Another great day

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

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

The last two days, starting two nights ago was the best and the worst times of mine in India. Let’s start out with the bad.

Two days ago, we went to a mall. It was great. Pics to come. I don’t want to say anything else until you see the pictures. On our way back, we got an auto to take us. The first picture shows you what an auto looks like and the next shows us in one!

Trust me, by the end, we weren’t that happy. By the way, that’s my signature hat. It’s fantastic. It keeps the sun off my face. The Duke headband keeps sweat out of my eyes. Me and my hat and headband are like peas and carrots (note Forrest Gump reference).

The auto driver was speaking Hindi (so I couldn’t understand) but ended up ripping us off by 50 rupees. The entire trip only cost about 3 dollars (in Chi-town, this long of a trip would’ve been at least $15) and 50 rupees is only about one extra US dollar, so not that much, but it’s about the principle. What got me so upset though is that he kept saying that I, yes me, was supporting him in his endeavor to get him more money… I was quite ticked off that no one had told me what was going on and that I was the reason we paid extra.

It only worsened when we found out that our AC was not working. I didn’t get to bed until like 2 am.

The next night we worked from home (which meant some work, some play). We played some chess and just chilled a bit, which was nice. That evening we went to my Aunt’s house, which was nearby.

It was great seeing a few familiar faces! We got a home-cooked meal and Teagendra Uncle (who works closely with the family) gave us a LOT of great information, which helped today.

Today started off kind of slow and not so great (we were fighting amongst ourselves about something or another), but then as we were about to leave work at 4, things turned around for the better!

I was able to play a game called Carrom’s with some of our co-workers. It was AMAZING to play with locals and feel included in one of their basic games. Essentially, it’s similar to Pool (billiards), except you flick your finger at a white disc (similar to the cue ball) which then hits the other discs! It was great, even though I was terrible. I hit one in (out of like 10).

Afterwards, we decided to take the bus home, which was a whole different ordeal, but it was SOOO great. We had to wait a little while because we came too early, but when we got on, it was awesome. Again, I forgot to take a picture, but think of a really old raggedy bus (no windows, just bars; no doors; and people run to get on it…) and I was standing right on the bottom stair so that I was half-in, half-out of the bus… Ahh, so exhilarating! I asked some of the locals for help with directions and they were all extremely helpful!

After we got off the bus, we had to explore for a bit before we were able to find our house, but on the way, we stopped to get some fruit and we found a place where we were able to get a coconut and drink the water inside (which is delicious) and eat the pieces the seller scraped off for us, which even though they looked odd, tasted great.

Now, after having taken a shower, I’m just chilling in my room on this Friday night. I might play chess with one of the other residents. Test my brain against a locals’!

Reflections:

I’ve realized that this two-month span is much too short. It’s already been two weeks and we’re realizing how fast it’s going. I think if we were here longer (and didn’t have a budget that was too high), we’d take more risks and try more of the local traditions. I still feel like an outsider simply viewing their ways, instead of feeling like a local who is simply going about his day.

I am fortunate for my AC room and expensive, tasty 300 rupee lunch (the problem is, because of our short time here and large budget, we are having a tough time getting over the fact that such a great lunch is only $6…) but I also came here, largely, to experience what the “other side” is like, and not just view it through an outsider’s lens (like we do so often in the US). I worry that I’m missing out on (a few) opportunities to see that, but I am very excited to go to the villages (less than one week!) and live there for a bit.

I do love it here though. The heat is abominable (though getting better) and some of the people (auto drivers, in particular) can just be simply hellish. In general, though, everyone here is extremely helpful, relatively carefree, and, honestly, much nicer than I was expecting.

Oh, also the language barrier is probably the single most annoying thing when it comes to living in a new place. I’ve learned some of the basics, but I want so badly to communicate with the locals as if I was one of them. 

Pooping: the most awk moment ever

Read this post if you want to hear about the most awkward moment, perhaps in my life. So on Friday, we decided to come to Anantapur, an 8 hour overnight bus ride from Chennai. When we arrived, I instantly realized that there were two toilets - one was a squat toilet, meaning that you squat, instead of sit if you want to poop or pee (for girls). The other was a relatively normal American toilet, except that the wall in front of the toilet was about four inches from the edge of the toilet (think very little leg room if you're sitting).

