Yummy!

By Evan Sayer

Food! food! food! Where else in the world can you get food better than the American Embassy School's.

Open Hand Rocks! 

Sit down, relax and enjoy your food! Open Hand Cafe has many options for meals, pastries, and drinks. If the temperature is cold outside try a hot chocolate and a hot muffin to warm you up, or in the summertime you could try a sandwich and a milkshake to cool you off.

Lots of Food for a Little Place...

What little place has a lot of food? The Kiosk of course! You can get home-made food straight from the AES kitchen or get packaged items that are branded. I prefer the home-made AES food, though.

Are there Seconds?

Yes there are. In fact, you can get as much food as you want here at the cafeteria. There's a whole process of getting food: You wash your hands at the hand-washing station, get a tray, pick your food, sit down, and eat it!

Blood!

A true story by Evan Sayer.

Clickity Click! Clickity Click! went the chains on the bikes as we road along the bumpy Angkor Wat road.
"May I have some water?" asked my sister.
"Sure," answered my Dad. We all hit the brakes.
"Wah...aaAAAHHHH!" my sister yelled as she tumbled off her bike. "Ahhhhh!!! Ahhhhh!! she screamed again and again as blood dribbled out of her head.
My mom flagged down a car as my dad helped my sister up. Me and my mom locked the bikes up and ran to get into the car.We pulled up into the 24 hour emergency driveway. A man came out with a wheel chair. As the man wheeled her in the emergency room with my Mom, me and my Dad walked into the waiting room. We got some hot chocolate and sat down in front of the TV.
"The stitches are done," said the doctor an hour later.
"Finally!" my Dad gasped in relief.
After talking to the doctor and going back to our hotel, we were all happy again.

The End.

The Last Den Meeting

by HouseBoy

Evan and I had our last Den meeting with New Delhi Pack 3060 on Saturday morning. We decided to end the year with a special event and arranged for a "safari" ride with Champa the elephant along the Yamuna River. We used the ride as a way for the boys to earn their "Naturalist" badge. The boys were asked to spot and identify 12 local bird species (the badge requirement is six so they easily made their goal!). The floodplain along the edge of the river is a good spot for "birding."

The morning ride took the boys through a local nursery and a green belt and finally under one of the huge metro-train skyways that connect Noida with Delhi. As parents and scout leaders, we trailed behind the boys in the dust doing our best to avoid Champa's giant bombs of elephant poo.
At the end of the ride the boys returned back down the road to the rally point, and a few of us explored along the edge of the river to see what we might find. We uncovered two rather unique sights... The first, according to the sign, was a 40 year old temple to Ganesha, that had been built as a way to honor the buried remains of an elephant.

The second discovery was a little more interactive... a local "ferry" used to take farmers across the water to an island situated in the middle of the Yamuna. Of course we had to give the ferry a try. The raft was made from the ultimate in recycled materials: Plastic feed sacks sown together and then filled with Thermocal (Styrofoam) waste. Very buoyant

It was a great morning, and a unique way to celebrate the boys' scouting experiences together in India.

Rajasthani Puppet Theater

by HouseBoy

I'm always amazed how kids can create something new and fun out of almost anything...

After the AES Science Fair, we were left with two large cardboard tri-fold displays...  Being a parent who is gearing up to move back from India to the US, I keep scrambling for ways to give things away. Recycling is something that is fortunately really easy to do in India... just about anything is adapted for a second, third or even forth use. When Audrey saw me trying to slip the cardboard displays out the front door, she would have none of it. I asked the typical parent question: "So these giant tri-folds are going to sit in the corner collecting dust until we move?" Audrey was not phased by my resistance to hanging on to yet another piece of school memorabilia.
"Don't worry," Audrey reassured me. "I have an idea."  Against my better judgement I let the subject drop, and Audrey held on to her beloved tri-fold displays.

This past weekend, Audrey and Evan began construction of a large structure in our living room. It was hot outside, so I let them go for it... not really knowing what the result might be. "It's a surprise, Dad," Evan told me.  Blankets, pillows, chairs were all placed in the center of the room. Held in place with string, yarn and beach blankets. Buried in the center, unmistakeably, were the two cardboard tri-fold display boards.

