U,V,W,X,Y,Z.

That title is deceiving as we have not come up with words for any of those challenging letters. Not that we wouldn't be able to if we really sat down and thought about it, but because we did not do it before we left Chennai, viewed it as a work in progress that could wait until this summer, and have clearly been caught up with getting reacquainted with MN since our return.

The point is, we are full of gratitude for this experience. We are different than when we departed the US in the summer of 2014, and in all the best ways. 

T

Travel:
We showed up to India nearly three years ago with fairly empty passports and equally empty knowledge about the world and the Travel opportunities we would encounter.
We are so grateful to have spent the past three years exploring, the ability to do that with ease and the perspectives it has given us in a lot of ways.

Our kids have been to more countries that I think I probably knew existed when I was their age, and with that we see a responsibility for them to inform others and share their knowledge and discoveries. Henry knows it will be a possibility that he talks about some places he has been and other kids in his new 3rd grade classroom will not know where he is speaking of. He is aware that he may be the only student in his grade that has seen temple ruins in Cambodia, read a book on a beach in Sri Lanka and been to the Taj Mahal. He spent Christmas in what we believe is likely the Christmas capital of the world (Munich) and listened to the beautiful rendition of Silent Night sung in German as I have heard so many times before. He has ice skated in Austria, as well as in a mall in Bangkok.

Henry and William have become Travelers. They know what to do when they get to an airport (well, they don't always do it, but they know). They know how to move through security lines, lift their arms for security scans, and that they need to carry backpacks. They know the expectations on airplanes and have hopefully experienced the most turbulent flight of their lives already thanks to a recent trip to Bangalore. They are learning to go with the the flow (we all are), knowing there isn't always a plan and we don't always have to be doing something on vacation. Just being, even when exploring a new country, is ok too.

They have become Travelers, and we hope they will always know the value of exploration and take that into the future. 

S

This is a long one. We have sat in the autorickshaw over the past week brainstorming ideas for this blog as the world goes on all around us. In some ways we wish we would have been taking an auto to school all along, but we know that's not completely feasible for a family of 4 to pile in every day. It's been fun though!
So, for  S we came up with a lot of words. Like a lot. Some letters we struggle with, but S is not one of them.
Here it goes!

Sunshine: The Sun Shines almost all the time here. It is hot, bright and feels close. While we miss clouds and more rainy days like crazy, we are grateful to have experienced a different climate for a while and can appreciate how much the consistent Sunshine does for our bodies and moods.

Sambar: (Will). Favorite dipping sauce for Idli (another favorite of ours).

Safari: We have been on a few Safaris during our travels here. They help us practice patience, get us out into the fresh air, and we occasionally get to see a surprise animal (or a lot of elephants!). No tigers for us, but a fun activity anyway!

School: This one is hard to put into words. The mission of AISC is one we can all get behind: Internationally minded, focusing on developing global citizens with creative minds, compassionate hearts, courage and confidence to go out and make a difference in the world. This School we all run off to every morning has been a breath of fresh air. We are valued as educators, with the ability to develop programs, implement ideas and develop relationships with the kids and families we are working with. We have both grown leaps and bounds professionally. Henry and Will have also thrived at AISC. The early elementary program is nurturing, fosters self discovery, encourages play and provides so many learning opportunities. They have been in classes with kids and listening to languages from all over the world. It has truly been a global experience, even on our little campus bubble in the middle of this bustling city. We feel extremely lucky that both of our children have gotten to begin their educational experiences in such a wonderful environment.

Summer: MN Summer is the best there is. We are certain. We have always loved Summertime in Minnesota, but it has been a different experience for the past couple of years that we are grateful for. Since moving overseas, we have been able to appreciate MN in a different way as visitors. Without a home or jobs to worry about while visiting, we have gotten to know Minnesota better as tourists who enjoy it's great outdoors, lakes, exercise, restaurants, breweries, bbq's and quality time continuing to foster relationships with people there whom we care about so much. Excited for another Minnesota Summer to begin in a few days, although this year it will include job searches and resettling of life in the USA!

N, O, P, Q, R

Good reasons why we are posting a bunch of letters at one time. Graduation, goodbye dinners with friends, packing (home, classroom and office) and just living in general gets in the way. But, here we are, ready to whittle away at N - R. Here we go!

New Experiences:
Henry disputes this one as he says the whole blog is about our new experiences, so it cannot be it's own category. I'm not sure, but I do know that we have had a wealth of New experiences we are grateful for over the past three years. New travel, New food, New friends, New insights, New perspectives....the list goes on and on.

