Daily Living 6/7-6/13

*****UPDATE*****
I have changed my website name to Myundergroungjourney.blogspot.com.

Nehadubal1.blogspot.com will no longer work.  Sorry for any inconvenience.



We finally decided to do something touristy.  We took the boys to Kensington Gardens.  It was such a beautiful day.  The sky was clear, the breeze was warm.  It was perfect day for kids to be out and doing something fun.  I don't think London has too many days like these so we took advantage of such a day.  Once we got to Kensington Gardens, the boys went on the carousel that's near the Princess Diana Memorial Playground.  The carousel was going a lot faster than the ones I've seen in the U.S. and the horses had no safety belts.  It's little things like that, that makes are different from here and the U.S.  The ride would not receive a permit if there weren't any safety belts on the horses. 

After that, we took the boys into the Princess Diana Memorial Playground.  WOW!  What a great place.  I wanted to be a kid again.  They have a massive pirate ship where the kids can go and climb, and surrounding the ship was sand.  Sand was everywhere.  We realized how we were not prepared for this.  We did not bring extra clothes, they were wearing the wrong shoes, no water to wash them up.  Next time, we will be prepared!  Regardless, the boys had a great time. Aayush was determined to climb to the top of the boat's tower.  He waited and waited for the right moment when there weren't too many kids. 

Princess Diana Memorial Playground

After the park, we went to Mogador, a middle eastern restaurant in Bayswater.  The best part about dinner was Ayan having a falafel sandwich for dinner.  Anyone who knows Ayan, know just how picky of a eater he is.  We were all very proud of him for not just trying but eating something new!

This week, Gitesh started work full time.  It was going to a Gargantuan job for me to take on the boys everyday until school starts.  Keeping them busy will be challenging since we hardly have any of our belongings.  The air shipment wasn't going to arrive this week as well. 

So, one day, I decided to take the boys out all alone on a bus.  I was a bit nervous but, Yeah, I did it!!!  I found my way around and got to the right place  I took them to a place called Snakes and Ladder. It's an indoor playground.  They had so much fun running around and doing what boys do.  It was a great day to take them since all the kids are at school.  I'm sure some parents were thinking why my boys aren't in school. It was also a nice relaxing time for me as well.   So, on the way home, we got on the bus and since it was a double-decker, we headed to sit upstairs.  All of a sudden, the driver came looking for us and told me I didn't have enough money on my card when I scanned it in.  Now, to go on bus or train, you need to have a card call the Oyster Card.  That's what you need to use to go in and out of the trains and buses.  They do not take any other forms of payment.  Anyway, the bus driver kicked me and my boys out of the bus and said I need go fill my card up in order to ride again. The boys and I were quite upset about how the whole thing unfolded.  The bus driver was extremely rude.  He had embarrassed me in front of everyone by getting really upset that he had to waste time and come up to get me and how I was making him late.  When I asked him how do I fill my card up again, he just closed the door and drove away.  It was an awful experience.  I tried to figure out how to go about doing it and just couldn't, so I asked a nice lady who was waiting for the bus. She said I need to go to a convenience store and add money to my card.  I'm so thankful for that lady today. 

Alone with the boys on the bus

Another day, I took the boys to the Science Museum.  It was great, from the train station to the museum, we never had to walk on the road.  They have a long 1/2 long tunnel and have exits to different museum.  What a safe way go see places!  The kids had so much fun and I made it somewhat of an educational trip.

On the weekend, we took the boys to Harrods.  I had made reservations for the boys to go to a Mini Harrods Circus Themed Workshop.  It was pretty much a mini party for all the boys and girls.  They had so much fun learning how to juggle balls, make funny hats, make their own juggling balls to take home, and take funny picture poses.  They got to meet the one and only Oska-Poska, the Toy Kingdom bear.  They even got to take home a goody bag from Harrods.

Harrods is an unbelievable place.  It's a store like no other.  While walking we stopped to admire furniture by Fendi that was on sale for only 20,000 pounds.  We walked through the accessories department to find Alexander McQueen, Hermes, Prada, LV, Fendi, and the list goes on. We also saw Iphones covered in diamonds on sale for 10,000 pounds.  Aarav and Ayan were in heaven since the store carried all things Lego.  Aayush even found the love of his life while we were walking around.  It a place where one goes to look and admire and few who can afford it! 

