Day Seven, Chennai, India

11:01pm

          Another day, another entirely new experience. The first half of the day was the usual routine of workout, breakfast, INTB class, lunch, then yoga. Class was pretty interesting again and yoga continued to get more difficult and entertaining. After yoga, we were left on our own to get to the mall and movie theater where we had already booked tickets for a 6:45 movie. We'll talk about the movie later.
          The mall was unexpectedly awesome. And yet again, I find myself saying, "the pictures don't do it justice." This mall (or "mega mall" as I call it) was every bit as nice if not nicer than the majority of modern American malls and about five times the size. The mega mall was decked out with five stories of the most popular, expensive global brand name stores and then some. Unlike the smaller stores and outdoor retail areas surrounding the mall, the inside of this place was absolutely spotless. Since we arrived about an hour before the start of our movie, the guys and girls split up to check out some stores. Evan, Jeevan, and I headed straight for the Nike, Reebok, and Addidas stores where I was again tempted to buy awesome, authentic soccer jerseys. And again, my will power won the battle and I didn't buy anything I shouldn't have. On a side note, I've decided I will be purchasing India's national cricket team jersey at some point on this trip. If I could only leave this country with one souvenir, that would be it. Anyways, we spent as much time as possible checking out what the mall had to offer, including the super fancy watch stores with watches worth over $6,000. I have yet to see an Indian who would be willing or able to purchase such a thing, but I guess there are some pretty wealthy Indian men who need some bling. Who am I to judge?
          Right at 6:45, we went up to the top floor of the mall and into the movie theater. Before this trip, I was certain I had found the nicest movie theater on the planet in Alpharetta, GA. Today I learned that I was wrong. Very wrong. As you walk in the front door, all you see is granite, marble, chandeliers, 60" touchscreen ticket-ordering stations, and fancy flower arrangements. As you walk into the next area, there is a long, granite counter for concessions. What's on the menu at an Indian movie theater, you ask? For starters, popcorn is about $1.50 for the biggest bag they offer. Items such as gelato ice cream, lattes, sandwiches, and vegetarian snacks make up the rest of the menu. After you pay less than $5 for all the food you can possibly eat during a two-hour movie, you head into the theater where you find leather recliners, velvet decorations, and more chandeliers. Since most of our group had already seen the American movies that were playing, we chose to see a Tamil movie ("Tamil" being the official language of the state we're in). Because the Indian film industry is booming, the movie quality was excellent. Even with the language barrier, it was clear that the actors were doing a good job. We were able to follow along with the story line better than expected. As far as the Indian movie audience is concerned, I was pretty pleased. They laugh out loud when something is even mildly funny and they clap and cheer when the hero gets his revenge on the antagonist. This kept us entertained and helped us quickly realize when anything significant was happening in the story line.
         After the movie, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at the food court then argued with some auto drivers for a reasonably priced ride back to the hotel. Now I have successfully procrastinated with my schoolwork and written more than anyone would care to read about my day. Time for bed.

Day Six, Chennai, India

5:11pm

          We've got some extra time on our hands this afternoon so I decided to go ahead and get my post out of the way for the day. We had a pretty different experience today. After yoga and breakfast, we took a long cab ride out the India Institute of Technology, Madras. I hadn't been told much about this school except that it was the local campus of a good Indian tech school. When we got to the campus, we met up with Neil and our tour guide for the day, Jithin (a 5th-year biotechnology student at IIT). Jithin didn't waste any time telling us about how IIT is actually one of the most prestigious universities in India and only students in the 99th percentile are accepted. So basically, IIT is the MIT of India. Just like MIT, IIT grads are heavily sought after by companies around the world and eventually become some of the most powerful players in their industries. Jithin gladly showed us around campus from an engineering lab, to the biotechnology department where he spends most of his time, and lastly to the campus coffee shop.
          It was really cool being able to walk around a busy campus in a foreign country and see all of the things they do differently and more surprisingly, what the do the same. One of the biggest differences is that IIT students are required to live on campus at all times in 50-year-old dorms with no air conditioning. Most of the buildings on campus didn't look nearly as nice as some of the fancy facilities you find at the big schools in the US, but inside of the buildings you can find some of the latest and greatest science and technology equipment. Part of me was thinking that these geniuses like Jithin deserve the luxuries of air conditioning and fancy buildings that I take for granted, but I've come to realize that its just the way of life that they're accustomed to. They are so grateful to be receiving such a good education that they see no reason to sit around and complain about their sweltering dorms and classrooms in the 100+ degree summer heat of Chennai. I guess this was just another valuable life lesson in disguise that you can only find while studying abroad. One of these days I'm going to write a book about the importance of studying abroad for every college student. The list of benefits goes on for miles.
          After some coffee for about 50 cents a cup, we rode the campus bus to the exit and got in some three wheeled taxis ("autos" as they are called here) to go back to the hotel for lunch. Evan, Leigh, and I had an auto to ourselves and of course, it broke down in the middle of the road half way back to the hotel. When our driver realized it wasn't going to be a quick fix, he kicked us out and helped us flag down another auto. Our new driver seemed to think it was a good idea to take us the long way home with us packed in like sardines in order to run up the meter to a whopping 95 rupees (about $1.50). We finally made it back and had lunch waiting for us.
          Lunch was followed by a walk to some of the local stores that were closed last night. I was tempted to buy a $60 soccer jersey or some nice Ferrari clothes at the Puma store, but I held off. Now we're back at the hotel relaxing until dinner. I feel a lot more comfortable being in Chennai than I did five days ago. All is well. Here's some pictures from the day:

