INDIA TRIP PART 12: Visiting with friends and family in Kerala

We were lucky to be visiting at a time when other family was also visiting from afar.  First, we want to extend a special thanks to Wiji Papa who came from New Jersey to host us in Aymanam and Cherian's parents who came from Boston to take care of us through the entire journey! Then, by coincidence, we met Reju and family who came on vacation from Dubai, Cherian’s uncle Jimmy Chayan who came for a conference from Kansas, and Cherian’s second cousin, Christina who came for vacation from London…

Kitty designed the door herself!

white rubber sap

August 3, 2011

Then to see more relatives, we went on a long drive (in Indian terms) to visit with a lot of family south of Kottayam. Jimmy Chayan also came with us, as we were visiting a bunch of people on GP’s side of the family.

rubber sheets drying

rubber ball made from the sap

Kitty Kochama: GP´s dads brothers sons wife. She had some rubber trees that some workers came to cut every 2-3 days and then they made mats of rubber that she is selling. The kids took some rubber from the trees and made into a bouncing ball. She served us the traditional tapioca and boiled jackfruit. Selina's favorite stuffed animal is a Hello Kitty! so, she couldn't imagine that there could actually be a person named Kitty...

Daisy Kochamma & the kids

inside the cocoa fruit

Daisy Kochama: GP´s brother’s daughter’s husband’s mother. After a big lunch, we plucked a cocoa fruit from the cocoa tree in her garden.  We opened the fruit to find some chocolate, but instead, we found white fruit pieces that had the cocoa seeds inside.  I guess it turns out that chocolate doesn't grow on trees...  And, we even tasted the white fruit, and it didn't taste like chocolate at all... It made us wonder how one actually makes cocoa powder...

In front of the ancestral home

Maliekal: The house that GP was born in, because in 1942 his parents believed it was safer to be in Kerala due to the war. He moved back to Chennai shortly thereafter, but spent vacations there with his grandparents. GP’s relatives from Bangalore were at a neighboring house and popped by to say hello.

Thamban & Thamban

Thamban Chayan:  GP´s mother’s sister’s son. He told us stories of when they were kids, he used to be so happy to have GP’s big family to come and visit. Cherian's dad's pet name is also Thamban...   They took off work to see us (but we came late and didn’t get to stay long) and they served us some fried plantains. His 27 year old daughter was still living at home as she worked in the area.

Amma and Sarasu Kochamma

Sarasu Kochama: Amma’s dad’s brother’s daughter.  She lived right next to her husband’s ancestral home that was built in the early 1900s.

Susheela Kochamma and Amma

Susheela Kochama: Amma’s mother’s brother’s son’s wife. She was in the hospital recovering after a knee surgery.

It was a crazy day to drive to so many places and see so many people and places in one day…

4^th of August

We visited Kunju Kochamma and her husband. Kunju Kochamma is Amma’s friend from college in Calcutta. They have a beautiful home including a swimming pool, so the kids loved to go swimming again (and admitted that they wouldn’t mind living in that house!).

Their family runs a tire re-treading business that exports their products to 40 countries around the world.  Their granddaughter came by, Annika, she is 5 years old and we saw her sing in her 1^st grade in Palikoodam School.  See the video here!

5^th of August

Christina and her two sons came by before we left for Kochi. Christina is Amma’s dad’s sister’s son’s daughter (Cherian’s second cousin). Whenever Cherian used to visit India, Christina would always take him around.  As they live in London, it was a great honor to see her again in Kerala.  Christina is the managing director for a company that does social enterprises.  She helps homeless people get jobs by giving them work to recycle office furniture and plastics and other entry level work. Check out their web site here!!