Sunday, August 5, 2012

Five weeks later...

 Unfortunately, due to my slow internet connection last night and my busy itinerary for today, I have to combine my aj post and my final post. Here it goes:

The bus ride there and back was between 9 and 10 hours total. That certainly was not the highlight of my day. But getting to the Taj was AWESOME! There was an arch way before entering the area and it was really cool because it created this illusion that it was super close up. Then when you walk through the arch, the Taj becomes extremely far away. So that was pretty cool.

One of the most fascinating parts of the experience was that there were tons and tons of Indians who wanted to take pictures with Carly and I. People would just randomly ask us to be in their pictures (to which we politely declined) and some would just walk up and take our picture. Talk about feeling like Angelina Jolie!

I'd like to say more about the experience, but there really isn't much to say other than that it was breath-taking and I encourage everyone to go if the chance ever presents itself!

I'm very sorry but it took me 45 minutes to upload that one photo, so I can't do anymore. But in a week or so, all of my pictures will be up on facebook!


Now for my final notes:

On the first day here, Sundari told Carly and I "If you can live in India, you can live anywhere". Now, five weeks later, I find her statement to be nothing but the truth. During my time here, I've experience very high points and very low points, but this experience has been the opportunity of a lifetime and I will take back so many memories and lessons from here. I've come a long way in just 5 short week.

I have two people in particular to thank. I remember getting off of the plane at the Chennai airport. It was hot, crowded, and 1am. There were literally hundreds of Indians with signs to pick up people from the airport and I had no idea how we would ever find our person we were supposed to meet. Sundari knew what we were going through and she knew how terrified we were. So she pushed her way to the front of the crowd to make it easier for us to spot her. Since that moment, she has been our Indian mother, and we never would have survived without her. She has devoted her entire time these last five weeks to us. I recall the first couple of days and her motherly nature getting mad at us for not eating, I'm sure she thought we were going to die of starvation before we made it home. In the middle of the night when our cab was taking forever to get us home, she was at the hotel, making sure we got there safe. She did everything a mother would to make sure her daughters were taken care of. Per our request, she insisted that the driver "show these girls the slumdog millionaire". When the hotel staff didn't provide enough tables for us at dinner, she snapped her fingers and made sure that we not only  got tables, but extra bottles of water. Sundari is an amazing, independent, and driven woman. I hope that one day I can be as patient, kind, and strong of a mother as she has been for us.

Second is Carly. If you ever come to India, come with someone who you want to be closer to. When you're in America with someone, you're thriving with them, but when you're in India, you're surviving with them. I could not have come here without her. She has been the best roommate/friend I could have asked for on this trip and I'm so blessed to have gotten to experience this with her. The laughter we shared for the dumbest things here has been unforgettable. We've been each others support system and have taken care of each other just as sisters should.

The two people you can't come to India without. Oh, and I must credit Dave, thanks for playing as our paparazzi at the Taj! Great photographer!


None-the-less, I've learned things on my own too. One of my reasons for coming to India was to take the path less traveled. When I told people I was coming here, every single person asked "Why India?". I didn't know a single person who has been here and to be honest, I know that many people were worried about me for fear of the unknown. So, I set out on a mission: to experience India for myself and come back with a positive experience that I can share with the world. To show them that India is not like slumdog millionaire and to create greater acceptance from Americans towards Indians. I know that one person can't change the worlds views on this country, but I can encourage you all to experience it for yourselves. Now maybe with that, you won't be so afraid and you can see what a spectacular place this truly is.

I saw the poorest of the poor in the world, the largest slums ever... but I didn't see depression.

I saw children walking to school without shoes... as they waved at us with huge grins.

I walked through the streets of India and experienced some of the worlds greatest salesmen, who never went to college.

I found friendship in a housekeeper making a dollar a day and still waking up in a positive mood everday.

I had one of the best nights of my life with people whom I thought were incapable of the word "fun"... MBA students.

And I could go on and on. I've gained skills big and small:

I can convert rupees to dollars and vise versa, in a matter of seconds.

I can convince a driver to give me a ride for 1/3rd of the price he originally proposed.

I'm able to speak with people who use broke english by forming sentences based on one or two words.

The lessons I've learned have been so many that I can't even list them all (although they're hidden throughout my other posts). But the biggest thing I'm taking away from this trip by far, is to appreciate what you have. Live for today, but prepare for tomorrow. I spent nearly my entire time waiting to come back to America, and now I don't want to leave. And knowing how different it's going to be, I can appreciate what I have in the U.S. by remembering what others don't in India. I am a very blessed individual.

As a final request, I would just like to ask that if you've been reading this blog, please leave a comment here or on facebook to let me know who you are and what you thought, and maybe include something you think you have learned as well.

Thank you so much for experiencing this with me and wish me a safe flight as I travel back in time to the United States!

Friday, August 3, 2012

Day 1 in Delhi

I learned something very important today. Although I consider myself to be a positive and happy person, 3 hours of sleep and waking up at 4am is not my forte. Our flight to Delhi left Mumbai at 6am and i slept throughout the entire thing, even the loud flight attended announcements. A woman had to wake me up to tell me to lift up my seat.

When we arrived in Delhi, we immediately headed for Airtel. I tried really really hard to stay awake during the presentations, I really did. But my eyes wouldn't even have been able to stay open for the Taj (yeah that's what I'm calling it now, I'm SOOOO local). We had a very late lunch and then proceeded to the hotel which was an hour away. Upon arrival, i went straight to sleep and didn't wake up again until dinner (about 3 hours). There were other sight-seeing opportunities, but I felt it was more important to recuperate so that I can truly enjoy my time at the Taj tomorrow.

