Hidden Message -- Updated

This is a partial picture of my weekly shopping. What does this photo tell you?
Esta es una foto de algunas de mis compras de la semana. ¿Qué indica esta foto?

UPDATE:

The USB cable and the inkjet paper were on my shopping list because I we got a new printer/scanner/copier All-in-One (HP Photosmart C3180s)! I´m a happy camper!

Best friends

A veces los mejores momentos no se planean. Ayer fuimos a un parquecito al que no habíamos ido antes y se dio la casualidad de que, por unos instantes, Fabián pudo jugar exclusivamente con sus dos mejores amigos.

Ojalá que sigamos teniendo días bonitos para seguir disfrutando de lo que queda del "verano".

De izquierda a derecha: Fabián (29 meses); Adrian (24 meses) y Emil (17 meses).

Read the fine print!

I wondered if there would be different reactions so I waited for a week before I made this erklärung.

When I wrote this post, I was hoping that a couple of asterisks leading to the footnote "*Sort of..." would result in questioning.

I´m not sure it was clear enough, but the fact is that Fabi and I have (not yet) been in the local paper. We´re still far away from being celebrities and the truth is that we walk around freely without anyone asking for our autograph.

The picture you saw is a printout of a souvenir that the staff of the Erlanger Nachrichten was giving out (for free!) at the recent Market Festival. There was a line of people waiting to have their picture taken and immediately get the printout of their "front page". Gotcha!

Officially...a golf player

MasalaDad got his golf player URKUNDE yesterday. We´re very proud because this involved a complete training, a written AND a practical test. With this certificate, the German Golf Association allows Ishan to play on any golf course and he can put his new equipment to good use.

To celebrate yesterday´s accomplishment we had a Tacos Fiesta for lunch. Notice the chili flakes on the table to make our golf player happy with extra spicy tasting tacos.

Happy ´Twenty-ninth month´, Fabi!

Every few weeks Fabi does or says amazing things that I want to record so that I won´t forget. Then I realize he´s completed another month of his life. Here are the recent surprise moments he´s had:

- He has a new favorite reply.

• MasalaMom: "Ya nos vamos. Ponte tus zapatos. ¿Dónde están tus zapatos?"
  (We´re going out. Put your shoes on. Where are your shoes?)
• Fabi: "No sé."
  (I don´t know).
  

It´s just so adorable to hear a legitimate complete sentence from a kid who mixes his own words with real ones when he wants to pretend his talking. It´s even funnier to hear the same reply in other circumstances too: "Are you hungry?" - "I don´t know".

- Someone recently asked me if having a little kid is easier than having a little baby. It´s not easier, it´s different. For example, he does the most unexpected things. To name a few: He managed to get hold of a permanent black marker which he found in my desk drawer. Luckily, he only used the marker on his hands (and not on a wall, or any other hard to clean surface). Needless to say I have found a new home for the permanent marker. He has also got hold of a small candle holder and was taking it apart even though he knows that it belongs to Mom and he´s not suppossed to touch it.

All it takes is just a few minutes for me to start doing something in the kitchen and he gets busy with something interesting, like taking out his Dad´s golf balls and distributing them all over the apartment.

- A few days ago, MasalaDad was away on a business trip for 7 days (including the weekend). On Saturday I had cleaned the apartment. On Sunday I was trying to reach Church on time with Fabi when I discovered that he had spilled the banana milkshake he was having for breakfast on the living room floor -including some wooden puzzle pieces. I was so disappointed! He never does that! Why did he have to do it the day I was trying to leave the house to get to Church on time? I knew I had to clean the mess right away before the milk dried. I was kneeling on the floor trying to get everything clean as quickly as possible while thinking this would not have happened if Ishan had been home. All of the sudden Fabi comes up to me, cups my face in his chubby little hands and looks me right in the eye while he says: "Mama....Papa comes, bus!" It was as if he had read my mind! He reminded me that his Dad would be home the next day and that we would reach by bus! That made my day!

- He used to count "Uno, dos, tres." and "One, two, three". Now he counts "uno(1), dos(2), cinco (5), siete(7)."

- He likes to say "Hola!" (Hi!) a lot. He says it when he wakes up and when he runs up to me back and forth at the playground.

- A couple of new English phrases he´s used lately: "Funny!" (when he´s having fun or indeed when something is so funny it makes him laugh); "What´s this?" (as he points to something he wants to know about). In Spanish, his favorite phase is: "Mami, mira!" (Mommy, look!). I like how he says "Mami", "Papi" (although his Dad is usually "Ishan").

- Sometimes I think he´s getting better at playing together/sharing with other kids. But it really depends on who he´s playing with.

