Day Seven: Chennai

Thursday, August 19, 2010, Chennai
8:56 p.m. India time

Today we did absolutely nothing. I got up, blogged, ate breakfast, made my bed, showed Aunty and Uncle the movie I'd made of the boys' trip to the ocean, then played a game of "Life:Twists and Turns" (A new version of the Game of Life, but not as complicated)with the boys. Afterwards, I put my movies to music, and then fell asleep. I slept almost all afternoon. When I woke up, the Man Cub was lying against me, playing his DSi. I'd had a dream that I was eating Indian sweets, so I made that dream come true. :)

I have been taking a lot of photos, especially of food.  :) I am laughing at myself every time I take a bite of something and think, "OMG, this is soooooooo good." when it's something I always swore I couldn't stand, like cauliflower, or lentils, or... Indian food.

When Raja got home we walked to an amazing vegetarian restaurant and I had a fantastic spreat of food: Naan, a couple kinds of dal, paneer curry, veg fry (this was the best thing EVER), onion raita, an onion salad, and a rasgulla in cardamom syrup. (i once tried one of these from a can. It was horrible.) We drank water, but then shared a pineapple milkshake. It was the strangest thing ever. There was a base of lukewarm pineapple creamy drink, with a scoop of ice cream in it. Odd. However, then they brought me a drink that was supposed to come with my dinner. Cold, frothy, sweetened buttermilk. My goodness, it was an amazing thing.  I walked out of there feeling about 20 pounds heavier. It was worth it, though.

I'm still trying to upload my video, and I'm going to work on my photos, too. The connection is pretty weak here, so it might be a tomorrow thing.

Anni leaves for Australia tomorrow. She's made some major sacrifices at work to sped time with us, and I am very grateful. I'll miss seeing her beautiful face every day. She is more like a sister to me than ever, and I'm glad I had the chance to spend real time with her.

For someone who slept all day, I'm exhausted. I'll try one last time to get this film uploaded, but then I'm going to bathe and go to sleep. I'll post more tomorrow.

Until then, be good!

Weird.

I just saw an ad for a Domino's Pizza Mexican Wrap...in India.  It just seems weird, although we eat foreign food in America, so it's silly to think they wouldn't like that sort of stuff here.

Another ad I saw that was funny showed a picture of Ravana, the nine-headed villain from the Ramayana :

And the ad says: "You have only one head: Please wear a helmet."

I'm having trouble uploading my movies. Please be patient with me.

Questions From America

So, some of the students at the school where I work sent me some awesome questions. I will try to give some quick answers here. I love getting questions, so thank you, Snoqualmie class!


1. Did you eat any bugs?
I don't think so. If I have it has been completely accidentally. I will point out that when factories make the food we eat, sometimes bugs get mooshed up in the food, so, in fact, we probably have all eaten bugs. However, I have not deliberately eaten any bugs on purpose.

2. What is the most interesting thing you have eaten so far?
Everything is interesting! The goat curry from last night was amazing, and most people in the U.S. haven't eaten a lot of goat. I've had it before, though. One thing I did try last night for the first time, though, was betelnut. After dinner, people don't eat mints to sweeten their breath. They eat saunf (candied fennel seeds--like I did on the plane), suck on sugar crystals, and chew betelnut. It's very hard and crunchy, like a nutshell, and tastes spicy, sort of like cinnamon or cloves. The tender coconut from my first outing was wonderful, too. Most of us are used to dried, sweetened coconut, and haven't had the real thing. Oh, and as I said before, fried egg dosas are to die for. I have done my best to try everything I have been offered. I like almost everything I've tried.

3. How has the weather been aside from today's rain?
It has rained dome of the time, but usually it is just hot and muggy. Sometimes it's cloudy and overcast, but yesterday the sun came out and it was really bright and beautiful (and HOT!) The actual temperatures are in the upper eighties and lower nineties, but the humidity makes it seem hotter. In a few days, we will be going to Bangalore. It's a little cooler there.

4. Why do Indians wear red dots on their foreheads?
Indians wear the marks on their foreheads for a few reasons. First of all, Hindus believe that our bodies have energy centers in different parts of the body, centered up and down on the spine. One of these energy centers, or chakras, is located on the forehead between the eyebrows. This chakra, called the ajna chakra, is the center of spirituality. So, upon going to temple, saying morning prayers, or receiving the blessings of a priest or one's parents, a person will get the red dot. The dot is called a tilak, or it is sometimes called kumkum (that is what the red powder that is used is called.) Also, the kind I wear sometimes is called a bindi. That is a sticker that some women wear in the same spot, and it can come in lots of colors. Hindu women wear the tilak or bindi to show their marital status. Traditionally, married women wear a red dot, and unmarried women wear a small black dot. The size of the dot may be related to caste (caste is another post entirely, but let's just say it's sort of like "social standing") I was surprised to find out that the same bindi can be used over and over for a long time. She doesn't wear it anymore, but Anni has a bindi she's had since she was your age...and she's my age now!

5. How is your jetlag holding up?
Thanks for asking. I really didn't have any jet lag after I finally went to sleep the first day I arrived here. I get up at about 8 or 8:30 a.m. every day, and go to sleep between 10 and 11 p.m. I'm much more worried about my jet lag when I come back.

6. What is the conversion of Dollars to Rupees?
It changes every day, but right now it's between 45 rupees to the dollar and 47 rupees to the dollar. It may also change depending on whether your bank charges fees for the conversion and such. Today my exchange converter tells me it is 46.58 rupees to the dollar. I'll tell you, it feels weird to be carrying bills in my purse that say "1,000" on them. I'm really not that rich. :)

7. We think you should try the ice cream!
I tried some last night, and it was delicious! 

8. Where will you go next?
I'm not exactly sure what the plan is for the day, but I'm open to anything. I'd really like to go to another temple, and I still have to buy bangles. My wallet is feeling a little thin again, though, so I'll have to hit up Raja for more money. (It's my money, it's just in his bank.) 


