Metromania

End of week one and we're still here, alive, together, intact and continent. Wolfmum has just informed me that 30-70% of visitors here will have some form of travellers' diarrhoea within two weeks. So, 6 days to go? Her source? The internationally peer-reviewed and medically respected Lonely Planet guide. So enough of intestines for now....but we did so enjoy hearing on Parentmail that there's threadworm in Year 1 back at home. Cheering news, my friends.

Still in Delhi and enjoying the institutional delights of the YWCA: M's keeping a graph of daily toast consumption alongside the masala/plain omelettes for breakfast. Quieter during the week, or are we just adjusting to being in a city, let alone an Asian one? The children struggle to get to sleep but then the exciting illustrated 'Tales of Hanuman' (thanks Louis) probably doesn't help (with Wolfdad's graphic sound effects). Every night is a sleepover with two beds for three children, so one gets the 'snugglepatch' [Ed. What?!], i.e. is wrapped up at the feet of the other two. And the joy of sleepovers, as every parent knows, is the next day. But tonight they've gone to bed before us - the first brief parental downtime for a while.

The first few days were for getting settled in before Wolfdad went off to see some colleagues at the archives. I've been searching through the dusty old files (and I mean dusty - they fragment alarmingly) at the Survey for a few mornings and have found some useful material. More of that this week. After a few hours I've walked home again across Rajpath with the President's House just about visible if the fog or smog isn't too bad. Then after a morning of homeschool at the Y, we've had lunch and all gone on a modest outing around Delhi: to Lodi Gardens with parakeets and furtive snoggers amidst the tombs; to the National Gallery of Modern Art (watching Anish Kapoor being installed); found a great playground in a fantastically inappropriate location in the middle of six 'lanes' of traffic; to see the latest Harry Potter in Connaught Place (whilst Wolfdad braved the railway station booking office - drat, we're not eligible for the tourist quota anymore - as we're not here on tourist visas - and Indophiles will know what this means...3-tier all the way, m'dears). Over to Wolfmum:

Ok, to set the scene - we're in our 'ante'-room, explosions outside (more fireworks over the Bangla Sahib Sikh temple next door), children gently snoring and coughing (imported from home) and a stream of music off Spotify (technology is amazing, we've spent the evening harking back - M thought Michelle Shocked great but W&L more into wild dancing in their pants to Brimful of Asha)...

I think the idea of this period in the YWCA was for 'gentle acclimatisation' but as an Indian friend commented there is no such thing as a gentle introduction to life here.  Everyone gets exhausted very quickly the minute we step out of the door into the noise and pollution - but has done the metro (the kids and I ride in the ladies' carriage, whilst Wolfdad has had to travel with the men, much more squashed and frantic), jumped in rickshaws, walked the streets of Old and New Delhi and interacted with the many admirers the kids attract, though their patience with the endless requests for more photos at the Red Fort was being challenged yesterday...We try to mix monuments ('work') with parks and off-the-leash time.

Wolfdad did some academic hobnobing (in a small way) last week and L went to a children's bookfair today, came back saying she'd made friends which was good news as YWCA has an 'older' clientele or american yuff groups, who look a lot less clued up than M and L, even W... 

Homeschooling (yes, I am endeavouring to attend to the little darlings' educational needs) - we do something every day (well weekdays) and it's been a mixed bag of wild success (Wolfdad walked into all 3 painting still lives of indian fruit, listening to Bach!!!) and horror - L telling me that I'm not a proper teacher, and know nothing compared to Mrs Smith (I realise this, but thanks anyway L).  I am getting braver - can cross big roads with 2 children, working up to 3 - this may not sound impressive, but the traffic does not give way to pedestrians, maybe will swerve to avoid you, but will not slow down, even if you are on a 'pedestrian crossing'.

We're here another week and then to Udaipur in Rajasthan for two weeks. All going as well as expected at this stage, better in some places. Is there nothing M won't eat here? Bananas. And she refuses pointblank for any of us to enter McD's even when W said he's tired and would like chips. M says it's not proper food, and by 'proper' she means biryani, tandoori roti and shahi paneer - at the very least, if not a double egg chicken tikka kathi roll. Good girl.

Ok, love to all. Time to sleep and dream of Albion.