Settling In

Thursday November 13, 2005

Receding Monsoons

The receding monsoons are drowning Chennai these days. They highlight another aspect of infrastructure I normally take for granted: Drainage systems. Any step I take is carefully planned in hopes that I do not end up shin deep in water of questionable contents.

Work has started to take form in the past week. I have begun work on a cash management inefficiencies project with two interns who are pursuing their MBA from the Institute of Rural Management. Working closely with two Indian interns highlights differences in the education systems of the two countries. When I want to brainstorm and play around with many different scenarios they want to have a regimented attack plan for the project. It should prove to be a challenging growth experience for me. Visiting the villages where the banks operate will be the highlight of the project to me. We plan to take an overnight train down to Tanjavor this coming week.

Another interesting development at work shocked me yesterday. I have a meeting on Saturday at 10:30 and it is completely normal. It appears in a developing nation such as India 6-day work weeks are a commonality. It makes perfect sense when you think about trying to get a nation functioning properly it was just never a concept that crossed my mind.

Cat sitting has developed into a mini-solitary holiday. I do miss sharing stories and cultural differences with Princy, but I had a startling realization. I have never spent three and a half weeks living on my own. From university and having anywhere from 3-5 roommates to actually sharing a room again in London and then traveling from couch to couch in my gap time there has been no solid amount of time where I have had my own personal abode. Now I have a three bedroom flat complete with projector, two balconies, dining room, sitting room and full kitchen. So far I prove to be quite the lazy bachelorette. My use of the full kitchen led me to my Indian creation of scrambled eggs and I have been tucked into bed with my book by 10:30 every night!

As for my commutes now that they are solo I have been trying my best at bargain. I feel I only get ripped off about half the time now! One evening this week I took a bit of a chance and accepted a motorbike ride home from an ex-pat Praful. Either I am now used to the chaos on the roads here or being on the back of a bike is somehow less scary then in a rickshaw because the ride was actually enjoyable.

Despite all of my woes on infrastructure and work hours after spending my last hour reading the trials of the poverty stricken in India I invite you all to look upon the American economy with hope and still be thankful for all that you have. Take Chaturbuj from Tikamgarh who said “He hates it when his wife hast to go away in search of work. Not because he misses her but because the only mulch cow they own won’t let him milk her.” India has 300 million people that live on less than $1 a day and work long labor filled hours. Sorry to end on a sobering note but in a way I had to remind myself.

Saturday November 15, 2008

Six Days a Week

It is Saturday evening and I arrived home from work a little while ago. I took advantage of the daylight hours and strolled home from work for the first and most likely only time. The November weather in Chennai is quite pleasant. Around 80 degrees along my walk home I had to dismiss around ten auto drivers who were insistent that I needed a ride but it was worth it to share a block of my walk with two beautiful Indian girls. As we parted one reached out her hand and grasped mine with and the biggest smile flooded her face. As I neared my temporary flat I ran into Michael an ex-pat I met at a birthday party the previous night. Its amazing how two weeks in a place and you can bump into someone on the street;)

Sunday November 18, 2008

Because I was only awarded one day off as my weekend, taking full advantage of that small time was absolutely necessary. I unexpectedly ended up at the beach not once but twice. On Saturday evening I was lucky enough to enjoy an al fresco dinner while listening to the Bay of Bengal crash into the shoreline. A Tamil native took me to the Taj Fisherman’s Cove resort to sample Indian seafood. To perfect the atmosphere we dined under a thatched umbrella while the monsoons poured cascaded down. We started with calamari grilled with garlic and lemon and then had Lobster prepared in local spices. It was a fantastic way to spend my one proper weekend night. The meal also highlighted the major differences in between castes or classes in India. My friend is one of the very few Indians that find it an extremely comfortable place because his finances allow him to. The disparity between the rich and poor here is unfathomable until it is in your face.

Bright and early on Sunday I took to my traveling spirit and convinced Joy, an American girl I met at work, to journey down to a seaside town. After an hour and a half open air public bus ride down the coast we arrived in Mahabalipuram. We paid the non-Indian rate to gain access to the Shore Temple and Five Rathas (250Rs as compared to 10Rs for Indians) and enjoyed a hearty laugh at the idea of the US enforcing such pricing at monuments or museums. Could you imagine how they would judge that without asking everyone for identification?

The Shore temple carvings were from the 7^th century and stood around 3 stories high as a place of Hindu worship. The sea gusts and sad had worn much of the carving down but it was still a daunting structure. The heat of the day was quickly draining us so we had a fresh coconut to reinvigorate. The man then used his machete like knife to split the fruit and allow us to devour the meat. The five Rathas were beautiful structures and the carvings more vivid then the shore temple as their distance from the shore saved them from the rough conditions.

Then we journeyed back into town center and enjoyed fresh calamari and pizza at a great new age French/Indian place called Le Yogi. The charming new age restaurant immediately eased me as I slipped of my shoes and strolled into the open air room decorated in an array of oranges and deep red tapestries. We sipped fresh lime soda as we waited for our meals and listened to the eclectic beats (a mix of French and reggae tunes). After lunch we strolled down to the beach and decided to read while enjoying lassi (fruit and yogurt beverage) and milkshakes. In all the beaches I have visited I have never seen such a scene as the Indian Beach. There were circles of old men playing cards while their counterparts appeared to be gossiping and tracing symbols in the sand. Stray dogs galloped around in the waves while their adorable (yet sadly mangy up close) pups chases nipped at their heels. Down the shoreline about 50 yards there were a few young Indian boys playing in the waves. Overall the beach trip was the ideal Sunday afternoon.

Monday November 17, 2008

Preparing for Indian Train Travel

I just received word I will be taking my first overnight train in India. Along with the two young men I am working with I will be boarding an overnight train tomorrow to visit Tanjavor to map cash movement in village life. Unfortunately due to short notice we will be in a non-ac sleeper car. Should be quite the