9. How does the car/driver situation work? Are they taxis and you have to pay or is that free there?
There are companies (a lot like taxi companies) where you can hire a car and driver for a day, a week, or longer. We've had the same driver, Balaji, for the whole week. Anni was the one who arranged it, so I assume she paid the bill. I'm not sure whether she pays daily, weekly, or only at the end of the whole trip.  I know that the fee includes lunch money for Balaji, but sometimes when you hire a driver, that's extra. Since he has to wait around for you while you shop or sightsee, or whatever, it's nice to make sure he has money to have something to eat and drink. Also, if you go somewhere with paid parking, you have to pay the parking fee.


Auto-rickshaws are like taxis (they are even mosly yellow), which you hail for short rides. They have meters like U.S. taxis, but they are usually broken or sometimes rigged to cheat you (though I've never seen one even on since I've been here.) Usually, you just negotiate a price up front. You have to bargain, though, because the driver will always try to charge you a lot, so he can make more money. Haggling is a way of life, here, even in some stores.


10. Also how to pronounce Raja? Is the 'J' silent?
Nope, you pronounce the J. It's like rah-jah. It means "Prince" or "King" and it's an endearment. I call my guy "Raja" because he likes the good things in life, like I do. Maybe that's why we like each other. 


11. Do they keep goldfish as pets there in India?
I think they do. I've only seen one fish tank here, and it was in a restaurant, but I'm pretty sure it happens.

12. Also do they eat seafood in India like we do in the states?
Yes! There are a lot of shrimp and fish dishes here. I haven't seen the variety of seafood like we have in the Pacific Northwest (we are very spoiled to live in a place with such amazing seafood), but many parts of India are coastal, and are used to eating lots of fish. 

13. Have you been able to stay healthy so far?
Yes, thank you. I have been taking my allergy and asthma medication, which is good because of all the pollution in the air, and I have also been taking my Melarone, which is my anti-malaria pills. However, I haven't really been bitten by any mosquitoes. Maybe my blood isn't spicy enough for them. Other than that I am feeling just fine, if a little wilted from the heat. I don't know what I'll do if I ever visit in June, when it gets up to over 100*F.


Thanks for the great questions. I hope I answered them well enough. Feel free to ask more at any time. I'll post some photos/video soon. 


Until then, be good!

Day Six: Chennai

Wednesday, August 18, Chennai

10:06 p.m. India Time

This afternoon after lunch (leftover Chinese...yum! Plus the usual Indian fare, and Aunty encouraging me to eat more) Anni and I packed up the kids, and headed out to Valluvar Kottam. This place is a monument to the Tamil poet/saint Tiruvalluvar, who wrote the series of sacred triads called the Thirukkural. There is a very run down ampitheatre there, but the main feature of the place is the giant replica of a temple chariot with a statue of Tiruvalluvar inside, and his verses sculpted all over the chariot.  It's really beautiful. 

After taking a million pictures of the reluctant children, we  drove on to the Gandhi Mandapam which is a memorial park honoring Tamilian political leaders and freedom fighters against the British Raj. There are some lovely gardens there, full of butterflies (and scary caterpillars, too.) I also swear I saw something slither, slink, or scurry into the grass, but I’m not sure what because it was too quick. The first thing we went to see was a statue with a brass plaque at the base of it. Since it was in Tamil, I asked Anni what it said, and she told me it basically translated into “White man, go home!” This seems to be a common sentiment everywhere white men went in the world. Probably because they usually thought they were better than everyone else (Don’t forget that the British used to have signs posted in certain areas that said “Dogs and Indians not allowed.” )

Anni told me that she and Raja used to play there all the time as children. When she was fussy and wouldn’t eat, her Amma would sit her on the stone elephants to distract her so that she would eat. She said that when she got older, she and her girl friends from school would go there and annoy couples who had come there to flirt with each other.

By the time we got through the whole area we were very hot. I could feel the sweat rolling down between my shoulder blades. We got into the car, and headed off on a little tour. We drove past the university where Uncle was a professor, and (after going through another security check of some sort) drove into the campus housing area to see the place where Raja and Anni grew up. The place was very busy with young people registering for next quarter’s classes. As we drove along, I saw a little critter scurry across the side of the road. At first it looked like a chipmunk, but when I saw it closer, it looked more like a little weasel of some sort, We eventually turned onto their old street. There a rows of very old British housing, and it looks very worn down on the outside. Anni assured me that the homes were very nice on the inside, and when they lived there they had been newly renovated. 

Some of my students will recall the story of the snake in the toilet. 

The bathrooms in the housing unit were separate from the houses, and all in a row. One night, Uncle went out one night to use the bathroom and discovered a snake in the toilet! As you might imagine, this is very dangerous. The snake was apparently surprised as well, as he slithered down the toilet drain. As he didn’t want any of his neighbors to get a nasty surprise, he woke a few and they went searching for the snake. They opened each bathroom door down the line, no snake. Finally, they cornered the snake in the last toilet in the row, at which point, they called a snake charmer to lure it out of the loo. At least this is the story as it was told to me. Anni may have more details she’d like to add. This home is where it all occurred. I even drove by the very spot, but was not able to take a photo in the moment.

After the driving tour, We got back into the car, and Balaji drove us to this little café that Anni was dying to take us to. It was very out of the way, and we sort of got lost. Also, we drove right by a guy picking his nose. I noticed because I looked over at just the right time. A lot of people do that right on the street here. It’s part of the city’s charm. We finally found the place after asking for directions. It’s called Amethyst, and it is an old colonial mansion that has been turned into shops. There is the café, which is a little pricy, but lovely, a flower shop, and a boutique which sells super-expensive clothing and designer jewelry. Some of it was just amazing. Also, on the top floor they have antique furniture. I can imagine some people who would have just loved the place (you know who you are.) We found a seat in the lush, overgrown garden, and ordered our drinks, after which I went and browsed the shops. Anni called me to tell me my drink had arrived, and good thing, too, because when I got to the table, the boys had already sampled it. I had ordered an Amethyst cooler, which is a fruity soda over ice. Since it was a fancy place, I wasn’t too worried about the ice, and I haven’t had any problems so far, knock wood!

