About a week ago, we flew from SLC to Chennai, with plans to spend some time in India, theoretically setting things up for a research project and getting some exposure to tropical medicine, etc, at a hospital here called CMC (Christian Medical College). The last time I went to India was in Fall 2002, as part of an undergraduate field study program (like a study abroad, only less structured). A small group of us stayed in a village, sleeping on the floor, eschewing some of the modern comforts that one finds so easy to eschew at that phase of life, and spending a lot of time....well, to be honest, *thinking*. Observing, writing, etc. This was before I was very connected to the internet, and we didn't have internet readily accessible, but I remember writing a lot in a journal, which of course I could not find prior to coming back to India. I think in retrospect it must have been a difficult journey in its way, but of course one tends to remember the good and forget the bad, and one tends to think....hey, if I did it in college, surely I can do it a decade later with a husband and three little kids! Right??
Shockingly enough, the experience has been different with kids. As in, (shocker again) a bit harder. But, as is true with most things that are challenging, I think it will also be a richer experience, provided nobody dies of dengue/JE/malaria/ricketsial abcdefg fever/etc. In any case, a week in, things have begun to settle a bit, and although I nearly fainted at least four times on rounds today (rounds were reeeeeally hot, reeeeeally slower than at Cinci, reeeeeally quiet such that I could not hear, nor could I understand 90% of what was said, and also I forgot to drink water with breakfast today, and also....I am, oh so unfortunately, a bit syncope-prone), and felt (ok, was) 100% extraneous the entire day, it was also fascinating in many, many ways.
Our journey from SLC to Chennai was 29 hours long, including a layover in LA and Hong Kong. Nora was a crummy sleeper and had some lingering gastroenteritis that was not fun, but we did LOVE Cathay Pacific (many movies, games, nourishing endless food, kind flight attendants). We arrived at Chennai Wed Jan 1 at 2am. We did not celebrate the arrival of 2014, persay, nor did I make any resolutions (not sure about Matt), but we DID survive. The first couple of nights we stayed in a very nice Radisson Hotel in Chennai with great buffets, although we were sort of cramped with 4 people sleeping on two twin beds. Luckily, before we left, we found the most fantastic baby tent bed by Kidco (2.5lb and tiny enough to fit into a backpack, along with many other things when folded) for Nora to sleep in. The thing has been a life saver; I cannot endorse it highly enough.
The first day we ventured out for a quick car tour of Chennai, which was ok. We saw a Krishna temple of some sort with a "Math" (monastery), and the beach. The beach resulted in some serious tantrums from the kids, who were expecting a "play on me" type beach, if not a "swim on me" beach. But it was interesting (and sad) to see the huge swath of beach and adjacent fishing-community buildings that were destroyed by the tsunami several years back. After some yelling at the kids for being spoiled, we gave up on chennai and collapsed back at the hotel. The next day we took a car to Vellore and checked in to a hotel here, which (like the one in Chennai) was really expensive, and also really dark, BUT had 4 beds. The plan was to stay in this hotel until a spot opened up at the CMC campus housing on Jan 13.
The next morning I met with Dr. Ana Simon, my contact person here, who along with Mrs. Reena in the Directors office very quickly helped find us an immediate spot at CMC campus, as well as a spot for Nora in creche (aka daycare) and for Naomi and Sage in a local school. Which is about when things started to look up. Bagayam campus (or CMC college campus, where we are staying) has been amazing, and a complete godsend for our family. Unlike the area around our hotel, it is quiet, shady and open with places for the kids to run around, climb trees, swing from vines, and play in the ubiquitous sand (I have never seen children so adorably dusty). We have had some additional issues trying to figure out how to get internet, how to adjust to new foods, get over jet lag, etc, but suffice it to say: without this campus, this experience would be 10 million times harder.
So there you have it. I am going to attach some pictures, and write a few words, and then call it good for tonight.
Five to a tuk-tuk. No, this is not safe. On the other hand I don't think these things can go more than 20mph tops.
Naomi and Sage's new school.
The view from the 5th floor of CMC hospital
CMC courtyard
Who needs baby swings? This is wasay safer than riding in tuk tuks
Even Nora loves the banyans
The college canteen. This place is great. You can get a "meal" for 50 cents here. You order it by asking for "a meal". Gotta love it. (They also have pizza and grilled cheese). It is about half a mile from our current guest room, right by the big girls' school, all on Bagayam campus. Oh yeah, sage is asleep in this picture because of the horrible beast that is jet lag.
