Just so we all don't have to look at the word "potty" anymore. But also - a rare video look inside my in-law's home in Karachi. This is the entry veranda, and the two drummers we hired for the bharaat.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Pottying in Pakistan - RESOLVED!
Before we get back to chronicling the wedding for which we recently traveled to (and have since returned from) Pakistan to attend, I thought some of you must be hanging on the edges of your seats wondering what happened with the potty issue!
Remember? I was worried about our three year old. He was then-newly-potty-trained and I was worried that he'd have difficulty adjusting to the open "Squat Toilet" that can be prevalent in Pakistan. I wrote about it in this old post, and I thought I had found the perfect solution - a folding travel potty that we could use by itself or set it up over the ol' hole in the ground, especially at the outdoor and often primitive wedding venues we'd be spending so much time at. Well, it turns out that wasn't a solution at all. Why? Well, because like I am prone to do, I had apparently worked myself up in a frenzy over something that was a complete non-issue. And it was resolved before we even arrived in Pakistan.
While we were transiting through the Exploded Peacock, my Mian took the baby to the bathroom. There was a long line and all the stalls had floor-to-ceiling doors, so he didn't know until they'd had to wait for a long time that half the stalls had western style toilets and the other half had squat toilets. Their luck had run out and they'd gotten a squat toilet - but the baby couldn't have waited in the line any longer. He had to make due with the hand he'd been dealt, so to speak. Luckily, M is much better at not freaking about about unknown situations (and imparting that stress onto the baby making the situation worse), so he just positioned the boy over the hole in the ground and the deed was done without a second thought.
The rest of the trip, the baby had no problems at all using the "Airport Potty" as he called it. M even had him use the Airport Potty at his parent's house where they have both options next to each other. It kept the skills fresh, I guess. We did encounter a lot of squat toilets out and about in Karachi also, and it was literally a weight off my shoulders not to have to worry about, nor carry around our own folding potty (and then still have to carry around a used folding potty afterward also - yuck!)
When we got back home, we were still within the Babies R Us 30-day return policy, and since the item was completely untouched and unopened, I returned it. Someone who recently bought a lime green "Potette Plus" from my local store has no idea that their potty just recently returned from an excursion halfway around the world. Traveling Potty indeed!
Remember? I was worried about our three year old. He was then-newly-potty-trained and I was worried that he'd have difficulty adjusting to the open "Squat Toilet" that can be prevalent in Pakistan. I wrote about it in this old post, and I thought I had found the perfect solution - a folding travel potty that we could use by itself or set it up over the ol' hole in the ground, especially at the outdoor and often primitive wedding venues we'd be spending so much time at. Well, it turns out that wasn't a solution at all. Why? Well, because like I am prone to do, I had apparently worked myself up in a frenzy over something that was a complete non-issue. And it was resolved before we even arrived in Pakistan.
While we were transiting through the Exploded Peacock, my Mian took the baby to the bathroom. There was a long line and all the stalls had floor-to-ceiling doors, so he didn't know until they'd had to wait for a long time that half the stalls had western style toilets and the other half had squat toilets. Their luck had run out and they'd gotten a squat toilet - but the baby couldn't have waited in the line any longer. He had to make due with the hand he'd been dealt, so to speak. Luckily, M is much better at not freaking about about unknown situations (and imparting that stress onto the baby making the situation worse), so he just positioned the boy over the hole in the ground and the deed was done without a second thought.
The rest of the trip, the baby had no problems at all using the "Airport Potty" as he called it. M even had him use the Airport Potty at his parent's house where they have both options next to each other. It kept the skills fresh, I guess. We did encounter a lot of squat toilets out and about in Karachi also, and it was literally a weight off my shoulders not to have to worry about, nor carry around our own folding potty (and then still have to carry around a used folding potty afterward also - yuck!)
