Nelum with family

Last week, Nelum took her first flight to visit her mother's family in Gainesville, Florida. The photo shows her with Andrea, her maternal great grandmother. In fact, this is the only great grandparent that Nelum has. Roy saw both his great grandmothers, and I remember seeing my maternal grand mother a few times. Great grand fathers are not mentioned here because they have obviously predeceased their wives.

Nelum's hand on mine. What a difference 60 years make.

For a month, I enjoyed spending time with Nelum. The last time I had been so close to a baby was 37 years ago, with Roy. So the time with Nelum, playing and cooing with her, observing her changes of mood and her responses to the environment were most enjoyable.

I would spend some time with Nelum every morning after my walk. Having been fed by her mother, Nelum would be in a good mood. Invariably, without fail, she would poop which would require a nappy change and sometimes a bath. Nelum was always in a good mood after her bath, happy to be left alone in a cradle which played the same music endlessly. After a couple of weeks, i could barely stand the music, but Nelum didn't complain. How could she? She would also lie on a mat on the floor, with some soft toys (animal friends) hanging over her.

She may have been recognizing voices at the beginning, and by 3 months she probably began to match faces with the voices. Once, while sitting in my lap, she turned her head up to look at me when I called her name. She would also gaze at the screen while I watched TV, the news junkie that I am. She also began to make sounds, and one day laughed merrily at my jokes.

There's endless speculation about who she looks like. Of course, Nelum's appearance changes all the time, but one indicator that she has Fawzia's features is her rather flat nose. One day, a friend of my sister Beaula walked in. She hadn't seen my late mother (Nelum's great grandmother) in more than 30 years, and she instantly said that Nelum looks like my mother. As far as her appearance is concerned, I am sure that surprises await us.

Nelum could become moody and cry at times, especially when hungry. Sometimes her crying would be heart rending. At other times, in preparation for a cry, she would curl up her lower lip, a behavior I hadn't seen in any family member.

With Fawzia

On the beach in North Carolina

Nelum likes the outdoors. When she became moody, I would step out with her, walking down the sidewalks in the neighborhood. She would instantly calm down.

hen driving, preferred to sit in the back seat, where Nelum's car seat was installed. We generally enjoyed each other's company.

With Roy, Beaula, and me

With Roy at the Sri Lankan day

With Beaula, Roy, and Shannon

With me

Revisiting the Washington DC area

I first went to the Washington DC area way back in 1984 to attend the American University. When Fawzia began to work in the area and bought a house in Montgomery Village in 1999, not far from DC, I began to visit on a regular basis. I've kept in touch with a few classmates who still live in the suburbs and also conducted a couple of workshops at my alma mater. DC is full of legislators, lawyers and college students, somewhat like Austin, Texas, where I studied later. As I have written before, DC has rich memories for me.

My return in August, for a whole month, was to spend time with my son Roy, his wife Shannon, and grand daughter Nelum. Coming from sizzling Hong Kong, the mild late Summer/early Fall weather was a pleasure. Roy and Shannon made sure that I had some outings, with wine tastings, visits to a vineyard, al fresco dining, and a day out with other Sri Lankans.

Shannon & Roy at the wine tasting in nearby Bethesda.

In the States, I associate vineyards with California, but they are actually spread far and wide. (While living in Alabama, I remember visiting a small winery which used Muscovy grapes, and where the owner told us that he was constantly battling local religious fundamentalists who were trying to shut him down.) Anyhow, the wine tasting was a surprise because of the two dozen or Maryland vineyards that were represented, and also for the good quality of the wine. (One red, I must say, tasted like kerosene.) They closed off a block to traffic and provided live music to enhance the ambiance. The prices were on the high side compared to Californian, Australian, and New Zealand wines, but I guess with a smaller volume of production it would be hard to keep prices low.

The following weekend we visited a nearby vineyard where the tasting was free. Roy and Shannon tasted the wine while I took care of Nelum. We had lunch at a nearby hamlet, Mount Airy, where I saw this lovely town hall right on main street.

Montgomery Village, built in the late 1960s, was one of the first planned developments in the States. Unlike new developments where every inch is used-up for houses, where one needs a car even to get to the next block because there are no side walks, MV has lots of footpaths, a few lakes, swimming pools, tennis coats, green space between houses, and even a golf course. The populations has risen to 40,000 and MV now has its own zip code. What I most enjoy while staying there is the morning walk I take around a nearby lake. For a whole month, I enjoyed the fresh air along with lots of geese, chipmunks, and other walkers, some with dogs. Once, I even saw a fat beaver. The geese were a bother with all their poop on the path, but only once did I see dog waste, a welcome change from Hong Kong where some dog walkers seem to care little about what they leave behind.

Roy now works at the Catholic University of America as the director of international student and scholar programs, and Shannon, Nelum, and I visited him once. Roy commutes to Catholic U. by the Metro train, a welcome change in a country obsessed with driving. The beautiful national Shrine on campus, with it's East European style dome, caught my eye. Inside the shrine, I saw a window dedicated to Our lady of China, which I had not seen in any of the churches in Hong Kong.

Roy and Shannon, with the National Shrine in the background

At Roy's office

Roy manning our loot at the flea market

Montgomery Village organized a flea market, and we rented space for US$25 and had a whale of a time selling some of the junk that had accumulated at home. We chatted with the people who stopped by, walked around looking at what others were selling, snacked, and in the end made a profit of $70! By far, people watching was the most interesting part. They rummaged through other peoples discards, bargained, and walked away with a one or two dollar purchase as if they had found hidden treasure. On a sunny and breezy September morning, I had an enjoyable time. Roy is planning to empty his basement at the next flea market.

On my last Saturday, we were at the Sri Lankan day organized by the Sri Lankan Association of Washington DC. I was glad to see that the association was still going strong after 35 years, and recalled the meetings I used to attend as a student long ago. A large number of Sri Lankans and guests turned-up, enjoying the music, the food, cricket, and other sports. My sister Beaula was visiting from Florida and she seemed to be happy to see many old friends, having lived in Maryland a number of years ago. Roy is the president-elect of the association and he'll have his hands full next year. I hope to be there when the Sri Lankan day comes around.

Beaula, Roy, and me

More photos with Nelum Michele Elan - Sept. 2010

Nelum is 3 months old

First photo with grand daughter

With Nelum Michele. She is 3 months old.