With that being said, I'm going to head off to bed because it is in fact a 5 hour bus ride to get to Agra and we're leaving here at 7am.But, the moment we have all been waiting for has arrived... I wore my Saree today (that's right, ALL DAY including the plane ride)! I got so many compliments from Indians and Americans! It's a really cool pattern, and although I won't wear it again, I'll be turning the pattern into sorority letters. So if any Gamma Phi Betas are interested, I've got plenty of pattern to share!




Thursday, August 2, 2012

Slumdog Millionaire

Yes, they actually do say "Millionaire" like the host in the movie, "Mill-on-air".

Today we had an absolutely spectacular time in Mumbai! It is quite different from the north in many ways. Much more metropolitan for sure. Our day began with breakfast at the hotel.We had a dish similar to Dosa (a traditional south Indian dish), but I accidentally bit into an EXTREMELY spicy chilly and that was the end of that meal for me. Even after a full bottle of chilled water, my mouth was still on fire. We met out tour coordinator outside (who was quite attractive, certainly the best looking Indian I've seen!) who introduced us to our driver for the day. He proved to be most helpful in showing us around the city.

Our journey began with a drive through the worlds largest slum (where Slumdog Millionaire was filmed). And although it was sad and a noticeably poor area, it wasn't as bad as I envisioned it. Then again, I had really terrible expectations. Afterwards we proceeded 15 minutes down the road to the worlds most expensive house (the first billion dollar house ever made), owned by the family who started Reliance (multi-industry brand). The 27-story house is occupied by the family of five and their 600 servants.

Say hello to the slums.

The Reliance household.



Our day continued with a trip to a temple. It was extremely crowded and hectic and there was even a small sanctuary within that was made purely of gold! Ahh it was crazy. While there, I experienced an extremely heart touching experience. As you may know, there are beggars in India as well as many MANY people who will constantly try and sell you things. You are supposed to just look past them, as if you don't see them, and carry on. This is a very difficult thing to do, but I've managed to adjust to the culture and do it with ease. However, today we met Biyanka. As I was ignoring the sellers, there was a small girl (aged 7) selling flowers. She kept asking and asking for us to buy, but we just looked straight ahead and tried to ignore her plea. Then, I felt her small hand hold my hand. I looked down to see her puppy eyes as she said "Please ma'am, please, only 10 rupees". For those who don't know, 10 rupees is about 20 cents, not even. I caved. So Carly and I bought the flowers that she skilfully wove together into a bouquet in a matter of seconds. As we left the mosque, she politely said bye to us and Sundari (basically our Indian mom) translated so that we could introduce ourselves. I would have loved to capture it on camera, but of course, no Cameras are allowed in the temples.

Around noon we headed to the local gardens, took a stroll around and enjoyed some yummy ice cream cones. It was very peaceful and beautiful with butterflies flying everywhere. Two boys were skillful enough to catch them with their bare hands. Of course, I'm an absolute sucker for kids, so I went over to see the butterflies. The little boy was so intrigued by us that HE asked us to take his picture!

Ok, tell me Indian kids aren't the most adorable thing ever!?
Sundari took us to a REALLY nice restaurant for lunch. The entire place was made of stone and brick and the chicken we had was to die for! I felt completely under-dressed for the price and quality, I was surprised to see everyone in casual wear. Carly and I wore shorts today, but as it turns out, the people of Mumbai really don't care. And to be honest, we needed it... it's much hotter in the north. On our way back, we unfortunately experienced a "Slumdog Millionaire" moment. Little kids came up to the car knocking on the  window and making the hand motion for food. As you can imagine, enjoying a 5 star meal and seeing kids begging for food was not a comfortable feeling at all. Sundari told us though that a lot of the people don't actually need money, but rather are just greedy beggars
Just look at the architecture!
We stayed at the restaurant for awhile before continuing our sightseeing. We spent about an hour driving around and looking at the beautiful architecture of the city. The British influence can really be seen in the streets and buildings of Mumbai. The roads are certainly more spacious than Chennai and the buildings are so large and detailed.

The train station. Not what you thought India would look like, huh?


We concluded our day with a visit to an Indian home. Sundari's friend lives in Chennai and was kind enough to allow us to come over for dinner. This family is wealthier, so the house was quite larger than most and they completed a lot of renovations on it, but it was still very different. I didn't bring my camera in, out of respect, but I'll describe it. There weren't really any hallways at all.Every room had two doors, one that led out and one that led in from the previous room. All of the rooms were connected by a series of doors and the rooms were smaller. Imagine a bedroom, and when you open the door, you're in the living room, when you open the next door you're in the kitchen, and so on. But I do give them major kudos for their use of such limited space. Everything was stored in shelves built into the walls and the walls were all white so that helped make it seem larger.

So, in a nutshell, that was my day in Mumbai. Now I have to get to bed for our 6am flight to Delhi. Please send prayers!

Power Outage

Many people have been asking me if things are ok and if we lost power here. So I thought I might just clear this up real quick. First of all, all is well and I am fine. During our four weeks in Chennai, we would lose power all the time, unexpectedly. It would go out for between a second and a few minutes, then come back on. One time we had class cancelled because it was the schools turn to have the power shut off. If you read the Indian newspaper, everyday there is a segment that says where in India there won't be power today.

