Fabi's first week in Costa Rica

(Click on the map for a larger version)

Many of you have been asking: 'How is Fabi doing?', 'Has he adjusted to everyone?', 'How's the weather?', 'Who do you think will be this year's World Cup Champion?' :)

So...at last, here's the update:

It's been over a week since Fabi and I reached CR. The day we landed we stopped by a couple of houses to greet some family members on our way home from the airport. It was an absolute joyous experience as nobody expected to see us! Fabi had slept for almost 3 hours before our arrival, so he was quite rested when it was time to meet my family. He was quiet, but cheerful; allowing people to hold him.

That first night we went to bed feeling really tired and both of us woke up at 3 am - feeling hungry and ready for action. The following days we woke up at around 4 or 5 am. Now we're adjusted to the new schedule and we wake up at around 6 am. Our mealtimes have become regular and Fabi's appetite is quite good. (He's no longer a vegetarian, btw...)

During this first week all I've done is unpack, buy a light sweater with a hood for Fabi and a new pair of shoes (for him and for me!). I have spoken to a few friends over the phone, but not yet met anyone except most of my family members and neighbours. Fabi's been really friendly. I started to notice it during our trip: initiating games of 'hide and seek' with the people close to our seats on the plane; waiting to make eye contact with people in the waiting rooms at the airport so he could exchange funny faces; waving 'good-bye' to everyone who was passing bye.

He has established a close relationship with his grandparents. He gets really excited when he sees them and loves to exchange hugs and kisses with them all day long. Fabi also loves to catch his maternal uncles' (Alonso and Fernando) attention and likes to play with them, although he needed a warm-up period before he got so playful.

Since I've been speaking Spanish to Fabi since he was born, I think that he finds familiar the way people here speak to him. He still does not speak, but he has called me 'mama' several times and he has surprised us by making sounds that are very similiar to words in Spanish, for example, 'gracias' (thank you), 'carro' (car), 'muchacha' (girl), 'dos' (two).

In this first week, Fabi already has a complete set of 'baby necessities' like a car seat, a crib, a pram, a playpen, toys. My family and friends have lend him most of these things, but if he keeps accumulating things at this pace, he will have more stuff than he has ever used.

We are in the city called Heredia, which is surrounded by beautiful green mountains. The weather is awesome: sunny mornings, (not so) rainy afternoons; sometimes warm, sometimes windy. The weather here is absolutely wonderful - especially when compared to the heat and humidity of Mumbai. This has been a great advantage because it has certainly made our adjustment here a lot easier.

Costa Ricans are closely following the World Cup. Yesterday I went to a bank and didn't even get a chance to get bored while I waited in line because a t.v screen was showing a game. Quarter-finals are going on. The way things are progressing, I wouldn't be surprised if we got to see the final game between Germany and Brazil...but then again, who knows? anything could happen!

So far, the thing that I've enjoyed the most of my stay here (besides the weather), has been a visit to the hair salon and the fact that I've been able to speak on the phone with a couple of close friends.

I will leave you with this story in pictures.

What else would you like to know?

Estoy deseando poder hablar por teléfono con Uds. Ya tengo sus números, así que como ya terminé de desempacar, cuando Fabi se ponga a dormir alguna siesta aprovecharé para llamarlos. Si quieres el no. de mi celular, envíame un correo!

Tales of an intercontinental voyage

Some statistics:

Fabi and I left our house in Vashi last Friday 16th, at around 8:30pm.
When we reached our destination, it was Sunday 18th, 5:00am in Vashi.

Our trip in short:

• We reached Mumbai, India airport Friday 16th at around 10:30pm.
• Our Alitalia flight started on Saturday 17th at 1:35 am.
• The flight lasted 9 hours and a half.
• We reached Milan, Italy airport early morning and stayed there for 3 hours.
• At 10:00 am we boarded flight no. 666, which lasted 10 hours and a half.
• We reached Caracas, Venezuela in the afternoon and waited for 2 hours.
• At 4:40pm we boarded our last flight, which lasted 3 hours.
• It was Sat. 17th at around 6:30pm in Costa Rica when we finally exited the airport.

Total journey time: 35 hours
Total flying time: 23 hours

All of the sudden our midnight is noon and noon is midnight.

