2024 Year in Review

 

This year has brought so much that we can be thankful for. We have created several memories together. We have all grown and changed so much this year. The two little  Muggles have grown so tall that we have struggled to keep pants and shoes that fit! One of the good things about being in India is that shorts are a bit more forgiving for growing legs than pants are! We have traveled around the world and loved every moment of it! 

We welcomed 2024 with Disney in Hong Kong and we said farewell with Disney at Walt Disney World. 

We have laughed and we have cried. We have worked hard and accomplished new heights. We have overcome doubts and worries. We broke bones and we bled. Most of all we have loved being together. It has truly been a year to remember. 

Here are is our year in some quick statistics: 

- We lived in two different countries--USA and India
- We traveled to 4 different continents--North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania
- We visited 11 US States--DC, WV, VA, MD, DE, UT, FL, HI, NJ, NY, and PA
- We visited 8 Indian States--Goa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Hayarana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi, Tamil Nadu
- We traveled to 8 Countries--USA, India, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, France, UAE,  and Hong Kong 

- We survived 3 rounds of Chemo treatments

- We made said goodbye to good friends and made new friends

- We (the two Muggles) made a viral video playing the piano

- We cheered on the USA at the Summer Olympics in Paris

Here is a brief summary of our time this year. You can find detailed blogs on all of the stories under the options on the right column of the blog Home page. 

JANUARY

In January we went to Hong Kong to rind in the new year. It was the first time that Lady Hiva had been there. Last time the Muggles and I went we had to stay in the hotel for the week because of the HUGE typhoon that arrived while we were there. We loved exploring the park together. Then we spent several days enjoying Hong Kong and all it offers--food, shopping, and culture!

We decided to make a quick trip later in the month to see the "Golden Triangle" in India. This included Jaipur, Agra (Taj Mahal), and New Delhi. It was an amazing trip. We were so glad that we did it. Seeing the Taj Mahal in person is an indescribable experience. 

FEBRUARY 

The end of January, all of February and most of March I was doing chemo treatments. I stayed inside with windows closed for the entire time that I was doing chemo. So thankful for technology so I could work and have contact from the outside world while I was healing. 

MARCH

Pluba came to India to visit while I was doing Chemo. It was good to have her there. We all loved having her see where we live. She was able to experience India first hand. 

After 3 months of being trapped inside in the dark, we decided to go on a post-chemo treatment trip. Lady Hiva wanted to go to Japan to see the Sakura Blossoms for her birthday. However, tickets were so expensive! So we found cheap tickets to Australia and New Zealand. It became one of our favorite trips of all time! We cannot wait to go back. All of us hope that we will get a chance to live in either of those countries some day. 

APRIL

April was eventful. Koala Bear was doing her favorite past-time (climbing) and broke her arm. We were introduced to the depths of the Indian healthcare system! That was an enlightening experience. 

Lucky Dragon did a capstone project on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He chose to do it on cleaning the ocean and ridding ourselves of single-use plastics. It was actually a really cool experience to see the fishing villages of Mumbai and watch Lucky Dragon talk about sustainable fishing with the villagers. 

MAY

During May we were all busy with school and work. But we made a really quick trip to Dubai. It was so great to be in a place with amazing shopping and all the amenities of a global city! We spent our days outside at the pool, the beach, or inside in one of the various activities of the city. 

Lady Hiva had a work trip to Gujarat and I had a work trip to Chennai. It was a good way to see other parts of the country. 

JUNE

June found us in Japan! This was the trip Lady Hiva had wanted to take in March, but the tickets were less than half the price in June. So off we went. This too, was such a memorable experience. We all loved Japan. The food, the people, the culture, the cleanliness!

We spent several days exploring Tokyo and then a few days going to Tokyo Disney. Both had so many great things to experience. 

Then we took the bullet train to Kyoto. It was fun to see the countryside from the train. We LOVED Kyoto! It was everything that we all love. Green trees, outdoor spaces, good food, and plenty to see and do! None of us wanted to go home to India after our time was done in Japan. 

JULY

July was our last month living in India. It brought so many big emotions. We were excited for our new adventure, but extremely sad to leave friends. Our month was full of spending as much time with friends as possible. Both Muggles made such amazing friends while we were here. 

We made one more within India trip to Goa. It was a trip we kept putting off because it was so close. But we promised one of our good friends we would go take photos of the place she was born and lived before she was adopted by a family in Utah. It was a quick trip--and not really our favorite, but we crossed it off the list! 

Lucky Dragon and Koala Bear were asked to play a famous Hindi song honoring India for Indian Independence day. The US Consulate in Mumbai made a video of it and the video went viral! We were so proud of them they practiced nearly all day for two weeks to prepare. They were champions!

It was so hard to say goodbye to such dear friends. We were so blessed to have them all in our lives. 

AUGUST

In August we had an eventful month! We started out in France for the Paris Olympics. This was one of the highlights of our year. (so many to choose from). We cheered until we could not even talk. We would do it again in a heartbeat. 