With all that being said, the large blackout occurred in the north while we were in the south. Yes we will be traveling to Delhi, but I'm told everything will be fine for our visit!

Let the travels begin!

I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a few days, It's been a very busy last couple of days so let me sum it up...

Our final presentation for our independent study was on Tuesday. I didn't feel very confident at all and was worried sick the day before (possibly contributing to said home-sickness) that we would fail. As it turns out, both Dr. Rao and Dr. Surana LOVED it! Well, maybe not loved it, but we got great remarks and great feedback!

Tuesday was also our second CXO dinner, you know, the one I planned to wear the Saree to... well that unfortunately didn't happen. Carly and I were exhausted with relief after our presentation and decided to take naps. I thought she was waking me up and she thought I was waking her up. So, at 5:30pm, my internal clock woke me up suddenly and I had a bad feeling. I called our NMS friend Mounika to ask what time the bus was leaving for the dinner, to which she replied "You have to be in the lobby by 5:30pm". Panicking, I woke Carly up, threw on our clothes from the presentation and rushed down stairs just in time to leave. Believe me, I was disappointed about the Saree too. I'm going to try my hardest to find a day to wear it in Delhi. Hopefully the day we go to Airtel.

I may or may not have mentioned it, but the MBA students from Albany are here for 8 days.Although we expected them to be super old and serious, they've proven to be a great time! After the CXO dinner, we went out with some of the gentlemen for our first time out (and last night in Chennai). Although last call was at midnight, we hung out and didn't get to bed until around 3 or 4am. Brightest decision? Probably not. Worth it? Absolutely. They'll be meeting up with us in Delhi and we're looking forward to the company again!

Unfortunately we had to wake up at 7am to pack our things and we had two company visits today. The first one was EXTREMEY interesting though. It is an eye-care hospital that charges it's patients based on their income, and if you can't afford care, it's free! We toured the first two buildings and I can honestly say that I've never been in a more depressing setting. There were dozens of poor people lying on cots after their surgeries in the blistering heat. The women explained to us that most of these people aren't used to laying in a bet because they sleep on the ground. This was luxury for them. I couldn't take it. That in combination with the excessive heat and lack of sleep made me feel as though I was going to pass out any minute. So for the third part of the hospital visit, I decided I needed to stay on the bus.

Well, the bus was not much better. The part of the visit I missed out on was the longest part, 2.5 hours to be exact. So I sat on the bus... with no air conditioning the entire time. I would have gooten off and gone in... BUT i had no idea where we were! The bus was parked on some random street and I was so lost. I wasn't worried though because I knew the bus had to go back to pick everyone up. What I didn't know was that lunch would be had there, so I missed lunch. But then again, that's not my first time missing meals in India. I'm anxious to come back for some yummy meat, cheese, etc.!

Jump ahead past a company visit and three hours in the car, and we were at the Chennai airport on our way to Mumbai! The plane ride was ridiculously fast and quite comfortable, and the view! The view was amazing! I wish I could have gotten a picture of the city. So here I am at 12am in Mumbai. I don't notice any differences yet, but our one-day tour is tomorrow and I'll gain a better insight!

With only 4 days left in India, keep checking back at my blog because I should be updating daily at this point.

This isn't even the worst part of town...

Saying goodbye to NMS. They've been so hospitable and it's been an absolute pleasure getting to stay with them. They will be so missed.

I've never boarded a plane like this before. Our flight from Chennai to Mumbai.

Monday, July 30, 2012

One more week to go

Alright, I'll admit it, at this point I truly am homesick... and I can't find a cure. At this point we have two days left in Chennai, 4 days traveling, and Sunday night (India time) we leave for the U.S.A.

I'm trying really hard to embrace the last week and make it worthwhile, but even shopping isn't cheering me up at this point. There's nothing different/worse about India, in fact it's even better now that classes are done. But the need to hug my mom, eat something tasteful, and be in an area that isn't overly populated, is outweighing my excitement.

On top of this ache in my heart, our presentation is tomorrow morning at 11am and I couldn't possibly be more nervous. I've lost all and any motivation I have for school work because all I want to do these days is talk to my family.

I'm sticking it out and staying as happy and positive as I can, but the next week can't go by fast enough.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Friendship: Doing it Right

The day finally came today, Pondicherry day! But before I go into more detail, let me give you a  bit of background information:

Unlike Chennai, Pondicherry was a french colony and therefor has a lot of french influence as well as some local french that still reside in the area. According to our friend, Pondicherry is the place people go for the alcohol because it's much much cheaper than in Chennai and the age to drink is 18. The beach you'll see in the pictures is the Bay of Bengal. And after my experience, the best way I can describe it is like Mackinac Island, the people are friendly, it's much cleaner and very pretty, a lot f people ride bicycles, there are quaint little shops all over, but it's not really a place to live if you want all of the commodities that come with being closer to the city.

Let me start this story with last night. Carly and I couldn't fall asleep, so we decided to watch the opening olympic ceremony. By the time we got to bed, it was probably about 2:30am. We had to get up at 6am to catch our 6:30am ride, so the entire day we were running on less than 4 hours of sleep. It takes about two and a half hours to get there, but we actually had a lot of fun in the car with our 6 NMS friends. Believe it or not, these Indians are PHENOMENAL at charades. We were playing with movie titles (where you act out each word of the title) and they were so good that they guessed "Chronicles of Narnia" in a matter of minutes!

