What does an expat brat do all day?

Life here is very different for Conor. His school life provides plenty of structure but there are many opportunities to be spontaneous. I'll take you through some recent activities so that you can get a taste of expat brat life.

School starts at 8am so we are up and out of the house pretty early. School ends at 3pm and Conor generally has an after school activity. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays he has been having swim practice. This is leading up to a swim gala at the beginning of December. When he isn't doing swimming he does multi-sport and yoga after school with Mr Prasad (see links to other places on the right of this page.)

It seems to be birthday season at the moment so Conor has had a couple of parties to go to. These are generally big events with lots of children and are often outdoors at a club such as the Breach Candy or The Club. Although it may take several months to get a hole drilled in the wall, personalised party gifts can be produced within minutes on the spot at the parties! A photo on a water bottle was taken during a recent party, transferred on to the bottle in a few moments and then given as a party gift. Conor also has a lovely mug with his mug on it and a personalised backpack....

I received an out of the blue phone call asking if Conor would like to do a voice over for a Bollywood film. The film is Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, to be released on November 23rd and starring Bollywood heart-throb John Abraham. http://nowrunning.com/film/preview.asp?movieNo=4093 Some of the scenes have to be dubbed over after the film has been completed as the outdoor sound quality was not good enough. There is a scene where some English boys are playing football in a playground and John Abraham comes to play with them. Conor is the voice of "Awesone, Great, Wow, cool etc...". Sir Larry did a tremendous job, following instruction well and importantly to him it was his first paid work!

Immediately after the film debut, Conor came down with a nasty chest infection and we had our first experience of visiting a doctor. It was far more flexible than the UK system, extremely cheap and fast. A friend recommended a paediatrician who I called on his mobile phone. (Apparently we can call him any time on that.) He said if we could make it to a local maternity hospital in the next 15 minutes then he could see Conor before he performed a caesarian. The consultation cost 500 rupees (6 UK pounds) and he said we should get a chest xray and blood test. We walked 10 minutes to a nearby clinic were seen within 5 minutes and paid 450 rupees for both of the above. The results were ready by 7pm that evening! It took a while for Conor to get better and it is pretty certain that the Mumbai pollution is having a detrimental effect on his respiratory system. A couple of trips away (see other posts) have helped but after a few days back in Mumbai he has started wheezing again.

Halloween and Diwali celebrations at the school were superb. The elementary school held a parade when all the students paraded around the school hall in costume, then they had a party. Two days later the Diwali celebrations meant the school was decorated with lanterns and beautiful rangoli - floor art using coloured powders. Diwali meant more parties at school and Conor came home with some great works of art he had created.