Voice recordings were made, music was practiced on a keyboard hidden behind the structure.. Lesa and I were shooed out of the living room on several occasions. Then finally the big announcement was made: "7pm Show time" exclaimed Audrey. " Right at the prescribed hour we were treated to a Rajasthani Puppet Show, with sound effects, incidental music, puppeteering (the kids dusted off their small collection of puppets from Rajasthan) and a very wacky, but original story.

The puppet stage looked great - complete with fringe, curtain and of course, the tri-fold cardboard displays! Couldn't have been a more perfect way for our kids to create some fun indoors on a hot Delhi Saturday.

The 2012 Pinewood Derby

by HouseBoy

Evan participated in the Cub Scouts 2012 Pinewood Derby race. It's probably the Cub Scouts biggest event of the year other than our campout... it generates a whole lot of excitement with the boys and their parents.
Pack 3060 (New Delhi) had about 33 entries this year... seven from Evan's Webelos 1 Den. A couple of US Marines from the Embassy agreed to help out by officiating over the launch of each four-car heat. Evan's green "Random Bus" is in lane 3 in the photo below:

These races have become pretty sophisticated.  Each car has an official weigh-in and measurement. The cars must be no more than five ounces, and no longer than seven inches. HouseBoy was a part of the "pit crew" this year, helping the boys with last minute weight adjustments and wheel/axle repairs. Power tools, hot glue gun, tweezers, and graphite powder for lubrication - we had it all! The track is timed and monitored via sensors and a laptop connection. Software automatically tracks the heat, den and the overall winners by both speed and time.

Evan's car was named the "Random Bus." It was his own design. Aside from a little help with sanding, he did it all... design, painting and decals. We had some speed issues last year, but I guess we learned from our lack of success. This year Evan's derby car burnt up the track!.













He placed first in his Webleos 1 Den competition (1st out of his seven) and 2nd in the overall "Grand Finals" competition (second out of 33 cars). Pretty amazing.

 Great Job Evan!

2012 AES Science Fair

Evan and Audrey both came up with some pretty cool projects for the 2012 Mary Kelley Science Fair Projects.  This year the fair had almost 200 participants from the AES elementary school. It's not a mandatory thing, so I'm glad the kids were both excited to participate.
Evan and his best friend, Dylan wanted to try creating a maglev train - not an easy thing to do. They conducted research on magnetism, and the properties of magnets and discovered that many ordinary, everyday tools use magnets to function. With the help of a local carpenter, and design ideas from the Internet, we created a track-base out of wood.

I went on a journey to the huge electronics market in Old Delhi to find a shop that sells magnets.  I discovered three stalls there (market opposite the Red Fort) that sell nothing but magnets -all shapes and sizes! The magnets (small, very powerful ones) were about ten cents each. The boys used these to make our track for the "hover" train.

The boys worked on building their own "car" out of Lego pieces, and put together a fact-filled information display. Great job, boys!
Audrey chose to dive into a lesser known discovery made by Charles Darwin - the properties of Phototropism. For those not in the know - this is how plants grow toward a source of light.

With just a little guidance from mom and dad, Audrey conducted the research in the Internet, and developed her own display board. Both experiments received great comments and reactions from fellow students, teachers and parents. It was fun to work with the kids on their exhibits - I learned more about these two subjects than ever before!
HouseBoy is glad both projects were a success...and are now just more happy memories of our lives here in India.

Athletics

Evan participated in this year's ES Track and Field Event... seemed to enjoy his events: Long Jump, shot-put and the 200 meter run. The kids trained for about six weeks and then competed by grade level.

Audrey continues with her horse skills 2 times per week at the Delhi riding club. Lesa rides with her now for most of the sessions and seems to enjoy the mother-daughter time, despite the occasional fall. Evan and I enjoy the rides as well, we get to relax, read and drink a cup of chai with Ms. Beeru, the club's proprietor.

