And this is our temporary abode - visitors welcome!

Lets see if I can upload some pics - tech guru, aka Ads is close at hand - so we should be able to manage!

Front of our house - also see speed bump in process!

House from side - we are on the corner.

Looking up the street

Very bare looking front room! - all rooms are similar - marble floors, lots of windows

Stair case and upstairs landing - very spacious

View from our bedroom balcony
Hope that gives you a taster of where we are living.

Bureaucracy Rules!!!

We have spent a day of waiting for the wheels of bureaucracy to slowly wind their way forwards!!

Started off at the FRO - Foreign Registration Office with a pile of papers and photos for each of us (suspiciously similar to the pile of papers we had to put together to apply for our Indian visas). We met with the Infosys immigration expert who looked through our papers (of multiple photocopies in duplicate and triplicate) and immediately disappeared out of the door. Was later found in a store a couple of doors down the street trying to photocopy bits and pieces to effectively make a new document in duplicate or maybe triplicate. Over an hour later he eventually re-appeared and we got started on the real business of the day.

We had to either stand in line or be summoned by our token number to 5 different counters where our papers were checked and rechecked and various checks and crosses put in various places.

After 4 hours we left the place having traded our huge folders for 4 permits enabling us to stay in Bangalore for 12 months. How this is different from the Visa we already have in our passports I have no idea but it is the law!

So now, armed with all these invaluable permits Simon is all set to see his new BFF the bank account guru to open our Indian bank account. I had to sit down with Simon last night to autograph multiple copies of all the correct documents, so we should be all set here. But wait.....no go......I signed everything with a blue pen instead of a black pen...so all the documents have to be filled in again from scratch and brought home for me to sign again, then Simon has another date with the bank account guru tomorrow. As we also want a credit card we have to complete all the same forms and provide all the same documents and photocopies a second time. Bank account guru, asked if we wanted a savings account, but wait , yes you got it, all the same procedure again, Simon wearily said no!

And last but not least, I will get meet new BFF bank account guru as he has to come visit us to verify our address!!

Bumps in the road - and our legacy to Adarsh Vista!!

The kids in our neighborhood tend to run and play ad lib. The hub of their after school activity is the Club House. Little kids play hide and seek and the older ones soccer. There is swimming pool, badminton courts, a gym and a few big rooms (where there is yoga and aerobics in the mornings), also a nearly completed tennis court. The neighborhood, Adarsh Vista, has 200 Villas along a maize of little streets (don't ask how many times I have got lost!). We however are on the main street from the entrance which has one speed bump towards the entrance but none at our end, so vehicles (cars, motorbikes, push bikes) tend to get up a bit of speed - I'm sure you can tell where this is going!!

On Friday, after school,  Wills was running about outside playing when 2 motorbikes were coming in opposite directions. I shouted his name (big mistake) and he stopped and turned. One of the bikes which was slowing and on a path to avoid him bumped gently into him. He fell onto his bottom but then back onto his head and a big bump quickly sprouted. Drama ensued -several security guys appeared and enough ice was produced by all our neighbors to fill a bath tub. Wills didn't even cry and his only issue was the ice was too cold!

On Saturday, I then emailed the Adarsh Vista group asking if we could have another speed bump at our end of the street, on Sunday the Adarsh Vista residents team were outside the house reviewing the situation and today there is a pile of cement.

So after only being here a week or so, we have left our legacy in terms of a new speed bump - maybe we can have a plaque but on it (LOL!!)

Identity Crisis

So much to blog about but I want to take it slowly - so much has been achieved, so much to get done. So many differences but some things just the same! Some bumps in the road (one literally - more to follow!) but we are doing OK.

Big question though - do I say I am English or American? If I talk about "back home" I mean California. The boys are so obviously American. But I am in the first instance British  - born and bred and with an accent. My house is in America and I will return to America. It's all very strange as in the US I definately always described myself as British (and I think aways will despite holding both passports) but here if I say I'm British everyone assumes my home base is there.

Interesting thoughts - the big question tho' is does it really matter - I am a world citizen living on my 3rd continent (now that sounds pretty impressive!!)

Less than a week.....

I'm actually feeling we may be ready to go on Friday - still have a list of things to do but it's manageable - or am I being too optimistic!

Painter here Monday - that's the hardest thing so far. We painted Wills' room soon after he was born and I stenciled the helicopter and airplane and freehand painted the clouds. I was very proud of myself!! By Tuesday it'll be frost colored - which I think means off white. It would have been painted soon in any case - as Wills is growing up and the room looks shabby. After painters come the cleaners (apparently same have been busy in our Bangalore house), followed by the window cleaners!

Kids are still remarkably even keeled. I am still waiting for some sort of emotional melt down. Adam is really tired as a result of too many sleepovers with his friends and the mattress he is sleeping on, or rolling off! They both have 4 days of school left.

I have decided on (and invested in) my new hobby. Am promoting myself from a point and shoot to a grown up camera- pictures to be on show here once i have worked out how to use it. I ordered it online and it should be here wednesday - better not be late!!

Boxes out, boxes in!!

Our container of boxes ships tomorrow - funny to think of our possessions bobbing up and down in the ocean for weeks. Our garage is now full of the Jumps (who will be renting the house for a couple of years) boxes. It's weird to think that they will be living in our house - their kids in our kids rooms etc. But it's also good to think the house will be in good hands.

I put wills old bed on craigslist as a FREE - YOU HAUL and within minutes I had my first response - now a couple of hours later I've had over 50 replies. Is it the economy and people really need the used, not in very good condition furniture or is it the something for nothing thing. But either way it's like a sea of locusts desceding as the you've got mail bleep is going wild.

Both cars are now sold ( tho the Volvo is with us until we fly) - so a lot of loose ends are getting tied up. I still can't believe were going - probably as I can't imagine what life will be like when we get there!!

No furniture but the eggnog lattes have arrived at Starbucks!

We are now living a very minimalist existence which is strangely liberating but rather depressing. We have 4 chairs and a bed each (well that's a bit of an exaggeration as Adam only has a mattress). Pruning and sorting definitely makes you realize how much clutter and unnecessary stuff we have. My new bff is the guy on the Goodwill van, there is stuff stored in the attic and we still had a huge amount of stuff to ship.

We are now down to 8 suitcases of possessions. I'm going to be so fed up of my meager selection of clothing when we are reunited with our container. I have already managed to spill some old cleansing fluid down my one long pair of jeans- which won't come off. So I am either going to have to go Jean shopping - one of my least favorite activities - why is it so hard to find jeans to fit? Or slop some more of the stuff on and go for a patchy bleached look.

We are now dogless found a wonderful home for Samson. He has a new brother - they are both Aussie crosses, getting on in years- and dog loving owners. As they don't have kids I have to admit he'll probably get more attention than he is used to here. So far the kids don't seem to be really missing him which surprises me.

To go back to this blogs title - eggnog lattes are my favorite star bucks tipple and I thought I might miss them this year - but this week they arrived!! - how many can I drink before November 18th?

Kids have 8 more days at school, we have 2 weekends left here, 15 nights in this house, adam has 3 soccer games and 4 practices, - yes we are now counting down.