We then spent time in Florida re-engaging ourselves in USA culture. It was hot and sweaty, but we loved it. We had a short stint in Utah  where Koala Bear decided to go to the hospital again. This time from falling off a horse that was running and she was covered with road rashes. Thankfully, nothing more serious was done. Then we went back to DC for school to start. 

SEPTEMBER

We loved being in Washington, DC. Thankfully, there are plenty of friends for the two Muggles. We have loved being with old friends from previous times living here. The schools are amazing, we have spent as much time as possible outside and we love it all. 



OCTOBER

October was full of Autumn activities. We went to 'pumpkin patches, drank apple cider, picked apples, and all of the fun activities that we love about being in the USA for autumn. 

We also made a few trips to the beach. One trip to Virginia Beach and another to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. They are not home, but it is still the beach and we all love it. 

I started another round of chemo this month. That, too, was a bummer. I was hoping that I was done, but they felt that I needed another round. I am hoping that this round the end. But we will see. 

October also brought another trip from Papa and Pluba. The Muggles liked having them here during Halloween. I did not make it out much during Halloween because of the chemo treatments, but it was still fun to see all the photos of the family enjoying it. Koala Bear performed with her choir at the city Halloween event. It was fun to watch her be so excited to sing. 

NOVEMBER

The November highlight was our trip to New York City after Thanksgiving to watch Wicked on Broadway. It was a much better experience in New York than last time right after COVID. We all had a good time. 

DECEMBER

The last month of the year we did all things Christmas! It was a packed month. We baked bread, we bought gifts. We made gifts. We made cookies. We spent time with friends. We attended concerts and we did service. It was a perfect holiday season. 

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Holiday Concert. 

The US Navy Band Christmas Special Concert.

Lucky Dragon and Koala Bear were the background music for the city holiday event. Again, I was so proud of them for sharing their talents. Lucky Dragon did a concert with his saxophone. He started to play this year and is doing amazing. 

We went to the Harry Potter's Forbidden Forest event here in Virginia. It was so great to experience it. 

It was truly an amazing year. Yes, it was hard. Yes, there were things that we never imagined, but we did it. Such a great year. Now we are ready for the adventure ahead! 

Going Viral-- Practice Provides Results

 

There are moments when you see your hard work paying off. There are also moments when you swell with pride because you see someone you love do something hard successfully.  This was both of those moments...and it went viral!

I was so proud of Lucky Dragon and Koala Bear. They have been taking piano lessons the entire time we have been in India. Their teacher is so good with them. He has done a combination of classical piano and fun songs so they stay interested. So they play classic songs and songs from Harry Potter,  Mario, or Imagine Dragons etc. We know it is working because they will stop to play on any piano they see. 

This includes the grand piano at work when they come to eat lunch with us. They would beg to play on the piano. Our colleagues got used to the lunchtime impromptu concerts each day and would notice when the Muggles were back in school because they miss when they were not playing. 

Because of their lunchtime playing the Public Diplomacy team asked if the two of them would learn a patriotic song for a video tribute to India on Indian Independence day. 

We were glad they were willing to do it. They not only learned a song they had never heard (sung in a language they don't speak) in a week and a half, but it was also during our packout so a few days into learning it our piano was packed up! We made frequent trips to practice at the Consulate. Whenever they had a free moment, they were practicing. 

Complicating it a bit was trying to find a way to have them both play. They had to learn the song so perfectly that they could play on the same piano. For those of you that don't play piano...that is a difficult feat. They have to be completely in sync. One small error becomes glaringly obvious.  So they practiced and practiced. 

A photo with their teacher, Nishat. He is truly an amazing person! He developed their skills and perpetuated their love for piano and music in general. Much of the success of this experience goes to him. He wrote an arrangement for them and worked with PD to match their requirements for the video. He spent hours and hours with us during the crazy packout week helping the Muggles progress. 

A photo with us and the film crew for the video. 

The day of the video was intense. There were several cameras wandering around getting different shots. People were watching, and audience was filmed. That meant this two Muggles played their song over and over for almost 4 hours. Different shots had to be taken, changes were made, interruptions had to be corrected. I was so proud of the way they handled it. Even some adults would have cracked under the pressure of it all. But these two stuck with it! (Can you tell that we were so proud of them?)

Links to watch the video here:

X: https://x.com/usandmumbai/status/1823618549312860442?s=46

Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-o_bFLOsy7/?igsh=x==

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/CFzCARoGp126JacY/?mibextid=WC7FNe

YouTube: 

https://youtu.be/gwF2U6k--j4?si=i_hHcnhPBmpzZnfE

LinkedIn:

 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/u-s-consulate-general-mumbai_yeh-jo-des-hai-tera-acoustic-cover-by-american-activity-7229357297607598080-Znaf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios

Practicing on our make shift piano section in our empty house!

The end result was amazing! The PD did so well putting it together. They released it on social media outlets (see links above) and it has over 2.5 million hits (as of the time I write this blog). 

So yes, I may be bragging a bit. I am proud of these two for doing something I could not do (their piano skills have far surpassed what I can do). I am proud of them for excelling jn a short time, during a move, and in front of cameras and an audience.