this is the high life...

Friday, February 18, 2011

The Sprayer

Can one integrate too much into a new culture? How far is too far? At what level do you have to draw the line?

All of these questions center around one very important part of everyday life here in India. Perhaps the most pressing decision we had to make as to how far we were going to take our leap into the Indian lifestyle came in of all places...the bathroom.

Most people are aware that Indians mostly use their hands to eat (which we've readily accepted). Curiously though, only the right hand is used. Similarly, you would never offer your left hand to someone to shake it. While nearly 10% of Americans are left-handed, I have only interacted with one person here who knows of someone who is left-handed. All of this points back to the question of what is so deterring about the left hand.

The answer lies in the washroom, the most basic of which includes a toilet (sometimes sitting, sometimes squatting), and a small cup filled with water. Once finished, one uses the left hand to scoop out some water and clean him/herself. While it might sound disturbing to the uninitiated, this simple system has been in place in this land for several centuries.

While we were aware of this "interesting" part of the Indian lifestyle, we continued to buy our toilet paper, believing that there really was a point of being "too" enculturated. Then, one evening we were babysitting our American partner's child and I needed to blow my nose. Not finding any tissue anywhere, I thought surely I would find something I could use in the bathroom. But there was none. Then I realized that they had taken the plunge and were now going paperless.

Shocked, but with renewed enthusiasm, we slowly started to wean ourselves off the paper too. Thankfully, we don't have to resort to a cup of water, but have a handy sprayer which made the transition a little more comfortable. Looking back, we're glad we made the switch. Not just for the sake of saving money, paper, or being more Indian. It's actually a lot cleaner too, provided there's some soap to wash your hands afterward. The sprayer is our preferred method and now we are dealing with the prospect of being without it when we come back to visit. I guess we'll just have to get our parents to install them. I'm sure it will provide some good resale value if any Indians are in the market.

Neil

Monday, February 14, 2011

Public Service Announcement

"Wear Sunscreen."

This is what happens when you live close to the equator and forget your sunscreen at home. It's amazing how many Indians didn't realize skin could turn purple. I'm awesome.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

There's always room for one more

With over a billion people, India has some spatial challenges. It's hard to fit everyone in where they need to be and where they need to go. While we still on occasion like to have our "personal space", our comfort zone has drastically decreased since arriving. Here are a few of our favorite modes of transportation and some capacities that would not be conceivable in the US.

First is the share auto. If you hire a regular auto you get to sit all by yourself with plenty of leg room. However, you also end up paying a lot. A trip from our place to a nearby movie theater would cost at least 200 rupees. However, with a share auto, the driver goes on a set route and you can get in and ride for however long you want. That same trip ends up costing 30 rupees a person. But the "share" part means the driver tries to pack as many passengers as possible into the auto to maximize his profit. So, it's not uncommon to see one of these chugging along with around 15 humans crammed into something about the size of a smart car.

The family sedan. Motorcycles can be used for lots of useful ventures including hauling your entire family around. These boys have probably been riding in the same position on this bike since they were born. While comfort and safety are not really important in this option, you must respect the way they are able to still make it work without breaking the bank.

As nice as they are, share autos don't cover most of the city. Therefore, the vast majority of the population of Chennai must rely on the bus. These buses vary in shapes and sizes and colors and smell. They have deluxe A/C buses (which are pretty nice), regular deluxe buses (basically means that the doors close), standard buses (as pictured in blue), and the old-as-dirt buses (above) which are a lovely dirty green color and the metal has melted in certain places.

Since most people have to ride buses, they tend to get pretty packed. We were on a particularly crowded bus one time and I started counting (from what I could see, which means no one under 5'7" was included). I got to 115 before we got off. It's really crazy just how many people can cram on to these things, which are always overflowing with eager young boys running alongside and hanging on for dear life. The green bus pictured above gives evidence to just how many people will hang on to the side and tilt the bus till its nearly toppling over. Sometimes the buses get stuck in that position even when they're empty.

