What a day! Turns out our section didn't have orientation, just the 2 sections working in the hospital, so the 8 of us section 4 folks sat around getting to know each other. We took a nice walk to see what was beyond the mission walls and found a lot of traffic, trash and stray animals (hogs, cows and dogs). There are just so many people trying to manuever all at the same time! It's pretty crazy! And the trash.. oh how it breaks my heart to see so much litter (if you can even call it that). Getting to spend the day with just the educaton folks was much needed and welcome! I feel like I have really gotten to know them, which will make the next couple weeks with them so much better.
Once the hospital groups finished orientation, the whole group went (in 5 cabs) to the Meenakshi Temple. It was stunning! It's something like a 1000 years old and the detail is far too incredible to describe. Even pictures don't do it justice. We toured the temple and got to see a camel, but unfortunately, the Elephant had just finished for the day and was being walked down to the lake to bathe, so we didn't get to see that. I was assured there would be plenty of opportunity to see them elsewhere in the next two weeks. There is a pretty large shopping district right outside the temple so we spent a couple hours there. I am pretty proud of myself with my bartering skills... even if the guy started outrageously high & overpriced, I was still proud of my ability to talk him down. I ended up getting 2 really nice scarves, 2 anklets, a coin purse and Kate's ruby gem stone for 3000 rupees ($60). If I hadn't bartered with the sellers I would have paid 7600 rupees. Not too shabby for my first time.
After the shopping trip, we returned to the hotel for the New Years Eve party on the roof of the hotel. They had a huge spread of amazing food, tons of alcohol and entertainment. Most of the girls on the trip had purchased Sarees to wear and it was so much fun to experience that and see everyone dressed up. The boys even got in the spirit, buying long tunics to wear! Everyone looked amazing! Dinner was incredible and the entertainment was really fun. At one point, a stilts dancer was between songs and I asked for a picture with him. Well, I got my picture, but it was of me dancing with him! When I went to ask for the picture he recruited me to dance a folk dance with him!! Of course, being me, I said yes! I became the life of the party! Everyone was very impressed with my ability to catch on and dance with him! The other performers were a traditional female dancer and a guy that balanced things on his head while dancing, balancing on a ball or wrapping a saree on himself (not an easy task... we all needed the help of a local to tie ours!). It was loads of fun! After the formal entertainment the wait staff got on stage and started dancing to popular Indian music.. again, being me, I joined in. Others joined as well, but I actually went on stage! We danced for several hours and learned many new styles of dance from the hotel staff!! We rang in the new year with fireworks over the hotel and dancing and drinking! They didn't have real Indian beer, but were serving Carlsburg beer from Germany. It was actually quite good. When it was time to clear out, they cut the music and the staff all flocked to me to shake my hand and compliment my dancing!! I had no idea I was a good dancer! I guess the Indian beats suit me. Many of the Americans complimented me too! lol. That's me... always finding someway to impress or get on stage! It was so much fun, though and probably the best New Years I've had in a while, maybe ever!
Now I'm off to bed. We have something planned at 1:00 today... I'm not sure what, but I'm sure I don't want to miss it! Before I head for bed (it's 3:15 am here) an update on my injuries.. my wrist is still a little tender and weak, but I'm functioning properly. I made the mistake of wearing capris with buttons on the pockets, so my nasty purple bruise kept getting tweaked today, but I'm surviving! The bruise is so dark it's almost black now! Then tonight a waiter jumped off the stage and directly onto my foot, so I have a shoe sole imprint bruise on the top of my foot! It's fine, just bruised! I'm prone to accidents in India, apparently!
