Time for a Rest........ (Oct 27)

Life starts pretty early at Keshau's. I'm not sure when it all got going but it was definitely in full swing when we got up around 8 am. The procession seems to have the daughter in law getting the fire going and breakfast cooking... daughter number 2 and 3 (Prema) get the kids moving... everyone bathes at the tap outside, brushing of hair, braids, getting dressed, getting books ready... organized chaos.

All the children including the fourth and fifth daughter attend school. Most of the children seem to wash and dress themselves (except the baby - Chandon - who is only 2 years old). Grandma and one of the daughters gets most of the brushing and braiding done.

We sat in the kitchen next to the wood stove and had breakfast while we watched it all unfold. The activity is pretty much constant. There are 6 grandchildren ranging from the baby to around 10 or 11 years old. Three of the kids belong to his son (who is 28) and three belong to his second daughter. His first daughter lives in the city with her husband (the only one who doesn't live at home). His fifth daughter is only 8 and her name is Minaxi (I don't think I spelled it right).

Keshau told us he is 50 so I figure his wife must be 46 or 47 - they look older than that but I'd imagine it has alot to do with the life they lead.



We had tea and toast for breakfast. I think they had bought the bread and butter just for us. I was still feeling sick so tea and toast was just fine for me (British comfort food?). The children washed and carried and basically participated in everything that needed to be done. It was interesting to watch them as they seemed pretty much self managed and looked after getting each other ready. The only time a parent stepped in was when something got out of hand. I'm not sure what those women were saying when they're speaking to the kids but their tone alone would stop me in my tracks!

Today we just sat and watched the world go by. A little napping... a little writing in the journal for when we return to civilization... Prema was quite interested in what I was writing. My handwriting can be pretty hard to read if you understand English so I went and grabbed her one of our books to read as well as our little photo album to show them where we live, etc. I've found that they are all really interested in learning more English and try very hard. I sat with her for the afternoon chatting and reading while Brad napped.

Lunch time is not noon in this part of the world - it seems to come some time around 2 pm. We started to wonder if they only ate two meals a day. We shouldn't have worried really, they are incredibly genuine, generous and attentive hosts. So attentive in fact that I always have company when I go to the bathroom. Now, you have to understand, they know I'm sick and they're really just trying to look after me. The toilet is outside, down a path behindthe house, past another house, past a cow and in a little building.

We ate lunch in the kitchen sitting on our special mat with the daughter in law, Prema and Keshau. Everyone else seemed to be at school or out working in the fields.

Everything and everyone gets cleaned, washed, scrubbed and generally maintained every day. It's quite rural... a farm really, but it's very tidy and well cared for.

The children returned from school and the women from the fields around 4 or 5. It gets dark (and cold) around 6. For dinner, this was the first night we were eating with the family. Son, daughter in law, Keshau and wife, 3 grown daughters, 6 kids ... all seated on mats around the small wood stove in the middle of the room which is lit by a single light bulb.



The conversation is lively and the kids can't take their eyes off of us. We are served first, then the family. Everyone (including us) ate Indian style. We were amateurs compared to the kids and Brad made more of a mess than the 2 year old. The son had been out hunting so we had mutton, dahl, rice and chapati. There was much fussing over us to make sure we were comfortable, had enough to eat, could wash our hands, did we want more (like an Italian Grandmother... you must eat!) The dishes disappeared and were cleaned before we knew what hit us.

When the children eat, we noticed, there is no complaining, no whining, no playing with the food. The food goes in the mouth and everyone is happy. Even the 2 year old gets just about every drop into his mouth.

As head of the house, the son and daughter in law eat after the family is finished. As we sat there, we were contemplating Keshau's life. He has land, some crops, wife, kids, grandkids... by Indian standards he is quite well off. He is a successful businessman... and he is completely content. I think we may have glimpsed peace. He goes for a walk in the morning, takes care of whatever needs taking care of, maybe takes a nap, a walk in the evening, time with family, and bed. He feels no pressure to keep up with the latest shiny gadgets, he is happy and there is plenty of love in the house.

The family has invited us to stay and celebrate Diwali so we'll be hanging out until after Nov 1.

The lights failed (it seems like a normal occurance), the candles came out - I took it as our cue to go to bed!