A Beautiful Day for the Park, and a Political Rally

Taking advatange of the last weekends of cool weather, we headed over to the Indian Botanical Garden in Howrah, the district on the other side of the Hooghly river. The garden is known for being the largest and oldest of this kind in South East, nearly two centuries old.

It is also home to the largest Banyan tree, which is over 250 years old, with 2800 protuding roots covering an area of 1.5 hectares.



Sicily took her camera also and got some great shots:





And here is my photo of people taking photos of us.

On the way home, we ran into political rally traffic, people being bused in to attend a CPM demonstration at the Maidan. CPM is the Communist Party of India (Marxist) which has been in power in West Bengal since the 1970s, but has recently lost its standing.







The demonstrators not only get paid for their time but served a hot lunch from trucks parked around the periphery. This one had fresh puri with chick peas. Despite the traffic, the demonstrators were having a good time.

Foreign Service Tax Time Playlist

With the tax statements starting to roll in, its time to start thinking about (or thinking about procrastinating) the filing of 2009 income taxes.

Being in the foreign service complicates taxes, unless you were already a Virginia resident. When you join, you have to pick a "state of domicile" which is typically the place where you vote, hold licenses, own property, etc. Since we lived in DC prior, we kept DC as our domicile, which means we pay DC state taxes along with federal taxes while we are abroad. If Florida or Washington is your state of domicile, you are lucky to not have to pay state income taxes.

As we head to Oakwood and FSI this year and next, we have to consider our status in VA, but since we will be in the state for less that 183 days per year, we will still be non-residents and have to only file in DC for state taxes (hooray?).

Regardless, living overseas does have its tax benefit. You get an automatic two month extension from the IRS (if you owe money it is still due on April 15th). Now, you do not get an automatic extension from your state. And if your state income taxes are dependent on your federal taxes, you might as well just apply for an extension for them so that you can take that two extra months.

The American Foreign Service Association has a tax guide that is helpful, including a brief write-up on each state, if you are weighing which one to designate.

I would go into the complications of foreign earned income and whether hardship pay is taxed, but I believe it is time to talk about the fun part of taxes, creating your music playlist for while you are doing your taxes. Below was my playlist for last year. If you have any suggestions for this year's, please let me know!

Cash Machine, Hard-FI
Don't Stop Believin', Journey
Goody Two Shoes, Adam Ant
Got To Give It Up, Marvin Gaye
Help!, The Beatles
Help Me, Joni Mitchell
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, Ramones
I Keep Forgettin', Michael McDonald
I Wanna Be Sedated, Ramones
I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, Tom Petty
I'm Going Slightly Mad, Queen
I'm So Tired, The Beatles
I've Been Trying, Greyhound
If I Could Turn Back Time, Cher
If Things Were Perfect, Moby
Mercy Mercy Me, Marvin Gaye
Miracles, Mambo Sauce
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, The Beatles
One More Heartache, Marvin Gaye
One Thing Leads to Another, The Fixx
Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want, The Smiths
Policy of Truth, Depeche Mode
Save Up All Your Tears, Cher
A Season in Hell, Moby
Shout, Tears For Fears
The Show Must Go On, Queen
Taxes, Chris Rock
That's the Way of the World, Earth, Wind & Fire
What Difference Does It Make?, The Smiths
What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
Whatever It Takes, Anita Baker

Photo by Peter Carroll

Winter in Kolkata: A Time for Flowers

We have been really enjoying the winter weather in Kolkata this year, with temperatures from the low 50s to the mid 70 degrees Fahrenheit. It is also the season for flowers, especially dahlias, roses, chrysanthemums and marigolds.

The gardeners at the consulate grow amazing pan-plate sized dahlias in many colors. The two photos above are of their beautiful work.

It is also the time for the annual flower show at the Agri Horticultural Garden, founded by William Carey in 1820. Again, amazing flowers especially the dahlias

and the roses.