We stopped on the way for a quick breakfast, and I'm not a big fan of the rice cake (the texture gets to me), but what I did have was good. We took a couple of group pictures and then proceeded to Pondicherry.

When we arrived, we visited a few temples where we got to learn more about the different gods and religious practices, that was pretty neat! And it is true that you have to take your shoes off in such sacred places. Afterwards we walked to the beach, which was an absolute riot! Standing on the stones and getting drenched in the waves was so fun and hilarious, Indians know how to crack really good jokes! For example, as we were taking a group photo, we were waiting for a wave to enter in the background and one of our friends said:

"Wouldn't it be cool if there was a Tsunami and we got a picture with it in the bbackground! We could make it our facebook pictures!!!.... You know, if we lived."

Maybe that's one of those "you had to be there" kind of things.

We then proceeded to a small shop with different gift items and then headed off to lunch. The lunch wasn't all that great, but it was pretty cool to be in a place where I could legally try alcohol. I tend to be pretty stiff on laws and am always afraid to break rules, so this was really cool for me!

When lunch ended, we headed to a museum where we got to see the Matrimandir, a large globe which took 37 years to build. It reflects sunlight and contains a meditation room inside, but we didn't get to go in. Click on the link for more info about it!

After a long day and a lot of walking, we headed back for our 2 and a half hour drive (which turned into 3 because our  driver was nuts, but that's another story). It was a long day but it was definitely worth it. Thus far, this day has been my favorite experience in Chennai. What made it so special was getting to bond with students our age and just ""hang out". It makes seeing the city so much more interesting and the day was filled with fun and laughter.

That's the nice thing about friendship: when you're doing it right, it knows no cultural, ethnic, or color boundaries.

Carly's breakfast

Our NMS friends!

The 1st temple we visited. There were no photos allowed inside.

The girls right before that giant wave soaked us all from head to toe!

The Matrimadir, the "egg" is 29 meters high.

If we ever come out with an American/Indian album, this will be the cover

Friday, July 27, 2012

Everything's cheaper in India!

Today being our last day at the  law firm, we are now finished with all of our courses! Now to write our reports... Hmmm. Anyway, we decided to celebrate/get ready for our final papers by going to the Spa!

But before I continue, I have to tell you the craziest thing! We saw an Elephant in the back of a truck on the road, AN ELEPHANT!!!! And it wasn't like a baby elephant or anything, it was normal sized. But of course, it drove away too fast for me to get a picture, but Carly got one, so maybe I can post it later. Only in India...

Now back to my spa story. We found a really nice one near by and I've always wanted to get hot stone massage, but of course in the United States they start at like $120, plus tax, plus a 15-20% tip. However, the service sector of India is especially cheap, so I got a 2 hour hot stone massage for about $70 (including tax and tip)!! It was such a relaxing and soothing experience, the best way to describe it is "phenomenal". If anyone ever gets a chance to get one, I highly advise it.

That's the thing I like most about choosing to study abroad in India. Because of the low costs, I'm able to do things I'd never be able to afford in the U.S. So if for nothing else, you should attend India for the unbeatable prices!

Well I've got to get to bed soon because tomorrow we're getting up bright and early at 6am for our trip to Pondicherry with our NMS friends!

Relaxing as I wait for my massage room to be ready!

I didn't actually take this picture, but this is the exact room I was in!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

The Motto

Of course the popular term these days is "YOLO" (You only live once), meaning to reject cultural norms and rules to enjoy life more. Most of us probably remember, "Carpe Diem", Latin for "Seize the day". It's different from YOLO because it is used to describe living life to the fullest, making every moment count, and being productive in a way that is appealing to you. I saw this  written yesterday and didn't think much of it, other than the fact that I remember it from "The Dead Poets Society" in my 9th grade English class. But today, it inspired me and provoked me to enjoy India.

I woke up early this morning, sleepy, irritable, and not in the best of moods. I got up and around for my last day of class, went downstairs to meet the driver for our usual hour long car ride, and then the phone rang. To my delight, we were told that we wouldn't be having class today and were advised to just relax and catch up on our papers. But of course, at that time of day, the only thing on my mind was "Yes! More sleep!". So I ran back upstairs, hopped in bed, and then it hit me... "Carpe Diem".

For those who have been reading my blog, you know that we don't get much time to explore here and I've sort of been complaining about how much time we spend in class. This was my opportunity to go out and explore for myself, and what better way to do that then to go shopping? I got a tuk tuk and went to several shops in the city which made handcrafted jewelry, silks, and other artifacts. It was the best morning ever! I got to go where I wanted, see what I wanted, and had no time constraints! I truly was seizing the day in my own way.

At the final shop I went to, I saw a beautiful pearl ring. I don't own any real pearls and I've been wanting something that I can always keep with me to remind me of India, and this seemed to be just that thing. This ring has already become important to me and I'm so glad I bought it because it serves as two reminders for me:

1. That at one point in my life, I lived in India on my own (well with Carly, but still)... for over a month!
and
2. To seize the day. Take what is in front of you and make it count.

So here's my challenge to everyone: Find something that you can keep with you to remind yourself that every moment counts and to live life to the fullest!


See you in 10 days America!