The picture at the top of this post shows Fabi "playing" with his favorite friend Emil. Emil´s mom, Sara, turned 29 years old the same day Fabi turned 29 months. It was her who, a few days ago, gave me the best compliment a mother could get. She said: "It shows that you´re doing a wonderful job as a mother to Fabian". Wow!... Sometimes I wonder if that´s truly so, but her comment reminds me to keep trying!

Sad, but true...and scary!

"People with dark skin have a much higher risk of being attacked in eastern Germany than they do in western Germany," said Sebastian Edathy, a member of the German parliament's internal affairs committee. - Racism debate in Germany sparked by the recent attack on eight Indians.

Happy Birthday, Sopan Uncle!

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Look, Céline!

- Regarding our friend Yvonne, I was sad to see this report on the local paper.

- I got myself a mängelexemplar: My book is a story by Julio Cortázar (a Belgian-born Argentine author who died in Paris as a French citizen.)

"Der Verfolger" was originally written in Spanish: a homage to jazz and particularly the creator of bebop, Charlie Parker, in which Cortázar unfurls countless musical choices, between allegories and metaphors, that reveal to the reader the author's exquisite melomania (passion for music)."

I´ve already read the first page! :)

India´s Independence (revisited)

Costa Rica´s newspaper La Nacion, published the Spanish version of this interesting article, "India´s Democracy at 60":

• "...the India that emerged from the wreckage of the British Raj is the world’s largest democracy, poised after years of rapid economic growth to take its place as one of the giants of the twenty-first century."

El periódico de Costa Rica, La Nación, publicó este interesante artículo con motivo del 60 aniversario de la independencia de India:

• "...la India que surgió de entre las ruinas del Raj británico es la mayor democracia del mundo, lista, después de años de rápido crecimiento económico, para ocupar su lugar como uno de los gigantes del siglo XXI."

We hit the front page...

...of the Erlangen Nachrichten.*

The title of the picture reads: "Prominenz am 30. Marktplatzfest", which means, "Celebrities in the 30th Marketplace Festival".

The description below the picture reads: "Hoher Besuch in Erlangen: Fabian und Mariluz ließen es sich nicht nehmen bei Sonnenschein und mit guter Laune, das Fest zum 30-jährigen Jubiläum zu besuchen. Kommentar der Ehrengäste: `Eine Veranstaltung mit umfangreichen Angeboten und abwechslungsreichem Programm!`"

Which means (something like): "Important visitors in Erlangen: Fabian and Mariluz took it upon themselves to visit the 30-year old jubilee with sunshine and with good mood. Comment of the honorable guests: ´This event has a lot of offers and a diverse program!´"

-----

Yes we had fun at this year´s Marketplace Festival: Fabi got a balloon, we had fish on bread for lunch and we bought some wooden puzzles....and our picture was in the front page of the local newspaper*.

While we were doing all of this, Céline was enjoying this great view from the Hugenotten Kirche (it was "Open House" at the Church today).

After visiting the festival, Fabi and I joined another mom and his son on a train ride that took us to Nüremberg and Fürth. The kids had ice cream and the moms enjoyed a cup of tea. It was a very nice Sunday.

On the way home I got a phone call from my Mom. She´s still in the hospital, but feeling better. She should be back home tomorrow Monday or next Wednesday.

Tomorrow, MasalaDad will be back after a whole week away from home. Wir sind begeistert!...

*Sort of...

Viernes de Granja

Las fotos también se pueden ver aquí.

Mother´s Day Pics & Update...

My Mom got a really cool present on her day: a Digital Frame (similar to this). I took some pictures so that when she gets home from the hospital she can enjoy seeing her grandson. The pictures are here.

Bittersweet Day - 15.Aug.07

The Roman Catholic Church celebrates today the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Today is a day when the Catholics go to celebrate Mass even if August 15th is not on a Sunday. Most of the population in Costa Rica is Catholic and therefore - in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God - Costa Ricans also celebrate MOTHER´S DAY today.

I remember as a kid not really grasping the meaning of today´s celebrations. As I grew older it slowly became clear to me the importance of "August 15th". Several years ago, our whole family had gathered for lunch to celebrate Mother´s Day and my Mom cut her hand washing a drinking glass. She ended up going to the hospital and getting some stitches. I remember thinking what a lousy way my Mom ended up celebrating her day. It turns out that day was nothing compared to the way she will spend Mother´s Day this year. As I type this, hopefully she´s recovering from an apendicitis operation. I hope she gets to be back home from the hospital really soon.