I had spent the entire weekend trying to eat relatively little and only safe food that wouldn't require anything more than peeing. I'm leaving tonight, but unfortunately lunch today was spicy chicken... bad news bears. About an hour after lunch, it hits me: I'm going to HAVE to go.

At this point, I have to ask the owner (who we call Aunty as Indian tradition goes) what to do. Awk moment number one. I think I understand what's going on now, so I head into the bathroom. This is when I realize that I'm not sure where to put my legs (because of the close proximity to the wall in front of the toilet). I start thinking of the one South Park episode I've ever seen - Am I supposed to sit backwards? I try it... Nope, I don't think that's it. I sit forward and though it's not comfortable, I get the job done. The problems don't end there though.

So I'm about to clean up, but then I realize there's no toilet paper. I realize that I'm going to have to use a bucket, which means that I have to take a full shower. Not ideal, but I can do that.

At this point, I realize I have no clue how to flush the toilet. So again, I have to awkwardly ask Aunty (through the door) how to flush. Apparently, you just poor a bucket of water in at a fast pace to flush... how the hell was I supposed to know that?

Okay, shower time. I'm just pouring water down the back. It works and I'm clean. Ready to dry off, but obviously my towel is missing. Luckily, I can awkwardly hang out in the bathroom for an extra ten minutes and let the heat dry me off.

First pooping experience in a new place = success!

Try taking a bucket shower

Yesterday night, our plan had been to chill out, maybe watch an Indian movie and then hit the sack. That was totally reversed when athidi asked us if we wanted to go visit her cousins in Anantapur. So I'm blogging today after an 8 hour ride in a no-AC bus (actually finding the bus was a whole other story), a fantastic home-cooked meal, and a phenomenal shower (actually bath) that I took via bucket. If you've never done this, definitely try it tonight. When you take a shower, you don't really know which droplets are coming from where and then where the water is going. With a bucket, you have total control over the water - it's amazing! A few days ago, we were lucky enough to visit the Smile Center, a teaching center in a slummier part of Chennai. It was quite a learning experience. Because it is summer vacation, there were only three children (aged 2-5) learning English in a 5x10 box with no AC. Not ideal learning conditions at all, especially considering that during the school year, there are 20 kids learning in that room... When we arrived, all the kids became stone-faced and rigid. Apparently, the only strangers that usually come are there to give them injections and vaccinations, which is who one girl started crying and asked to be taken home. It was sad. It was kind of inspiring too though cause the three of them seemed to be putting in some real effort to learn English and were doing a good job. Also yesterday we started a first task for AID (the NGO we are helping). We started making an answer key for their workbooks because even some of the teachers are not 100% sure if their answers are correct. It was nice to feel productive and useful! Yesterday, we were taking our auto home and the girls challenged me to pick up an auto home for 150 rupees (our normal price). They didn't think I could do it because I wear a (slightly) funky hat that is (a little bit) out of the ordinary in India. Not only did I pick up an auto, but I received the BEST price that we've had yet - a cool 100 rupees. BOOM - I'm a boss. Sorry for no pictures again. Neil Sent from my iHedwig

Queues on queues on queues

It's almost midnight on my first night in Chennai. Unfortunately, I slept from 1:30 to 7 today, so I'm not at all tired. I think it's daytime in the States, so it could be a long night for me. Today included a maelstrom of emotions... and when I say today, I mean the last like 40 hours or so since I left Chi-town.

My flight was delayed a full hour an a half (Go Air India!), then we randomly stopped in Frankfurt, thus wasting more time (Go Air India!), finally resulting in me missing my connection flight from Delhi, India to Chennai (Go Air India!). They were nice enough to put me in a very nice Radisson Hotel (seriously, Go Air India!) and provide me with a great dinner. I finally arrived in Chennai this morning at 9 am.