Next, it was on to Anni’s hotel where she treated us to pedicures in the hotel spa. I was so grateful, as my poor feet had been taking quite a beating with all the walking in dirt, stepping in potholes, and just being exposed to the grit and grime. They felt dry, rough, and not pretty. Well, all of that was fixed by the nice man who washed, scrubbed, clipped, filed, rubbed and otherwise cleaned and softened up my feet. He then handed me over to the sweet lady who painted my nails so they looked pretty again.

It was also nice to get a little break from the eternal war between brothers. The boys love each other, of course, but they fight all the time. Sometimes it really annoys me. I’m sure my students know what I’m talking about. Later at dinner, Monkey slapped the M.C. The M.C. said he wanted revenge, but when I told him that revenge cost 20 rupees he shut up, as he only has 40 rupees, and he knows when I mean business.

The boys got pedicures, too (and monkey got his fingernails trimmed) but they didn’t get nail polish on their toes. In many places in the world (including the U.S.) it is quite common for men to get manicures and pedicures too. It helps you look good, it helps keep your feet healthy, and it feels nice, too (except it really tickles at some points. The Man Cub and I were making such awful “tickle faces” that Monkey couldn’t help but laugh at us.)

Toes clean and shiny, we went to another hotel to meet Raja, Aunty, and Uncle for dinner at another South Indian style restaurant. This one had the banana leaves, too, only they were placed inside metal dishes like the ones Aunty uses at home. The restaurant was lovely. We ordered two appetizer platters, one of South Indian appetizers and one of South Indian appetizers. They were all delicious. For the main course we ordered these flaky parathas (bread), chicken curry, mutton (goat) curry, and shrimp biriyani. I can’t even begin to tell you how succulent everything was. I can’t believe I ever claimed to hate Indian food. What was I thinking? Of course, I haven’t ever tasted anything as absolutely delicious as the food I’ve eaten here. Maybe it’s just that certain foods taste better in certain places. The KFC here is not one iota as good as the stuff in Kentucky. I probably wouldn’t try an Indian hot dog, either. The mutton curry was divine. It had a coconut milk base, and was perfectly spicy. I was not fond of the shrimp in the biriyani (it tasted a little “off” to me), but the rice part was amazing.

By the time we finished our dinner, Monkey was fast asleep. A magician came over to our table and did several tricks for us. He was amazing! I couldn’t tell how he did them at all, and he was right in front of our faces! We ordered dessert. Most of us had ice cream (I had blackcurrant), but Anni had this traditional North Indian dessert called kulfi , which is made out of nuts and cream and stuff. It was cold and delicious, tasting of cardamom, my favorite spice, and I ate more than a few bites.

Raja paid for everyone’s dinner, and I ended up carrying Monkey out of the restaurant before handing him off to his dad. Raja, the boys and I ended up getting into one car, while Aunty and Uncle went with Anni and her hubby.  Once in the car,  the Monkey fast asleep on my lap, the Man Cub gave me my official Superhero Nickname: “The Human Pillow,” as my life’s destiny is to be a pillow for certain males whose last name starts with T. He then promptly fell asleep on me, too.

On the way home, I was partly amazed and partly amused by an ad I saw on the back of a bus. I must warn you, it’s inappropriate. Sometimes, in foreign countries, people do or say things, use phrases or whatnot in English without realizing what they are saying or suggesting. I’m not sure if this was one of those times or not, but there was this big ad on the back of the bus, and this is exactly what it said: “F********CK!! 20% off.” There was a picture of a watch and some sunglasses, so I assume it’s an accessories sale or something. I had to laugh, and be glad that the boys were asleep.

We got home and put the kids to bed. Raja watched cricket and I took my nightly bath and settled down to write this long tome. Tomorrow I’m not sure what we’re going to do. Raja bought me some Kindergarten level reading and writing books in Tamil, so maybe I’ll work on that. I’d also love to go to another temple, go shopping for bangles, or whatnot. There’s one more clothes shop I want to visit: Pothys, where Raja bought my sari last Christmas. I also have to show Aunty and Uncle one of the movies I made, finish and post the driving videos, post this update, and I’m sure there are a thousand other things, as well.

I'm finding it easier to post photo posts separately, so I'll do another one of those in a little while.

Until then, be good.

Good Morning!

August 18, 2010, Chennai
9:39 a.m. Indian Time

I slept in a little this morning (like until about 8:30.) I was up a little later last night, because I made a phone call to my classroom in the states to check on everybody. They were curious as to what I had seen, and how many things had tried so far to eat me ( Thanks, B.)  The answer to that last question is; none. Seriously, not even mosquitoes (knock on wood.)

This morning it is raining, and the air is so thick that the moisture seems to hang in the air before falling to the ground. I am sitting here with my amazing morning coffee and thinking about perhaps heading towards Valluvar Kottam, one of the sites I really want to see. I could do more shopping, but to be honest, I need a break.

Anni sent the sample sari blouse she had made along with the driver to see how it fit. I think it fits nicely. I look forward to learning how to tie my saris and wearing them about like a typical Indian girl.

I'll write at the end of the day and recount my adventures. Until then, be good!

Chennai: Day Five

August 17, 2010, Chennai

12:27 p.m. India Time

Have I mentioned how much I love the smell of India? Every morning when I walk out of my air-conditioned bedroom into the enveloping heat of the main living space, it hits me. Deep and spicy, as if something delicious is cooking. (Sometimes it is.) Today for breakfast, onion parathas with more gobi-pea curry. Coffee, tea, guava nectar…all around are good tasting things. They have many more kinds of juices available here. One of Aunty’s friends ( a former housekeeper) came over last evening and brought over garlands of jasmine, a sweet, fragrant flower. Jasmine oil and perfume is some of the most expensive in the world. Aunty tied a bit of it around my wrist, and the scent keeps wafting up to my nose and making me incredibly happy.

