Monday we in lecture and then had a free afternoon. The lectures were on current environmental issues in India and ocean resources. Most of my afternoon was spent finishing up my mine report, which was due that day.
Tuesday morning we visited Suresh's alma mater, Anna University. We explored the campus, had some tea, and then received a lecture on groundwater issues in India (delivered by one of Suresh's former professor in Suresh's old classroom). We then headed to a restaurant that specializes in Aurveydic meals. The meal is very cleansing and you have to consume all the food correctly to receive the full effect. You start with raw juices. Then you have raw food, partially cooked food, cooked food, etc. The meal then ends with a handful of honey. I really had intentions of finishing the meal - I tried really hard! I just couldn't do it though. Some of the partially cooked food was kind of hard to handle - it didn't taste bad but it had strange texture. At least I tried! After that we visited the Working Women's Forum in Chennai. It began as a microcredit nonprofit organization for local women and now has 1.2 million members. Hillary Clinton had just visited this organization in July. It was really neat to see how empowering a NGO can be. This visit helped open my eyes during my next visit to the market (more coming). On the drive back to MCC we were all pretty hungry (the Auyvedic meal wasn't that filling for most). We ended up stopping by an IT building that had a food court downstairs. Restaurants included KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, et al. I had a McFlurry and french fries... had to cleanse my system after that bad lunch experience.
Wednesday morning we had lecture on energy issues in India. That afternoon we had a nature walk around campus with a professor. He showed us all the different trees and shrubs on campus so that was neat. We did, however, get eaten pretty badly by ants. Until this walk I was pretty bite-free. Most of the ants weren't harmful but our legs are now marked! That afternoon I went on a trip to the market by myself. It was the first time I went alone and without a backpack or camera. After visiting the WWF I had a whole new perspective on the market. At first glance it looks like sheer chaos. After gaining perspective on relative poverty in India, however, it no longer appeared chaotic. It's one thing to know what relative poverty is. I've learned about it and I know that most people in India appear impoverished relative to western standards. I didn't really have a gauge for relative poverty though until after the WWF visit. They give short term loans to women who operate businesses. The loans range from 100-1,000 dollars (5,000-50,000 rupees). The women generally have 24-36 months to repay the loan (less than 2% default). Once I realized the amount of money that was involved, I saw small business in a new light. You walk down the market and through the train station and you see women selling items (bangles, henna, cobblers, etc.) on a blanket they've laid down. There are not just a few small vendors - people are set up all over the place. Initially, this appeared to me as poverty, these people have little more than the belongings on their blanket - but not quite. These people are hustling. That's the one word I would now use to describe the market, "hustling." Yes, these people may be in poverty relative to western standards, but relative to India... they're just getting stuff done. These women are busy assembling, bargaining, repairing, and just making ends meet. They might make 200 rupees a day (equivalent to about 4$) but that's nearly four times the national poverty line of 50 rupees per day. These numbers might not be 100% accurate but I'm trying to illuminate my point. People get stuff done here. It might not be pretty by our standards but it works. I also had the opportunity to interact with different people on this trip. I was definitely stared at a lot less since I wasn't in a large group with 17 other white people so that was cool. I was looking for a store that sold cricket supplies and it was located a bit off the main road. After getting directions for a few different people I finally found it. We haven't had too much time to play cricket yet, but I'm hoping we will soon.
Thursday morning we went to the Tamil Nadu State Museum and then ate lunch in the gardens. That afternoon we visited the US Counselet in Chennai. It was a fun trip - they had an American library so we got to catch up on current magazines. We also talked with some of the foreign service officers so that was interesting.
Friday morning we visited the snake park in downtown Chennai. It was pretty wild. In addition to snakes they also have crocodiles. We also saw wild monkeys up in the trees. It was a really fun trip. Later on we visited St. Mary's Church at Fort St. George. It is one of the original churches established by the British. After that we visited St. Thomas' Mound - the the place where the disciple Thomas was martyred.
This morning we had a lecture on gender issues in India. Immediately following that we had our farewell ceremony. It was a really nice presentation by the professors we have worked closely with our group over these five weeks. We received mementos from MCC (keychain and pen) and were all asked to share a few remarks regarding our time here. This provided a nice opportunity to reflect and I said something along these lines:
The most common question I receive from friends and family back home is, "What is India like?" It's a logical question and also an irritating one. I've been here for five weeks and I've only experienced a drop of the ocean - how am I suppose to answer that question?! I've thought about it, however, and I think it begins with our first night here (in India/at MCC). India is kind of like a John Lennon Tribute Concert. It's random, obscure, beautiful, chaotic, and mind-blowing. It's the opportunity to engage in cross-culture dialogue and see what we have in common. It's a chance to learn about one another.
So, that's my (partial) reflection of the first five weeks here. I'm sure there will be more to come later.
Tomorrow morning we will be departing bright and early. We are flying to Kochi and will be there for a week. I am also meeting up with my friend Chili tomorrow and I'm looking forward to that.
After Kochi we will visit Goa and then Delhi. The internet availability over the next few weeks will be marginal but I'll do my best to check my email when I can. Maybe I'll even be able to blog and post pictures along the way. My camera is already packed so no new photos for this post. I will put some great pictures of people I'm missing. (Of course I'm missing other people but I don't have pictures of everyone saved on this machine)
The Barker kids got on there a lot... but they're real cute.
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