One last thing before I go.... Happy New Year to y'all back at home. It's should be about 3:45 pm. there so I'm sure many of you are gearing up for a night out or a night in. Either way, be safe and have fun!! Goodbye 2011... you were wonderful... here's to an even more epic 2012!! Love to all.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Day 2: Chennai to Madurai
I tried to add a video blog today, but the internet service is a little shotty and I couldn't get it to load. Today was a little crazy! I started with the same breakfast I had yesterday, but I'm pretty sure they toned down the spices for our 2nd day... it didn't seem as bad today. As I was leaving the breakfast hall, I slipped on the rain soaked marble staircase and fell. My wrist snapped and the doctor/host we have with our group was worried I had broken my wrist. The pain was fierce, but the medical care would be better in Madurai, so I toughed it out, took an aspirin and boarded the bus. We left Chennai around 9:30 a.m. local time, stopped for lunch around 2 pm and continued on to Madurai. The weather remained rainy most of the trip, but we were moving away from the coast so no major hiccups with the cyclone making landfall in Chennai. Once we arrived at the Sunshine Hotel in Madurai, I went with Uma, our guide (he's the doctor) to the Meenaksi Mission Hospital right next to the hotel. I got an x-ray and determined I didn't break my wrist. They let me keep the xray, so I got a cool souveneir out of the ordeal! My wrist still hurts, but I'll live. I also have a HUGE purple bruise on my butt. I posted a picture on Facebook, its pretty awesome!
The hotel here is really nice, much nicer than Chennai. I'm still sharing a room with Dana and Calley for now, but we'll get our own rooms after the other New Years guests leave on Sunday. The hotel restaurant serves Chinese and American food along with Indian cuisine, so I had some french fries and a pepsi for dinner tonight. I'm about to head to bed. We have orientation tomorrow morning.
The hotel here is really nice, much nicer than Chennai. I'm still sharing a room with Dana and Calley for now, but we'll get our own rooms after the other New Years guests leave on Sunday. The hotel restaurant serves Chinese and American food along with Indian cuisine, so I had some french fries and a pepsi for dinner tonight. I'm about to head to bed. We have orientation tomorrow morning.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
More from Day 1 in Chennai
The city bus tour we took this afternoon wasn't really much of a "tour" but we were taken to St. Thomas' Basilica which is here in Chennai. It is one of the 3 holy places where Jesus' disciples are buried. It was a beautiful Basilica and a nice short visit. There were young Indian girls visiting there at the same time and they asked some of our group members for pictures. Then, we went to the 2nd largest beach in the world. This sounds like a really awesome experience, right? Wrong! It was actually very sad because there was just trash everywhere. There was literally a huge pile of what appeared to be human feces right there in the sand. There were tons of boats and tents set up along the beach, but none on the water because there's a cyclone just off the coast right now. The waves were HUGE! Cyclone Thane is expected to make landfall just southeast of Chennai around 5 am tomorrow morning. We are supposed to leave Chennai to head south to Madurai at 7 am! Prof Raj says he's monitoring the weather very closely and we'll be in no danger. It was very windy and rainy all day today. Our outing was supposed to be a fun all day event, but the rain cut it short.
I hit the wall of jetlag on the bus ride back from the beach, so when some of the others went to a large shopping center, I came back to the hotel with about a dozen others to sleep. Our ballet got cancelled because of the weather, so I was able to get a few hours of solid sleep before our dinner banquet. We had Naan tonight and I like that (it basically tasted like a plain grilled tortilla) and we also had some more dipping sauces, some pasta salad and these chips that tasted like bugles. I like most of the meal tonight, except the pasta salad.. it had a weird flavor. Dessert was some sort of carrot and cheese dish that tasted like it was made with a heavy whipping cream. It wasn't too bad, but very sweet and thick. I had issues with texture again, and it was just too rich to eat more than a few bites.
We're back in the room now and it's 11:30 pm here. The hotel is charged by a 24 hour period, so we have to be out of our rooms by 6:30 am. Our buses for Madurai should arrive shortly after and we'll spend 6-8 hours on the road. Once we get to Madurai, we should have more comfortable accommodations. This hotel is strictly vegan, so there's not much food options. I've been told our hotel in Madurai will fix anything we want (albeit with heavy spices) :-)
Enjoy your afternoon there in the states, I'm going to sleep! :-) Love y'all.
I hit the wall of jetlag on the bus ride back from the beach, so when some of the others went to a large shopping center, I came back to the hotel with about a dozen others to sleep. Our ballet got cancelled because of the weather, so I was able to get a few hours of solid sleep before our dinner banquet. We had Naan tonight and I like that (it basically tasted like a plain grilled tortilla) and we also had some more dipping sauces, some pasta salad and these chips that tasted like bugles. I like most of the meal tonight, except the pasta salad.. it had a weird flavor. Dessert was some sort of carrot and cheese dish that tasted like it was made with a heavy whipping cream. It wasn't too bad, but very sweet and thick. I had issues with texture again, and it was just too rich to eat more than a few bites.