Last week, the kids started up again on the ES swim team at the American Embassy School. The are both drilling a few day a week after school on four strokes:  freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, and breast. Evan's favorite is the breast - he has one of the top three times for this stroke...

Audrey definitely prefers, freestyle, and is the second fastest on the team.

Archery!

by HouseBoy

Evan had a second chance to learn more about archery with the Cub Scouts this month. Delhi's Pack 3060 organized an Archery Training session at the US Embassy for our four dens.

Safety training, and archery techniques were reviewed and coached by two Scout-certified "Range masters." We also had the assistance of three embassy US Marines. The marines were on hand to provide range safety and archery tips for the boys.
Evan's group showed incredible improvement over last year's session. He and his fellow scouts demonstrated good technique and consistently hit their targets with accuracy.

Because the boys have grown stronger and taller, they were able to draw back their bows with greater ease and confidence. As a result, Evan and his den-mates spent a lot more time concentrating on targeting and stance.

By the end of the morning, the archery targets looked like swiss cheese! It was a great way for us to spend a cool, Springtime morning in New Delhi.

Ranthambore!

by HouseBoy

Audrey had her first big trip without parents a few weeks ago... 3 days and two nights with her fellow 5th grade students on Safari in Ranthambore National Park.. The kids rode on the early morning train for the six hour journey to the park. They all stayed in several local hotels and enjoyed tasty Indian meals.. Although it was short, their trip was packed with activities. The 5th graders visited with area school children, learned about regional dance and art and they ventured out into the jungle on three separate safaris. They rode in large open "canters" like the one Audrey photographed below.

Our family has traveled out in the early morning on four separate occasions in three different National Parks in India (Sariska, Periyar, and Jim Corbett) to see tigers, but have never actually spotted one. Ranthambore is famed as one of the best places to sight the illusive Bengal Tiger (the world's largest cat), and for Audrey the park didn't disappoint!  And she has the photos to share her experience with us!

Audrey snapped this beautiful photo of a large tigress who happened to wander within 20 feet of her cantor. This female was on the prowl, in search of a meal for the day.
It was a great trip for the AES 5th graders, filled with wonderful memories for Audrey to cherish.

Evan's Tenth Birthday!

by HouseBoy

Evan celebrated his birthday this past weekend - it was BIG number ten, and was the fourth time we organized birthday festivities for him here in India! We managed to pull together a whole weekend of activities with some of his best friends. Audrey and two of her good friends helped out with some of the activities.

Everything kicked off with a big sleepover.  Two of Evan's buddies, Louis and Dylan came over for the night. Audrey and her friend Emma joined in the fun as well. The girls were a huge help - they baked a cake, wrapped gifts, made cards and went on several trips to our local market for snacks and supplies!  Our local rickshaw driver was a very happy guy, because the girls used him several times throughout the day to haul their many bags of goodies. The evening ended with a movie and the new FIFA 12 game on the Wii.

Day two took us to a Sports Restaurant called Underdoggs in one of the swanky malls located in Visant Kunj. The party kicked off before noon. Nine kids had the place to themselves until the lunch crowd started rolling in. Underdoggs is full of games - table tennis, pool, darts, foosball, shuffleboard, carem, video games (wii, ps3 and xbox) and, the unforgettable "sumo" wrestling.

As with many things in India, safety is not always the first consideration - Sumo wrestling was conveniently set up next to the dart boards, alongside a floor-to-ceiling length plate-glass divider. To compensate, we strategically placed parents to keep kids from smashing into walls and getting poked by flying darts.

There were no injuries, and the kids looked hilarious, in their foam, latex and Velcro suits. Think "Michelin Man meets Sumo Wrestler" costumes. There was more bouncing, flopping and tumbling than actual wrestling. But everyone had wide smiles!

The party ended with double chocolate cake from our favorite bakery - Red Moon and plenty of snacks (some of which were accidentally raided by boys from an adjacent birthday party...)

It was Monday morning, after the dust had settled. The kids were getting ready to head off to the morning bus and school. Evan's face got very serious and then he smiled: "I had a really good weekend. I think that was the best birthday party I've ever had!"