Harrods made of Legos

"I don't know where to go first"

Aayush's Love!!!

 

Welcome to London!!! 5/31-6/6

D-Day has finally arrived!!!    Woke up at 3am to catch a 6am flight to DC.  The boys got up really quickly even though they were really tired from the day before from partying.  We all got ready and left with 8 checked in bags, 3 booster seats, and 7 carry-on in two cars to the airport.  I hope all of our bags make it to London?

Our check in bags!

Our flight from DC to London was very smooth.  They boys did such a great job.  They were so well behaved and did not have any meltdowns or even complained about how tired they were. We were glad that Ayan and Aayush took a nap on the plane.  They really needed it because we arrive to London, it would be a long time before we would be able to go to bed.  After arriving to London, we prayed all our luggage came on our flight.  We didn't want to deal with the lost luggage drama. We have enough things to worry about as is.   After passing customs, we went to get our luggage.  We bumped into a family who had three young girls who had the same amount of luggage pieces as we did.  While talking we found out that they were returning home after spending 7 yrs in the US.  Our luggage did ARRIVE!!!  We stayed in a hotel that night and went to get the house keys in the morning.

Our life in these bags for the next week

My first order of business was to get a new cell phone!  I have been without one for 4 days.  I have realized how locked in we are with our phones.  Have you ever gone a whole weekend without one?  It's a challenge I don't want to try again.  After we dropped off all our luggage and checked out the whole house, off we went to get my phone.  I needed one since Gitesh will be off the work the next two days and I didn't want to be home without any form of communication.  On our way to buy my phone, we stopped by the library, which is around the corner from our house, to get a library card.  I'll need the library card since the boys will have to stay busy during their summer vacation or as they say in London, holiday.  So, we get to the store and the sales person goes over the plan that would fit my needs the best. We are all ready to proceed when a couple of things don't go as planned.  First, we need a bank card to buy a phone, which we do not have one yet.  And the other thing was, they didn't have the phone I wanted in stock.  So, getting a phone will have to wait till we get a bank card which is similar to a debit card. 

Dealing with the bank is very time consuming.  There was a lot of visits to the bank in the first five days of us getting here.  The bank needed actual utility bills with our name on it in order for us to open accounts.  How are we suppose to get that on the first day of residency?  But we need money to go on living.  It was a lot of going back and forth from the bank and home.  Luckily, the bank isn't too far from home so that part was easy.

We also did a lot of grocery shopping on our first day.  It was an interesting shopping experience.  First stop was the produce section. All the produce is found in sealed plastic bags.  It's already picked for you.  You just pick up the package and go.  You can't find mountains of individual fruits and veggies where you can touch and pick the ones you like.  If you want to do that, you'll have to go to the fruit and veggie stands. 

Prepackaged fruit

Free standing produce stand

So, I'm trying to buy some cheese that we normally eat at the Dubal household.  They're so many variety to choose from.  All I wanted was something that came close to the processed American cheese that my son loves for his grilled cheese.  I couldn't find it and therefore, thought I'm going to have one little disappointed child.  He'll have to do with a mild white cheddar cheese which he gladly ate up when it was given to him.  Guess he started to realize things are going to be different here.  On that note, we have started to tell all our boys long before we got here that things are going to be very different, especially food.  They must have really listened to us since, I've noticed how they are eating new and different foods.

I really enjoy grocery shopping here. I come almost everyday with my bags and buy just what I need for a day or two.  You can't really buy too much since you have to carry all back to your home.  I don't drive yet.  Everything I do is done on foot with three kids in tow.  So, it's hard to buy things in bulk here.  I was told before I got here, how everyone goes shopping for grocery everyday and buy only fresh items.  Now, I understand why.  The other thing I find interesting is how the freezer section is so small.  They only things they have in the freezer is seafood and shell fish, French fries (chips), and ice cream.  There is nothing else.  Everything else is fresh.  They even have ready made food from all over the world.  All you have to do is take it home and heat it up in the oven. 

For our first dinner in our new home, I was able to make pasta, garlic bread, salad, and green beans.  We all enjoyed the home cooked meal.  I was only able to make dinner because we packed a whole suitcase with just kitchen items.  I hand selected everything we may need for the first week.  We were told we would receive our air shipment on Friday of the first week.  It's now been two weeks, and we are still waiting for our air shipment. 