We're back in the room now and it's 11:30 pm here. The hotel is charged by a 24 hour period, so we have to be out of our rooms by 6:30 am. Our buses for Madurai should arrive shortly after and we'll spend 6-8 hours on the road. Once we get to Madurai, we should have more comfortable accommodations. This hotel is strictly vegan, so there's not much food options. I've been told our hotel in Madurai will fix anything we want (albeit with heavy spices) :-)
Enjoy your afternoon there in the states, I'm going to sleep! :-) Love y'all.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Chennai ... Day 1 actually in India
It seems a little strange that "yesterday" was Tuesday and now it's noon on Thursday! We arrived in Chennai around 4 am, local time, about 3:30 pm Wednesday for y'all back home. I basically skipped Wednesday on the airplane. When we got to the airport, Professor Raj was waiting with an air conditioned bus and 2 helpers to get us to the hotel and checked in. The air conditioning was a blessing because as soon as we stepped off the plane we could feel the intense humidity! Customs was a breeze, thank goodness, and we were on our way. Out of our group of 31 students/faculty that arrived this morning, only 2 bags were misplaced. Not too shabby.
There were thousands of people standing around the streets outside the airport, despite the emptiness of our arrival area and baggage claim... I'm guessing (hoping) more flights were set to arrive after ours, otherwise I have no idea what all those people were doing there at 4 am!! There were a lot of people along the streets and driving around on the way to the hotel too. We arrived at our hotel, about 20 minutes bus ride from the airport and got checked in. I'm sharing an "apartment" with 2 other education students in my section, Cally and Dana. Cally has text on her iPhone, so I was able to let Mom and Dad know I was safe in the hotel. So far, my roomies are getting along great! We've had some house guests all day because there's only one key per room and 3 people per room and roommates keep getting locked out. Somehow, our room became the congregation site.. but that's just fine with me. We napped for a little bit, then went to breakfast. My first Indian meal was an epic failure. For those of you who know me, you know how I am about textures of foods... the stuff here was NOT GOOD! lol. The flavor was strange to me, but that's to be expected. There was a rice dish that was really good, but kind of a weird texture... that was the bulk of my breakfast. Then we also tried several dipping sauces with a bread type pancake thing. I don't remember what the guy called it. I also tried some tea, which tasted a bit like a watered down latte ... I added lots of sugar. :-) So far, I can't I'm impressed with the food, and I'm hungry! lol
After breakfast, we showered and cleaned up. The shower situation is interesting here. The shower head is on the wall of the "toilet" (bathroom), but it points pretty much directly at the toilet & sink. The water pools on the floor and drains behind the toilet. The water pressure was good, though and the temperature wasn't too cold.
We exchanged our money with a banker that came to the hotel, then a large group of us went to the one of the biggest shopping centers, just down the road from our hotel. There's a cyclone on the coast here, so it's very windy and rainy, and if you watched the YouTube video I posted about traffic, you can imagine how crazy the streets were. Probably the most shocking and disturbing thing so far has been the amount of garbage lying around. There is just piles of trash everywhere! We've seen rats and human feces on the sidewalks. It's pretty gross. I am happy to say that we successfully crossed the street twice! But, I've almost been hit by a car twice too. :-) I spent about 500 Rupees ($9) on a Saree, a traditional Indian dress for women. All of us girls that went shopping at the Big Bazaar bought sarees to wear for the New Years party we're having on the rooftop of our hotel in Madurai!! It should be really fun. I was a model in the store today so the sales woman could show us how to wrap the saree (which is basically a really long/large strip of colorful material). We'll be taking lots of pictures at our NYE party!
We are headed out here in about 20 minutes to take a bus tour of the city of Chennai. Then tonight, Prof Raj has arranged for us to see an Indian Ballet and have a banquet dinner. We'll sleep in this hotel tonight, then board a bus for Madurai in the morning.