Well, after the power went out last night, I'm now writing after have been in Chennai for over 24 hours. The power goes off pretty regularly. Sometimes, the power companies do it to conserve the electricity. To put my Econ minor to work, there is simply not enough supply to meet the demand. At my workplace in Royapettah (a different region of Chennai; think New York City with the boroughs), they have daily power shutdowns from 12-2 pm, which means that all work stops. Everyone plays a game from 12-1 and then eats lunch from 1-2. It really puts the "save energy" campaigns in perspective. It definitely makes you think about turning off lights and such.

We live in Ashok Nagar, a relatively middle class area and we had two or three random power outages. I can't imagine what the very rural lower class neighborhoods are like.

Last night was probably the worst night of sleep ever. I tried to fall asleep from 12-7 and finally fell asleep but was woken up at 8:30 for work. Well, power just went off again...



Power's back on. Luckily that was only ten minutes or so. Phew! Last night, I met a few great guys who are staying on the guys' floor of my hostel. I got to know Alex and Senthil best. Alex and I went up to the roof and just talked for a few hours. It was amazing. Alex is from London, studying music. He's taking a gap year and has been in Chennai for three months. Apparently, Chennai is a hotspot for Indian music. AR Rahman (Slumdog music) works five minutes away. It was fantastic talking to someone who could tell what I was going through. Senthil is from India and works for IBM. He's actually leaving for a few weeks today, but will be back. He gave me a few videos to watch about how India has developed over the past hundreds and thousands of years.

Today we got into work at around 11. The auto (which is a yellow three-wheeled taxi essentially) ripped us off and charged an extra 10 rupees (it was kind of my fault...). We were learning what everyone is doing and how they teach the children different subjects. They are taught math, science, and English after school, which is when we will help as well. Apparently, the closest village is approx. 3 hours away by bus. In the afternoon, we were learning about math, but I could barely stay awake. I'm trying all I can to not fall asleep right now, so that I can sleep well tonight, but I may have to succumb to a 30 min nap.


p.s. The title is meant to point out that India feels like a bunch of lines that you have to stand in. But not lines, they're called queues.

Also on another note, crossing the road in India is probably one of the scariest things I've ever done. They don't stop and everyone is constantly honking. It is the most chaotic thing I've ever seen. Bikes, Autos, Cars, buses, bikers, and people all trying to do the same thing and no one follows ANY rules...

Sorry this post was all words. Pictures to come. 

This is the story of a girl

who cried a river and drowned the whole world. The night before I go to India and all I can think about is how much I'm going to miss everything. I just got kicked out of a (public) park (is that even allowed?) at midnight. Some friends and I were just walking and talking and on the way home, all I can think about is the little things. I'm going to miss driving, the speedometer telling me I'm speeding, the thrill of a smooth ride, the freedom of a car, the trees, the cool breezy air, lying in bed writing in peace, even water and American food. Obviously I'll miss my parents, brothers, family and friends a ton, but for some reason all I think about are the little things.

My name is Neil and this summer, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to give kids in India the chance for a new life! Or at least that's what I hope - I'm really not quite sure what we're doing there. We (my two partners - Athidi and Radhika) are supposed to teach the kids English, which in a foreign country, is equivalent to a path to a much better future.

I'm excited for the opportunity to see a lifestyle that I was lucky enough to have avoided. I'm excited to see a culture that I should probably know more about (given it is mine). I'm excited to do things that I've never done before. I'm excited to develop a curriculum for six year old students. I'm excited to play with the kids after school. I'm excited for the challenge of teaching kids. What I know to be true though is that I will grow much more from them than they will from me so I think I'm most excited for what I learn from our kids.

I'm scared for all those things too though and even that excites me. I honestly have no idea what I'm doing. Friends make fun of me for being somewhat clueless sometimes, but right now, I really feel lost (but nervous and excited at the same time). Until maybe ten hours ago, I didn't know if I had a plane ticket. Until maybe ten days ago, I didn't know if I had a place to live. Until I land in Chennai, I won't know if I've packed everything (and I'm currently having that feeling that I'm sure I'm missing something!).

This is long, but this will be my blog for the next few months -- I hope you enjoy it!!

p.s. I just realized I never explained the title. The song, Story of a Girl, by Nine Days was playing on my drive home. Great song, and maybe reflective?