1st dinner

Gitesh needed to go to work the day after we arrived at our new place.  But the boys and I were able to sleep in since we needed to catch up on our sleep.  Those two days, we just stayed home and enjoyed our new place and the boys just ran around and were having fun going up and down three flight of stairs.  They are also enjoying the small backyard (garden).  It became a ritual that after each meal, they would go out into the garden and play for 10 minutes.  It was nice to see them having fun and starting to make memories.

Playing in the garden after a meal

I finally got my phone on a Thursday.  It only took two hours at the store to get one.  We quickly realized nothing is simple in the UK.  To start a plan, Gitesh needed to go to the bank to get a confirmation that we have an account with them.  I had to go home to get his passport for verification.  But it was worth it!  I went a whole week without a phone.  It was very hard!  I was home, alone with three kids, in a new country without anyway of getting in touch with somebody if I needed something.  It was a very tough one week without a cell phone.  Call me spoiled but, I can't live without one. 

My first pic with my new phone!

So, it's been a week and no air shipment in sight.  So, we set off to IKEA to buy some basic dining set.  We were running out of all the disposables we had packed that was enough to last us a week or so.  While we were going there, we decided to buy a storage unit that would hold our shoes and stuff for the entrance of our home.  It was only after we bought everything did we realize the box was not going to fit into the car. We had no idea what the rule and regulations are for having a trunk half way open and drive.  Also, this was Gitesh's first time really driving in and around London.  So, we asked around and was able to find out it was okay to have the trunk half open.  So, we tied a thin rope around the trunk and hoped for the best.  We got out of the parking lot of IKEA and the rope breaks!!!  So, we stopped and was able to tie it differently.  After about 8 minutes of driving, the rope breaks again and the trunk goes flying up.  We stopped again.  This time, the rope was completely broken.  The only way to go was to break open the box and place each piece separately into the car.  Only problem was, we now have sedan not a minivan.  The wooden panels were not fitting in the trunk.  The only way it would fit was put them in the back seat where the boys are sitting.  Poor kids, they had to have the boards on their lap the whole way home.  It was quite an adventure. 

Someone doesn't look to happy

Over the weekend, we went to the famous Wembely.  It's a place where a lot of Indians live.  When we got there, it felt like I stepped in India.  We got there around lunch time so we went to this place called Sakonis.  Gitesh and I had the buffet. The food was too good.  The boys didn't do such a good job of eating there lunch.  The best thing that came out of our lunch was Aarav tried sambar.  He was really enjoying dunking his idlis into the sambar.  We later had to get the boys some ice cream to fill there tummy.  While we were there, I did a quick indian grocery shopping.  Bought just the essentials to get started in the kitchen.  But my favorite part of the Wembely trip was having pani-puri after lunch on the roadside.  Talk about a spicy snack!


Are we in India?

Roadside Cart

Last Days in the US

The last few days in the US were busy.  I had invitation to two lunches, a long weekend car trip, a birthday party, and a dinner with some of Aarav, Ayan, and Aayush's closest friends.

All the mother's were invited to attend a special English tea party lunch that was given by the extended day kids (kindergartners) in Aayush's classroom.  What a nice prelude to our move to London! The kids spent all morning making lunch for their moms.  It was a very special meal, one that I will not forget for a long time.  On the menu was tea, followed by three types of sandwiches: cucumber sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, and chicken sandwiches.  There was also fruit salad and three types of desserts: cookies, brownies, and lemon custard cake.  Everything was made and served by the children. After lunch, the kids sang few songs for the moms.  What a perfect way for Aayush to end his school year! I will truly miss Ms. Jane, Ms. Cathy, and all the extended day kids and their families.

Aayush's Tea Party

A few days later, Ayan's class had a manners lunch.  It was also for the extended day kids and their moms. His lunch was a little different.  It was more about showing good manners during a meal.  For a couple of months, the kids were getting a lesson on proper etiquette.  Ms. Leisa, Ayan's teacher, was teaching the kids how one should behave, how one should eat, how and when to use silverware, etc,.  The kids had to take what they had learned and exhibit during the manners lunch.