When we got back home, we were still within the Babies R Us 30-day return policy, and since the item was completely untouched and unopened, I returned it. Someone who recently bought a lime green "Potette Plus" from my local store has no idea that their potty just recently returned from an excursion halfway around the world. Traveling Potty indeed!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Fringe Benefits
A lot of people express a lot of different things when they hear that my brother-in-law has moved into our house and will be living here for the duration of his Ph.D studies. Extended family living in a single household is just not that common among my peers. Mostly, people are surprised and they ask if I'm unhappy with the situation. I always respond the same way: for us, the benefits outweigh any costs. And while there are many benefits, hoo boy - I can only think of one at the moment!
I've had an almost 100% reduction in shoveling work - I only have to go out there when I want to. Also, we only have two shovels, so I can sit back and relax and not even feel guilty about it. We're in the midst of record-breaking snow, and I've been replaced on the Snow Shoveling Crew!!! But while I sit inside the house, poor Mian still has the same amount of shoveling work! I also took some pictures of them shoveling from inside my warm, warm house - but you could see the window frame and it just seemed so evil that I went outside to take pictures a little closer to the scene. I'm telling you - benefits!
I've had an almost 100% reduction in shoveling work - I only have to go out there when I want to. Also, we only have two shovels, so I can sit back and relax and not even feel guilty about it. We're in the midst of record-breaking snow, and I've been replaced on the Snow Shoveling Crew!!! But while I sit inside the house, poor Mian still has the same amount of shoveling work! I also took some pictures of them shoveling from inside my warm, warm house - but you could see the window frame and it just seemed so evil that I went outside to take pictures a little closer to the scene. I'm telling you - benefits!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Settling In
Oh HAI there! Did you miss me? I missed you all so much!
Things have been a crazy whirlwind since we got back from Pakistani WEEKS ago! Can you believe it's been that long already? First there was unpacking, then there was trying to prepare the house for my brother-in-law to move in ten days later, and then I also have another professional hurdle I've been toiling day and night to try and finish (or re-finish, as it were.)
Anyway, so the adjustment with the brother-in-law (we're calling him Chachoo, remember ?) is going well. REALLY well, better than I could have imagined. He is such a nice, sweet and fun guy that it's actually been really fun and enjoyable having him around! Plus, he spends a considerable amount of time downstairs - where his room is - studying and/or talking to his new wife on the phone/computer. That means that M, the baby, and I still get some time to spend together as a little nuclear family on the main level where all our general living space is - just like we used to. (Contrast that to when my mother-in-law is visiting: she sleeps in a guest room on the same level as us so there is less separation and more adjustments to be made.) Also, Chachoo is here for his Ph.D. studies, so he's got a lot on his own plate that keeps him busy. He has classes to go to and he's working for his professor and he still has to pursue his own research as well. He's got his own life going, and sometimes I barely see him all day.
When I DO see him, he's just the kindest, most considerate guy. When I told people that he would be moving in with us, I got a lot of people saying that things were probably not going to be good. I think that someone even commented on this blog that I would likely be expected to do all of the brother-in-law's cooking and cleaning and laundry. I knew, even back then, that wouldn't be the case because I don't even do all the cooking, cleaning or laundry when my mother-in-law is staying with us! But I was still surprised when, after only being in our house for 16 hours, Chachoo came upstairs the morning after his arrival and said to me "Bhabhi, do you want some tea?" What a sweet, sweet boy. My mother-in-law really did a good job raising those sons of hers.
The last weeks have been very busy though, and Chachoo and I have spent a lot of time running all sorts of various errands. It's rough work coming to America and there were way too many forms to fill out, lines to stand in, and peons we had to schmooze. M says its much more complicated than when he came here for the exact same reason 10 years ago. First to get him a driver's license, then to jump through a million hoops with his school registration (some of which they STILL aren't satisfied with) and then we even had to go to the county health department for a chest x-ray because he comes from a tuberculos-eriffic country. That was a splendid afternoon. And all the while - on all of these outings - I'm barraging him with tidbits and info and anecdotes about American culture and history. Dragging him to the mall and the grocery stores and desi stores and international markets where we buy the weird vegetables. I sometimes wonder if he'd wish I'd just shut the heck up sometimes.