There were thousands of people standing around the streets outside the airport, despite the emptiness of our arrival area and baggage claim... I'm guessing (hoping) more flights were set to arrive after ours, otherwise I have no idea what all those people were doing there at 4 am!! There were a lot of people along the streets and driving around on the way to the hotel too. We arrived at our hotel, about 20 minutes bus ride from the airport and got checked in. I'm sharing an "apartment" with 2 other education students in my section, Cally and Dana. Cally has text on her iPhone, so I was able to let Mom and Dad know I was safe in the hotel. So far, my roomies are getting along great! We've had some house guests all day because there's only one key per room and 3 people per room and roommates keep getting locked out. Somehow, our room became the congregation site.. but that's just fine with me. We napped for a little bit, then went to breakfast. My first Indian meal was an epic failure. For those of you who know me, you know how I am about textures of foods... the stuff here was NOT GOOD! lol. The flavor was strange to me, but that's to be expected. There was a rice dish that was really good, but kind of a weird texture... that was the bulk of my breakfast. Then we also tried several dipping sauces with a bread type pancake thing. I don't remember what the guy called it. I also tried some tea, which tasted a bit like a watered down latte ... I added lots of sugar. :-) So far, I can't I'm impressed with the food, and I'm hungry! lol
After breakfast, we showered and cleaned up. The shower situation is interesting here. The shower head is on the wall of the "toilet" (bathroom), but it points pretty much directly at the toilet & sink. The water pools on the floor and drains behind the toilet. The water pressure was good, though and the temperature wasn't too cold.
We exchanged our money with a banker that came to the hotel, then a large group of us went to the one of the biggest shopping centers, just down the road from our hotel. There's a cyclone on the coast here, so it's very windy and rainy, and if you watched the YouTube video I posted about traffic, you can imagine how crazy the streets were. Probably the most shocking and disturbing thing so far has been the amount of garbage lying around. There is just piles of trash everywhere! We've seen rats and human feces on the sidewalks. It's pretty gross. I am happy to say that we successfully crossed the street twice! But, I've almost been hit by a car twice too. :-) I spent about 500 Rupees ($9) on a Saree, a traditional Indian dress for women. All of us girls that went shopping at the Big Bazaar bought sarees to wear for the New Years party we're having on the rooftop of our hotel in Madurai!! It should be really fun. I was a model in the store today so the sales woman could show us how to wrap the saree (which is basically a really long/large strip of colorful material). We'll be taking lots of pictures at our NYE party!
We are headed out here in about 20 minutes to take a bus tour of the city of Chennai. Then tonight, Prof Raj has arranged for us to see an Indian Ballet and have a banquet dinner. We'll sleep in this hotel tonight, then board a bus for Madurai in the morning.
It's like Aladdin!
I'm in the United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi Airport! The 13 hours on the plane from Chicago wasn't nearly as bad as I'd anticipated. They had this really awesome technology system with tons of options for things to do... games, movies, music, maps, shopping, etc. I watched "The Help" and "Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2", read the first several chapters of "The Hunger Games" and slept a little. I took a picture of the game console for Dad .. they had Bejewelled 2!!! lol.
The in-flight meals were pretty awesome! Our first meal, about 2 hours into the flight, was chicken in mustard sauce with rice and spiced potatoes. The potatoes had peppers and were VERY spicy! very good though. I skipped the salad and dessert. Then, they brought us some caramel popcorn about 1/2 way through the flight. It was good, not as sticky and sweet as what I'm used to, but tastey. The 2nd full meal was served about 3 hours before we landed and consisted of cheese manicotti and a dinner roll. It was VERY good! Again, I skipped the salad. :)
I've already met some really great people! We have a pretty large group waiting here to board the plane from Abu Dhabi to Chennai. There's another group that's leaving from Abu Dhabi to go to Delhi. Our flight leaves at 10:25 local time (about 3 hours from now - it's 7:47 pm here, 9:47 am back home).
The airport here in Abu Dhabi is amazing! I've been told this is the richest country per capita in the world, with an average income of about $17 M. It's night here, so we couldn't really see much as we descended, but some of the housed that were lit up were HUGE! I think I literally saw a palace! ;-) The airport is extremely fancy - I'll take some pictures to post later. Some of the girls traveling with me have made some comments - like the title of this post - about seeing characters from Aladdin! Several of us have expressed interest in taking pictures of some of the traditionally dressed citizens, but we're trying to be respectful.