No wonder we are still tired all day long...and we wake up at around 5:00am!
Some anecdotes:

• In the first flight we got a row of three seats all to ourselves, but since the bassinet that the airline provided for Fabi didn't fit on the floor we were shifted to a front row seat. There were two empty seats for us, and an Indian girl at the end of the row.
• Fabi's legs barely fit in the bassinet...he slept in it for some time, but also slept in my arms. I was dead tired and eventhough the lights were out and everyone was sleeping I watched the movie because the screen was right in front of me. (I even went to the toilet and left Fabi alone while he slept in the bassinet; nobody around was awake anyway).
• Next to our seats there was an italian couple with a little baby girl a few months (weeks?) younger than Fabi. That baby was the naughtiest little one I've ever seen! People around me commented on how well behaved Fabi was...but I think he was just sleepy!

Since it was an italian airline, I was hoping for italian food, but to my surprise I got an Indian snack: Vada Pau!

At the Milan airport we bought a magazine. I paid in US dollars, so that I could get some change in Euros to buy a bottle of water from a vending machine. While we were waiting online to pay for the magazine, we heard a lady say to Fabi in Spanish: "Que lindo!" (How cute!). The lady was surprised to know we also spoke Spanish and even more surprised to learn that Fabi was half Costa Rican, half Indian.

Milan airport is big and I walked back and forth several times carrying Fabi in my arms. I didn't carry a baby cart and he didn't want to be held in his baby harness. We saw many families with small children. They all had baby carts, but they used them to put their hand luggage because the babies wanted to be held in their parent's arms. I didn't miss the baby cart at all!

When we were boarding our second flight I was horrified to learn that my assigned seat was in a front row, in the middle of a (very fat) old man and a slim young man. Luckily, the flight was not full and we got reassigned to two empty seats just for us! As we were getting into our new seats, the two young girls behind us said (in Spanish): "Oh no!...A baby! Hope he doesn't cry!"
Those two girls became very good friends with Fabi, who played hide and seek and shared his toys with them. They even had their picture taken together.

When we landed in Caracas, I was expecting to see two friends of mine who were also on their way to Costa Rica: Tatiana Ch. and Eduardo R. Eventhough I had managed perfectly well the trip alone with Fabi...that last part of the trip would have been extremely difficult (actually, impossible) for me to handle without their help. Meeting these two friends of mine on my way to Costa Rica is proof that miracles exist. They were truly guardian angels sent my way! I wish I could express how wonderful these two persons are...!

I had to give up Fabi's food at the Costa Rican airport. I can bring cheese into the country, but not fruits. (It's a good thing I didn't bring any 'Alphonso' mangoes with me!)

The feeling of walking on Costa Rican soil again....is indescribable.

More later....

SURPRISE: This post is brought to you from...COSTA RICA!

¡Sorpresa!... ¡Estamos en Costa Rica!...

Yes! It's true! MasalaMom and Masala Fabi @ Costa Rica!...

I wanted to keep it a secret to surprise my friends and my (extended) family in CR. (I do have cousins who read my blog. Sadly, they hardly ever comment.) Anyway, it was *REALLY* fun to see the reaction of astonishment when I met my family because this was something completely unpredicted for them! ... and I haven't met everyone yet! I'm still yet to tell most of my friends about it! It's great fun!

Wow!... I have *SO* much to tell you...!

Actually, I managed to check my blog one last time before my trip and noticed that Shweta had started a guessing game. I had written a reply to her comment, but lost it because I got disconnected and didn't have time to write it again :( I had replied regarding her first guess. She thought that I was expecting (a baby) again. Probably because I said that I was 'expecting something new and exciting'. But I used that word because there's a difference between waiting and expecting. When you wait, you just let time go by; but when you expect, you impatiently wait, hope, pray and dream for something that you want in the future.

And that's exactly what happened to me! It took more than SIX(!) months since the planning of this trip until it actually happened. (I'm going to post later details of why this took such a long time!) Since we didn't know the exact date, then the idea of making it a surprise sounded great.

While you were busy guessing what was happening, Fabi and I were on our way half around the world to the place I call home. I think it would have been fun to see more guesses like: 'You're going back to your office work', 'You got your driver's license in India', 'You cooked a complete Indian meal without any mishaps','You're getting a tatoo', 'You're going to the moon'...but none of the above would have been as exciting as the adventure Fabi and I lived on this intercontinental journey.

Estaré en CR hasta principios de Octubre, así que escríbanme un correo para intercambiar números de teléfono (tengo celular!) y nos ponemos de acuerdo para vernos en algún momento...!

¡Nos vemos pronto!

It's happening!

Remember a few posts ago? I had mentioned that MasalaMom is expecting 'something new and exciting'. It wasn't just the World Soccer Cup....it's ... a surprise!

Sorry! I have to keep it a secret if it's a surprise, right? But, I will tell you this much: It's happening!

P.S. I promise to tell you all the juicy details when the time is right!