Open Air Stalls/Shops:
We have been shopping at small businesses. There are not big box stores here, and for this we are extremely grateful. Small shops are where it's at! Henry says things are easier to find and it just makes more sense. We have loved supporting shop owners and have found some favorites of which we have been able to support economically and develop relationships with. We will miss this when moving back to the US. Also, the Open air part....which is the real O in this story. We are grateful for weather in South India that allows for a simple business plan that can provide roadside simple structures as a family business. We are grateful for a community that comes together to help each other rebuild these structures when natural disaster occurs.

Peacocks
Perspectives
Painted Trucks

Quality time with friends as family. Friends AS family. We have this in the USA too, but for some reason didn't fully believe we would find it here. We didn't know we would be able to rely on people in the same way, and it has proven to be a thing. We are so grateful for our Chennai family and the 1, 2 or 3 years we have had with you. You know who you are.

Religion
We have a larger, global view of Religion since moving to India. Not that we weren't aware prior, but never explored the ins and outs of various religions, holidays and meaning as we have been exposed to. India is so diverse in Religious practice. Driving home from school we pass Hindu Temples, Muslim Mosques and Christian Churches within a 5 km drive. We hear the call to prayer regularly, have learned more about Christianity practice in other parts of the world, have visited Buddhist temples in our travels and witness others praying to their God at a roadside temple. Our eyes are open.

We're all over the place. KLM.

We have a few to go back to that have popped up recently:

Gekko (courtsey of Will). We love them. They're all over our house and make great noises. We also believe they eat the mosquitoes (a creature which we cannot find gratitude for, no matter how hard we try)
Golden Temple. One of the most special places we have visited in India. Words do not do justice.

H:
Hot, Hotter, Hottest. Henry is electing to add this into the H category. We do find gratitude for the hot season (single hot, the month of January) as the weather is lovely, refreshing, and so sunny and beautiful compared to what we know to be true at home in the midwest USA at that time of year.

K:
Community Kitchen. We visited the largest community Kitchen in the world when we were in Amritsar, at the Golden Temple. It was beyond words impressive with the amount of food they produce, the amount of people they feed and the amount of dishes washed in a minute, hour, day. What an experience, and one we will likely not ever forget (except maybe William because, let's be honest....will he remember any of this crazy 3 years!?)

L:
Light Saber (you guessed, it. William's gratitude). We play with pool noodle light sabers on a semi-regular basis at home and apparently that has made a lasting impact while in India.
Lellow tuk-tuks. We know, we know. We don't have the heart to tell Will that it starts with a Y. If you ever heard him say it you wouldn't either. So when he exclaimed he had another gratitude to add to L, we promised to do as told.

Last. We got in the car on the way home today and realized it was my (Correne's) 2nd to Last time driving us home from school. I've mentioned how much I enjoy driving here, and to think that piece of me is almost over feels a bit sad. Not only the driving, but the overwhelming amount of activity going on around us at all times while we make our way through the streets of this city. I've also been thinking about how many things I still want to do here, travel, favorite restaurants / foods to eat, places to visit, people to spend time with, and am coming to the conclusion that many Lasts have happened without me even knowing it. I need to let some of it go. It's all coming to a close. (14 letters left!)
Lilly. This is  a big one for us that is hard to put into words. Two days after landing in Chennai in July 2014, we dropped our kids with an unknown, kind looking woman with a wonderful smile and we started working. We were terrified, as were they (as she probably was as well). Lilly has been making us feel grateful and comfortable ever since. She has taken the best care of our boys for the past 3 years. William full time at the start and now transitioning into after school auto rides home, taking to playdates, feeding, wiping and loving. We adore her and her own children. It's really hard to think about the possibility of not seeing them again. I think it hasn't sunk in for Will. In his mind, life without Lilly is a life that does not exist. Figuring out how to say goodbye to her might be one of the hardest.

M:
Henry & William: Monkeys, Motorbikes

Whole Family:
Munich: Turns out, one of our favorite places in the world is in Germany. We love this city and believe we would spend the rest of our lives there if given the opportunity! Possible future jobs?

Monkey Temple. In Jaipur, there is a temple outside of the city that is by far one of our favorite places in India so far (maybe we'll come back to experience more someday?). It is remote, beautiful, unique and so many other things that are once again, hard to put into words. Photos don't even do it justice, even though I took one of my favorite photos of all time there a few years ago. We had a great, educational temple experience with a wonderful Hindu priest who spent a lot of time explaining things to us.