We've also been traipsing around the country visiting various relatives - two full weekends spent sleeping on the floor in various extended Pakistani family member's homes. Even those trips were more fun with Chachoo around. M can get a bit curmudgeonly and old-man-like and complain-y about these kinds of trips (the driving! the family politics!), but he was much more fun to be around now that his little brother is here with us on these trips. Plus, we brought a ludo game back with us and it's like we've been conducting our own traveling, interstate ludo championships. M has been the clear frontrunner by far. I am dead last, even though it seems almost identical to a game I played a lot growing up called "Sorry!"
Don't worry though, I do plan to pick back up with the stories from our Pakistan trip. We're not even halfway through the wedding part and there's a lot more I want to tell you about. Things are going to be pretty busy around here for the next two weeks, but I'll try to be consistent about sneaking back here to continue with our travel diary. Thanks for sticking around!
Now to go figure out where we left off...
Things have been a crazy whirlwind since we got back from Pakistani WEEKS ago! Can you believe it's been that long already? First there was unpacking, then there was trying to prepare the house for my brother-in-law to move in ten days later, and then I also have another professional hurdle I've been toiling day and night to try and finish (or re-finish, as it were.)
Anyway, so the adjustment with the brother-in-law (we're calling him Chachoo, remember ?) is going well. REALLY well, better than I could have imagined. He is such a nice, sweet and fun guy that it's actually been really fun and enjoyable having him around! Plus, he spends a considerable amount of time downstairs - where his room is - studying and/or talking to his new wife on the phone/computer. That means that M, the baby, and I still get some time to spend together as a little nuclear family on the main level where all our general living space is - just like we used to. (Contrast that to when my mother-in-law is visiting: she sleeps in a guest room on the same level as us so there is less separation and more adjustments to be made.) Also, Chachoo is here for his Ph.D. studies, so he's got a lot on his own plate that keeps him busy. He has classes to go to and he's working for his professor and he still has to pursue his own research as well. He's got his own life going, and sometimes I barely see him all day.
When I DO see him, he's just the kindest, most considerate guy. When I told people that he would be moving in with us, I got a lot of people saying that things were probably not going to be good. I think that someone even commented on this blog that I would likely be expected to do all of the brother-in-law's cooking and cleaning and laundry. I knew, even back then, that wouldn't be the case because I don't even do all the cooking, cleaning or laundry when my mother-in-law is staying with us! But I was still surprised when, after only being in our house for 16 hours, Chachoo came upstairs the morning after his arrival and said to me "Bhabhi, do you want some tea?" What a sweet, sweet boy. My mother-in-law really did a good job raising those sons of hers.
The last weeks have been very busy though, and Chachoo and I have spent a lot of time running all sorts of various errands. It's rough work coming to America and there were way too many forms to fill out, lines to stand in, and peons we had to schmooze. M says its much more complicated than when he came here for the exact same reason 10 years ago. First to get him a driver's license, then to jump through a million hoops with his school registration (some of which they STILL aren't satisfied with) and then we even had to go to the county health department for a chest x-ray because he comes from a tuberculos-eriffic country. That was a splendid afternoon. And all the while - on all of these outings - I'm barraging him with tidbits and info and anecdotes about American culture and history. Dragging him to the mall and the grocery stores and desi stores and international markets where we buy the weird vegetables. I sometimes wonder if he'd wish I'd just shut the heck up sometimes.
We've also been traipsing around the country visiting various relatives - two full weekends spent sleeping on the floor in various extended Pakistani family member's homes. Even those trips were more fun with Chachoo around. M can get a bit curmudgeonly and old-man-like and complain-y about these kinds of trips (the driving! the family politics!), but he was much more fun to be around now that his little brother is here with us on these trips. Plus, we brought a ludo game back with us and it's like we've been conducting our own traveling, interstate ludo championships. M has been the clear frontrunner by far. I am dead last, even though it seems almost identical to a game I played a lot growing up called "Sorry!"
Don't worry though, I do plan to pick back up with the stories from our Pakistan trip. We're not even halfway through the wedding part and there's a lot more I want to tell you about. Things are going to be pretty busy around here for the next two weeks, but I'll try to be consistent about sneaking back here to continue with our travel diary. Thanks for sticking around!
Now to go figure out where we left off...
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