Costa Rican Team ... is going home!

In the first phase of the World Cup, a team gets 3 points for winning a game, 1 point for drawing and 0 for losing.

This is how Group A looks like after each of the teams have played two games.

GROUP A
Team Points
Ecuador 6
Germany 6
Poland 0
Costa Rica 0

In the previous Cups where Costa Rica has played, we have always gone to the 2nd phase. But not this time!...No, sir!...We're going home!

Ecuador on the other hand, is going to the 2nd phase for the first time. They're playing really good and I can only imagine the type of celebrations going on down there. Viva Ecuador!

Ecuador still has to play against Germany and Poland will play against Costa Rica. However, these games will just change statistics...not the fact that Germany and Ecuador get to move along while Poland and Costa Rica say 'Auf Wiedersehen!'.

The picture that broke my heart

Germany and Poland are neighbouring countries. They share more than just a border, they also share some history - but I'm not going to get into that. I'll just say that a significant number of immigrants in Germany are Poles.

Two of those immigrants are Miroslav Klose and Lucas Podolski who happen to play in the National German Football Team. (Yeah...Klose...the guy who scored two goals against Costa Rica on his 28th birthday during the opening game of the 2006 World Cup).

Eventhough, Miroslav K. was born in Poland, he has lived in Germany since he's 8 years old. Football was a way to make friends in his new country. He admits to having retained a strong affection for the land of his birth and visits regularly.

Unlike Klose, Podolski knows the Polish national anthem by heart, enjoys Polish music, and his household is Polish-speaking. "I feel at home in both countries," he says.

As luck would have it, Germany and Poland ended up being in the same group (Group A) in the first phase of this year's World Cup. That meant that they would eventually play a soccer game: 'Germany vrs. Poland'. And to top it off, by the time they met on the field, Germany had already won a game and Poland had already lost one. This means that it was a decisive match for Poland. I didn't watch the game, but I read it was rather even, with Germany playing a little bit better. A normal soccer game lasts 90 minutes. The game might last a few minutes longer if the referee decides to recover lost time.

On June 14th, Germany played against Poland. The score was 0 - 0 and when the game was almost over, during minute 91...Germany scored a goal. That meant Poland was practically out of the World Cup...and they knew it!

A photographer caught the moment when Podolski goes over to his opponent's team goalkeeper and comforts him. But the goalkeeper is much more than his opponent...he's also a person who shares his birthland!...

Klose and Podolski are very professional players. They fought for Germany - their team. But their heart was pulled in two directions...and the picture of Podolski says it all.

Now that you know the background story...go back to the picture again...and tell me it doesn't move you!

I think the picture moved me because I could relate to it --- to some extent. Then I thought about Fabi, who has two different cultural backgrounds. I hope he doesn't have to be torn between the two of them....at least, not too often!

So much more than just soccer

World Soccer Cup is going on...so bear with me if my current posts are related to the most important sport event of the year!

Today I would like to bring your attention to a very significant aspect of the World Cup for us gals: spotting the hottest looking players!

My friend Marlène, from Switzerland, ("Hi, Marlène!") sent me the result of the readers' choice from a newspaper of the French part of the country. They chose the best looking man in the Swiss football team taking part in the World Cup. Take a look at the results in the picture below (Click on it for a bigger version). Notice the latin look of the guys that were chosen... ;)

Another interesting thing is that there are twin brothers in the Swiss team, David and Philipp Degen.

Oh!...and here's a story from today's newspaper. More proof of how important all this is worldwide:

'Green light for Thai monks': Thailand's Buddhist monks must swear off many earthly pleasures, but the government has given them the green light to enjoy the World Cup football, a religious affairs official said. "Thai monks will be allowed to watch the matches because exposure to worldly affairs including soccer is beneficial."

So...I think I will go benefit myself and take a good look at the other teams' hot players! Bye!...

Germany 4 - Costa Rica 2

History was made, indeed!

Let us count the ways:

• It was the first time Costa Rica played in an opening match of a World Soccer Cup.
• It was the opening match with the most scored goals.
• The German player, Miroslav Klose was the first one to score more than one goal in an opening match. (He was also celebrating his 28th Birthday! He made 5 goals during the previous World Cup.)

[Before I continue this post, here's a quick overview that I got from the newspaper "The Times of India".

As you (might not) know:

- a soccer game consists of two 45-minute halves with no timeouts; if there is a tie, up to two extra 15-minute periods are played before penalty kick shoot-out.