Erin just came back from the bathroom ... she said it was the most uncomfortable experience ever... people were staring at her and she almost accidentally walked into the prayer room! Oops!
I'll update again when we get to Chennai (and I get my power converter). Love to all!
The in-flight meals were pretty awesome! Our first meal, about 2 hours into the flight, was chicken in mustard sauce with rice and spiced potatoes. The potatoes had peppers and were VERY spicy! very good though. I skipped the salad and dessert. Then, they brought us some caramel popcorn about 1/2 way through the flight. It was good, not as sticky and sweet as what I'm used to, but tastey. The 2nd full meal was served about 3 hours before we landed and consisted of cheese manicotti and a dinner roll. It was VERY good! Again, I skipped the salad. :)
I've already met some really great people! We have a pretty large group waiting here to board the plane from Abu Dhabi to Chennai. There's another group that's leaving from Abu Dhabi to go to Delhi. Our flight leaves at 10:25 local time (about 3 hours from now - it's 7:47 pm here, 9:47 am back home).
The airport here in Abu Dhabi is amazing! I've been told this is the richest country per capita in the world, with an average income of about $17 M. It's night here, so we couldn't really see much as we descended, but some of the housed that were lit up were HUGE! I think I literally saw a palace! ;-) The airport is extremely fancy - I'll take some pictures to post later. Some of the girls traveling with me have made some comments - like the title of this post - about seeing characters from Aladdin! Several of us have expressed interest in taking pictures of some of the traditionally dressed citizens, but we're trying to be respectful.
Erin just came back from the bathroom ... she said it was the most uncomfortable experience ever... people were staring at her and she almost accidentally walked into the prayer room! Oops!
I'll update again when we get to Chennai (and I get my power converter). Love to all!
Monday, December 26, 2011
My bags are packed... I'm ready to go...
It seems like the last month has gone by so quickly! Now Christmas has come and gone and I'm leaving for India tomorrow!! I got back to Iowa City this afternoon and got my suitcase packed. I had to make a quick trip to Wal-Mart for a couple last minute things, but now I'm ready! It was much more difficult to decide what to take than I'd thought it would be! I looked at some discussion threads online for advice and I think I've finally got some acceptable attire packed. It's considered very offensive for women in India to show too much skin, and so we were told not to bring tank tops and low cut or short tops. This wouldn't have been an issue, but the weather where I'm going has been consistently in the low 80's since I started monitoring it a week ago! The overnight lows have only been in the 60's. I'm definitely not complaining and I'm looking forward to the next 3 weeks free of heavy coats and boots!
It's going to be weird to be without my phone since it's basically like an appendage to me! I'll be leaving it at home so it doesn't get lost or stolen while I'm not able to use it anyway! I'll have access to the internet and I'll be trying to update this blog daily or every couple of days while I'm gone.
The most common question I've gotten over the past few weeks has been "Are you nervous?" The answer, surprisingly, is no! If I felt nervous at all, I'd find myself quoting Armagedden - "90% excited, 10% nervous" but I don't really feel nervous at all! I'm just 100% excited! This will be my first time out of the country, and while it's a little strange to be doing it with total strangers, that only adds to my excitement! I'm sure I'll end up with some great friends by the end of the first day... afterall, we'll be spending 25 hours on an airplane together! There are so many things I'm looking forward to I can't even being to list them now... I'll share them as I come across them in the next few weeks!
Thank you to all of you who have sent prayers and wishes for safe travels and fun times!! I appreciate your thoughts! I am so excited to begin this journey!! Bus call is at 9 am, so I better try to get some rest!! (after I put away all the clothes that didn't make the cut that are currently stacked on my bed!)
It's going to be weird to be without my phone since it's basically like an appendage to me! I'll be leaving it at home so it doesn't get lost or stolen while I'm not able to use it anyway! I'll have access to the internet and I'll be trying to update this blog daily or every couple of days while I'm gone.