Practiced writing some of my Tamil letters. I decided to work on the vowels first : எ அ எஏ இ

ஈ ஒ ஓ உ ஊ ... and try to learn more vocabulary.  I’m trying to learn my colors, numbers to ten, and question words. Plus important words, such as yes, no, and enough (a very important word when people keep trying to feed you!)

I took a break from the Tamil for a bit to hang out with the boys and read “Filmfare” magazine. For some reason I can’t get connection (maybe the modem is off) but that’s okay, I’ll just type a running commentary in Word, then transfer it over, as I’ve done before.

Uncle got me an Indian cell phone to use while I’m here. I use it to call Anni or Raja, and I also try to call my mom every other night or so. I like to check in with her to make sure everything is all right.

Anni called a little while ago to say she’s checking in with the tailor to see if my clothes are done, and if she should leave my other items. She called again to say that my clothes are not completely finished and, in fact, the tailor did not even come in to work today. She said that this tailor is exceptionally arrogant, and that she will be looking for a new tailor on her way over here.

She has a lot of phone calls for work today, so she may take me to the handicrafts store to look at gifts and other things for my house.  We also need to sit down with Aunty and Uncle to plan out some touristy activities.

8:25 p.m., India time

After eating lunch (the usual variety of South Indian delights, plus some leftover KFC), Anni came by. She did spy a couple of new tailors, but she still wanted to finish the business we had with this current one. She brought the churidars that were finished, but the pants didn’t fit right. They were too baggy in the thighs, and made me look like I was wearing clown pants.  Also, one of the pairs of pants was missing. So we had to go back to the tailor’s and get the pants fixed.  They said to come back in an hour. We went to the handicrafts store, and I bought a ton of things, including some elephants for my growing collection and some god statues. They had a beautiful selection of things there, and I wanted to buy a lot more, but it wouldn’t fit in my suitcase.

While I was shopping , Raja called and said he’d like to meet up with me after work. We decided to meet at Anni’s hotel. Anni and I quickly picked up my stuff at the tailor’s  and went to the hotel to meet her husband for coffee and wait for Raja.

He soon showed up, and after coffee and cookies Raja and I left to go to a sweets shop. Our driver dropped us off there, and took Anni home with all of our purchases for the day. We had some absolutely delicious Indian sweets (pretty much all Indian sweets are delicious, as they are made of sugar, butter and nuts.) After the sweets, we walked to a bookstore. It was quite an adventure being a pedestrian on the street (as you recall, peds are at the bottom of the “food chain” as far as right of way is concerned.)  Still, I watched pretty carefully where I was going. The scariest part, of course, was crossing the street, especially one of the big intersections where everyone drives fast and turns unexpectedly every which way.  We browsed in the bookstore and I bought some books, mostly on Hindi films. I also bought 4 CDs. Two of A.R. Rahman (he is a famous song writer who writes songs for both Hindi movies and Tamil movies. I bought one of each) and two CDs of religious music.  The funny thing was that they were playing the Justin Bieber CD while we were in the store.

It was raining outside, and suddenly all of the lights went out in the store! Luckily, they came on again pretty quickly, but that was an unusual experience. I was looking for some Tamil workbooks, but I couldn’t find any. Raja said he’d pick me up some K-1 grade workbooks at an academic book store like the one we visited the other day. We walked for a bit and went in to a grocery to pick up some spices and things for my brother and sister in law, before walking to a local Chinese restaurant for dinner. We finally made it there, but it wasn’t open yet. We had about 25 minutes to wait, so we just wandered down to a local fast-food place to wait.  When we were there we ordered a “milkshake,” but it was all milk and not much shake. It basically tasted like strawberry Quik, but at least it was cold. We talked a little bit about India, and how I liked it.

Raja asked me what I didn’t like about India. It was hard for me to think of much. Mostly, I told him, I don’t like not knowing the language, as I feel as if I could easily be taken advantage of.  It’s hard to see the level of poverty, but there is poverty everywhere. I told him it’s very hot, and I might not like it much earlier in the summer when it’s much hotter, but I could handle it as long as there was AC at home. Also, I said, I was glad I’d never have to drive, because I couldn’t handle the traffic. Lastly, it’s a little unusual being stared at all the time, but I can pretend I don’t notice it, and it doesn’t really disturb me. I just pretend it’s because I’m so good looking.

On the other hand, I love stepping out of my comfort zone. I love the new experiences, the people. I like getting to know new places, learning new things. Therefore, until I get used to a place, I don’t really have any strong judgments as I’m too busy experiencing everything in the moment.

After our conversation, we decided to walk back to the restaurant. On the way, I stepped into a pothole and got my left foot all wet. Seriously, the hole was so deep that the water went up to my ankle. I tell you, my foot was slooshy for about an hour. Potholes are definitely something I could learn to not like about India.

The restaurant was cool and clean. We ordered soup and several dishes. Everything was really good, but we couldn’t eat it all. That was the plan, of course, as we wanted to bring the rest home to share with everyone for lunch tomorrow. Over dinner, we talked about the poet I plan to meet with after we come home from Bangalore, and about some other stuff, you know like people do over dinner. One of the things we ordered was chicken lollipops. I think I may have mentioned those before to some of you. They are so yum. They are sort of like sweet and sour chicken, but left on a bone.

After dinner, we stepped out and hailed an auto. Traffic was really bad tonight, and I swear, every time I get in one of those things, the driver is crazier than the last. I can’t tell you how crazy this driver was. Do any of you remember in Harry Potter 3 when he takes the Knight Bus and the bus goes between those two oncoming trucks? Well, imagine that, but with the full knowledge that your auto rickshaw is not going to magically get any skinnier.  I was white-knuckling it all the way home, but I was also smiling because, honestly, it is pretty exciting. On a positive note, my foot dried completely before I got home.

