expected to do when they see their mom huddled up with a packet of kur kures at 11 pm in the night :)
Speaking of food, I've started another blog where I'm posting my home recipes. The site is http://wwwmyhomerecipes.blogspot.com. If you have any home recipes to share, do drop in to the site.

S ear piercing

We finally pierced S's ears! We went to the jewellers the week we landed in Bangalore (I wanted to finish it in the beginning itself, so the ear lobes have some time to heal before we leave for Zurich, and if any complications arise we can see to it here itself) S was great most of the time. In Bombay she had been asking when she would get her ears pierced and she was quite excited all the way to the jewellers. Then when she saw all the people there she suddenly got a bit nervous. As expected when the lady put the black marker on her ears to mark the spot where they would put the earring, she started howling- she hates ink marks on her hands/body etc . For the actual gun shot she was ok and didn't cry much! We chose a small diamond stud for S. The first gun shot went ok, S got slightly upset and I took her out for 2 minutes to distract her. She came back willingly for the second shot, and sat with a resigned look on her face! But during the second shot she suddenly moved away- luckily the lady ws super fast and managed to get the entire earring in- I was worried that the ear may have torn but it was fine. S was treated to french fries at the restaurant downstairs for being so brave. Its been two weeks now and the ears seems to have healed well touch wood. We've been putting the ointment/oil twice a day on the ears and turning the earrings round. Initially they were paining quite a bit, and she was finding it difficult to sleep on the ears and we had to be extra careful while removing her t shirt over her ears. Now the pain is mostly gone and S is looking forward to wearing a pair of dangly earrings (I've been wearing danglies for the last two days and she's been asking for her own set!). We've decided to wait till A is older to get her ears pierced. She might pull her ears when it pains, with S she understands not to, but A is too young. Speaking of earrings remind me of how I got my second hole pierced. We were in London and I'd gone shopping with my mom and sis-inlaw to the local mall. I wanted some dress and my mom refused to buy it for me (and rightly so I dont think i would have ever worn it). In a fit of defiance I announced that I was going to get my second hole pierced at the local shop there (not a jewellers but a small shop in the middle of the mall) and when I did not meet with any protests I had to go through with it. But the gun was quite painless and it didn't pain much as the earlobe is soft. Taking inspiration from the painless procedure, a few years down the line I decided to get a third hole pierced, this time at the top of my ears. Ouch it hurt like mad (the cartillage is much harder there) and even after a month the pain was bad and the ears were bleeding when I removed the earring to clean it. After suffering it out for another month I just took out the earrings and the third hole closed on its own. My aunt has a third hole in the same position and I still wistfully look at the earrings whenever I see at a function..

Trying times

The last week has been extremely trying. In my last post I had mentioned my choc o block schedule in the last 2 weeks in Mumbai when I was managing both kids without a baby maid and a busy husband . I had caveated that it was manageable as long as one of them did not fall ill. And how I was looking forward to coming to Bangalore for a month before pushing off to Zurich where there would be absolutely no help. Well one should never expect anything to turn out the way they expect as far as kids are concerned as they are random variables and the times when two random variables behave the way you want is quite rare. And true to it, A was extremely cranky the night we landed in Bangalore and the next morning her nose was running and she had a cough. So the first thing I did on my first morning here was to go to the paediatrician with A. The next few days passed ok, A was a bit cranky and troublsome for her meals but ok otherwise. Then last Friday night, suddenly S complained of stomach ache in the night, and vomited every fifteen minutes from 12:15 am till 3 am, at which point I was exhausted and asked my mom to take her. A was woken up by the night activity and refused to sleep till 5 am. I slept from 5-7 am and when I woke S was still unwell. She had again vomited the milk she drank in the morning. Then I rushed her to the paediatrician who prescribed some vomiting medicine. S was then ok for the next few days, partly because I completely stopped her milk and also because I cut down her food intake also quite a bit. Suddenly on Sunday, A vomited out her lunch, and then when I gave her some milk, she vomited that out too. I managed to give her some milk and put her to bed. She again vomited out the evening meal. When she again vomited out the night meal I got really stressed and again rushed to the paediatrician- but this time my dad had to find one and take us as our usual paediatrican was on holiday. The doctor said to give mainly liquids for the next few days and again prescribed vomiting medicines. A and S were somewhat better on Monday, but started getting loosies and A became extremely cranky, crying for long periods and wanting to be with me all the time. Tuesday again both kids were off their food, and I had to go to the paediatrician again who prescribed medicine for loosies. Wednesday was a really bad day for S as she didnt retain any food (she vomited three times) and Thursday I restarted her vomiting medicine and took her off milk again. A has been better today and eaten most of her meals (though much reduced quantity) and had some milk. But she also vomited twice today, and every meal for both has become an exercise in coaxing and judging when both have had enough. both kids have become thin (when the hubby saw them on skype yesterday he was quite surprised). S gets tired easily, and vomits at the drop of a hat. A has become very clingy and has to be carried by me most of the day, or sit in my lap all the time, and I can't step out of the house for more than 1/2 hour without her getting very upset. I am unable to spend much time with S as a result, and sometimes she gets quite upset. As usual I gave grief to my mom about how awful this was (and now I'm feeling guilty). I hope and pray the kids recover soon, and enjoy their vacation here. I also hope for more patience and strength to manage them both alone in Zurich, I was lucky in a way that this happened in Bangalore where my mom was there to look after S and help me look after A.