Journal 8-30-2010

Journal 8/30/10

It is a little after seven. Everyone just got back from the cell phone store where we just finished putting minutes on our hand-me-down cell phones. John and I are sharing one, and we put 250 rupees on it. Which means about 250 domestic minutes or about 38 international minutes. 1 dollar = about 45 rupees. So we only spent about 5.5 US dollars on minutes.

We had a very exciting day today. In the morning we met Dr Manovar and his wife Irene. I they will be teaching us class for the next month. After we met we went on a trip by rickshaw to the US Embassy. The goal was to register our names so that in the event of any emergency, the embassy knows that we are in Chennai. But the ride on the way there is really the focus of this story. For those of you who are not familiar with a rickshaw, this is what they look like.

These little yellow vehicles are everywhere, they crowd the streets and their drivers love to stop and try to pick you up, whether you are going somewhere or not. Without giving us directions Irene flagged down two of these, without hesitation Matt, Katie and I jumped into the first one. There is just enough room for three people to sit in the back on a bench directly behind the driver. Riding in a rickshaw is a lot like going on a mild roller coaster. It moves at speeds of around 20-30 mph, is powered by a tiny lawn mower engine and is constantly dodging obstacles that are only inches away. Although the streets are incredibly crowded the drivers of all the vehicles seem to be incredibly skilled. Motorists get incredibly close to each other but seem not to notice or show concern. It is an incredibly functional chaos. I am now convinced that this is the best mode of transportation in the city, and it costs about 40 rupees, less than 1 dollar, for a ride.

This picture shows how crowded the street can get. With this many people, and so many tiny engines, the street is incredibly polluted; you can almost see the haze in these pictures. It feels like you are breathing exhaust whenever you are on a main road.

This is what a rickshaw looks like from the front. And you can see john’s head on the left in the side door.

When we got to the consulate we stood around and tried to get in. But apparently the rules have changed and you now have to make an appointment before you go. This is the group standing in front of the embassy where you are not allowed to take pictures,

Because we didn’t have an appointment we had to go right back to ICSA. When we got back we were let into the computer room where Irene let us use some computers with an Internet connection. This was really nice, because none of us have been able to contact anyone since we boarded our flight to India.

            We ate lunch at about 1:30. It was some type of chicken over rice with some really good vegetable sauces. The chicken was a little bit gross though, I got the neck in  my serving.

            Later we looked for a tailor who could make us custom pants and shirts with fabric we pick out at the market close by. We found 2, and it only costs about 80 rupees, under $2 U.S. to have them made.

            Then we had tea with the ICSA staff, it was really awkward, and we did a terrible job of singing. But after this we went out again. I purchased a book called “City Of Joy”, and also put some rupees on my cell phone. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to send the number to my parents and Claire. It is fairly expensive to call the U.S. but if they use Skype to call my phone, or call from their phone it is free for me and relatively cheep for them (probably only from skype). We are all excited to have phones!

            After the second day I am much more comfortable walking around in the streets. Knowing what to expect makes it much easier to talk to people and fit in with the movement of the city. People are very friendly and enjoy trying to talk to you with whatever amount of English they speak.