Nothing's the Same Here & Everything's the Same Here

Life isn't really different here, it's just more so. 

People go to work, take their kids to the park and enjoy spending time with friends. 

Still very few things are quite the same.  Oreo's and McDonald's fries taste exactly the same, while the sauce on Pizza Hut and Domino's pizza is more tangy. 

They have trucks, buses, cars and motorcycles, but none of them are the same as those at home.

I occasionally find myself wondering if gravity isn't in some way going to behave just a bit differently.

Don't get me wrong it's magical, but sometimes it can also be bit unsettling.  As an example:

Christmas 2010

While 80% of the people here are Hindu, they are very religiously tolerant and welcome any reason for a celebration.  The area we live in was a Portuguese Colony and has many old Catholic Churches and schools, so Christmas is a well accepted tradition.

 

Deb found us a Christmas Tree, which as you can see is really a plant. The girls said it was "the best tree ever"!

We went to a Christmas Party thrown by the tenants of the buildings our friends Tony and Rochelle live in.

It was more of a fair than a party, with booths and traditional games for the kids - like mechanical bull riding!  I don't know, maybe it will catch on in the states!?

Of course who doesn't have fond childhood memories of climbing the red inflatable Christmas tree with a clown head on top.






I think Grace's expression sums up our Indian Christmas experience quite well!