A beautiful garden within the college itself
The other side of the college (the dome is a small chapel)
More travels in tuk tuks
Sage's and Naomi's first day of school
Swinging on the vines
Just as clean as they are back home!
More first day of school
I forgot the name of this temple, but it is within a 600 some-odd old fort in Vellore and is a good example of Dravidian temple architecture. I think.
Within the temple
Another one
View from the walls of the old fort
Outside of the golden temple near Vellore. I had heard of the golden temple at Amritsar, but it turns out there is another one near Vellore that is a major pilgrimage site but for whatever reason not at all a tourist site (maybe because you have to go through several layers of security to make sure no one brings in a camera or phone?). All the women in red saris are pilgrims, and every single one of them represents one hundred women who tried to touch/kiss/hold Nora while we were there. This temple made me nervous with kids because there were SO MANY PEOPLE (the picture doesn't do it justice), and everyone was rushing about. It is set up as a big star which forms a path around the central temple which is all made of carved gold on top of some other metal. I reeeally wanted to take a picture, but you will have to just use your imagination (or your google--remember, not the one in Amritsar).
Shockingly enough, the experience has been different with kids. As in, (shocker again) a bit harder. But, as is true with most things that are challenging, I think it will also be a richer experience, provided nobody dies of dengue/JE/malaria/ricketsial abcdefg fever/etc. In any case, a week in, things have begun to settle a bit, and although I nearly fainted at least four times on rounds today (rounds were reeeeeally hot, reeeeeally slower than at Cinci, reeeeeally quiet such that I could not hear, nor could I understand 90% of what was said, and also I forgot to drink water with breakfast today, and also....I am, oh so unfortunately, a bit syncope-prone), and felt (ok, was) 100% extraneous the entire day, it was also fascinating in many, many ways.
Our journey from SLC to Chennai was 29 hours long, including a layover in LA and Hong Kong. Nora was a crummy sleeper and had some lingering gastroenteritis that was not fun, but we did LOVE Cathay Pacific (many movies, games, nourishing endless food, kind flight attendants). We arrived at Chennai Wed Jan 1 at 2am. We did not celebrate the arrival of 2014, persay, nor did I make any resolutions (not sure about Matt), but we DID survive. The first couple of nights we stayed in a very nice Radisson Hotel in Chennai with great buffets, although we were sort of cramped with 4 people sleeping on two twin beds. Luckily, before we left, we found the most fantastic baby tent bed by Kidco (2.5lb and tiny enough to fit into a backpack, along with many other things when folded) for Nora to sleep in. The thing has been a life saver; I cannot endorse it highly enough.
The first day we ventured out for a quick car tour of Chennai, which was ok. We saw a Krishna temple of some sort with a "Math" (monastery), and the beach. The beach resulted in some serious tantrums from the kids, who were expecting a "play on me" type beach, if not a "swim on me" beach. But it was interesting (and sad) to see the huge swath of beach and adjacent fishing-community buildings that were destroyed by the tsunami several years back. After some yelling at the kids for being spoiled, we gave up on chennai and collapsed back at the hotel. The next day we took a car to Vellore and checked in to a hotel here, which (like the one in Chennai) was really expensive, and also really dark, BUT had 4 beds. The plan was to stay in this hotel until a spot opened up at the CMC campus housing on Jan 13.
The next morning I met with Dr. Ana Simon, my contact person here, who along with Mrs. Reena in the Directors office very quickly helped find us an immediate spot at CMC campus, as well as a spot for Nora in creche (aka daycare) and for Naomi and Sage in a local school. Which is about when things started to look up. Bagayam campus (or CMC college campus, where we are staying) has been amazing, and a complete godsend for our family. Unlike the area around our hotel, it is quiet, shady and open with places for the kids to run around, climb trees, swing from vines, and play in the ubiquitous sand (I have never seen children so adorably dusty). We have had some additional issues trying to figure out how to get internet, how to adjust to new foods, get over jet lag, etc, but suffice it to say: without this campus, this experience would be 10 million times harder.
So there you have it. I am going to attach some pictures, and write a few words, and then call it good for tonight.
Speaking of safe...
I forgot the name of this temple, but it is within a 600 some-odd old fort in Vellore and is a good example of Dravidian temple architecture. I think.
That is it for tonight!
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