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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.

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!

 

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.

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.

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

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

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!