VANAKKAM from India!
I made it! The two full days of travel was quite exhausting but it was all worth it when we arrived into the hustle and bustle of Chennai. It was 3am and the crowds outside the airport were shocking.Our country coordinator Ram met us and helped us all get to the hotel where we were greeted by his wife Latha and others. We were each handed a rose and Latha went around and placed some rosewater on the base of our necks and gave us each a bindi. We were all so tired, but our eyes were wide open. The hotel is almost too nice for what I was expecting, and I couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.
After only a few hours of rest we were out and about in Chennai. There is SO much going on all the time here. All you can hear around you is honking horns. There are so many different smells, from the exhaust of all the rickshaws, motorbikes, etc, to the flowers sold at the street vendors. There are so many people everywhere. After lunch (which I ate with my hands) we went around the city to multiple tourist sites including Marina Beach and a beautiful Hindi temple.
I am on sensory overload right now. One question that I had running through my mind all day was what are all of these people doing? Where are they going? Everyone is just walking on the streets. Its such a strange and foreign site to me. Do they have homes? Why aren't the kids in school?
As I walked barefoot through the Hindi Temple, I felt so connected with the Earth and the people around me even though we were so different. Believing in something so strong is amazing. To be honest I was jealous. I feel so lucky to be among these people. IT WAS MAGICAL.
On Friday I think it all hit me. We were walking down the streets and everyone was just so out of their comfort zone. We were all on edge and felt so out of place. It's crazy how clear the cultural differences are. To them I am just a white girl in India. Thats it. What does that make me? What do they think when they see me? Will there ever be a way to break these boundaries? There was a point when I couldn't tell if I was angry, confused, sad, or culture shocked. The great thing is having people in my group that are feeling the exact same things.
Today we took our first trip on a rickshaw into the markets of T nagar. Holly, Steph, and I sat down in this rickshaw, somehow managed to explain where we wanted to go and that was it. We were zooming down the tiny streets of Chennai. "We're doing it. We're doing it." I felt so alive. I've never seen anything like this city before. We walked around the market and browsed through the different stands with colorful kurtas, bangles, beads, shoes, everything. People say hi and take pictures of our group like they've never seen people like us before, its unreal.
Tonight we move in with our homestay families and I am nervous but so excited. I can't wait to see how our relationship will build and transform and help me get comfortable in this city for the next 4 weeks.
I can't do justice to what I am feeling/seeing around me all the time over here. But I hope my blogs and pictures will help.
Namaste,
E
I made it! The two full days of travel was quite exhausting but it was all worth it when we arrived into the hustle and bustle of Chennai. It was 3am and the crowds outside the airport were shocking.Our country coordinator Ram met us and helped us all get to the hotel where we were greeted by his wife Latha and others. We were each handed a rose and Latha went around and placed some rosewater on the base of our necks and gave us each a bindi. We were all so tired, but our eyes were wide open. The hotel is almost too nice for what I was expecting, and I couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.
After only a few hours of rest we were out and about in Chennai. There is SO much going on all the time here. All you can hear around you is honking horns. There are so many different smells, from the exhaust of all the rickshaws, motorbikes, etc, to the flowers sold at the street vendors. There are so many people everywhere. After lunch (which I ate with my hands) we went around the city to multiple tourist sites including Marina Beach and a beautiful Hindi temple.
I am on sensory overload right now. One question that I had running through my mind all day was what are all of these people doing? Where are they going? Everyone is just walking on the streets. Its such a strange and foreign site to me. Do they have homes? Why aren't the kids in school?
As I walked barefoot through the Hindi Temple, I felt so connected with the Earth and the people around me even though we were so different. Believing in something so strong is amazing. To be honest I was jealous. I feel so lucky to be among these people. IT WAS MAGICAL.
On Friday I think it all hit me. We were walking down the streets and everyone was just so out of their comfort zone. We were all on edge and felt so out of place. It's crazy how clear the cultural differences are. To them I am just a white girl in India. Thats it. What does that make me? What do they think when they see me? Will there ever be a way to break these boundaries? There was a point when I couldn't tell if I was angry, confused, sad, or culture shocked. The great thing is having people in my group that are feeling the exact same things.
Today we took our first trip on a rickshaw into the markets of T nagar. Holly, Steph, and I sat down in this rickshaw, somehow managed to explain where we wanted to go and that was it. We were zooming down the tiny streets of Chennai. "We're doing it. We're doing it." I felt so alive. I've never seen anything like this city before. We walked around the market and browsed through the different stands with colorful kurtas, bangles, beads, shoes, everything. People say hi and take pictures of our group like they've never seen people like us before, its unreal.
Tonight we move in with our homestay families and I am nervous but so excited. I can't wait to see how our relationship will build and transform and help me get comfortable in this city for the next 4 weeks.
I can't do justice to what I am feeling/seeing around me all the time over here. But I hope my blogs and pictures will help.
Namaste,
E
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