Visiting Delhi

 After a year of living in Delhi, coming back was a very nostalgic homecoming. For me, I had an ear-to-ear grin as we took the taxi back from the airport. The sights and smells were all so familiar, and I realized how much I had missed India without knowing it.


We were fortunate enough to stay in a very lovely two-room apartment, which belongs to a friend's family. It provided an incredible respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. Below is Miles enjoying the fine furnishings and meeting Ganesh for the first time.

Unfortunately, we were fairly limited in our flexibility in terms of seasons to visit, and so happened to be in Delhi during an incredible heat wave in which the temperature rose to 119! Given the weather, I think we did a pretty phenomenal job of getting out of the apartment, and visiting some of our old haunts. We started on the first day by going back to Hauz Khas market and Deer Park in the morning, and the Lodhi Gardens and Khan market in the afternoon (couldn't miss out on the Kathi rolls!).

Lodhi Gardens, which we'd visited on numerous occasions with family and friends. 

Deer Park near Hauz Khas

Our favorite hole-in-the-wall kathi rolls place still exists! (photo taken prior to Miles dropping his beloved truck down a sewer near Jo's feet, me reaching my arm in to grab it, failing, and us running away with flailing baby) 

Transportation was very exciting for the kids. Miles is pretty obsessed with cars, trains and everything that moves. We had good fun riding autorickshaws around, and metro around, but started taking Uber given the heat-and the fact that it is now much cheaper/distance than a rickshaw (?!?)

                                                  A rare empty car on the Delhi metro

 The Luxury of the Women's Car

 

 Gentle hands...

Revisiting Max Hospital

We made a point of going back to Max Hospital, where Annie was born in 2011. It was incredibly special. We've been telling Annie "stories" for a long time of how she was born in India, and she was really excited to visit the hospital itself.

 Metro-ing it to Max

 

Preparing to leave the hospital in 2011


 

Same lobby nearly five years later

And in 2016, +1 (Miles)

We went and got coffee and ice cream down stairs and had a surreal moment of being in the same place, getting coffee after Annie had just been born. It was so much fun to see her and Miles dancing around with their ice cream. And now we'll have a double story to tell her, of when she returned to the hospital where she was born.

Visiting Old Friends

The most lovely part of being in Delhi was getting a chance to reconnect with old friends. We had a lovely time catching up with Aftab, and his wife Aqsa.

Wonderful visiting Murad and Tannie (here's Murad giving Miles a toy car)
  
And made a lovely visit to Shubhra's


Where Annie got to do dabble in the arts

 As well as relish in a good popsicle


Revisiting old friends has made our visit in Delhi really very special. Not just for Jo and I, but for Annie as well, who has seen photos of herself as a newborn baby with them over the years, and gets to re-meet them again.

On the day Annie was born



And almost five years later

We even got a chance to visit the metro station where Shubhra's new installation in displayed. Very impressive!

While Jo was out doing interviews, we also made a point of visiting some new places, and making new memories. We took a trip across the city to Shankar's International Doll Museum. It was beastly hot, and the daily popsicle quotient went out the window!

 

We also took a trip to India Gate where they have a pretty amazing children's playground complex--five playgrounds side-by-side.

India Gate in the blazing background

We also stumbled upon a group of guys who were hiring their remote control car services. I'd never seen anything before like it. The driver walks along side the car (below).

  

Annie also got her hands painted with henna. This is frequently done around weddings, or other festive times, but we figured it just had to be done.

After her hands were painted, Annie needed to let them air-dry for about an hour. That was a little too much for Miles to handle. Here he is chasing her down. He got one quick smudge before I captured the wily one.

After an amazing week in Delhi, we are VERY excited for our next return trip there.

 

Return to India

 After four and a half years, we've finally made our first return visit to India. A lot has happened in the intervening period, including multiple fieldwork trips to Brazil, but Jo and I both felt it was time to return to India.

This is a very ambitious trip in multiple senses. First, from a research standpoint, we're exploring the possibility of a number of new research projects. Jo is looking at potential new field sites in Mussoorie and Mysore, as well as continuing her contact with colleagues in Delhi. I'm exploring two new pilot projects: the first in Mysore, Karnataka, and the second is a comparative study of state policies related to organic farming in the states of Kerala and Sikkim. What this all means is we are doing a lot of traveling throughout India over a period of six weeks. And we're doing it with both Annie (almost 5) and Miles (2.5 years old). The combination of these two elements--extensive traveling and field research with two small children--has had us somewhat nervous for the last few months. Undoubtedly, it will be a trip to remember!




Place marks in red are associated with Jo's research, green with mine, and yellow with both!

On the slow road to Brazil: Bloomington

We're taking a very circuitous trip to Brazil this summer.

Alabama-->Bloomington, IN is our first leg. We're visiting Grandpa Dave and Grandma Gail, Aunt Suzy, and Uncle Paul in Bloomington. The weather the last few days has been absolutely perfect. 70s and sunny with a nice gentle breeze.

We've been spending most of the day outside, blowing bubbles, reading books on a blanket, and gardening. Here are a few photos from the last few days.

Back in ATL: Part 1

Welcome back to the blog after a many month hiatus! Life has been particularly crazy in the interim as many know, moving back from Brazil, visiting family around the country, and finally, after 2.5 years getting resettled in Atlanta with Annie! Finally, after three weeks back in Atlanta the majority of the boxes are unpacked and we're

making dough playing on playground

;

Kentuck Art Festival

This weekend was the weekend we'd all been waiting for. Or at least those of us in the know. It was the Kentuck Art Festival, which is a folk art festival held in Northport, AL. As in, it takes place a block from our house.

We'd been excited to go and get some funky art, but also to play around with the various craft tables we'd heard about. 

We weren't disappointed on either front.  

There was some great old time bluegrass music, which Miles absolutely loved. 

A really cool "Musical Petting Zoo" with all sorts of instruments for kids to try out. 

Miles was a big fan.

And lots of interesting crafts. Below Annie is working on this "marbled" paint project. 

And on some clay masterpiece

Of course, there was the requisite face painting. 

And given it was one of the major social events of the year, there were lots of friends, and friends' kiddos.

Getting Settled in 'Bama

Hard to believe that it's been two years since we've posted to this blog. To say a lot has happened in the interim would be an understatement. A few updates: Jo and I finished our respective periods of international fieldwork, wrote up our dissertations, defense them, and graduated in May 2014! Miles Paul Meek was born on January 9th, 2014! We both accepted academic positions at the University of Alabama, and have moved to Northport, AL! Here are a few pics from our time here so far:

Tuscaloosa and Northport are separated by the Black Warrior river. Above is the Bama Belle boat, which might be Annie's new moniker.


We had a lovely visit from Grandma and Grandpa; book reading, magic tricks, and loads of pretending!

Annie and Miles are at the Capitol School, which is a Montessori School. I've gone and played banjo several times to volunteer.

Annie and I build a small raised bed garden in the back of our house.

We're trying to get out more and explore the Alabama outdoors. We took a lovely weekend trip with friends to Natural Bridge, Alabama, and the Dismals Canyon. Utah-like slot canyons and arches...in Alabama!

Given how hot it was when we arrived in August, in general, we've just been loving spending time down by the river, up around Lake Nicol, or in the shade at the playgrounds.

Looking forward to the cooler temperature of Fall, and more exploring.