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

My Home: The land of Oppurtunity

This post does not reflect India (or any other country) as a whole and should not be taken that way. There are exceptions to every generalization

Coming to visit is one thing, staying for a month is another, but I could certainly never see myself living or working here. As an American I guess I was just brought up with certain expectations and, what I considered to be, rights (although I now see that these are privileges compared to a lot of the world). I expect that I will get a good education, work hard at my career, marry my true love, and raise a family. All of which, are my choice, a choice that others may not have. The concept of the "American Dream" truly is unique to America in the sense that, if you want something in life, you can work hard to get it, and even if you don't get it, you're still better off than where you started.

There are people in this world who are, in my opinion, trapped. And it is especially prevalent in the caste system. Imagine not being able to climb up the social ladder, get a promotion, or move into a nicer home than what you have. Some individuals can only move horizontal, if that, and in parts of this world there are social gaps that can't be broken by an individual, purely because that person was born into the family from the wrong side of the tracks.

Now let me give you something to think about: Why do you do, whatever it is that you do? Whether it be working, going to school, raising a family, or whatever the case, my question to you is "Why?".

Maybe you want a better life for yourself than your parents, maybe you do it for a higher power, maybe you want recognition, or maybe you just do it because you would be lost without it. Either way, you have three things that are special and that you should be grateful for: Motivation, Choice, and Opportunity. The quality of life that we have in America is so superb in relation to other countries.

So while some people may be upset at the fact that China is becoming number 1 and India isn't far behind, just think about what kinds of lives the majority of the people have to live for their country to be number 1.

Something to think about for the day.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Exploring Chennai for a few hours

After staying up until 2am last night, we managed to drag ourselves out of bed around 11:30 this morning and decided to take an auto (tuk tuk) to a place called "Chamiers" that the dean recommended for us. It was a very nice tourist-like shop with the cutest little cafe! And you wouldn't believe how many white people we saw there! I think it was pretty much a british-type  place. So we had a wonderful butter chicken lunch which was prepared into a creamy sauce which was poured on the rice and mmmmm it was yummy! In addition we had this lemonade that was, well, I don' remember the name of it but I'm sure Carly does, anyway, it was to die for!

We then shopped around the store and found some cute trinkets and gifts before heading off to see a temple. Unfortunately at the time we went, it was closed, but I did get some pictures from the outside.Kapaleeswar temple was built in the 7th century CE and is a place for Hindu pilgrimage as well as a common tourist attraction.


Of course my homework still hasn't been done, so this post will have to be cut short, but the good news is, I took more pictures today!

Indias version of Vera Bradley

Right outside of the entrance to the temple

I just love all the children here!

Our maid Jothi who is getting married!


Saturday, July 21, 2012

A slight change in plans...

So originally we were scheduled to go to Pondecherry tomorrow with our friends from NMS. But unfortunately they had some time conflicts, so we won't be going until next weekend. Which is actually not to bad because now we can catch up on our work that's due this week. (Although so far procrastination has been taking over).

Tomorrow we'll probably be on our own and will go and tour the city a bit.

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't posted much lately or put up any pictures. For the record, I am still alive and my camera is still working, it's just that there literally hasn't been ANYTHING going on this week. Everyday this week has consisted of: waking up, getting ready, riding an hour to school, staying at school until 5pm, riding an hour back to the hotel, and by that time it's too dark to do much. :( It's unfortunate, but once our coursework is done, there will be much more room for sightseeing and I'll be posting many more pictures, stay tuned!

Today we did go out a  little though (across the street is "going out"). We had lunch at a place called "Soup & Salad Cafe" which was actually really cool. The person who started it has definitely been to America based on how it was decorated and the menu selection. But I did notice some differences in this Indian dining setting:

  • The term "barbeque" is not the same kind of barbeque sauce that we're used to. I ordered barbeque chicken and I honestly can't tell you what I was served. It certainly wasn't what I thought.
  • In America, all of the food is generally brought out at once, but here it was brought  out as it was prepared, so Carly ended up getting her entree much sooner than I did.
  • Same goes for drinks. My entree came with "endless lemonade" but the lemonade wasn't brought out until after it was made (I think it was fresh squeezed) and it was funny because I watched in the back as the man juggled 5 more glasses (we were the only customers), so I'm assuming those were all for me. Haha.
  • Desert was brought out after, but it was ordered at the same time as the entree, which I guess happens sometimes in America, but not typically.
Afterwords we proceeded to a REALLY nice shop that had three floors of amazing Indian gifts. The basement contained all handcrafted material like statues, boxes, and all sorts of fun stuff. The main floor consisted of jewelery, the finest silk scarfs and clothing. And the second floor had dozens upon dozens of handmade rugs! They were so detailed and super cool! Had I not been a 19 year old student with a one bedroom apartment and no means to transport it home, I totally would have gotten one!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Let me tell you a little about my day...

It's one thing to view the streets of Chennai in a car, it's another thing to view them when Carly and I are walking, it's a completely different view when I'm walking by myself! Unfortunately Carly was sick today, so I was on my own for the day, which actually wasn't as bad as I thought.

My morning started off swell when I left the room. You see, from day one we've had this amazing maid! She's a small young woman, very dark complected, and has the brightest, whitest, prettiest, smile you've ever seen! The people in high school voted "Best Smile" don't stand a chance against her. And what I love about her is her sweet hospitality. She is clearly from a lower caste, but always greets us with a bright and positive attitude. I've never had someone from a hotel staff make me feel more comfortable or welcome. She's just that great. There's a bit of a language barrier between us sometimes, but she can always make me smile.