When we arrived home, Raja took the stairs, but I had all the bags, so I took the elevator. The boys were playing with a bunch of other kids in the hallway. They had spent the day playing cricket and also watching Ravaana, a Tamil movie I really want to see. Maybe I’ll get a chance to watch it a bit later.  As I came off the elevator, the M.C. thought it would be fun to throw a cricket ball at me. Lucky he missed, I told him, or I’d have to eat his head. Uncle was in the living room watching Tamil soap operas (or at least that’s what it looked like to me.) Aunty and I chatted for a few moments, and I sat down to write this up.  I am flat out exhausted. It is hot tonight, and I feel very gritty. Luckily, on nights like this, I find a lot of pleasure in taking a bath, getting into my sleeping clothes, turning on the fan, and just relaxing with a book or surfing online. Also, tonight I think I’m going to make a very special phone call. I’ll write more about that a bit later. 

I'm sure there are things I forgot to write. I do that all the time, and when I do, I just go back and insert them where they belong. So actually, the longer you put off reading, the better off you may be. Unless, of course, you follow Ms. Pam's wisdom: "Good Readers re-read."

I'll post again tomorrow.  Until then, be good!

Random Thoughts

Tuesday, August 17, 2010, Chennai
9:27a.m.  India Time

I find it interesting, but not surprising, that nearly every driver has representations of god on his (or her) dashboard. The most fascinating thing, of course, is the wide variety of representations, from Ganesha to Buddha to Jesus.

I love talking with Uncle and Aunty. They are amazing people. Both are extremely well-educated and intelligent, on top of being kind and loving souls. Aunty is a doctor, although she is retired and can only treat her family and close friends now. She has a reputation for being able to diagnose any illness by a process of elimination. People from all over, even friends and family abroad would always call Aunty when they were sick. This is an incredible gift to have anywhere, but especially here when too much delay in figuring out what is wrong can easily mean death. Aunty's grandfather was also a very famous doctor who was invited to go all over the world. Aunty was also given the opportunity to travel as a doctor in her younger years.

Uncle is very kind. He was a college professor in Engineering, I believe. He is very hard of hearing, so it's difficult to have a conversation with him. You have to talk loudly and slowly. I'm good at the loud part. Still, I just like to listen to him talk. He always has interesting things to say. He is looking forward to taking me to some places, and I am looking forward to going! He always tells me I don't eat enough. I feel like I eat like a horse! Of course, he's not counting all the things I eat when I go out with Raja or Anni.

Today the plan is pretty open. I know I have to go to the tailor to see if my clothes are ready, and if they fit right. (I hope so!) Later this evening, after Raja is done at work, we're going to a bookstore. Uh-oh...I love books, but they're heavy. The textiles I bought are already heavy enough. I don't want to pay extra for over weight baggage.

When Anni gets here, we'll make a loose plan for the rest of my visit, including a plan for some days with no plan. :) Next Sunday, we travel to Bangalore, so I have to think of things to do there, too, other than shop!

I really like my outfit today. It's purple and green, which is one of my favorite color combinations. I'll post a picture with tonight's recap of the day.

Until then, be good!

Chennai: Day Four

Monday, August 16, 2010, Chennai

10:25 p.m. India Time

I could get used to this. In fact, except for the fact that I don’t know what anyone is saying, I feel pretty much at home already. My Tamil is limited to a few words: Ammaa (mother), Appaa (father), Paatti (grandma), Thathhaa (grandpa), Aththai (aunty: dad’s sister), Annhi (sister-in-law), Akkaa (sister), Maamaa (uncle), Maami (aunty), neelam (blue), oorugai podu (bring me pickles), vaa (come), aama (yes).

“Wake up, wake up, you’re oversleeping!” was the first thing I heard upon waking this morning. Given that it was about 6:40 a.m., I didn’t take any heed to the chattering Monkey, and snuggled back down. However, at about seven I got up, dressed for the day in a red and cream top with colorful mirror work and green churidar pants.  The first order of the day was to upload the blog from last night, which I couldn’t manage to upload due to connectivity issues, much like the ones I’m having right now.

Aunty brought me some of her delicious coffee, and I simply enjoyed it as I typed away, checked messages and listened to the boys babble. After breakfast (eggs and toast and coffee and something else, I can’t remember what for me, and Easy Mac for Monkey), he and I played some badminton together. I have a pretty good serve, but the ceiling in the foyer is too low for much successful volleying. Anni came over and we were laughing as the boys made inappropriate jokes (see this morning’s song, for example.) Then, Anni and I went out to shop.

WARNING: The next part is all about shopping, which the boys tell me is boring and too “girly-girl.” So if you’re not a girly-girl or a girly-boy, or a boy-y boy who happens to like shopping, you can skip this part if you want, but you don’t have to.

We went to another fabric store to try to buy some stuff to finish the ends of my saris so they don’t fray. However, the place was so busy that no one would help us, so we left. Outside there were a lot of stalls selling all kings of chachkis, so I bought some more bindis, some hair clips and a couple pairs of cheap earrings.

As we were waiting for our driver, a beggar woman came up to me, begging for coins. I know that in the middle of a crowd, you can never give any beggar anything, or you will soon be surrounded by dozens of people begging for money. It was very hard to look at her, see her poverty and need and humiliation, and not do anything. I had to look at Anni, and converse with her, all the while, this little broken woman with cupped hands was standing right by my side, saying “Madam? Madam?” It almost made me cry. I kept thinking, “God, I will do my best to help in another way.”

After our car came, and we left the fabric shop,  the true shopping began. We went to a mall where Anni has a good friend who runs a textiles shop. She often buys things from him, and also brings her friends in to patronize his shop. Even when she doesn’t buy anything, she stops in to say hi to him whenever he is in town.  Therefore, she was ready to drive a hard bargain.  I mentioned earlier, as I was preparing for my journey, that one had to be ready to bargain if one wanted to shop in India. Well, Anni is a master bargainer.  I looked at all kinds of textiles (fabrics and things made of fabrics) At the prices he wanted, for the things I wanted to buy, he would have wanted about 14-15,000R. (That’s around $300.00 U.S, give or take 20.00.) With Anni at my side, I ended up with 22 beautiful items for 8,000R (about $170.00 U.S.) Still a lot of money, but the lot would have cost me at least a thousand dollars if I had bought them in the U.S.

