FELICES FIESTAS! - HAPPY 2009!

We have spent a very special Christmas Day (Mass in Goa, India) and we'll be spending our New Year's in Mumbai. We are thinking of all of our friends and family members who are physically far away from us, but so close to our hearts!

Best wishes from Mariluz, Ishan and Gaurang Fabian!

HAPPY DIWALI!

Diwali Meaning & Significance

Deepavali is a festival where people from all age groups participate. They give expression to their happiness by lighting earthen 'diyas' (lamps), decorating the houses, bursting firecrackers and inviting near and dear ones to their households for partaking in a sumptuous feast. The lighting of lamps is a way of paying obeisance to god for attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, valor and fame.

It is one time in the whole year that children volunteer to leave their beds long before the day begins. In fact, the traditional oil bath at 3 a.m, is the only chore that stands between them and the pre-dawn adventures. They emerge, scrubbed clean to get into their festive attire, and light up little oil lamps, candles and scented sticks(agarbathis), the wherewithal for setting alight crackers and sparklers.

On Diwali night, little clay lamps are lit in Hindus homes, but now a days colored electric lamps are also used. What is the significance of lighting a lamp? There is a logical answer to this question. It is through the light that the beauty of this world is revealed or experienced. Most civilizations of the world recognize the importance of light as a gift of God. It has always been a symbol of whatever is positive in our world of experience. To Hindus, darkness represents ignorance, and light is a metaphor for knowledge.

Therefore, lighting a lamp symbolizes the destruction, through knowledge, of all negative forces- wickedness, violence, lust, anger, envy, greed, bigotry, fear, injustice, oppression and suffering, etc. Competition is stiff, and even the little girl in silk frocks and their finery are watching out for the best sparklers and flowerpots, the rockets and Vishnuchakras, which light-up the night sky like a thousand stars. Grown-ups are the soul of generosity. Festive bonhomie abounds.

(Source)

Memories...

I just realized that a couple of friends of mine are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary.

Ten years ago, I was living in Dominican Republic and France had won the FIFA World Cup that it had hosted (everybody wanted to be in France at that time). A few months later, I came to Europe (France) for the first time: PARIS!...and then to the province of Britanny for a wedding! Unforgettable!

Happy 10th Annivesary Fabio & Anne-Lyse!

1. Kindergartentag!

I have been anxiously awaiting for today: it was Fabian's first day in kindergarden. According to the German educational system (at least here in Bavaria), children go to kindergarten from 3 to 6 years old before they go to primary school.

No doubt Fabi gained a lot through his previous participation in a "Playgroup". Eventhough he only went for 3 hours a day, twice a week in a group of 8 children (between the ages of 2 and 3 years), the playgroup taught him a lot and prepared him for his "bigger" kindergarten. He had a trial session a couple of months ago when he learned the name of one of his teachers whom he likes to color with. So this past weekend he was really looking forward to finally going to his kindergarten.

It went exceptionally smooth...as if he had been going to kindergarten all of his life! Now I'm really looking forward to those 37.5 hours a week - that I will be able to use for my own projects...the possibilites are ENDLESS!

Fabi and I took the bus to his kindergarten but came back walking. As we were coming back home I really enjoyed holding his little hand and listening to him tell me what he had done during his first day. We saw a snail. Here's the story in pictures.

Raksha Bandhan

The Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan celebrates the relationship between brother and sisters.

Faithful to the tradition, a very special package arrived just in time for this day: rakhi for Ishan and Gaurang from his cousin-sisters in India!


Thank you Sheetu, Shriya, Chiu, Suhaani & Krishna!

15 de agosto

Today is "Mother's Day" in Costa Rica and it's also the 61st year that India celebrates its "Independence Day".

After Fabian was born, I celebrated my first "Mother's Day" in Goa, India. Every year, on this day, I realize I have come to admire my Mom Olga and my Grandmother Carmen, more and more.

This year I am also remembering one other special Mom of mine...my Mom Marie. She was brave enough to want to host an exchange-student and as I have said before, it was a great opportunity for me. Mom Marie played a very important role in my life...I'll be forever thankful that I met her and I still remember things that she taught me.

