Duck!

Dear Daughter,

Papa is back in Belgium again after being in New Mexico and Texas for a while, so I am happy to be spending time with you again.

We looked through some of the pictures today and you recognized this little fellow right away from the Taos toy store that you played at with Ford last summer. We will go there soon again for your Spring Break, but it was fun to see your reaction to him.

Remember how Papa told you about the Blue Roofs in India when he flew into Mumbai? Well, in New Mexico, it is an old tradition to paint the doorways this beautiful blue color for appeasing the Spirits. Papa tried to find its origin and some people say that it even came from India originally through the Spanish! But, Papa is not sure and will continue to look into this. For now, do you think that the little Duck is related to Ganesha, the Elephant-boy who guards the doorways in India?

I Love You,

Papa

Ganesha and his Friends

Dear Daughter,

Papa went back to the Meenakshi Temple on Friday evening in Madurai to see the lights for the Pooja celebration.

It was very colorful and there were many, many lights all around the temple with lots of music and flowers and incense, so it was a very beautiful evening.

I saw this set of lights with Ganesha and his little friends and thought that you would like to see them.

I love you,

Papa

Ganesha's Rat

Dear Daughter,
Yesterday on the phone, you were telling me about how you saw a program on television that showed Ganesha and his rats in a temple! Yes, Ganesha has a traveling companion, Mooshika, who is a rat and is often seen with him in statues as well. In Tamil, Ganesha is sometimes called Pillaiyar, which means a special young child, because Ganesha is often shown when he is young. Here is a Ganesha statue in Madurai that Papa goes by every day in the Tak-Tak when he goes to teach English to the children at the school. I have shown a close-up where you can see Mooshika near Ganesha's foot, and look at what his belt is: a giant King Cobra!
I Love you,
Papa

PS Papa and a few other teachers played the big students in volleyball today. Guess what? The teachers won! Here is a picture of some of my students wishing me good luck before the game. It was a very exciting day.