Indian Birthday Celebrations!

Office Birthdays!!

We have been in India since June and there have been a few Birthdays!!  In June, right after we arrived, we experienced our first birthday celebration.  There was cake, India burgers (Veggie, not meat) and poppers (confetti pops)!!  Very cool!! The birthday cakes are really interesting.  This one looks like a pumpkin but tastes really yummy! The June celebration was for Dorina, Jay and Atul



Jay, Dorina and Atul

 

Dorina, Atul and Jay









Dave watching the celebration




June Birthday Cake



Pune staff at celebration



Popper going off




Digambar shooting off popper






















In July the birthday's celebrated were for Tulsi and Jyoti.
There was cake on the day of their actual birthday but we were only in the office for Tulsi's birthday.  This cool cake for Tulsi lit up like a sparkler and was delicious!!!  It was eggless!  I never thought an eggless cake could taste sooo good!   Poor Tulsi took a beating with the frosting!!!  Made me a little weary about having a birthday in India!!! 


Tulsi cutting her cake




Dave and Debbie with Tulsi





Deb cutting cake for Dave

 


July birthday cake





Rakesh feeding Tulsi cake!

 




Dave enjoying birthday cake

  



Tulsi with birthday cake frosting!!!

 
















The end of the month was a celebration for all the birthdays in July.  Jyoti and Tulsi shared a cake and blowing out the candles. Also, the tradition in India is to feed everyone a piece of your cake, and they feed you a piece of cake.  It is to bring luck for the coming year.  Kind of like at a wedding in the US.  Only here in India, everyone shares in the cake feeding frenzy!


Tulsi and Jyoti's birthday cake




Tulsi and Jyoti birthday girls




 Jyoti and Tulsi blowing out candles



Tulsi feeding Deb cake



Tulsi feeding Dave cake



Dave waiting patiently for cake

Jyoti ready to party

The July Birthday celebration was also Traditional Indian dress Day!  The women all wore saree's and the men wore Kurta's with baggy pj bottoms.  It was really a great and exhausting experience to buy and dress in a saree.  I have never seen so much fabric to chose from!  Poor Dave and Digambar waited patiently while I looked at what seemed like a million saree's, but I finally found the one!


Saree shop





Dave and Digambar waiting patiently




Deb finally with the Saree purchased!

I thought I was finished!  Nope!!  I was told that now I had to have a top made and the saree lined.  hmmm...  I thought I could just buy a top ready made.  That is not how it is done here!  So----  off we went to  find a womens tailor. (Men and women have seperate tailors!)  This wonderful old Indian women, working out of a shop the size of a small closet took my measurements and made my top in one day!!  She only charged 90 rupees.  That is $2 US.  Incredible!!
Then, you have to buy jewelry to match your saree.  I had a necklace and earrings, luckily!!!  So--  after the tailors, we went to a bangle shop.  A couple doors down from the tailor.  We waited for 45 minutes and the shop keeper never came back.  Not quite sure where he went.  Jyoti went back the next day and got me beautiful glass bangles to go with my saree.  Only 100 rupees.  That is a little over $2 US.

Jyoti and Deb waiting for shop to open

I went back with a friend from Oakwood (sherrie from Texas) and checked out the bangle shop. Then, Jyoti took us out shopping, again!  Amazing!!!  There were goats checking out a dumpster, a Ganesh Temple and some cute little kids just hanging out!  I also met the cutest little girl that wanted her picture taken with me.


Kids outside bangle shop




Taliors shop




Millions of glass bangles




Deb with cute little girl




Deb and Sherrie in bangle shop




Lady at bangle shop




Sherrie, Deb and Jyoti near tailors




Deb, Digambar and Jyoti at Ganesh Temple



Goats checking each other out!!

