The last 24 hours have been great.
We had a great talk last night to clear up some of our differences. I think I was on the wrong page on some things and so were the girls so I think it was really important and really helpful. Something I guess I had (conveniently) failed to mention was the rising tension in our group (especially between Athidi and I, with Rad claiming Switzerland most of the time). Today was a great day, marked by fantastic camaraderie and good joyful fun!
Rad went to bed early yesterday so Athidi and I played a game of chess. I had already played Rad a few times. She's still getting used to the game, so it wasn't very difficult yet. I'm sure she will get better (actually, not sarcasm). Playing Athidi was a different story. Apparently, she competed in grade school and middle school, so it was definitely tougher. I could tell from the beginning I was in trouble. However, with just my king left (she still her had queen, rooks, bishops, and one knight i think), I managed to pull out of the game with a Stalemate (which I more than welcomed)!!
We spent most of today doing work, but at around 5, I had tea with Alex and the guy from Punjab (I can never remember his name). We started talking about Chennai and how it wasn't much of a city, but more of an urban village. It was interesting.
I'm not sure what it is (it may be Tamilian pride?), but Tamilians don't know any of the other languages (and theirs' is pretty difficult). This wouldn't be such a problem, except for the fact that India is so diverse that in order to function, you almost NEED to know Hindi at least. The reason this is problematic for Chennai is that people who grow up here and study here are forced, simply by the language barrier, to work here. And there aren't enough jobs for everyone in Tamil Nadu to work here (especially when people from other parts of India come here). This forces Tamil Nadu into an economic situation where there is a small upper class (10-15% of society), little to no middle class, and huge lower class, resulting in a LOT of poverty and slums.
Aftewards, Alex showed us some of his boss, Girish's music, which was very good. We also met his girlfriend, Becky, (via Skype) who seemed quite nice as well. I actually thought they looked rather alike. I may get the chance to meet her because Alex and her planned this great trip all around northern India.
At 6, Rad, Athidi, and I went to go shopping for the first time. We went to two places and got some great stuff. Cheerios (essentially), bread, PB&J, and other things. Both places were healthy, but one place was no A/C and very congested, while the other had wide aisles and was comfortably cool.
These first two pictures come from the no A/C grocery store.
As you can see, the second grocery store, called Nuts n Spices, was much more modern and a little fancier.
After shopping, we, along with Alex, went to dinner at a very nice (read: fancy) restaurant called "Thalappakatti" only a five min walk from our house.
The food was great and the prices surprisingly weren't too bad. We got two starters, two types of biryani and three deserts for under 1000 rupees (or under $20). The dessert Alex and I split was called a falooda, which is popular only in south Asia apparently. It was a combination of a variety of things - fruit, mango juice, jello, nuts, ice cream, etc. -- and it tasted amazing!
I was about to finish this post, when I started talking to my new roommate, Sreeram, who is relatively soft spoken, but a really nice guy. We started talking almost an hour and a half ago and just finished. He's 26 and has just finished his MBA. He is working for a consulting firm here in Chennai. He did his undergrad in Engineering, but he's really passionate about journalism and the media, but his parents wouldn't let him do what he wanted when he had to make the decision. We had a great talk about the differences of India and America and a a bunch of other things. It was fantastic.
Oh by the way, mangoes might be the best fruit ever. Quite underrated... it was so good.
Thanks for reading!
Neil
We had a great talk last night to clear up some of our differences. I think I was on the wrong page on some things and so were the girls so I think it was really important and really helpful. Something I guess I had (conveniently) failed to mention was the rising tension in our group (especially between Athidi and I, with Rad claiming Switzerland most of the time). Today was a great day, marked by fantastic camaraderie and good joyful fun!
Rad went to bed early yesterday so Athidi and I played a game of chess. I had already played Rad a few times. She's still getting used to the game, so it wasn't very difficult yet. I'm sure she will get better (actually, not sarcasm). Playing Athidi was a different story. Apparently, she competed in grade school and middle school, so it was definitely tougher. I could tell from the beginning I was in trouble. However, with just my king left (she still her had queen, rooks, bishops, and one knight i think), I managed to pull out of the game with a Stalemate (which I more than welcomed)!!
We spent most of today doing work, but at around 5, I had tea with Alex and the guy from Punjab (I can never remember his name). We started talking about Chennai and how it wasn't much of a city, but more of an urban village. It was interesting.
I'm not sure what it is (it may be Tamilian pride?), but Tamilians don't know any of the other languages (and theirs' is pretty difficult). This wouldn't be such a problem, except for the fact that India is so diverse that in order to function, you almost NEED to know Hindi at least. The reason this is problematic for Chennai is that people who grow up here and study here are forced, simply by the language barrier, to work here. And there aren't enough jobs for everyone in Tamil Nadu to work here (especially when people from other parts of India come here). This forces Tamil Nadu into an economic situation where there is a small upper class (10-15% of society), little to no middle class, and huge lower class, resulting in a LOT of poverty and slums.
Aftewards, Alex showed us some of his boss, Girish's music, which was very good. We also met his girlfriend, Becky, (via Skype) who seemed quite nice as well. I actually thought they looked rather alike. I may get the chance to meet her because Alex and her planned this great trip all around northern India.
At 6, Rad, Athidi, and I went to go shopping for the first time. We went to two places and got some great stuff. Cheerios (essentially), bread, PB&J, and other things. Both places were healthy, but one place was no A/C and very congested, while the other had wide aisles and was comfortably cool.
As you can see, the second grocery store, called Nuts n Spices, was much more modern and a little fancier.
After shopping, we, along with Alex, went to dinner at a very nice (read: fancy) restaurant called "Thalappakatti" only a five min walk from our house.
The food was great and the prices surprisingly weren't too bad. We got two starters, two types of biryani and three deserts for under 1000 rupees (or under $20). The dessert Alex and I split was called a falooda, which is popular only in south Asia apparently. It was a combination of a variety of things - fruit, mango juice, jello, nuts, ice cream, etc. -- and it tasted amazing!
I was about to finish this post, when I started talking to my new roommate, Sreeram, who is relatively soft spoken, but a really nice guy. We started talking almost an hour and a half ago and just finished. He's 26 and has just finished his MBA. He is working for a consulting firm here in Chennai. He did his undergrad in Engineering, but he's really passionate about journalism and the media, but his parents wouldn't let him do what he wanted when he had to make the decision. We had a great talk about the differences of India and America and a a bunch of other things. It was fantastic.
Oh by the way, mangoes might be the best fruit ever. Quite underrated... it was so good.
Thanks for reading!
Neil
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