For the meal, Ayan and I were served 5 course meal.  We started with bread and butter.  Ayan inhaled it!  Then came soup, followed by two types of salad.  For the main course, chicken was served.  And for dessert, cupcakes with chocolate frosting.  It was delicious!  Thank you Ms. Leisa and Ms. Shelley for all your hard work.  I will truly miss the both of you and all the extended day kids and their families. Now let's see if Ayan can put his manner learning into practice on a daily basis!

Ayan's Manners Lunch

On Memorial Day weekend, we decided to take one last road trip to visit just a few people.  In four days, we will make 3 short and quick stops in 3 different states.  From Raleigh we drove to Carmel, IN to say "HI" to our old neighbor.  The couple has raised some amazing kids.  Their oldest currently is doing an internship at NASA.  He was one of 20 in the world chosen to go there.  Their youngest is superstar as well.  She was the youngest 9th grader in IN to go to TX for science fair.  Gitesh and I have a lot to learn from these wonderful parents on how to raise great kids.

Next stop was Carol Stream, IL to visit the Gitesh's grandmother and his aunt and uncle.  Our schedule was really tight,  but we wanted to make a quick stopover especially to see Gitesh's 93 year old Grandmother. The boys were really excited to see their great-grandmother.  They were so sweet to her- they gave her lots of hugs. Gitesh and I loved watching them interact with her.  They have always been so fascinated by her and how old she is.  To them, they have never met anyone that old. She is an amazing person.  We all could learn so much from her.  I'm sure she has gone through so much in her life, yet whenever I see her, she always has a smile on her face.  A very positive person.    The boys had a great time with Gitesh's aunt and uncle as well.  They enjoyed playing with them in the backyard.  It was very quick visit - we were in Chicago for only 2 hrs but worth it.  Just want to say to all our friends in Chicago - Gitesh and I are very sorry that we could not see anyone else - We only had a couple of hours to spend in IL before we had to leave to go to MI. 


Ayan with his Great-Grandmother

Aayush with his Great-Grandmother

We then drove to MI to visit Gitesh's parents.  It was so nice to meet up with the kids grandparents.  I know the boys are really going to miss them and that's why it was so important to see them in MI before we left for London.  It was going to be short but nice visit.  The boys were able to spend good quality time with them.  The grandparents took the boys to the park and to the mall where they had some safari rides. Who doesn't like getting spoiled by grandparents.  Gitesh also got to meet his childhood friend who he hadn't seen in over 30 yrs. 

Aarav with his grandparents

It was a long and exhausting trip, but we wouldn't have it any other way. 

The next few days Gitesh and I worked on closing up loose ends.  It was a lot of running around.  It was quite hard for the both of us to finish things up since we only had one car.  We couldn't divide and conquer.  But, somehow, we made things work.  We have learned over the years we make a great team. 

Aarav had his last Tae Kwon Do class.  He has been doing it for over two years.  I still remembered how I got him to join.  He had this hesitation of joining TKD so, one day we went to observe a class.  He really enjoyed watching all the kids do kicks and jumps.  He wanted to do it.  So, before he had a chance to change his mind, I signed him up.  That was over two yrs ago. 

The last Friday before we left, we planned a night out with the boy's closest friends.  Each one of our boys got to invite two of their closest friends to join us for dinner.  All the boys (9 total) had a wonderful time.  Gitesh and I really enjoyed watching our boys spend good times with their friends before we left.  I was so glad to know all their friends were able to make it that night.  It was an night we all won't forget anytime soon. 

The last day before leaving we celebrated our nephew, Aakeen's 5th birthday party.  It was at a TKD place where he goes.  All the kids had a great time.  They got to see a show that was put on by the students, got to work on some TKD moves, and even break a wooden board.  What kid wouldn't love to do that!

One of my best memories I take with me is spending great quality time with Manishbhai and Niralibhabhi - staying up after the kids went to bed, just talking.  For the last weeks we were staying with them, us four stayed up talking about things we never really had a chance to.  When you are living in the same town, one takes for granted spending great quality time.  You always think, being nearby and meeting often is quality time, but I don't think it is. 

It was a bittersweet week for all of us.  As we said our goodbyes to family and friends, we realized how much we will miss everyone.