Anyway, so today as I'm leaving my room I see her and stop to say hello. She starts tell me that she's getting married and how she's so excited and shows me her ring. She explains to me all of the details of the wedding and how it's planned for August 22nd. She then says "I want you and your friend to come to my wedding! Can you come?".  I explained to her that we would have loved to come but that we leave for America on August 5th. She got really confused and I had to repeat myself with different wording several times before she understood. She then replied "Oh no. I told my mother and father I wanted to invite my friends in room 320 and now you can't go". I can't remember the last time I felt so sad. :( But she understood and we parted ways. Carly and I certianly plan to leave her a hefty tip on our last day.

So I then walked by myself to the law firm, which was actually very simple. I just acted like I had somewhere to be (which I did and at this point was running late on American time) and used my survival skills to cross the street and I was feeling like an Indian local! My day at the lawfirm was shockingly productive and somewhat fun too. Then on my way back, the funniest thing happened.

As I was coming home, the girls school was getting out (probably ages 7-14). As I passed by a group of them (all were pointing and smiling) one girl stated "Hey you are white, you are nice!". It took everything I had to not laugh. But it's good to know that they find white people to be nice.

To conclude my day, I had dinner in the hotel.It's getting to be really rough for me.

Let me ask you this, have you ever had Inndian food before?... Ever had it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner nearly 3 weeks in a row? I have.

It's like eating Taco Bell for a month straight. Sure you can rotate on the menu for a while, but eventually, you just want to have a sandwich! I apologize for those who follow me on pintrest.It seems all I do these days is pin food that I miss and want to eat.

For those who don't know, I'm an extremely picky eater. I honestly thought that coming here would get me out of that, and to a small degree it has. But it turns out that my picky habbits aren't all in my head. I try mostly all the food, but my taste buds physically don't want to eat a lot of it and thus my body just says, "Psh if that's what you're feeding me, then I'm full". Don't worry, I'm not starving myself, I eat a lot of bread and fruits and vegetables, but it is becoming difficult.

Well, this post is getting lengthy so I best be going now. Thanks for reading and "Good Morning America! Good Night India!"

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Time to do work!

Now that our weekends are packed full of things to do, the time here is flying... which means our due dates are approaching very fast! I don't think I've mentioned this before, but here are the things we need to have completed by the end of our trip for credit:
  1. A paper that we work on daily discussing the top 10 issues we see in India. Two issues from each category: Social & Cultural, Political, Economic, Environmental, and International.
  2. A paper on our interaction at the CXO dinner we had this past Tuesday. What we learned from the professionals about their companies, positions, and their perspectives on India.
  3. A paper about one of our corporate visits. We can pick which company we choose and we have to do thorough research on the company before hand.
  4. A paper discussing our internship at the law firm, what we've learned about the workplace in India, and our suggestions for the software developer.
  5. A 30 minute presentation on the above. Which by the way we will be presenting to the son of the founder of the law firm, who has a Harvard MBA. Intimidating? Yes.
So we have a lot of work to get done.

Anyway, I forgot to post on here about Sunday night! Last sunday, the students from NMS did a traditional Indian dance performance for us! Then afterwards, we all got to get up and dance and learn some basic moves. It was so much fun! The diference between Indian dance and American is the body movement. They move parts of their bodies that I didn't even realize you could control! I don't have any pictures because like I said, we were having fun dancing... but this is one of the bollywood videos we saw after and learned the moves to. I'm sure you can find an American dance in there that you may have done as a kid...


And this is the worlds most interesting man by far. I aspire to know his dance moves:


Sunday, July 15, 2012

Follow/Subscribe to my life in India!

It was the coolest thing waking up to see that I had 106 page views in one day! Thanks so much for reading my blog, I LOVE being able to share my adventure with other people!

If you're interested in receiving my blog update via email, there is now a bar at the top of the blog page where you can enter your email address.

I would love to see who's reading my blog (and also who my alleged viewers from Russia are... hmmmm). So if you read it frequently, there is a gadget on the right side of the blog where you can "follow" me. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but please try it out if you can.

Now on to the good stuff:

Yesterday was a PHENOMENAL day! Other than having to go to class, the day couldn't have been better. After lunch, we headed to Mahabalipuram to view temples that were built over 1,000 years ago! The architecture was absolutely incredible and the detail was exquisite.

I'm standing quite a ways in front of it to get an idea of the size.

Notice how the figures don't have heads? I'd love to explain to you why, but I couldn't understand our tour guide

Yes that rock is on a slant!

Again, these people are far from the temple, it's actually huge!

Just look at the handmade detail!!!

And you're worried about bird poop...



After visiting the monuments, we traveled to a beautiful resort where we got to swim and relax. Only in India have I ever experienced such bliss. It can't even be described, you'd have to see it for yourself.

The waves came right up to the resort, it was such a peaceful sound

Carly and I representing Gamma Phi with our crescents

The first infinity pool I've ever seen in person. It's called that because you can't see the end of it because the top of it merges with the ocean to create the illusion of a never ending pool.



Friday, July 13, 2012

I've got my World Prespective Glasses on

I remember when I first got my glasses. They made me feel awkward and they were uncomfortable to have on my face. But, when I put them on, everything became more clear. I could see things farther away and the world wasn't such a blur. That's how I feel in India. Going out more has really put me outside of my comfort zone. I feel lost, a little frightened, uncomfortable, and often times quite dumb. Yet at the same time, it feels good once I've conquered a new task (like crossing the street) and even when I fail at something, I still feel good afterwards because I tried it.