Monsoons: We've never experienced true wet/dry seasons until living in India. It currently hasn't rained more than a few sprinkles in almost 6 months, so the thought of a Monsoon coming hopefully soon is so wonderful. This city needs rain! By the time Monsoon season arrives (usually June and November/December I believe), the rain is so needed and appreciated. As long as there is not too much flooding, it's really lovely. The air actually cools a bit and it seems to wash the dust away.

Murals: walls are painted everywhere. Beautiful bright colors, beautiful Tamil writing, images of politicans, movies stars, even 1 year olds having birthday parties. Any excuse for a painted mural is a good one, and we're so appreciative of how alive the surroundings are in Chennai.

Meka: She came on this journey with us and has put up with intense heat for 3 years. She's not built for heat, she's built for seasons. She's now old, and we're excited to get her back to Minnesota winters for the time she has left.

Mangos: wow. These things are delicious! We look forward to (around April) every year when they start showing themselves in markets and are ready for smoothies, ice cream topping and just eating in general. Henry equates them to natural candy, which is right on target. We are grateful for the abundance of delicious mangos in South India.

F, G, H, I & J

So, we were kidding ourselves. This busy time combined with a weekend swim meet trip to Bangalore got us extremely far behind in this endeavour. And now, as we get ready for another busy week we have very little time for reflection on a Sunday night. We're hoping to be more intentional about making time for this in our days over the next two plus weeks (that's all that's left....eek!).  For the sake of getting caught up, here's a list we generated over dinner tonight:

F
Fresh Fruit,
Food (in general)
Fans
Fish markets and Fishing villages
Fireworks. All occasions and celebrations call for Fireworks around here.  We have a new appreciation for how often people celebrate so many things, and Fireworks are central piece of the party.
Fabric - so beautiful, bright and incredible. That is all.
Flier (from Will - this is the name of his little stuffed dog).

G
William says giraffe (note: there are no giraffes in India).
Goa (wonderful beach vacation experience)
Gandhi (we've learned more about this incredible human during our time here)
Google Play (it is not lost on us that we have been riding in our car, all 4 together, to and from work/school every day for the past 3 years. We appreciate having that time as it is often the time when we get the kids full attention and can talk, observe and make plans. There is also plenty of arguing, complaining about shoes, stress about being late to go with it. Google Play has been our musical friend as we usually dance/sing our way to school/work. Party in the car!

H
Humpf Humpf A Dumpfer: That's a silly word that we're thankful for. The book it is from (On Beyond Zebra by Dr. Seuss) is one of our favorites and we've had a lot of good time reading together before bed during our time in India. We're intentional about making it happen nightly, and On Beyond Zebra has become a fun one. Humpf Humpf a Dumpfer!
Henna: While we don't necessarily participate in Henna (or mehendi as it is more commmonly called around here), we fully appreciate the beauty in design and art work that we have seen.
Horns: while sometimes overwhelming, it has been fun and interesting to live in a place that treats a horn honk so much differently than in the USA. As drivers, we find ourselves participating in this newfound method of horn honking, and are slightly concerned for our re-entry to the US that we will use it inappropriately.
Himalayas

I
India, obviously.

J
William: Ms. Jay (his wonderful 3+ preschool teacher) and Juni (BFF)
We're obviously all thankful for those people mentioned above as well (revert to Connelly post for more Juni details).

E

Henry:
My E word is Elephant because I have seen lots of Elephants and I think they're beautiful. When we were in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we fed and walked an Elephant. She ate a lot of bananas and pumpkin.

E is for Exploring this world. I (Correne) never in my life thought I would see and experience some of the things I have seen and experienced in the past 3 years. I am so full of gratitude for the opportunity to live in this part of the world with access to Incredible India as well as countries near and far. I am aware of the privilege that comes along with these opportunities, as well as the way my eyes have opened with a world view.

D

Henry:

Dottie my dog is a good experience from India. we picked her up off the street near Rowan's house, in the fishing village by the purple house. She is 2 years old and LICKS A LOT. we named her Dottie because she has dots all over her. 

William:
Also feeling thankful for his dog, Dottie.

Correne:
I'm feeling grateful for the Driving experiences I have had in India. I find the chaos of being on the road thrilling. Dodging other cars, motor bikes, scooters, bicycles, pedestrians, buses, autorickshaws, cows, goats and dogs never gets old. We once went on a bit of a Tamil Nadu road trip that allowed us to see so much of the countryside outside of the cities we have visited. Feeling gratitude for my own personal motivation to experience India in this way.
Additionally, feeling gratitude for the drivers on the road every day in so many ways that make the traffic chaos happen with seemingly minimal issues. It always amazes me how it just works.