The Killing Fields

by Audrey Sayer

In Cambodia, "the Killing Fields" are a sad, but special place. Lots of people go there every day. Some to pray, some to honor the people who died, and some just to learn about it.

There are many killing fields in Cambodia, but the biggest one is outside of Phnom Penh. This is its story:
In the 1970's the leader of the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot, killed over 70,0000 people in this place because they were smart enough to know what he was doing was wrong. His soldiers dug pits to put the dead or almost-dead people in. The killed men, women and children - even babies. Across the country over 2,000,000 people died like this.

Today there is a memorial filled with human skulls to remind people that killing your own kind for no reason is inhuman, and unforgivable. Now the Killing Fields are peaceful and sad places. The ground there still remembers...

Cambodia is not the only country where this happened... it is all over the world. We must not kill for power.

The Land Mine Museum

by Evan Sayer

We went to the Land Mine museum in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is near Angkor Wat, which is a famous Temple complex.

Here's the history of the museum:

In 1999 a man named, Aki Ra founded the museum on a small dirt road near Angkor Wat. He had been a child soldier with the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. He created the museum out of straw huts to protect the deactivated explosives from war. Aki Ra started de-mining in 1995. He has dug up thousands of these. He opened a new museum in April, 2007.

Aki Ra did this because he said "I want to make my country safe for my people."

This is very important because many people are hurt each year by old land mines. There are now 100,000,000 unexploded land mines in the world! 5,000,000 of them are still in the ground in Cambodia.

The museum tells people that life is hard (especially when there are land mines in the ground!)

Music Class

by HouseBoy

I got the chance to visit Evan and Audrey in their music class recently... It was great fun. Evan is working with Taiko Drums and learning about rhythms and beats and drumming styles.

Audrey is working with different percussion instruments including a xylophone and a glockenspiel.

Her teacher is great... she manages to incorporate Indian elements into each of her lessons.  Audrey has been learning the Gujarati dance called, Dandiya Raas. The dance uses sticks and two opposing circles (one of men and one of women). Very fun and very animated and goes great with Bollywood music!

Both of the kids gave the parents a little performance and then we were brought into the music as well. I tried out my skills playing the bass xylophone while the kids sang and played conga drums...

Me & My Grandma Watching TV Together

Non-Fiction
   by Evan Sayer

We started at my Grandma's house. We were driving to my Aunt's house.

Later...

I looked around. We were still on the highway.
"How many more hours?" I moaned.
"About two and  a half," answered my Dad.

Two and a half hours later...

Finally I opened the car door and took a deep breath: "Aaahhh!"  Fresh afternoon air I thought as I walked up the stars to the front porch.
"Don't forget your backpack!" my Dad yelled after me.
"I won't!" I yelled back.

Three hours later...

Later that night as I walked down the stairs I smelled the smell of juicy roast turkey.
"Mmmm!" I said smiling. Then I saw it, a large juicy roast turkey.
"How long until we watch our show?" I asked.
"Oh yeah!" remembered my sister.
"Twenty minutes," answered my Grandma.

Fifteen minutes later...

As I walk into the living room I smell the carrot cake. "Mmmm!" I say.
"It's time!" my Grandma says.
"For what?" I ask.
"For AGT," answers my Grandma.
"What's AGT?" I ask.
"America's Got Talent!" answers my Grandma.

Five minutes later...

I sit down on the couch with a plate and a fork. My mouth waters as I look at the cake. "BLING!" The TV turns on. My Grandma flips through the channels.
"Where is it?" asks my sister.
"Don't ask me," I say.

Thirty seconds later...

"We're never going to find it!" my sister cries.
"There!" I say.
"Yes!" shouts my sister.
"Shhh!" whispers my aunt.
"Sorry," my sister says.
"Shut up and watch the show!" I say.
"Watch your mouth, Honey!" says my Mom as the TV blared.
"Shush!" says my sister.
"WAAAAA!" cries baby Che.
"Argh!" I moan.

"Bom! Bom!  Bom! Bom! Bom!   Bom!  Bom!!!!!!!" blared the AGT music.