Day Five, Chennai, India

11:53pm

          I'm getting a pretty late start on today's post because I accidentally took a pretty long nap this afternoon. Today was a necessary change of pace from the eventful past few days. I went for a good run on the streets of Chennai early this morning because I was tired of the small treadmill in the gym here. I was surprised to run into some locals who were also going for a morning run. The huge change of scenery kept the exercise interesting and more enjoyable. I plan on making this a part of my morning routine form now on.
         We had our international business class for a few hours this morning and went straight to lunch afterward. After a quick 30-minute nap, we went headed into yoga class. I'm not a particularly huge fan of yoga, but I definitely enjoy the experience of learning the art and lifestyle of yoga from someone who knows just about everything there is to know on the subject.
         Next came my unintentionally long nap. The rest of the group ordered dinner for Evan (my roommate) and I while we napped and we woke up to a huge Indian feast. So far, I'm still enjoying the food. The only thing I don't enjoy is the amount of bones that are in the chicken.
         After dinner we decided to walk a few kilometers to some stores. The walk was nice, but our timing was terrible. Just as we arrived on the main strip, all of the stores were locking up. Every store we tried to pop into kicked us out pretty quickly. We soon gave up and resorted to the ice cream store that stays open later than most places. The ice cream was good and pretty cheap compared to the standard American places like Bruster's.
         That's about it for today. I don't really have any pictures from the day, but I might put some up later.
          

Day Four, Chennai, India

10:35pm

          Today has been the most eventful day here in Chennai. I started the day off with another early morning workout, 2 hours of yoga, then spicy breakfast. Around 10am, we hopped in a van taxi and went to a school for music and dance (I can't remember the name now). We peeked into the open-air dance classrooms as local students and students form around the world were learning traditional South Indian dances.
          From the school, Neil took us across the street to a local craft market where there were tons of booths filled with handmade goods. The intricate detail and creativity involved in some of the crafts was pretty mind-blowing. If I had unlimited money and room in my suitcases, I would have bought a couple of the 3-D paintings I saw.
          From there we went to the Theosophical Society. This place really sparked my interest. I don't know a lot of details about the Theosophical Society, but from what I understand, it was set up over 100 years ago as a sort of international coalition to promote peace and acceptance between all religions. I took a lot of pictures here, some of which are shown below. One of my favorite parts of this place was the quote, "There is no religion higher than truth." I feel like some people may misconstrue this quote to be almost atheistic, but it is actually far from that. Strict religion has caused problems for thousands of years and will continue to do so. Faith, however, does not start wars, riots, violence, etc. I could go on and on about this issue but that's not what I made this blog for.
          We ate lunch down the road at a vegetarian restaurant that had surprisingly good french fries. I'm going to try to stay away from the American-style foods from here on out. Once we were nice and worn out from our time walking around in the heat, we had three hours of international business class. Despite my interest in the subject, it was beyond difficult to stay awake.
          We just returned from eating dinner a couple of kilometers away from the residence because we forgot to pre-order our dinner here. That didn't bother me though because we had an excellent meal and got to go out into the more populated area of the city. Poes Garden is a kind of secluded area of the city that is home to only some of the most privileged and wealthy residents of Chennai.
          Now I'm going to bed exhausted again and ready for some solid hours of sleep. Again, here's some pictures. The quality might be a little better now that I'm using Madeline's digital camera instead of my phone:

Day Three, Chennai, India

11:12pm

          As expected, I have much less time to keep up with blogging now that classes have started. My entries will probably be short and sweet for the most part from here on out.
         This morning started off with a workout, another spicy/delicious breakfast, and three hours of international business class. From what I've seen thus far, I think I will really enjoy this class because it will be primarily based on our discussion of current issues in the Indian market as well as the global market. Since the class will only last two weeks, the workload is pretty hefty. Nothing I can't manage though.
         After lunch, we started yoga class. This class is proving to be just as interesting if not more interesting than I anticipated. Our instructor is very good at what she does and she is excited about teaching us something we know so little about. Today's class wasn't too intense, but I've been told we will be picking up the pace very soon and we will be standing on our heads (or attempting to do so) near the end of the two weeks.
         Almost immediately following yoga, we hopped in a van and made our way to Kapaleeswarwar Temple a few kilometers away. This Hindu temple was originally built in the 7th century and now stands with fresh coats of paint in the middle of the busy streets of Chennai. Neil was pretty familiar with the temple and was able to give us a good guided tour. After leaving the temple, we went to a traditional South Indian dance performance. It was definitely something that I've never seen before. Unfortunately, the chairs were comfortable and we were all pretty tired so some of us dosed off about halfway through the performance.
         We got to ride in three-wheeled taxis again (my favorite mode of transportation) on the way back to the hotel after eating some excellent Indian food at a global Indian "fast food" chain. Now, I've finished my schoolwork and I'm absolutely exhausted. Looking forward to starting the day off on the right foot tomorrow with some yoga at 7:30am.