The most common question I've gotten over the past few weeks has been "Are you nervous?" The answer, surprisingly, is no! If I felt nervous at all, I'd find myself quoting Armagedden - "90% excited, 10% nervous" but I don't really feel nervous at all! I'm just 100% excited! This will be my first time out of the country, and while it's a little strange to be doing it with total strangers, that only adds to my excitement! I'm sure I'll end up with some great friends by the end of the first day... afterall, we'll be spending 25 hours on an airplane together! There are so many things I'm looking forward to I can't even being to list them now... I'll share them as I come across them in the next few weeks!
Thank you to all of you who have sent prayers and wishes for safe travels and fun times!! I appreciate your thoughts! I am so excited to begin this journey!! Bus call is at 9 am, so I better try to get some rest!! (after I put away all the clothes that didn't make the cut that are currently stacked on my bed!)
Thursday, December 15, 2011
About India....
I thought I'd share some of the resources our program coordinator has shared with us to prepare us for traveling to India:
How to Use a Squat Toilet (although I've been told we will have "western accommodations" in our hotels):
Don't cross the street:
Monkeys... we've been warned not to carry food on us in the street, or shiney objects.. monkeys will attack (this video just shows how they hang out... not an attack)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwZCkOZZNHY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwZCkOZZNHY&feature=related
In case you're wondering where I'll be...
So many preparations!
I'm going to India for 3 weeks this winter break! I'll be sharing my experiences here while I'm gone so that everyone can follow along on my adventures!
First, the preparations have been quite a process. Applying to the program was pretty harmless, other than I was indecisive about going at first, so I didn't apply right away. Then I decided I was going to do it! One of my biggest regrets from the first time I was in college was not studying abroad, so come Hell or high water, I was making it happen this time! I was accepted to the program and had to get on the ball with making plans. I've never been out of the country before, so I had to apply for my passport first. Harmless process but expensive! I also had to apply for my Visa, which of course requires a passport, so I had to wait on that! The course supervisor was getting concerned that I hadn't applied for my Visa yet! No worries, I got everything back in time, and I'm all ready to go!
My flights are reserved.... 25 hours one way!! I got some good advice for how to avoid blood clots, discomfort and jet lag from my uncle and some other students who have traveled with this program before. I just received the "packing suggestions list" from our program coordinator, so I'm all set!
For anyone interested in tracking my flights, here's the info:
ETHIAD AIRWAYS 150 27Dec ORD AUH 755P 745P+1
ETHIAD AIRWAYS 268 28DEC AUH MAA 1025P 400A+1 29 DEC
RETURN:
ETHIAD AIRWAYS 269 15JAN MAA AUH 445A 745A
ETHIAD AIRWAYS 151 15JAN AUH ORD 1025A 355P
ORD is Chicago O'Hare, AUH is Abu Dhabi, and MAA is Madras/Chennai in India.
Keep checking back over the next month.. I'll be posting my adventures and some pictures while I'm there!
First, the preparations have been quite a process. Applying to the program was pretty harmless, other than I was indecisive about going at first, so I didn't apply right away. Then I decided I was going to do it! One of my biggest regrets from the first time I was in college was not studying abroad, so come Hell or high water, I was making it happen this time! I was accepted to the program and had to get on the ball with making plans. I've never been out of the country before, so I had to apply for my passport first. Harmless process but expensive! I also had to apply for my Visa, which of course requires a passport, so I had to wait on that! The course supervisor was getting concerned that I hadn't applied for my Visa yet! No worries, I got everything back in time, and I'm all ready to go!
My flights are reserved.... 25 hours one way!! I got some good advice for how to avoid blood clots, discomfort and jet lag from my uncle and some other students who have traveled with this program before. I just received the "packing suggestions list" from our program coordinator, so I'm all set!
For anyone interested in tracking my flights, here's the info:
ETHIAD AIRWAYS 150 27Dec ORD AUH 755P 745P+1
ETHIAD AIRWAYS 268 28DEC AUH MAA 1025P 400A+1 29 DEC
RETURN:
ETHIAD AIRWAYS 269 15JAN MAA AUH 445A 745A
ETHIAD AIRWAYS 151 15JAN AUH ORD 1025A 355P
ORD is Chicago O'Hare, AUH is Abu Dhabi, and MAA is Madras/Chennai in India.
Keep checking back over the next month.. I'll be posting my adventures and some pictures while I'm there!
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