Grandma Rides Bareback

Our Grandma rode Champa the elephant bareback! Early one morning our Dad took her down to where the elephants and their Mahouts live by the Yamuna River. She was a little nervous, because one of her legs is injured, but Grandma wanted to give it a try.

The mahouts helped Grandma up on Champa's back. They made her step up into a wedding carriage so she would be higher off the ground. Then one of them used his hands to give her a boost. Grandma had a big grin on her face when she landed with a "plop" way up on top of Champa! Riding bareback is nothing like riding an elephant in a passenger box. You feel the elephant's spine and ribs move as she ambles along from side to side. The elephant's skin is warm and rough.You can feel her breathing.

Of course, the Mahout had to take an important cell-phone call while he was driving Champa. Grandma thought that was pretty funny.

The best part was the ending.  Grandma held on tight when Champa knelt to let her down... Grandma said she thought she was going to slide right off the elephant's rump!

It was a special ride for our special grandmother!

The Return

A little Non-fiction from Audrey...

Just before Tiger ran away I rubbed him behind the ear, walked out the door and into my Mom's silver Volkswagen. I didn't know I wouldn't see him for a while, I didn't know that might be the last time I touched him. I couldn't even guess.

"Audrey," called my Mom as I stepped into the house. "Is that you?"
"Yeah," I replied.
"Come here and quick!" she called again. I put my backpack down and ran to my parents room. When I got to my parents room my mother said, "While your Dad was working outside, Tiger escaped out the back door."
"What!" I yelled. "He's not here?" I said to my Mom.

We had been looking in the house behind ours which was being build. We thought it would be a good place for him to hide.
"Maybe he will pop up somewhere," My mom said as she tried to comfort me. Of course to no avail.
"Maybe," I replied. Life had seemed so hard lately.

"Tiger?" I called to the empty hallway.
"Meow," he replied as he crept out of his hiding spot.
"I've, missed you," I told him. He didn't reply.
"Where were you?" I asked him, thinking this would only be a one-sided conversation, but still it meant something to me at least.
Suddenly I shook from head to toe and awoke with a start.
"Finally you woke up," said my Mom. Then she walked out of my room.
"Oh," I thought. "No Tiger, just a dream."

"What's for breakfast?" I asked as I entered the kitchen.
"Pancakes," answered my Dad.
"Yum, yum, yummy," said my seven year old brother named, Evan. I rolled my eyes.
"Can't we have Pop-tarts, or donuts ever?" I asked.
"No," answered my Dad.
"Hhmmf.," I grumbled.

As I ate softly I spoke saying: "I wish Tiger would come back." It was a simple wish, but still it was a wish.

"Goodnight," I told my parents as I walked into my room and laid down on my bed. I tried to count sheep, but my thoughts obviously had other ideas because all I could think about was Tiger. Tiger this and Tiger that. I hoped he was okay.  Hope, hope, hope. It was easy to hope, but hard to forget, hard to forget Tiger.

"Meow, meow." I woke up and thought I was mistaken. But then it was there again:
"Meow, meow."
 I ran into the hall, turned left and ran into the living room.  I ran to the door, but my Dad had reached there before me.

"Tiger!" I cried as I picked him up and hugged him, his soft fur against my body. My wish had come true. Tiger had come back and on his own. The hoping was over.

by Audrey Sayer (Grade 5)

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage

by HouseBoy

Audrey and Evan spent nine days traveling in Sri Lanka with Mom, Dad and their Grandma. It is an easy flight from New Delhi - only three hours away to Colombo. And it is in the same time zone! One of the kids' favorite stops happened early in this trip. We ventured to a place called Pinnawela. It is a large elephant orphanage near the small city of Kegalle.
The orphanage has over 60 elephants within its walls. They are brought here for many different reasons. Most have lost their parents, or have been injured, either through mistreatment or mishap.

Evan got to meet a blind elephant, named Raja.  He was blind at birth, but has been taken care of at Pinnawela most of his life. Raja is a "tusker." This means he is a male with tusks.  Unlike African elephants, only 5% of male Asian elephants have tusks, so they are treated as being very special!