         

Day Two, Chennai, India

12:51pm 

         

          I have officially eaten my first Indian meal. As expected, it involved curry. The rumors that Indians eat curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is absolutely true. I guess its a good thing that I kind of like it. My stomach is going to have some serious adjusting to do before I'm able to eat such spicy food at 8am. That's one part of this adventure I'm not looking forward to.

          This morning, I got to meet my fellow interns for the first time. So far, so good. They all seem like really cool people with very different backgrounds. I've always said that the best part of studying abroad is the new relationships you form along the way so I'm looking forward to getting to know these people on a deeper level over the next few months.
          As you can probably tell, the internet access has been surprisingly good. Indians seem to be extremely tech-savy people in general. My program director was telling us at breakfast that even the poorest Indians own some form of cell phone.  This is probably what makes India the largest consumers of mobile devices in the world.

4:34pm

          The jet lag is starting to kick in and I'm feeling insanely tired. The curry-induced burning sensation I have in my stomach is certainly not helping the situation. We just got done with a 2-hour "briefing" with our program director. He went over everything we will be doing for the next two weeks in Chennai before we head to Mumbai. The list of cool things we're going to be doing is endless. 

          The "optional" daily yoga classes have turned into "highly recommended wink wink nod nod you better be there or I will hate you" daily yoga classes. It looks like I'll be waking up at the crack of dawn and participating in 2-hour yoga sessions on the terrace for 12 of the next 14 days. Should be interesting to say the least. 

          The only reason I'm blogging right now is because we're waiting on a taxi to arrive to take us to a shopping market. We've been told it's the largest retail shopping market in the world. Not sure how exciting that will be for the men of the group, but I'm sure it will at least be a new experience. 

          As I think about it more, I probably won't have nearly as much time to blog in the upcoming weeks. I'm going to try my best to write something every day. Whether that will actually happen or not, remains to be seen.

8:31pm

          We just got back from our adventure around the busy streets of Chennai in 3-wheeled taxis. Sankaran (our program director) suggested the 3-wheeled method of transportation over regular taxis because he thought it would be a good experience for us. He could not have been more correct. I've never been bungee jumping or sky-diving but I think the adrenaline rush is about the same. There are traffic laws here, but each and every one of them is broken all day, every day. Cars are constantly coming within inches of each other regardless of what speed they're going. As for pedestrians, they are basically nonexistent in the eyes of the drivers. Crossing the street is the most intense game of frogger you can imagine. Pedestrians have no rights and drivers assume no liability in the event of an accident so the drivers have no incentive to stop while you cross the road.
          Culture shock hit a whole new level for me today as soon as we got into downtown Chennai. The streets around the retail stores looked like an American wal-mart on black friday with 100 times more people and . And the best part? Today is an Indian national holiday so half of the stores weren't even open and our programmed director described the chaos we saw as "a slow day in Chennai".
          We stopped in some silk stores along the way and saw gold-dipped threading made into wedding outfits costing over $10,000. Indian women love gold more than their own families. They have found a way no put a piece of gold on just about every part of their bodies.
          I could sit here all night and try to describe what I saw today, but I'm jet lagged and don't have that kind of time on my hands.

Some pictures from today:

Day One, Chennai, India

  2:13am (local time)  

       I don't even know where to start. My mind has already been blown by India. I still have yet to fully comprehend the fact that I'm on the other side of the planet. The first leg of my flight (Atlanta to Frankfurt) was pretty terrible. No leg room, large man next to me blowing his nose every 5 seconds, babies crying etc. The second leg (Frankfurt to Chennai) was much better thanks to the miracle drug known as Benadryl. Thanks to Benadryl, I passed out before the plane even taxied out to the runway and stayed asleep for the next six hours. The downside of my deep slumber was that I didn't fill out a customs form and had to track one down after we arrived in Chennai.
           I noticed the significant temperature increase as soon as I stepped off the plane at midnight. I can't imagine what the heat is going to be like during the day. On the ride from the airport to the hotel, I saw the stereotypical Indian slums with houses made of whatever random materials the homehowners could find. We had to drive through a security gate with armed gaurds to get in the neighborhood that our hotel is located in. Apparently we are staying in the same neighborhood as the Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, who is a very powerful and respected woman.
          It's pretty strange being in area that I know so little about. I'm looking forward to getting out in the daylight for the first time tomorrow to explore.

If you're wondering what my living arrangements are like, here's a link:

http://www.hanureddyresidences.com/service-apartments/rooms/

And here's a couple of pictures:

My view from the very last row of the flight (before nose-blowing guy sat down next to me)

My meal at the McDonald's in the Frankfurt airport. No biscuits on the menu, just mcmuffins and croissants