After the hard bargaining at the textile merchant, we went to another shop where they sold jewelry made of silver and semi-precious stones. This stuff is nicer than the plastic and glass of costume jewelry, but not gold and diamonds. Things like amethyst, garnets, jade, laboradorite, moonstones.  I looked at a lot of earrings, pendants, and rings. In the U.S., things like this cost a ton. People come over here, import them to the U.S. and charge 100x the price.  I bought myself two gorgeous rings, two pairs of earrings, and a pendant for 2760R ($60.00) I am so nice to me.  :)

(SHOPPING PART IS OVER)

Too much shopping makes one hungry and exhausted. We had promised the boys that we would go swimming today, so we went back home to drop off the stuff and pick up the kids.  After an amazing lunch: rice, fish curry, fried fish, sambar, shrimp, that cauliflower/pea thing I thought I’d hate, but loved, and yogurt on the side, we gathered up our swim suits and headed out. First, however, we stopped at a fancy new mall in town (filled with American shops) and just looked around. Most of all, we looked at an arcade on the top floor to see if the kids might like to come back sometime. They decided they would.  We got back in the car, and this time I sat in the front passenger seat for the first time. Apparently, if you sit in the front seat, you’re required to wear a seat belt; and now I can see why. I took some video footage, and for the first time I think I got a little of the madness on screen. We stopped a couple of places in search for cold soda, and then headed for the hotel. After passing through Security, Anni’s husband met us and took our extra stuff upstairs. We went down to the gym/pool area and went into the changing room to change into our bathing suits.

The changing area in the hotel was really nice. I changed into my suit and joined the boys and Anni outside. The pool was an outdoor pool, and was pretty clean, although there were a few bees floating in the shallow end. I got in, and because it was so hot outside, the water was lukewarm. I was hanging on the the edhe of the pool on the shallow end, when I felt something crawl on my hand. I looked and (I admit) I screamed a bit because there was a GIANT BLACK ANT crawling on my hand! I flipped it off my hand and into the water, but it DIDN’T DIE. IT JUST SWAM BACK TO THE EDGE OF THE POOL! Aaaaaaaagh! The Man Cub was busy laughing at me, when Monkey screamed, “OMG, It’s a queen ant!” It wasn’t, but that’s how big these ants were. They were the size of, oh, I don’t know, a cap eraser? Scary, I tell you. We played around in the water a bit, and the kids spent a lot of time jumping on me, having me carry them around and having me lift them and thrown them into the water (when they weren’t planning how to drown me.) I swear Monkey jumped right off the edge of the pool into the piggy-back position on my back. Isn’t there a saying about that? After a while, I got a little tired, so I got out of the pool. At about that time, Raja got off work and came to join us. I was still supervising the kids, as Raja and Anni don’t swim that well.  Soon after, though, we decided to split up. Anni would take the kids home, hitting KFC on the way, and Raja and I would go to a temple before doing a few other things then coming home.

Before we left, Anni’s husband (I feel sort of bad that he doesn’t have a nickname in this blog, yet. Maybe I’ll ask her to help me come up with one) gave us some gifts. For Raja and me, there were solar-powered LED torches (flashlights) “so we could always find each other,” and for the boys, walkie-talkie watches, so they could talk to one another. Pretty cool!

Raja and I said our goodbyes to the rest of the family, and went to find ourselves a ride.

Riding in an auto rickshaw has to take years off your life. I had to take tons of footage (which I will upload soon) because this was one of the wildest rides of my life. An auto-rickshaw is in the middle of the road (so to speak) in the traffic right-of-way war. It goes something like this: Cows-buses-trucks-big cars-little cars-auto rickshaws-motorcycles-scooters-bicycles-pedestrians. Riding in an auto rickshaw is actually really fun once you accept that you just might die, but at least you’ll have a story to tell St. Peter at the pearly gate. The dust and exhaust rush up into your face, but you can really see, smell, and feel the city as it rushes past.

Since my experience with the begging woman, I seemed to see even more of the poorest people on the streets. I saw a man so thin he looked like a skeleton.  I saw one old man lying in the dirt on the side of the road with his eyes mostly closed. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was even alive. It’s odd here. You see so many beautiful and unusual things, and so many strange and sad things at the same time. Many people say it is a land of contrasts, and it’s true. One thing about being here is that I know how fortunate I am to have a place to live, food to eat, nice clothes to wear, access to decent medical care, and a job that I love and that doesn’t break my back or my spirit.

As we approached the temple, Raja reminded me that there are no pictures allowed inside (of course) and that they don’t allow Hindus (which usually means any Westerners) into the inner sanctum.  We left our shoes in a guarded waiting area (sort of like a “coat check” for shoes) and entered the temple grounds (no one ever wears shoes into the temple. It’s like going to church naked or something: it’s sacrilegious. We walked into the temple, and went to honor the main deity. The temple we went to is called Kapaleeswarar Temple, and it is devoted to Shiva. (Some of my students will remember him: he’s Ganesha’s dad.) The temple is more than 350 years old, although that’s relatively young. The temple in Tirupathi is 5000 year old. In the temple, there are many shrines. They are sort of like stations. We went from one to the next to pray. At the stations there are statues of the gods, and people often leave offerings. At one spot, we walked around the shrine of the celestial gods in order to align all the stars. People can walk in any multiples of three. We only walked three times. I noticed as we walked around that there was a tiny kitten near the shrine. It was kind of sad. I really wanted to pick it up and take it home, but it’s never a good idea to touch stray animals in India. They may carry rabies. After we walked around the celestial gods, we turned the corner, and a cow started following me. I took that as an auspicious omen.