Audrey and her Grandma really enjoyed seeing so many elephants up close. In most of the Orphanage there are no fences between visitors and the herd. Most of the time the males are kept in one area and the females and young elephants stay together as a group.

A rather naughty, young elephant named, Jumbo, is bottle fed several times a day. Visitors are allowed to help feed him... Jumbo didn't hesitate to take Evan up when he offered him a fresh palm frond!

Two times each day the elephant herd actually leaves the compound gates and crosses the main village road to travel down to the river. We followed them down to the river's edge to watch them play and bathe amid the rocks and water below.  The elephants were visibly excited when they made the 1/2 kilometre journey to the river!

 Audrey, Evan and I all agreed that it was quite a sight for us to see eighty elephants march down a narrow village street to the river! Definitely one of the highlights on our second visit to the small but beautiful country of Sri Lanka...

Audrey's 11th Birthday!

by HouseBoy

Audrey shared another milestone (a few days early) with some friends at the American Embassy School on Saturday. She and good friend, Emma both turn eleven this week, so the girls decided to have a joint-birthday bash!

With sixteen classmates and friends gathered, the kids swam in the pool, tossed water balloons, and ate snacks provided by the wonderful AES kitchen staff. Of course there was plenty of cake - Audrey and Emma supplied the recipes.

The celebration ended with a bit of Indian culture for everyone. A local potter brought his wheel and guests learned about throwing and shaping pots. Everyone was able to have a little hands-on experience with the wheel. Emma's mom also arranged to have a Mehendi (Henna) artist available for the kids to try. Mehendi, of course is a very traditional craft here in India.

Hands and feet are decorated as a way to celebrate weddings and special occasions. I think everyone enjoyed celebrating Audrey and Emma's special day!

WW2 Jeeps in Haryana!

by HouseBoy

Evan and his Cub Scout Den had another interesting experience last Saturday. The boys had an opportunity to go four-wheel driving in vintage Jeeps. Seven Boys and some of their parents (not sure who had more fun, the Dad's or the kids?) drove about an hour outside of Delhi into the countryside in the neighboring state of Haryana. A friend of our Den Leader assembled an odd assortment of classic SUVs for us to learn about and drive.

Three World War Two era Willys Jeep MBs, a 1950's era Nissan Patrol (called a Jonga by the Indian Army) a Russian Gaz 69, and a rare 1960's era Jeep CJ-6. The parents each got to try driving in the mud, water and the sand. The boys had their pick of vehicles to bounce around in.

We drove up steep hills, across streams and muddy sections of trail. We got pointers to improve our off-roading skills and even learned how to drive in sand.

After a couple of hours we enjoyed breakfast up on the top of a hill overlooking the skylines of Delhi and Gurgaon. 

Then off we drove for another hour of four-wheeling. We ended the outing with a tour of the workshop where these vintage vehicles are restored and refurbished.

Evan said it was "one of the best scout outings yet!"

Afterschool Activities

by HouseBoy

The school year kicked off early for Audrey and Evan (8 Aug)... New classes, new teachers, new friends from around the world. Now that the dust has settled and the weather is a tad bit cooler their after school programs have started.

Audrey's back taking riding lessons at the Delhi Riding Club with her good friend, Mariam. She does this two times a week - usually in the mornings to help avoid the steamy heat of mid-day. Audrey is in rehearsals twice each week. She is practicing for her first solo-singing part in the Elementary School's next Musical, The Princess and the Pea. She's pretty excited about this because one of her goals this year has been to learn more about acting and performing!

Evan's schedule has kicked into high gear just this week. He's now a Webelos 1 in the Cub Scouts.(Dad continues as Assistant Den Leader again this year). The boys meet about twice a month after school or on weekends. There are some exciting scout activities coming up... more to follow on this in future posts!

Evan's also taking Table Tennis and Chess after school once day each week. To quote, Evan: "TT is pretty lame, but I'm getting good at chess." 

His favorite after school activity by far is Football (Soccer). Evan continues to work on his technique and has short games each session at the nearby British School...