- eleven players from each team are on the field. There are 4 types of players: 1 goalkeeper protects the goal, defenders (fullbacks) play in the front of the goalkeeper and stop attacks, midfielders move the ball up the field and forwards attack the goal.

]

Back to the post:

This is the third time I am away from Costa Rica (CR), when it has participated in a World Cup. I never feel homesick, but knowing how important soccer is in my country, that the sport is more than 'just a game', that everyone is in a festive mood, being away from home right now makes me feel nostalgic. Actually, I wouldn't mind being in Germany right now, either :) -- All that party going on! Anyway, watching CR play against Germany in this opening match was much better than watching CR play against Turkey in a Turkish shop in Erlangen, Germany - like I had to during the World Cup in 2002!

Since we just moved to a different house, our cable is not installed yet. However, -BIL- Sopan and Priya invited us to watch the game in their new LG Flatron 1200! We missed the Opening Ceremony and the Costa Rican National Hymn (there was no electricity at first - bleh!). But then it was back again and we had beer, pizza, Coke and chocolate soccer balls! It was a very exciting game. I heard TV comments of how this game had a surprising outcome...maybe they thought that the game was going to end something like Germany 9 - CR O (?)

The game was so exciting that I hardly ate, but it was a good thing Priya insisted on packing a couple of pizza slices (that's what I ate while writing this post!)

To end this chapter (and await for the following games!), let me relive the score of the (much anticipated) game Germany vrs. CR:

Start of Game: Ger O - CR O

5': Ger 1 - CR O

12': Ger 1 - CR 1 (My absolute favorite part of the whole game!)

17': Ger 2- CR 1

60': Ger 3 - CR 1

73': Ger 3 - CR 2 (Another 'nice' part of the game...)

86': Ger 4 - CR 2 (Bleh!...)

P.S. As I finished writing this post, the South American country of Ecuador beat Poland 2 to nothing on the 2nd game of the day! Viva Ecuador!

Counting down to a historic moment

As I type this, there are only 5 hrs 16 mins 39 secs....38 37 36 35 until kickoff time.

I. CAN'T. STAND. THE. WAIT!....

It will be 10:00 am in Costa Rica (where I come from), 6:00pm in Germany (where the soccer game will take place) and 9:30 pm in India (where I am right now). Now you know why I have those clocks at the bottom of my blog´s sidebar.

MEET THE GUYS

This is the Costa Rican National Football Team.



(Back row L-R) Ronald Gomez, Douglas Sequeira, Mauricio Solis, Leonardo Gonzalez, Paulo Wanchope, Marin Luis.

(Front row L-R) Walter Centeno, Gilberto Martinez, Michael Umana, Dany Fonseca and goalkeeper Alvaro Mesen.

Here's a picture of their arrival in Germany.

FIFA WELTMEISTERSCHAFT 2006

It closes the shops

closes the schools

closes a city

stops a war

fuels a nation

breaks the borders

builds a hero

crushes a dream

answers a prayer

and changes the world.

One game changes everything.

The ball for the opening match of the FIFA World Cup™ between Germany and Costa Rica.

Just. A. Few. Hours. Away.

Nine months ago we learned the news.

We've been dreaming (read 'anxiously awaiting') for the moment.

The clock is ticking! My blood pressure is rising!...

Should I be optimistic? Should I be realistic?

Oh...! Let me just enjoy the agony of it all!

One month, 32 teams, 64 games, One Prize.

May the soccer gods have mercy! I'll be keeping a very close eye on GROUP A.

Fabi's summer look

As several of you have noticed, Fabi got his first hair cut. It was on May 5th. The weather had been so hot and humid, and he had been scratching his head in discomfort so much, that we decided to give him a 'trim'. But, it turns out that he was terrified of the sound of the hair cutting machine and wouldn't stop moving or crying. So the easiest thing to do was cut everything off because there was no way he would allow any styling. At first I was really dissapointed because that's not what we went for, but after a few days I started to think he looked quite cute in his 'military style' (eventhough he also reminded me of the 'Hare Krishna' followers).

It turns out that here in India (I'm not sure if also in other places), parents cut their babies' hair completely at least once (sometimes up to three times, in case of girls), so that 'their hair becomes thick'. This may be just a myth, because the thickness of hair is determined by genetics, but considering the heat of the summer here, it turns out to be very practical. I understand that hindu boys also undergo a ceremony where their hair is cut (completely). I'm not sure I would do that to a baby girl, although I have had the back of my head practically shaved during my college years (if you want, I could show you a picture later...I'm sure I have it somewhere).

Fabi's hair is growing quite fast. Here's another picture of Fabi's look for the Summer '06, which was also a nice mango season!