Tara Turns 2!
Now this would be a great opportunity for a photo... but I have this sinking feeling that the beautiful one of her smiling before her lit candles didn't really get taken..
Tara had a great birthday. Well the day was not as focussed on her as it could have (I made and served seitan made from scratch at Shikshantar)... but it ended with a terrific dance party at our house. We invited all the kids and grownups from our little compound - which Ajay is calling our co-housing (basically true) and the Shikshantar crew - totalling around 30 people and Tara was thrilled. I ordered a big (6 kilo) fluffy cake from Udaipurs finest confectioner with lots of fresh cream frosting in various animal forms. Some thought that would be too much (and it did cost about the same as my bike!) - but there wasn't a piece left at the end. Ramreetji also fried up some samosas and spinach pakoras, among others, plus tea for all and grape Tang for the wee ones. It was a far cry from Satya's organic wheat tortilla party with homemade cake - but hey I don't have an oven here...
I love watching children blow out their birthday candles. Tara was so happy to sit among so many new friends and successfully blow out the candles on her cake - she was beaming. She knew it was a special day for her and she revelled in it. In the morning she was greeted by a new orange trike (which Satya and Violet promptly took over...) and has enjoyed the notion of pedaling since....
Yesterday, we all got bikes - a sturdy black one with rack and basket for me, a junker blue one for Satya with rack and, most importantly to him- a lock, and a fine (new, but don't tell them) pink one for Violet. Ajay got his a while back. It took us all afternoon to pick out and request adjustments to these bikes until they were ready for purchase (replaced the chain, seat, pedals, grips on Satya' s for instance). And took ice cream, fresh juice and ATM breaks with the kids to get them through the outing happily. But the big success was in convincing them that USED was better than new. The perfect bike for Violet (and not the very flashy one) was actually new - but I certainly wasn't going to tell her that - so hers was as used as Satya's and mine. Thankfully got through some sitcky whiny moments that would have set the tone for everything new is better for some time to come. Mother Earth is breathing more easily thanks to two American children happily choosing used bikes in India.
Tara had a great birthday. Well the day was not as focussed on her as it could have (I made and served seitan made from scratch at Shikshantar)... but it ended with a terrific dance party at our house. We invited all the kids and grownups from our little compound - which Ajay is calling our co-housing (basically true) and the Shikshantar crew - totalling around 30 people and Tara was thrilled. I ordered a big (6 kilo) fluffy cake from Udaipurs finest confectioner with lots of fresh cream frosting in various animal forms. Some thought that would be too much (and it did cost about the same as my bike!) - but there wasn't a piece left at the end. Ramreetji also fried up some samosas and spinach pakoras, among others, plus tea for all and grape Tang for the wee ones. It was a far cry from Satya's organic wheat tortilla party with homemade cake - but hey I don't have an oven here...
I love watching children blow out their birthday candles. Tara was so happy to sit among so many new friends and successfully blow out the candles on her cake - she was beaming. She knew it was a special day for her and she revelled in it. In the morning she was greeted by a new orange trike (which Satya and Violet promptly took over...) and has enjoyed the notion of pedaling since....
Yesterday, we all got bikes - a sturdy black one with rack and basket for me, a junker blue one for Satya with rack and, most importantly to him- a lock, and a fine (new, but don't tell them) pink one for Violet. Ajay got his a while back. It took us all afternoon to pick out and request adjustments to these bikes until they were ready for purchase (replaced the chain, seat, pedals, grips on Satya' s for instance). And took ice cream, fresh juice and ATM breaks with the kids to get them through the outing happily. But the big success was in convincing them that USED was better than new. The perfect bike for Violet (and not the very flashy one) was actually new - but I certainly wasn't going to tell her that - so hers was as used as Satya's and mine. Thankfully got through some sitcky whiny moments that would have set the tone for everything new is better for some time to come. Mother Earth is breathing more easily thanks to two American children happily choosing used bikes in India.
posted by Sara and Ajay at 8:50 AM
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