We arrived in Chennai around 1:30 am local time, and immediately felt the heat. It has been very hot and humid, and I am still adjusting to the smell of spices lingering in the air. Vidya (our wonderful professor and a native of Chennai) and her sister greeted us outside the airport with hugs, pictures, and jasmine-flower lei's.
When we entered the city, we were immediately surrounded by thousands of people. Some were coming, some were going, some were picking up acquaintances, others were looking for people to pick up, and some seemed to be there for no reason at all. Eventually we made our way to our shuttle and headed toward our hotel (Niketana). I think Vidya put it best when she said that there are no rules on the road, but everyone follows them. It is scary, loud, and scary. There are no followed lanes and the car horn is used as often as breathing. Yet, very few accidents actually take place.
We finally reached Niketana around 3:30 am, and all tried to get some sleep.
Nobody slept very long. We were all up, dressed and fed about 2 hours before Vidya said we had to wake up! We were all too excited for the day! Which started out with meeting Vidya's mother and sister. This was a truly precious experience considering the vast differences between Vidya's mother and most American senior citizens. Mostly because when we introduced ourselves, her comment was " I am 85, I like concerts and dancing." She also informed our all-fe
male group that the more children you have, the happier you will be, because you will always have visitors.We then departed for the shopping district where we purchased our clothing for the rest of our 3-week trip. It is much easier not to overspend considering something that is ten US dollars, is 400 Indian Rupees! With our budget of $100 each, we were all able to attain approximately 3 outfits (scarf, Kurta, pants).
At dinner, Vidya kept asking us what we found shocking, and what experiences we encountered. We were all unaccustomed to being placed with strangers in a restaurant setting but it happened at lunch. We were surprised how westernized all the men's clothing is, yet the women still wear the
traditional attire. It was very shocking how almost every advertisement had a Caucasian individual, and how we were stared at walking through the city. Our professor assured us that because we were dressed in traditional attire, people were curious of us. My biggest shock was driving past the slums near the Bay of Bengal and seeing the women dressed just as beautiful and the children playing just as happily as anywhere you can find. I was sad that through the interpretation of poverty in India, I expected any less. When really happiness is a quantity different to all people.We are visiting our first school bright and early in the morning! Vidya informed us that all we need to bring is a notebook, a pen, a camera, and curiosity.
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