Since the garden is picturesque, I asked our daughter to pose underneath an archway so that I could take a picture.

But before I could hit the button, there was a rush

and a flurry of photographers that jumped in front of me to take her photo. This is a common experience with expat babies in the city, lots of photos taken and lots of pinched cheeks. We won't be surprised if she shows up on an ad for someones small tea shop one of these days. Since we take so many photos of people in the city, it seems to balance out when people in the city like to take pictures of us.

Two Year Anniversary of Diplolife

It is hard to believe that two years ago we started our Diplolife with the words: And We Begin Diplolife. Much has changed since then and more to come!

Saraswati Puja Time!: A Celebration of Education

This past week Saraswati Puja was celebrated, typically held "on the fifth day after no moon night in the Hindu month of Magh." The goddess Saraswati is the goddess of wisdom and learning in Hinduism, and a very popular puja in Kolkata. She is often depicted with a sitar and seated on a lotus with a swan by her side (her preferred method of transport). Her four arms represent the four aspects of human learning: mind, intellect, alertness, and ego.

On the day of the puja, students take the items they use in school, (notebooks, pencils, etc.) for a ritual before the deity. Preschoolers are often taught to write on this day. A friend of ours took her two and a half year old to the puja with the mandatory small black board and chalk. He sat with the priest in front of the idol and wrote the Bengali alphabet. This was the ritual to begin his education, as he begins preschool.

Many children in Kolkata go to school in bicycle rickshaws or auto rickshaws as in the photo above. There is a great book called Going to School in Indiawhich depicts all the different ways kids get to school in India, from camel carts to a wooden cable swing over a river. Talk about a better, "when I went to school I walked two miles, uphill, both ways" story.

The book also shows different school projects and activities from across the country, which makes it interesting to compare with topics in American schools. There is also the related DVD, Going to School in India.

But back to the puja. In comparison to Durga Puja, this puja is celebrated in homes and neighborhoods, while Durga Puja is more of a neighborhood-based public celebration. Since it is a more personal puja - an expression of hope for the education of a child - there is more active participation in the rituals. With more idols and practice, there is more demand for the Hindu priests, who have very tight and demanding schedules.

A more intimate celebration of the deity in a home.

This pandal had a DJ.

This one had a beautiful head wrap made out of plants to rival Aretha's inauguration hat.

Children still enjoying their puja. They had written quotes from famous people on peace and respecting the environment.

A Fast Track to a Teaching Certification for Trailing Partners

A popular career change for trailing spouses and partners in the foreign service is teaching, since many posts have at least one affiliated or recommended American-curriculum, English-speaking school to fill the needs of foreign service children. The barriers to this career change have typically been the cost and time for obtaining a graduate school degree and/or a teaching certification.

There are online programs that can be completed from anywhere in the world; and the FAST Train program at George Mason University is specifically designed for trailing partners.

I found another possible alternative in the NY Times, which may be a good choice for those that expect to do tours in Washington D.C., as well as abroad:

"...Career Switchers program, the Virginia-based program that requires applicants to pass an Educational Testing Service exam in the subject matter they want to teach, take an online course and attend a series of meetings to learn classroom teaching skills.

The program, which has helped more than 500 people earn licenses, costs $3,150 and takes about 18 months to complete.

Virginia has one of the most streamlined programs for career changers and is among the 47 states that accept alternative teacher training. Over all, about 600 such programs contribute about 20 percent of the country’s new teachers each year, according to the Education Department.

Like the Career Switchers program in Virginia, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence offers an online program that costs $975 and has so far issued 1,900 certifications. They are accepted by nine states, including Florida, Missouri and Pennsylvania. The board says people 50 and older account for one-fifth of its participants."

More from the NY Times at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/your-money/15TEACH.html?em

Great Quote from Nehru

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”

— Jawaharlal Nehru
(1889-1964); 1st Prime Minister Of India