Week 1 in India

As my first week in India comes to a close, I feel sticky and full of gratitude. Cherry and her entire family have been more welcoming than I imagined possible. I’ve felt safe and comfortable from the moment I touched down in Chennai. I’ll split this entry into a sensory exploration (3/5 senses), and then talk about a few of the Hindu temples we’ve visited.

Here’s a shot from a temple-dweller we stumbled upon in the streets of Kanchi:

Even my histamine-filled nose can sense the layers of smells that surround me in this new place. My nose cannot decipher much of anything, but I can tell you that it is happy (there have been very few bad smells) and it most always smells like a combination of motorcycle/scooter exhaust, spices, masala tea, sweat, happy cows, humidity, Neem trees, free-as-can-be pigs, and other things too which I haven’t yet picked up on.

The tastes fuel my gratitude. Even when the gratuity tank is full, the tastes top it off. I realized today, I should start taking photos of the food we’re eating. For now, we only have my words. Dosas all day everyday. Have you head them? They’re thin rice pancake things, at least that is my definition, and you dip them in all sorts of chutneys or curries or flaxseed mixtures. I eat three dosas my first morning here. And that put a huge smile on Cherry’s grandma’s face. I’ve slowed down, thank goodness. There is lots of white rice, fish, skinny chickens, curries, samosas, mangos, papayas, guavas, mangos, coconuts, bananas, kurd yogurt, rice, mango, and probably a few other things. Once we go north (we head to Delhi on Friday) there will be more naan type foods, but in southern India rice is more common.

A snapshot of the gratitude as we drink lemon ginger sugarcane juice:

Every morning, the cows pay us a visit. The pigs and dogs follow shortly behind. The colors of the animals, trees, cars, swamps, foods, etc. are vibrant and striking. The contrast of the yellow autos against the green Neem trees, green mangos, yellow mangos, and red soil satisfies the eye. Cherry says that everything in India is over-the-top. This is evidenced by the orange soda we had yesterday which tasted like orange sugar cubes melted into syrup.

Thus far, days consist of eating, cricket, eating, petting the cows, eating, reading, shopping, and visiting Hindu temples and other sites.

Here are two pictures from Kanchi (a town full of temples) and famous for their sarees:

Tomorrow, we head to Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra.

Much of me considers this trip as practice and preparation for my Watson Fellowship that approaches rather quickly. I am trying to conceptualize travelling for one year. As I prepare, I want feel comfortable being alone in foreign places. I want to be smart, aware, and safe, but I want to be able to enjoy myself. To practice this independence, I went on a walk alone two day ago. This voyage across the street to the university catalyzed a search party on scooters to find me because it wasn’t safe to be alone. I know that the family’s search party was prompted by love and care, but it’s tough to fully accept this love, care, and concern as I prepare to be on my own all over the world for 365 days.

More thoughts regarding food, adventures, and independence to come. Stay tuned.

With love,

EG