Friday, August 20, 2010, Chennai
8:31 a.m., India Time
Good morning, everyone! Some of you are just getting ready to go to bed right now. Maybe some of you are watching T.V. or playing your DS, or (I wish!) reading a book.
I wanted to thank you for all of your comments and questions on this blog. it makes my day when I wake up and see your posts!
I want to take a moment to respond here, and then I'll move on to the day.
Dear Caslumbia class:
I'm having an absolutely awesome time. I love every minute I spend here, and I will miss it when I come back. Still, I'll be happy to be back, and to see all of you again. Taylor and Brandon, the tender coconut tastes different than you might expect. It's a little gooey and not too sweet. It tastes fresh, and you have to slurp it down. It's warm-ish, because it's been inside the coconut, and wet because of the coconut water. I can't really explain it right, It is really good. I wish I could bring one back for you, but I can't. You are not allowed to bring back any plants/flowers, fruits, veggies, or animals to the U.S. from India. If I could, I'd bring my jasmine. I can't even bring my dried jasmine, because in the U.S., they have dogs who sniff all of the bags, and if they find it, I'd be in biiiiiiiiiig trouble. And they would find it, because those flower-sniffing dogs have powerful noses.
I promise I will not get blown up or marry anyone here, although I will admit that there are dozens upon dozens of good-looking men here. I see them everywhere I go. There was a very handsome one at the spa where I went to get my pedicure, and actually there is one who lives in the building next door to us, and hangs out on the roof every morning, usually without a shirt on. If Raja ever breaks up with me, I know there are many handsome men in Chennai I can marry. Of course, I haven't checked out the good looking men in Bangalore, yet, and then there's the North. Maybe I can go to Rajasthan and marry MoonchMan, the Indian Superhero that Matthew and I made up last year. He lookes a little like the guy to the right.
I don't believe any of you are racist. Also, as of now, I am disregarding everything you have said. We will never speak of it again.
(Ed: The comment above is in direct response to some of my students' comments, and is made in good fun. Please disregard everything I just said. Never speak of it again. Again.)
Snoqualmie Class:
You guys ask the most awesome questions!
1. Is it true that there are dozens of Monkeys everywhere and that they may rob houses?
I will admit that I am very disappointed that I have not seen a single monkey since I have been here. Last Christmas, a monkey came on to Aunty and Uncle's balcony while Raja and the boys were visiting, but as far as I know, he never returned to rob the place. I guess I'll have to make do with my human Monkey.
2. How big is the region? the Country?
The city of Chennai is about 67 sqare miles, but the metropolitan area (city + outlying areas or suburbs) is about 459 square miles. It's the fourth most populous metro area in India. It is believed that St. Thomas, one of the followers of Jesus, was martyred (killed) here, and there is a memorial to him here, called St. Thomas' mount.
Tamil Nadu, the state where Chennai is located, is one of 28 states in India. It is 50, 216 square miles in area, about the size of Greece (a country in the Mediterranean Sea), and is the seventh most populous state. It is the most urbanized state in India and the 5th largest contributor to the economy. The language spoken here, Tamil, is considered a classical language, like Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit, and has been spoken and written in its current form for at least 2500 years. Tamil Nadu has an amazing history that dates back to Prehistoric times. I can't wait to learn more about it. Raja bought me some Kindergarten level reading and writing books so that I could practice.
India itself is about 1/3 the size of the U.S. (1,269,345.6 square miles total) It is broken up into 28 states. There are anywhere between 16-22 official languages in India (English being one of them), with other languages and dialects numbering somewhere between 415-1600. That's a lot of languages to learn. It is located in Southern Asia, and like the U.S., has a variety of climates. It is estimated to have a population of around 1,150,000,000 people (1 billion,150 million people.) In comparison, the U.S., which is three times the size, only has about 310,000,000 (310 million people.) While the U.S. has been an independent democratic republic for 234 years, India has only been an independent democratic republic for 63 years. There is still a lot of corruption in the government, and India has a lot of economic and environmental problems. In my videos and pictures, you will see how bad some of the roads are, and how dirty they are, too, with lots of garbage and litter everywhere.
3. Does the city smell? What does it smell like?
All cities smell, I think. Chennai is a city of many contrasts. Sometimes it will smell sort of sweet and spicy and warm. This is the smell I associate most with the city. When you are walking along the street, you will smell many things, though. In one walk you might smell rain, garbage, good food cooking, pollution, and jasmine. The garbage is the worst smell, the jasmine is the best.
I wish I could capture all the smells of India and bring them back for you.