I have a whole new admiration for women that wear saree's every day.  It is a lot of work holding it up as you walk, and forget trying to go up or down the stairs!  The saree is very heavy, it is about 8 yards of fabric wrapped around you in a very precise way.  Pleated in just the right spots!   I'm still pretty sure I could never put one on by my self.  Dave on the other hand had it easy.  It is like putting on pj's!!
We took lots of pictures!!!  It was quite an experience!!


Dave in his office



Dave and Deb Indian dress day



Dave and Deb in Pune office





Dave and Deb outside Pune office

 


Tuldi, Deb, Dorina and Jyoti




Rakesh, Dave, Niten and Amod




Dorina, Deb, Tulsi and Jyoti




Pune office staff Indian dress day




Deb and Dave Indian dress day




Deb, Jyoti and Dave (Digambar peace sign)




Pune office staff




Pune office staff




Dave and Debbie Indian dress day




Deb Indian dress day with nose ring













Dave at Pune office in Kurta






















We also had a great lunch!!  Check out the Indian way to drink water from a bottle!!  I still can't do it without getting soaked!



Pune staff luncheon on Indian dress day




Pune staff eating lunch



Jyoti drinking water


















 Then...my Birthday!!!!  I celebrated my 55th birthday here in India!  Double nickle as Dave likes to say!!  I was really sad at first.  I was missing home and knew that no one would be able to call me.  I decided to go to work that morning and help Dave with some computer work.  Not long after we arrived, the office staff came in with a cake and flowers and... sang to me!  It really made me feel special.  I was still a bit nervous about the frosting on the cake after Tulsi's birthday!  Luckily--- we just ate the cake!  : )  As you can see, the tradition of feeding cake for good luck was carried on!


Birthday surprise at Pune office




Deb and Dave Pune Birthday party!




Debbie Pune birthday party!




Jyoti feeding Deb birthday cake




Tulsi feeding Deb birthday cake





Dave feeding Deb cake


















My birthday weather was pretty rainy here in India, it is monsoon season after all, so after work we decided to go back to our flat and order room service.  On the way home we were looking for an elephant or camel for me to ride but no such luck.  It was just to wet!  So----  as Dave has promised me a trip to the Taj, I will ride an elephant there.  Once we got back home and settled in, the buzzer rang.  The hotel staff had been waiting for us to come down and since we didn't, they sent up a beautiful chocolate birthday cake.  Now I had 2 cakes!  I think India wants me to put on some weight!  HA!

Before we left the US in May, I went to a card reader in Colorado.  A birthday gift from my children and grand children!  Very interesting and fun! No visits from past relatives but lots of good advise for our trip here in India! 

I also received two really nice gifts fron friends here in India. A really pretty pearl bracelet and a beautiful shawl.  These are 2 gifts I will always treasure!

I have been carrying around a gift bag from my sister Lin since I got here in June!  I finally got to open it!!!  Thank you Lin!! The cutest after shower wrap and turban!  : )  hmmm.. I wonder if she thought I might need the turban in India!  First I have to figure out how to put it on!

I have to say, the best part was talking to our kids and grand children.  We really miss Gabi and Finley, so having them call and sing Happy Birthday was awesome.  Finley sent me a picture and Gabi baked me a cake!  Gabi said the cake was very good!! : )


Birthday cake from Gabi





Finley sent to India a picture of his hand!




Gabi singing Happy Birthday

















On Sunday Dave took me out to Lunch at Darios.  Our favorite pizza place.  Yes, we did walk there!  It took about an hour. The good thing is with all that walking we could eat all the pizza we wanted!!


Darios sign




Debbie and Dave eating birthday pizza


















Then, off to the Sohum Spa!!! Dave was not thrilled as you can see!!

 

Spa sign!



Dave getting ready for massage (not very comfortable)

Deb very happy to get a massage!!  : )























Then, Hard Rock for Dinner!!! Had some good old nachos!!!



Dave out front of Hard Rock Pune




Deb out front of Hard Rock Pune




Hard Rock Pune


I had a wonderful Birthday in India!!  The only thing that could have made it better....  would be my kids and grand kids being here!!!