As of right now, I'm halfway done with my courses and internship, and I can guarantee you that 95% of what I've learned thus far has absolutely nothing to do with anything on the syllabus. Half of the things I've learned don't even have anything to do with India. Mostly, I've discovered things about myself and life in general. Here are four insights I've had these past two weeks:

  1. A smile is a universal language
    If you would have asked me a few weeks ago what a smile means, I would have said "Happiness". That doesn't even begin to describe a smile though. It's the simple gesture that can break any language barrier and can say a million things with just a look. A smile does convey happiness, but it also means "I accept you. I'm pleased to meet you. You're welcome here. You interest me. All is well." and so much more!
  2. "That was so five minutes ago"
    Things don't go smoothly all the time. But when you're crunched for time, you have to embrace every moment you have. There's no use on dwelling on something small, or even medium, it was five minutes ago and it's in the past. You can't change it, you can't fix it, so look at what's in front of you now and enjoy what you have.
  3. I don't know everything When we're talking about the several billion people in this world, my education has made me more knowledgeable than a lot of them... but there are also a lot of people who know more than me. Every opportunity is a learning opportunity, whether you want it to be or not. It's very easy to get frustrated with yourself. If you can accept the fact that you're wrong or don't know something, you can learn so much more than what you didn't know in the first place.
  4. The things I have aren't appreciated the the fullest potential
    There will always be someone who has more than you and someone who has less. If you're reading this post, I guarantee that you have a lot more than you think. Don't want what you don't have, and instead take advantage of what you do have... and what you're allowed to have. For example, I have dozens upon dozens of clothes and I always want more. Yet 9 times out of 10, I'm wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Why? There are women (and people in general) who may only be allowed to wear one type of clothing in different colors (if that). I'm lucky to have choice and should utilize it.

The life of an intern... Very excited about ice cream in India!
 

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Indians like Akon

We typically have our breakfast and dinner meals in the hotel resturant (which is very nice by the way). And everytime we go there, or anywhere for that matter, someone is ALWAYS playing Akon! I'm not talking about anything new either. We're talking like "Smack that" and "Angel". Even when we turned on the TV they had Indian music videos featuring Akon. I guess I never realized how great he is. Hmm.

After my rant last night, we spontaniously decided to take (our first) tuk tuk ride to the beach. The conversation with the driver went a little something like this:

Him: Where do you want to go?
Us: To the beach. How much?
Him: For you, 100 rupees.
Us: We'll give you 40.
Him: Are you kidding? You can't get anywhere with 40 rupees?! I'll take 60.
Us: Thanks, but I think we'll walk.
Him: Fine. 50?
Us: Ok sounds good.

For those who don't know, that's less than $1. It was quite a win.

The beach was very interesting. Nobody wears swimsuits, nobody lays in the sun, and nobody goes in the water, except to dip their feet. The beach wasn't very clean. There were many, what seemed to be, homeless people sleeping under the shade and trash was absolutely everywhere. The water however, was exquisite! We only stepped our feet in, but the temperature was cold enough to cool you down but warm enough to where you wouldn't have to hesitate to get in. It was amazing.

Of course, being the smart person I am, I left my memory card in my computer, so I didn't get any pictures of it. But Carly got some which I can post soon and I'm sure we'll go back so I'll take some more.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Not quite what I expected...

A bit of a rant, reader discretion is advised

I deeply apologize for not being able to post everyday. As stated before, the other Americans literally take up every bit of internet this hotel offers. I'm considering calling their professor to let him know his students are downloading movies in class. Haha. But now that I have a few moments of internet time, let me update you on my week.

Due to some miscommunication on Monday, we ended up not having class and instead just sat around at the school all day, which was fine by me. Then on Tuesday we went to the law firm for our internship and got some work done, but it is just that, an internship. Which means there are many hours of boredom because there's simply NOTHING to do.

Tuesday night however was a thrill. we had our CXO dinner and I got to sit at a table with an HR consultant. It was really informative and it will certainly be easier to write my paper now! Unfortunately I did not wear my Saree because I wanted to look especially professional, but I'll wear it soon enough. Then, to our dismay, we had to wake up at 7am this morning to go to a company visit, which wouldn't have been so bad... had we not been 2 hours early. But, our reward came when we found out that we didn't have class this afternoon. :) But we do have another company visit tomorrow.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be learning about business in India and I understand the importance of my course work, but I honestly imagined there would be more room for exploration to different sites, temples, shops, etc. I feel like our life in India consists of 30% sleep, 15% transportation time, 10% eating times, 5% daily hygiene, and 40% work or school indoors. I want to ride elephants, mingle with the locals, experience the beaches, and take pictures like it's my job. I'm not saying that the other students are to blame, but it is rough being on their schedule.

Hopefully if our plans are approved, we will go to the beach early Saturday morning, and hopefully to Pondicherry on Sunday with the NMS students. But until then, I suppose the only thing to do is catch up/get ahead on work.

Front view of Chennai traffic, not sure which lane we're in.

A nice lunch restaurant near NMS

Carly & I at the CXO dinner.

View from the top of L&T (company we visited), standing on a fiber glass platform.