I am going to eat some breakfast soon, and try again to upload my movies. I was having no luck last night. (Grrrrrr...)
Until we speak again, be good.
8:31 a.m., India Time
Good morning, everyone! Some of you are just getting ready to go to bed right now. Maybe some of you are watching T.V. or playing your DS, or (I wish!) reading a book.
I wanted to thank you for all of your comments and questions on this blog. it makes my day when I wake up and see your posts!
I want to take a moment to respond here, and then I'll move on to the day.
Dear Caslumbia class:
I'm having an absolutely awesome time. I love every minute I spend here, and I will miss it when I come back. Still, I'll be happy to be back, and to see all of you again. Taylor and Brandon, the tender coconut tastes different than you might expect. It's a little gooey and not too sweet. It tastes fresh, and you have to slurp it down. It's warm-ish, because it's been inside the coconut, and wet because of the coconut water. I can't really explain it right, It is really good. I wish I could bring one back for you, but I can't. You are not allowed to bring back any plants/flowers, fruits, veggies, or animals to the U.S. from India. If I could, I'd bring my jasmine. I can't even bring my dried jasmine, because in the U.S., they have dogs who sniff all of the bags, and if they find it, I'd be in biiiiiiiiiig trouble. And they would find it, because those flower-sniffing dogs have powerful noses.
 |
| Rajasthani Man with his awesome Moonch (Mustache) |
I don't believe any of you are racist. Also, as of now, I am disregarding everything you have said. We will never speak of it again.
(Ed: The comment above is in direct response to some of my students' comments, and is made in good fun. Please disregard everything I just said. Never speak of it again. Again.)
Snoqualmie Class:
You guys ask the most awesome questions!
1. Is it true that there are dozens of Monkeys everywhere and that they may rob houses?
I will admit that I am very disappointed that I have not seen a single monkey since I have been here. Last Christmas, a monkey came on to Aunty and Uncle's balcony while Raja and the boys were visiting, but as far as I know, he never returned to rob the place. I guess I'll have to make do with my human Monkey.
2. How big is the region? the Country?
The city of Chennai is about 67 sqare miles, but the metropolitan area (city + outlying areas or suburbs) is about 459 square miles. It's the fourth most populous metro area in India. It is believed that St. Thomas, one of the followers of Jesus, was martyred (killed) here, and there is a memorial to him here, called St. Thomas' mount.
Tamil Nadu, the state where Chennai is located, is one of 28 states in India. It is 50, 216 square miles in area, about the size of Greece (a country in the Mediterranean Sea), and is the seventh most populous state. It is the most urbanized state in India and the 5th largest contributor to the economy. The language spoken here, Tamil, is considered a classical language, like Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit, and has been spoken and written in its current form for at least 2500 years. Tamil Nadu has an amazing history that dates back to Prehistoric times. I can't wait to learn more about it. Raja bought me some Kindergarten level reading and writing books so that I could practice.
India itself is about 1/3 the size of the U.S. (1,269,345.6 square miles total) It is broken up into 28 states. There are anywhere between 16-22 official languages in India (English being one of them), with other languages and dialects numbering somewhere between 415-1600. That's a lot of languages to learn. It is located in Southern Asia, and like the U.S., has a variety of climates. It is estimated to have a population of around 1,150,000,000 people (1 billion,150 million people.) In comparison, the U.S., which is three times the size, only has about 310,000,000 (310 million people.) While the U.S. has been an independent democratic republic for 234 years, India has only been an independent democratic republic for 63 years. There is still a lot of corruption in the government, and India has a lot of economic and environmental problems. In my videos and pictures, you will see how bad some of the roads are, and how dirty they are, too, with lots of garbage and litter everywhere.
3. Does the city smell? What does it smell like?
All cities smell, I think. Chennai is a city of many contrasts. Sometimes it will smell sort of sweet and spicy and warm. This is the smell I associate most with the city. When you are walking along the street, you will smell many things, though. In one walk you might smell rain, garbage, good food cooking, pollution, and jasmine. The garbage is the worst smell, the jasmine is the best.
I wish I could capture all the smells of India and bring them back for you.
I am going to eat some breakfast soon, and try again to upload my movies. I was having no luck last night. (Grrrrrr...)
Until we speak again, be good.
1.Is is true that people in India are abusing Sunbears, making them dance for food?
ReplyDelete2.What does the house you are staying at look like? Are the toilets the same as ours?
3.Do you like the US more or India more?
We love that you take the time to answer all of our crazy kooky questions and we anxiously await your return. We read your blog every day in class and it's exciting!