As we entered the inner temple (the sign said only Hindus allowed, and as I was with an Indian and dressed in Indian clothes, no one stopped me) there were priests who came up to us at each station with plates filled with powder, flowers, and lit lamps and/or incense. We gathered some of the smoke over our heads, and Raja put  an offering (some rupees) on the plate.  Sometimes the priest would ask our names, then go up to the statue of the god to gain blessings for us. The priests at each station gave us some flowers (e.g. jasmine) and powder. At some points, Raja would put the powder on his head, so I would too. At one point, the priest gave me the tikka, putting red powder on my head. I think there’s a rhyme and reason to the way the powder is put on the head, but I haven’t quite figured that part out yet.  After we prayed to and had been blessed by all the gods, we walked sunwise around the temple. We then went to buy some Prasad, which is food that has been blessed by god. Lots of times, Prasad is sweet, but some of the types are savory/spicy instead.

We left the temple and walked a few blocks through the back streets to a little bookstore that sells school books. There, Raja bought eight workbooks for the kids. Raja always makes his kids do extra work on the weekends so that they will do well in school. Their mom does the same thing, so it’s not like he is extra mean. The kids do very well in school. Monkey knew all of his times tables when he was only in the first grade.

After we got the school books, Raja decided to take me to a bakery, one of the oldest in Chennai. He said that some of the newer bakeries were probably better, but that this bakery made things that no one else did, hence, that was where we would go.

We hailed another auto, and this guy made the last guy look like an old granny driving a mule cart. His driving was so crazy, I thought for sure that the whole auto would flip over, or that we would at least hit a pedestrian or two. Still, it was sort of exciting, sort of like a real-life video game (you know, that one game you can’t talk about in my classroom) but without the crime or mature themes. Luckily, I have a lot of footage of that ride, too, for your watching pleasure.

At the bakery, I had a seat, and Raja ordered us four things. Three savory/spicy things, and one sweet. The spicy things were like flaky turnovers filled with veggies. One was mixed veggie (I think there were potatoes) one was gobi (cauliflower) and one was chickpeas. All of them were delicious. For dessert we had sweet coffee and this cake that I was so good that I can’t even describe the amazing scrumpdillyiciousness of it.  I almost forgot to eat only with my right hand.

One more auto home. Before we hailed one, Raja indulged me by buying me a bunch of (four) movie magazines. He knows how much I love Bollywood, and he even tolerates it. Plus, he wants to read them too so that he doesn’t get bored on the train to Bangalore, where we are traveling next week.

We made it home without much ado, and I gave the flowers I had received at the temple to Aunty for her puja (prayer) cabinet. Anni and the boys had brought me a cold drink from KFC. They have some awesome drinks here at KFC that they don’t have in the U.S.  One is a creamy mango drink, similar to a traditional drink called a “mango lassi” and the other is something that Monkey refers to as a “Virginia Mojito.” It has lime and mint in it. After slurping down my Virginia Mojito, I sat down to write this day up. Aunty came in to my room, and we had a nice long talk. After that, I showed Raja the textiles I bought, and Aunty brought me some tea. Raja finished up his work for the day and settled down to watch some cricket on T.V.

I need to bathe and go to bed. I’m exhausted, and tomorrow is a brand new day.

Until then, be good!

P.S. Pictures/videos will come after the cameras are recharged.

Good Morning!

Monday, August 16, 2010, Chennai
8:14 a.m. India time

I was blogging last night, and suddenly couldn't connect, so posted last night's post this morning (Or evening for those of you in the West.) Had lovely sleep. Woke and dressed (in a red churidar today, with and embroidered panel with lovely mirror work in the front. The M.C. chose my bindi for me (green.)

Not sure what the plans are for today, but they may include pedicures. It should be about 90*F today, and maybe stormy. For now, I'll just enjoy my coffee, and the day. I'll return with more adventures later.

To be sung in a sing-songy voice...

"Don't ever go to the bathroom...
when you're eating a cheeseburger.
Don't ever go to the bathroom...
When you see a slingshot.
Don't ever go to the bathroom...
When you're eating a chicken wing...
Don't ever go to the bathroom...
When you see Captain Underpants...."

"Write this on your blog!"

~The M.C.

Late post

Sunday, August 15, 2001, Chennai
10:36 India Time

Today was a fine one, but once again, tiring. Vacationing can be exhausting. This morning, after I finished blogging, Raja and I went out with the boys to buy some shorts for the Man Cub. Since it was raining, it was quite an adventure to get from place to place, even though we took the car. Remember, there are no sidewalks, so everything was a glushy lake of mud.

We bought MC his shorts, and they were already sick of being out. Raja suggested going to a sports store, but MC was complaining, so we skipped it and went out to buy some Indian sweets. He chose a selection as the kids and I stole a table from a young lady and her friends. There were so many sweets in this one shop that I couldn't believe it. I also think I saw a cockroach, but then I also saw several flies, and I know for a fact (I did a report in 5th grade) that cockroaches are cleaner than flies, so I just chalked it up to the Indian Experience (tm).

Raja stopped to get money from the bank, and the driver dropped him off at the coffee shop and drove us home (only about a block away.) We took the elevator up to the 6th floor and told everyone we had sold Raja to the gypsies for 50 rupees and three Indian flags. I finished up my second photo blog post and  chatted with Anni and the boys. Raja went back out and the four of us hung back at the flat, visiting and being social. After lunch, which included a cauliflower-pea dish which I found delicious (I'm sure a previously firey place is now sporting icicles), I took a short lie-down. I didn't sleep, but rested and cooled down. When I came out after freshening up, We hung out a bit more and called Raja, as Anni and I were going shopping, and we didn't want to bore the boys. Raja came home to go with us, but he brought cricket bats, and the boys decided to stay home and play, instead.

Me, dressed in Green and Orange to celebrate Indian Independence

On our way out shopping, we saw this family of four riding on a motorcycle.
Apparently, Anni, Raja and five of their other family members once rode on a
single scooter. Right after this was taken,  a man bumped right into our car. I looked at him and
realized he was completely blind. A completely blind old man was attempting to cross a busy street
in Chennai. Gee whiz! I did notice that a couple of the motorcycle families positioned
themselves aound him as if to afford him some protection.