Todd:
I am grateful for the Diversity around me throughout this experience. While the numbers are disputed, there are more than 100 "major languages" spoken in India. The cuisine varies across the the regions or even every 50 miles. On our way to school we pass several Mosques, Christian churches, and Hindu Temples, all in just over 5 miles. I am so grateful for the rich Diversity we have been exposed to in this experience.

Other D Words we appreciate:
Delhi Dhaba
Dosa
Dal
Discover India

C

C

Henry:
I am thankful for Coconut because it is sweet and we can get them in our yard or easy at the local shop. I recognize that I will NOT be able to get it so easily in the US!

William:
I am thankful for the Connelly's because I really like Juni!

Todd & Correne:
I'd like to emphasize William's sentiment....not only for Juni, but for the entire family. We were fortunate to connect with a full family of compatibility, while is not always easy to find in parenting with connecting kids and adults alike. Both of our kids found friends for life in their Connelly counterparts, and I'd say the adults have done the same. Many hours spent discussing play, work, parenting, families, travel, music and movies....all while our kids tear up whichever house we're hanging out in.  Some of our favorite people on the planet, which helps to know that we're not saying goodbye to them, but rather, "see you soon" and the friendships will be sustained.

Thanks, Connelly clan, if you're reading this. Know that our South Indian experience has been that much more fulfilling because of you.

Other C Words that we find gratitude for: Chutney, Colleagues, Chennai

B

                                               B
                                               Henry:
   
In India I live next to the Beach and IT IS FUN let me tell ya!
I am NOT looking forward to NOT being next to the beach.
You can play in the waves and in the water, You can play in the sand.

William: my Bear (he actually doesn't even have a stuffed bear that we can recall, so we have no idea what he is talking about) and Balls.

Correne & Todd:
Beach. We weren't really Beach people before we moved to India. We also didn't anticipate becoming Beach people upon our move here as we didn't realize that it would be a thing that would be so widely available. Now, it has become our way to enjoy the outdoors. From 30 minutes south of Chennai to Goa, Sri Lanka and Thailand, we have come to love spending days at the beach as much as we love hiking and exploring the outdoors in other ways. We will never write off a beach vacation again, and also will miss hearing the waves crashing in the Bay of Bengal on a regular basis.

Other B words we are thankful for: Biriyani, Blue Cross Animal Shelter, Bats that eat mosquitoes, Bicycling on the Bay of Bengal

A

Henry:
I am thankful that I was in classes 2A and 1A (and also KGB, but that doesn't have an A).  I'm also thankful that me, Will, Lilly and Oceana take an Autorickshaw home from school. Autorickshaws are way more fun, you can hear all the noise, there's no doors and only 3 wheels.

William:
I am thankful for the Autorickshaw and Ants. Why Ants? Because Ants are my favorite.

(This if very contrary to how the rest of us feel about them, but that's normal...for Will to be contrarian).

If Henry is thankful for Autorickshaws, I'm sure William is many times over. While Henry often times has ASA's after school, William has been riding home with our wonderful nanny in an Auto (or tuk-tuk) every day this school year. It is very different to experience this city from an open air Autorickshaw than an air conditioned car.

I (Correne) take an Auto every chance I get in order to experiences the sights, sounds and scents on a more intimate level. The five senses are never bored in South India, that is certain!

I (Todd) am grateful for the opportunity to take Autos as well. They move through the narrowest of openings smoothly. Most recently I have jumped in shared autos that travel up and down the ECR.  I appreciate the fresh air and the cheap transportation!

Update: (on S day, but who cares?)
Apollo Hospital. We have been fortunate to receive great health care while living here. The hospital we have seen the inside of more than we would like to has taken great care of us, from broken bones, to cracked open heads, to dehydration, we've been grateful and impressed. 

26 Days

I've been thinking this morning about the blog I started and attempted to keep as we approached our move to India and the first year we were here, nearly three years ago.  I let that one go quite a while ago for a multitude of reasons, but as our family began preparing for a big move back to the US, we decided on another attempt at blogging as the time approaches. While we have shared it with you in case you are interested in hearing our thoughts, emotions and reflections on the last three years, it really is a way for us to document for ourselves, remind us, and keep things in perspective during this busy last 26 days of Incredible India. If you decide to follow, we sincerely hope you also will find some takeaways through our experiences.

For the next 26 days, we will be attempting to blog with reflections and gratitude. Sometimes our gratitude will be reflective; sometimes it will relate the particular letter of the alphabet we have designated for that day and sometimes it will not. Sometimes will will all agree on a collective blog post, while sometimes we will all post separately about our reflection that day (Henry and William included).

This blog is for us. A family of 4 who three years ago set out on the experience of a lifetime. So begins our ABC's of Gratitude.