It so happens that this "Mother´s Day" also brings a touch of guilt for me as I´m feeling frustrated over my failure to protect Fabian´s dental health. I don´t care if the dentist assures me that it´s "statistically normal" for a kid his age to have caries. He shouldn´t have! I learnt that sugar is not the only enemy, but also the acid that is found in some drinks like apple juice and apfelschorle, which are so popular here in Germany.

Ironically my Mom was probably having her operation at the same time Fabian was at the dentist today. Fabian was under the effect of anesthesia to allow the dentist to work on him. He woke up in a state of fury, but it turns out he was just VERY hungry*. He´s sleeping now (hence this post) and I´m suppossed to keep a close eye on him for the rest of the day. The good thing is that besides getting the fillings he needed, he now also has very clean teeth.

* He totally gets that from me!

Recently, August 15th has an added meaning for our family. It is the day when India celebrates its Independence Day. Happy Day to all Indians and may you continue to grow as a country and maintain your traditions! India´s neighboring country, Pakistan, also celebrates its 60th Independence Day. Both countries celebrate the end of the British rule since 1947.

¡Feliz Día de la Madre a todas las mamás, especialmente a las ticas! Un saludo especial a mis primas Nazareth, Catalina y Gabriela Cartín (las mamás mas recientes de la familia). ¡Felicidades a mi amiga Xinia, quien celebra hoy su primer Día de la Madre!

Un gran abrazo a Abuela Carmen y a Estela....y muy, muy especial a mi Mamá, Olga, ¡la mejor del mundo!

Una madre es capaz de dar todo sin recibir nada. De querer con todo su corazón sin esperar nada a cambio. De invertir todo en un proyecto sin medir la rentabilidad que le aporte su inversión. Una madre sigue teniendo confianza en sus hijos cuando todos los demás lo han perdido.

Sus brazos siempre se abren cuando se necesita un abrazo. Su corazón sabe comprender cuándo se necesita a una amiga. Sus ojos sensibles se endurecen cuando se necesita una lección. Su fuerza y su amor nos dirigen por la vida y nos han dado las alas para volar. ¡Muchas felicidades y que Dios bendiga a todas las Madres!

- Gracias a Sandra C. por este mensaje...Muchas felicidades en tu día!

Shopping spree

El sábado pasado salimos de compras. Los hombres de esta casa tienen ahora zapatos nuevos (algunos talla 42 y otros talla 25). Fabián tiene también un par de talla 26, que estoy segura le quedarán muy pronto. Aprendí que a los niños de 1 a 3 años hay que medirles los pies cada 3 meses! Liza: Me encanta la coleccion de Rodri. Aquí no tenemos Pediped, pero tenemos Elefanten. Estas son las sandalias de Fabián...geniales para ir al parque a jugar.

Previous shopping spree here and shoe history here.

FrauenSpaß

A few weeks ago Céline discovered a wink of India right in our very own Erlangen. We had talked about trying out the new Indian restaurant Boliwood and today we finally had the chance. Mira joined us and we had a nice girls´ lunch. Afterwards we came home where Rong joined us for Indian chai. What happens when a group of girls get together like this? We had a lot of fun, laughs and we discovered how many people in common we know. The world - including Erlangen (die Stadt der Liebe) - is a small place!

Edited to add:

2 de agosto

On August 2, Costa Rica honors its Patron Saint, La Virgen de los Angeles (also known as "La Negrita"), with nationwide pilgrimage to the Basilica in Cartago. ¡Feliz Día a todos los costarricences, especialmente a las Marielos!

¡Oh Soberana Reina de los Angeles! Madre amorosísima que te dignaste escoger nuestra amada patria para trono de tus misericordias; te damos rendidas gracias por los innumerables beneficios recibidos de tu intercesión poderosa y te suplicamos humildemente, que nos protejas en todos los momentos de nuestra vida, sobre todo cuando nos aflijan las tribulaciones; en esta hora ¡Oh Virgen y Madre de Dios! Haz valer tus prerrogativas de Reina y de Madre ante la Augustosísima Trinidad, socórrenos desde el Cielo con amor de Madre y esplendidez de Reina.Vela por nuestra amada patria, oh Reina Soberana de los Angeles y sálvala por amor a Cristo, nuestro Rey y Señor. Amén.

Nuestra Señora de los Angeles; ruega por nosotros.

(Se rezan tres avemarías)

San José, 20 de mayo de 1967.

This day is also a special one because Nidhi is celebrating her birthday. MasalaFamily wishes our friend lots of happiness, health and fun times...today, this year and in the coming decades! :) Have fun celebrating on the weekend and enjoy in the company of Vivek, your sister and friends.