Anni and I got in the car, and headed off for another sari place. I wanted to buy an "everyday" sari without a fancy border (pallu). If it weren't for Anni, I would have disappeared into this place, another huge fabric store. I ended up buying TWO saris: a purple one and a blue one. Then, I also had to buy blouse material. Still, both saris and blouses were still less than a thousand rupees. We then went out to wait for the driver. The streets were crazy. 

In front of the sari store. I was already dazed from the crowds, and all of the attention.

Folks just hanging out. waiting for cars, maybe?

Buses In Chennai are also crowded affairs.

After sari shopping, we went to look for jewelry. I didn't find much I really liked, but I bought TONS of bindis, and one necklace set that is just lovely. Anni insisted on buying me another one to go with the bangles her mom gave me for my birthday. They are very pretty. After this shop, we were tired and thirsty (not to mention we had to go to the bathroom, and believe me you NEVER want to go to the bathroom in a public place in India if you can help it) so we had the driver take us to Anni's hotel. Anni goes to India (and all over the world) quite often for work, and she stays in really amazing hotels for free. They also give her free food and drinks, so we went down to the bar and had some snacks (including some deicious beef, which I couldn't believe at first, but then I realized that 5-star hotels usually cater to Americans and Europeans, most of which are not Hindus. I did find it ironic, though, that some of the tenderest, most delicious beef I have ever tasted, I ate in India) and cool, refreshing beverages. Her husband joined us and we had quite an enjoyable conversation. When we had called earlier, Raja and the boys were napping, but we called again after a bit, and everyone was up and ready to go to dinner. Aunty decided to stay home, but Uncle, Anni, Raja the boys and I went to.....

McDonalds! At McDonald's in India, they only serve fish, chicken and veggie burgers. They also have a "burger" made entirely out of paneer (cheese.) They still serve awesome fries, soft drinks, ice cream and the like. In fact, look who came to visit (in the alleyway) when we were eating there?

Mooooo...You can't eat me!

I love cows. Don't you?
Regardless, be good.

Photo Post Two: Chennai

Inside the Mumbai airport.

I love the layers of clouds. This was just after the best ones.
I wasn't really supposed to take photos yet,
but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to photograph it.

Chennai from the air

This was the street we had to cross to get to the car.
Mind you, the cars were all moving...

Our driver. Notice what side of the car he's sitting on.

Chennai traffic. And this isn't the worst I've seen, either.
We were all moving forward at a pretty good pace.

I've seen this shirt a couple times around town. Bharat is the Indian name for India.
 I assume this means that India uplifts its people.

We have arrived in Velachery

Here I am with Aunty's blessing on my forehead.
Everyone thinks my wound looks like a second bindi. LOL

I love the bedspread in my room. I also like this picture.

The fabric in the package, and the bracelets are my birthday gift from Aunty.
The swastikas on the bag are an ancient Indian good luck symbol.
Unfortunately, swastikas, like many other ancient symbols, were stolen by the Nazis,
who turned them backwards and twisted them into symbols of hate.

The view from my bedroom window. There is so much to see...

Clothes hanging out to dry in the sun...
you don't see that too much in the U.S. anymore.

This grass hut is situated on top of a roof!

Look at all the palm trees. They are so green and beautiful.

The bed in my room. Note that Herboth has been joined by his twin brother.
That blue thing above the bed is mosquito netting. People hang it over their beds
when the bugs are fierce, to keep from getting bitten. Remember, mosquitoes carry
diseases here. Thank heavens I've been taking my anti-malaria pills!

This photo shows me in one of the Indian nightgowns Anni bought me.
It is basically a long sleeveless dress worn over a longer, coordinated skirt.
The skirt is embroidered. It seems like a lot to wear to bed, but it's actually quite cool
 and comfortable. Also, if the AC is on all night, it gets a little chilly by morning.

These are the switches for the lights, the water heater, the fan, and all other kinds of things.
It's confusing to maneuver, especially as other switches also control the same things,
and all have to be in the proper positions in order to make things work correctly.
Also, as we found out, if you switch things around too randomly,
you can blow a fuse, and then you have no lights at all.

Here's a close up of a power outlet. As you can see, it's different from the ones we have in the U.S.
You need an adaptor  to plug in your electronics. Also the power works on a different voltage,
so even if you could plug in your stuff, it would probably blow up.

The water closet, or bathroom. Here you can see the water tank above the toilet, and the shower.
Below is the bucket we use to bathe Indian style.

The view from the plaza, directly outside Uncle and Aunty's door.

The pile of discrded coconuts next to the tender coconut stall.

Me with my tender coconut, in one of my lovely churidar suits that Anni bought me.
 I really like this color of pink. It reminds me of roses and the perfumed soap my Great Aunt
 used to have in her bathroom. In fact, I bought some rose scented powder and body
spray at the boutique we went to after the coconut experience.

The coconut lady, chopping up the coconut. I wish I culd have gotten a photo of her machete,
 but she was lighting-fast.  Raja actually jumped out of the path of flying coconut a few times.

The shop on the lower floor is the nuts and spices shop.
The slogan is  actually, "Driving you Nuts." And it does, because there
are so many yummy things in there!

A common sight in Chennai. They guys is wearing a helmet, which is rare.
If you look closely, you can see that the woman is holding her baby.

Moooo. Note that vehicles actually stop for the cow. I told Raja that we should have crossed
with the cow,  as she would have insured our safety. Instead we braved traffic on our own.
At least it gave him an excuse to hold my hand. He even held it a little longer while we walked on the street:
 an outright rebellious act. Here, that's pretty much equal to making out in public.

I have more pictures coming, of course, but I really have to get moving if If I want to shop and play. I'm glad to be mostly caught up now. I hope you are enjoying my trip vicariously. I'll write more soon.

Until then, be good.