Easter in AD

Yesterday we attended an Easter party in Shahama. My friend Drica, is a very pregnant Brazillian estate agent. I can't believe how she was hustling around in the heat (I believe 38 degrees yesterday around 3:30 in the afternoon). She also purchased two baby bunnies just for the occasion. Little A was thrilled and spent some QT with the little bunnies. Just before we left for home, Drica had arranged an easter-egg hunt. Litle A caught on quickly and enjoyed finding three colourfully foiled chocolate "andahs" (punjabi for 'eggs'). Fortunately, she doesn't know that the foil wrapper comes off...yet.

Today we co-hosted the playgroup at our house. Little A had a fever throughout the night, and we were up getting Tylenol, and taking temperatures. This morning we were both a little exhausted and out of sorts. However, with the help of Malou and all the mums who brought their inflatable pools, I think we celebrated a very happy Easter Sunday with friends. Little A flatly refused to enter into any of the pools (though, as we type she is happily taking an indoor dip in her round, red tub...used as an 'indoor pool'). I think that she gets a little uncomfortable when there are a lot of other children around (an ideal group size for her is probably 3 or 4).

New word of the week is 'num'-often accompanied by a hand gesture, 'num' is how she asks us to 'come' with her to do things

She was also pleased as punch last week, when she called Phinny to 'num' by bending down, slapping her knee, and beckoning him with her hand. To his credit, Phinn DID come (what a good boy!!).

We attended another birthday party, this time for our neighbour Grace. I had the opportunity to get to know Sharon (New Zealand), Erica (S. Africa), Ursula (Germany), Jeane (UK) and Maiko (Japan) a little bit better. It was nice to have some ladies to talk to about Abu Dhabi life a little bit more. Though we've all come from different places, it was nice to spend an afternoon having 'girl-talk' (even though there were also toddlers and children to be tended to).

Looks like another sandstorm is brewing. While little A was playing in her red tub, I noticed the window in front of her darken. In the seconds it took for me to get up and ask Malou to take down the umbrella...BAM! the wind and sand are going crazy.

Time to go now...Little A is 'all done'!

My favourite sari...

Is it possible to have a favourite fabric?

Ever since I was little, my mom has had this sari...it's fire-red, with yellow paisley amoeba dancing around. I have no memory of her ever wearing the sari (it was the 1970's, in Grande Prairie...I think by being brown in Alberta, we were already standing out enough), but remember seeing little flashes of it here and there over the years, whenever she opened up 'the suitcase' (filled with all her Indian treasures: saris, bangles, suits). I believe there might be a picture of her wearing it somewhere in our old albums...but I can't be sure.

Over the years, the contents of 'the suitcase' have dwindled. Suits have been given away, and the treasures have mysteriously been disappearing. Fortunately, at some point in time, I managed to hide away the sari (and its matching blouse...which was always very elusive). My mom never could understand why I wanted to have it...and I'm not really sure why it was so important to me either. I think someday, I hoped to wear them both...and feel what my mom must have been like when she was young, before the years and time changed her. Surely, the person who wore THIS sari must've have been vibrant, and alive. A liver of life. Someone who laughed, danced, and thought that life was fun.

However, I have never tried to fit into the blouse of this sari...possibly because I don't want to know that it doesn't fit.

Instead, today, with the help of Malou, the sari now has a prominent place in my villa here. Just seeing it makes me happy ('happy' is also one of little A's new words...'lu-lu' is always very 'happy'). It is helping to fill my room with a warm light. The sari makes me remember only good things about my mom: her adventurous nature, wanting to move her family to a foreign land, making our family the most important family in her life; her courage, travelling with a 6 year-old, his bike, and me, then just a little over a year, on her own, with limited understanding of English; her love and commitment to my brother and I as we were growing up, always putting our needs ahead of her own.

The sari makes me think of my mom, smile, and feel all the love the I grew up with.