Here are some of my memories: She was really excited for me when I was going out on a "date", she helped me write a good-bye note to the editor of the local newspaper before I went back to my country, she asked me to help her cook dinner on Wednesdays and whenever she made plans I was sure she would carry them out. During my first days of my arrival at her house, she bought me shorts so that I could stand the heat of the desert (Arizona), she bought me a diary so I could record all of my exciting experiences of my exchange-student days (that was probably what lead me to blog later), she took me to Church every Sunday morning, even though she wasn't a Catholic and didn't stay for the Mass. I saw Mom Marie ten years later after my exchange-student year when I went back to Arizona for a High School Reunion. She kept in touch with me by air mail and e-mail as well.

Now she's no longer with us and the only regret that I have is that she never visited me in Costa Rica (due to the fact that I started to travel a lot since my early working days). I remember her when I think of my AFS experience, when I go to a library and when I see Fabi's eye color, which also reminds me of the rest of the family, my former host-father Curt (who is also not with us any more), my host-brother Josh and host-sister Cari.

Last year my Mom spent this day in the hospital. One year later, she's recovered from very scary sick times and just a few days before "Mother's Day" she met Cari for the first time, as my former host-sister happened to be in Costa Rica! What exciting times!

I want to wish a very "Happy Mother's Day!" to Mom Olga & Mom Marie....my Grandmother Carmen ... all of my friends who are mothers and those soon-to-be Moms, too!

(Cari & Mom Olga in Heredia, during Cari's recent trip to Heredia, Costa Rica - Aug. 2008)

¡Gracias, Sandra, por compartir tu poema! ¡Qué pases un muy feliz Día de las Madres!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Indian mothers who are celebrating their Independence Day, too!...

Virgin of the Angels

Thousands of pilgrims have been walking towards the basilica in Costa Rica. Today many people honor "La Negrita" (Virgin of the Angels), who is the protector of Catholics in Costa Rica and America.

Links in Spanish: here & here.

Etapas de la vida - Updated

I just walked into the living room where Fabi was drawing and I swear he looked taller than he did this morning! Talk about "growing up right before your eyes"!....

Fabian has no idea that today was an important day in his life: it was his last day of his "Playgroup". For nine months, he was part of a small group of 8 children who got together twice a week to play for 2 1/2 hours a day.

It was during this time that Fabi learned independence, socializing skills, discipline, the art of communicating without knowing the language. He learned that when his Mom says "I will come back later to pick you up" she always does. He's a big kid (who's been toilet-trained for a few months now) and all the artworks that he did with his friends are now part of his Mom's treasure.

I realized today that most of the kids in his groups were girls. One of his teachers told me that Fabi is "ganz lieb" ("sweet", my interpretation) and I felt very proud of my boy.

The month of August will be vacation time and starting the month of September, most of the children will go to different "Kindergarten" (this time on a daily basis), where they will meet new friends. Here's a picture of him and his first friendships....I hope they meet each other again...

Updated: VIDEO!

24 de mayo - Dia de Maria Auxiliadora

Ave Maria, gratia plena,
Dominus tecum,
benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui Iesus.
Sancta Maria mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen

Today's Rosary is about the Joyful Mysteries.

En mi aldea, estuvo así.

Happy Day!

On this day of Pentecost I pray to the Holy Spirit for wisdom and patience especially, for all the mothers in this world.

On this Mother's Day, I think about all the women who have sick children, who have given their children in adoption, who have children in heaven, who are waiting to be mothers...may they all know that it's their day too!

To celebrate this day I found a list of "Momisms". Here are some of the classical ones:

• Money does not grow on trees.
• Don't make that face or it'll freeze in that position.
• If I talked to my mother like you talk to me....
• Always change your underwear; you never know when you'll have an accident.
• Be careful or you'll put your eye out.
• What if everyone jumped off a cliff? Would you do it, too?
• Close that door! Were you born in a barn?
• If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
• Don't put that in your mouth; you don't know where it's been!
• Be careful what you wish for, it might come true.
• It doesn't matter what you accomplish, I'll always be proud of you.
• I hope that when you grow up, you have kids "Just Like you"! (Also known as the "Mother's Curse")
• This is why we can't have nice things.
• If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times.
• Eat your vegetables, those children in China (Africa, Vietnam) would be happy to have some broccoli to eat!
• If you fall out of that tree and break you leg , don't come running to me.
• Someday your face is going to stick like that.
• Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
• Yes, I *AM* the boss of you.
• Just wait till your father gets home.
• No dessert till you clean off your plate.
• I've got eyes in the back of my head, that's how
• Get that thing out of your mouth! (or nose)
• Just you wait until you have kids of your own - then you'll understand
• I slave for hours over a hot stove and this is the thanks I get?!
• Honestly... You'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on!
• Bored! How can you be bored? I was never bored at your age.
• Because I said so.
• Because I'm your mother, that's why.

A much funnier version of these momisms is in this video that Liza posted.

HAVE A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Dia de San José

Happy Day to all the Josephs...especially to the ones in my family!

Please come IN!...

In preparation for the HOLY WEEK, I managed to go to Nurnberg (with Fabian) for some soul healing.

"Blogging is kind of like going to confession. The more you do it, the easier it is to do it. And unfortunately, vice versa." Arwen-Elizabeth

Dia de la Mujer

It's International Women's Day today!

On occasion of this day, there's an interesting article here on gender roles.

Amelia Rueda es una periodista costarricense. En su blog publica este video acerca del "Día Internacional de la Mujer", que se celebra desde 1910.

Leap Year Day

(Click image to enlarge - Via Boing Boing)

Rosenmontag und Fasching Dienstag

Rosenmontag: Fasching Party at "Die Villa". Adrian and Fabian dressed as clowns.

Fasching Dienstag: While most of our kids got to wear their costume one more time at their respective places of daycare, the Mommies -and friends- got together for breakfast. The employees of the bakery where we had breakfast chose a "Monastery" theme to dress up. It was hard to keep a straight face when I had to order my food to a young man wearing a nun's outfit. :)

Happy Diwali!

It´s Diwali time!

Linen Anniversary -- Updated!

On the day of our wedding - four years ago - Ishan and I gave out these "Indian Elephant" keychains* as party favors. The tag reads in Spanish:

Thank You

Mariluz & Ishan

October 18th, 2003

Heredia, Costa Rica

Happy Anniversary, Ishan! Thanks for the past 48 months of love and happiness! XOXOXO

*Those "Indian Elephant" keychains were bought in the "Crawford Market" in Mumbai. They were a real hit as all of our guests loved them!

UPDATE!

I wrote this post early in the morning, exchanged greetings and congratulations with Ishan through a quick chat (he was in office) and then I was minding my own business getting ready to have lunch with my parents while Fabi slept his nap.

Then the door bell rang and I received not one...but two!...beautiful flower arrangements. Roses and sunflowers...and a bottle of German white wine, which is now chilling in the fridge.

An unforgettable anniversary indeed...despite being "half across the world" away...for the second time...in a row!

Ishan: You're too much!...I love you!

Vater Tag

India and Costa Rica - among other countries - celebrate Father´s Day on the 3rd Sunday of June. (Click pictures below to enlarge.)

Happy Father´s Day, MasalaDad!

Happy Father´s Day to Gaurang Fabian´s Grandfathers!

¡Feliz Día del Padre a mi papá!...¡el mejor papá del mundo!

Father's Day is a day of commemoration and celebration of Dad. It is a day to not only honor fathers, but all men who have acted as a father figure - whether as Godfathers, Uncles, Grandfathers, Stepfathers,"Big Brothers" and even future fathers. Happy Day!

International Children´s Day

Children´s Day in Costa Rica is celebrated on Sept. 9th. But since we´re in Germany...

I wish Fabi, his friends and all the children a nice day today!

A prayer and a special thought to all the children with special needs, the ones who are waiting to be adopted and the ones who live in places affected by war or poverty.

Cotton Anniversary

October 18, 2003 - Wedding in Costa Rica

October 18, 2005 - Anniversary in Mumbai, India

Ishan and Mari have already been blessed with a little angel in the family and are looking forward to many years of happiness together.

Thanks to all the well wishers!