Monday, July 9, 2012

1st world Problems in a 3rd world Country

The unfortunate part about having the other Americans here is that the internet is terrible. The 39 of them take over all of our wifi! But the nice part about having them is the shopping! Yesterday we went shopping in the streets and at a couple of department type stores. Then today we went to Chennai's major mall. I bought a new button down, but to be honest, I enjoyed the smaller stores more. They had more ethnic items. In addition, I bought my first Saree :) It's the traditional dress for women consisting of a blouse, shall/dress, and pants. I'll certainly post a picture of it when I wear it to the corporate dinner Tuesday night.

One of the best parts about being in Chennai, is the television.We have great American channels that show classic movies 24/7 (currently watching the Titanic), and then other channels that have purely Indian shows, even cartoon network has Indian cartoon characters! But, even if you stick to an American channel, the commercials are more than great to watch. They basically depict Indians as Americans with American products, but one nice thing about American products in India, is that they're designed for Indians. For example, the lays chips, are VERY spicy. We had fun picking out products at the grocery store because everything is packaged differently. Nutella is in a glass jar, Minute Maid juice is boxed, and Oreos are in a tube.

Some other interesting things I've noticed/learned about India is that they still operate under the caste system to some extent. Especially for those going through arranged marriages. And the Indians you seen on bollywood and such are always fair complected, I don't know yet whether that has anything to do with racism or what, but that also seems to be how it works for people in high positions ie. professors, lawyers, etc.

Well anyway, I'd love to stay and chat... but I have homework to do. :(

Sarees are worn very tightly

These are ALL scarfs!

Blouse selections and skirts for sarees


Boxed Juice

The only difference between American malls and Indian malls are the people who go.

I asked if I could take a picture of him and he automatically resorted to this "Discovery Channel" pose

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Traffic in Chennai

As promised, here is a video of our car ride. Unfortunately we went to the law firm today, so it is a short video and there's not much going on. But even here, you can see some unique things. Note:
  • The honking! You can't see the front of the car, but look at all of the people passing and how close the buses get. 
  • There are only two lanes, but bikers and small cars will find a way around anything.
  • The limit to the number of people on a bike is 2, but entire families could be riding, and there are no seat belts.
  • The speed limit doesn't exist, but the speed is determined by the traffic. Typically the fluctuation you see in the speed is due to too many people, not stop lights.
Also, I didn't put the music in there, that is what our driver was listening to!




Did you see:
  • The small yellow vehicles? Those are called (in slang terms) "tuk tuks". They're fairly cheap. Less than 100 rupees, or roughly $2.
  • Bikes are more common on the roads because they're much cheaper.
  • Everything is written in english (pause the video to see more clearly)
  • There are no Americans, so we're a pretty big deal.
Aside from the ride, more is happening in India. Last night the other American students from various Christian colleges came (39 of them) to the hotel. They're staying for 10 days. They're in a study abroad program where they travel around the world in 10 weeks. This is their 10th country and their next stop is China! It was nice having them because we actually got somewhat of an American meal last night. There was actually BEEF at dinner (although it tasted more like sausage)! And today we're going shopping with them.

I'm enjoying my time here but certianly missing America too. Please feel free to call me anytime, and leave a voice mail with your name so I know who it is. Typically I can only talk late at night or early in the morning (american time) but it's always nice to hear a friend or family members voice. My number is in my second blog post. :)

The law firm provides everyone with lunch everyday!
 For comic relief, our friend Presana showed us this indian comedian, check him out! CLICK HERE

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Die hard Burger fan goes Veg

Given my hesitation for the chicken (although I may attempt that KFC in the end), and the fact that eating a cow is taboo, I'm now on a vegeterian diet. Believe it or not, I am constantly feeding on fruit, veggies, bread (The indian bread is AMAZING!), and rice. Alright so I may not have completely opened up yet to the food, but I'm here for five weeks, trust me, I'll get sick of rice at some point. And can you believe that Brittany Garza is actually eating things good for her? Crazy.

Don't let the cake fool you, it's spicy!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

The voice in my head has an Indian accent

I find myself subconsciously mimicking the behaviors of the locals. Here, more commonly in the south, Indians do not nod nor shake their heads but rather they bob their heads. At first I was really taken back by it and worried that I did something wrong, but now, I understand. It is an expression of saying "I understand" on response to someones question or what they are saying. In addition, I notice that I am speaking more and more without conjunctions. My sentences are becoming more clear and concise because that is how Indians speak English and it is easier to relay messages that way.

Even more positively, the car rides are no longer nauseating and I am beginning to identify landmarks on my way to school. Also, my milaria pill is no longer causing sickness. So its a win all around. (Speaking of wins, fun fact, one of our courses is labeled "Winning in India", could it get any better?) Tomorrow I will take a video on my ride to school so that those in the states can get a feel for what it's like to drive in an area with no traffic laws and no speed limits. In the mean time, enjoy these photos complimentary of today.

Cool story: Today was the first time in my life that people have said "Happy Independence day" and my reply was "Thank you". Everyone here knows about the 4th of July. They also have an independence day from British rule on August 15th. That's TWO independence days I'll be missing!

By the way, you can click a photo to see it closer up.

The home size widely varies, from small huts to apartments to even palaces.


Yes, they do have american food!

The traffic won't stop for humans, cows are another story.

By whatever means necessary, people manage to get from A to B.

Celebrating our independence day with pizza huts cheese pizza (only vegetarian options here), garlic bread (literally like texas toast, not bread sticks), and chocolate truffle cake! YUM!