So, as our world gets more crowded and full, we can say for sure that our experiences here in India have prepared us well to realize the potential space not yet used to its full potential. So forgive us if the next time you see us we are trying to fit into the back of your minivan that already has 7 people in it - it's just who we are now.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Not Looking Both Ways When We Cross the Road

I've thought a lot about having children in Chennai and what it will be like for them to hop back and forth between India and Indiana. I realized that the biggest adjustment for them will probably be crossing the street--and me hoping that they don't get hit. And no, I'm not talking about India....

Here's the deal. Jaywalking is an everyday occurrence here. Shoppers, bicyclists, dogs, cows...everybody does it. If you don't, you wouldn't ever get anywhere. Sounds scary to American ears, right? Except that drivers expect it. Along with dodging other cars, buses, lorries, and motorcycles, drivers are 100% prepared to dodge the everyday pedestrian.

When we first moved here, traffic seemed like one big ball of chaotic, unorganized petrol. We were wrong. We now see that there are rules of traffic here, they just aren't the same as the ones followed in the States. One of those rules is being prepared to happily dodge the jaywalker. So, when I cross the street, I take a quick glance to make sure I'm not stepping directly in front of oncoming traffic and if I'm not, I walk confidently into the road knowing that the traffic will simply change pattern for a moment to let me pass. It's brilliant really. It's almost like the city operates on roundabouts, except that they appear and disappear in a matter of seconds. If we had traffic lights at every intersection, no one would ever get anywhere.

And so, our kids will be jaywalkers. Don't be perplexed when we come home and step confidently into traffic. I'm sure after the first encounter with an angry driver, we'll learn our lesson. Hopefully it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

This is obviously a VERY low traffic time on the outskirts of Chennai. Regardless, the bicyclist gives a good picture of what I'm talking about.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Cheering when Sachin scores a century

We're starting a new blog series, focusing on the ways that we've grown in our "Indian-ness" now that we've been here for a year.

First, let me focus on cricket - a source of much mystery to Americans. Cricket is often likened to baseball. Which it is - except the batter gets a bat about 3 times as big and he only has to run to one base to score a run. Truly it is a game of skill, but it is heavily weighted on the side of the batter. Test matches (a form of the game that lasts 5 days) often see scores in the 500s.

Nothing is as popular in India as cricket. If there is any flat, open space to be found (streets, beaches, parking lots, fields), you will undoubtedly find a group of guys wailing away on a tennis ball.

When it comes to the best cricket player in the world, there is no debating. Sachin Tendulkar holds all the major batting records that have ever been conceived. In ability, he easily falls into the category of Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Wayne Gretzky. He is small (only 5'5"), but has managed to become the most respected player in the cricket world.

So usually with all "great ones" there is that moment when you realize their personal life is not quite on par with their sporting life, most recently demonstrated by Mr. Woods. But with Sachin, he has been faithfully married to his wife for 15 years, and regularly adores her in public. He takes time off of traveling with the team so he can be home with his children. He acts well on the field and doesn't argue with the officials. He's not movie-star good looking, and doesn't seem to mind it. Basically he's the kind of guy you wish we had in the States for kids to look up to.

One more thing is that he has a fiercely loyal following. I had one trainee that found a way to include him in nearly every speaking activity she did. A century is when a batsmen scores 100 in a single game. And now, when we see him get a century (which he's done over 50 times in his career, recently got a 200 as well), we feel like getting up and cheering alongside the rest of the country.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Nightmare Before Christmas

I go to a yoga class three times a week. I've gotten to know my instructor, Samu, really well. It started with staying a few minutes after class to chat, then we started sharing a few recipes with each other (she gave me potato curry, I gave her banana bread), eventually she started to even speak with me in Tamil. She asked me a few weeks ago if I could come and dress up as Santa for the kids in the preschool that she teaches at. Me, being the considerate wife that I am, knew that Neil would be off of work and might enjoy doing it. So, I volunteered him. What follows is only a portion of the terror we witnessed this morning...