Dear friends and family,
The subject line says it all! I write to you from a steamy computer
lab in ICSA (Interchurch Service Agency) in Chennai, India.
The other day my group and I gave a wistful good-bye to Kuala Lumpur
as we sat under the radiant Petronas Towers at night. But truly all
our thoughts were fixed on India. The next day, we got to the airport
(five hours early thanks to some overzealous planning) and finally
hunkered down for the 3 hour flight to Chennai, which seemed brief
after flying over the Pacific.
Even from the air, I got a sense of how different this place would be.
Instead of a grid of yellow lights, Chennai appears from the air as a
patchwork of beady lines. Some areas are completely dark and others
are ablaze with the light of shopping malls and guesthouses (hotels).
Pown Raj, a 23-year old student who works at ICSA, picked us up from
the airport and we careened through the late-night congestion while he
and I talked about Bollywood scandals and Hindu gods, which I suspect
will provide limitless conversation potential in India. We shared a
seat because the minibus was so packed. Our driver careened through
the late-night congestion, while the Hindi music blared from the
speakers and the many drivers – cars, buses, autorickshaws,
motorcycles, and bikes – honked their horns incessantly. It was a
true initiation: noise, hot sweat, and the constant smell of exhaust.
The bombings in nearby Hyderabad also have caused quite a stir. No
worries, though – my student insurance provides automatic repatriation
of my remains up to $100 000 🙂
After we got our rooms (kingly suites, really) Pown Raj was nice
enough to set up mosquito nets. We’re very well protected – nets,
fabric treatment, and malaria pills (Malarone). If we do somehow get
malaria, the prevention is the same as the cure, that is, take more
pills! “Chemoprophylaxis” is my new favorite word.
In the morning I got up early to grab a paper in what will become a
morning ritual for us. The city here is such a different experience
than Chicago or Kuala Lumpur. Sleeping dogs, street vendors and dust
(lots of dust) made for a great early-morning taste of Chennai.
At breakfast we met our cook, Clara, who promised to go easy on us for
a couple of days spice-wise. She’s delightful. We’re going to be very
well-fed here. And busy. We have our syllabus for the next few weeks
and there are many guest instructors and trips to places in the city.
I’m excited!
Irene Manohar, the teacher/lawyer/wife-of-the-director, took us to the
US consulate to register our trip. We went via autorickshaw. That’s
right. “Rickshaw” plus “auto” gives you a tiny three-person cab and a
truly amazing battle through the packed streets. Our driver was so
brave.
When we got back, we had a brief lecture from the director of ICSA, Dr
Moses Manohar, followed by afternoon tea time where we drank chai and
sang for the staff. They know about St Olaf’s music reputation and
demanded at least two songs.
Soon, it’s dinner! Clara promised me something spicy when I proved I
could handle one of the little green peppers that were in our rice
earlier today. Almost all of you know I’ve been a vegetarian since I
was 17. But food is such an important part of culture that if I miss
out on some Indian food, I would be missing out on that much culture.
I ate oysters in NOLA and I’m going to eat whatever animal I’m given
on a plate here!
Wow! this email is long. Future ones will definitely be shorter. But
one more thing before we go off to dinner (it’s seven at night here).
I realize I haven’t done a good job of explaining what we’re doing
here. The truth is, I don’t know either. But this is what I’ve been
told:
My group of eight students and I are here at Chennai for an urban
orientation to India. We take lectures from professors here and see
the Chennai slums, for example, and get a feel for the country.
Then it’s off to a rural site called CCOORR for a three-day rural
orientation where we get a feel for the other India – the poorer rural
one. Then we split up and go to our separate research sites. Jamie and
I will be at Mudumalai, a wildlife sanctuary where we may do a project
on invasive plants, elephant populations there, or whatever ongoing
research they want help with. Then it’s a two-week travel break where
we can go wherever we want in India! We’ll have to start planning that
soon…
After the travel break, Caitlin, Lauren and I are going to Vector
Control Research Center near a small city farther south. They do work
with the mosquitoes that transmit malaria and dengue fever and other
diseases. It will be lab-based work. Oh, and we’re on our own – no St
Olaf professors accompany us on this semster-long program! Pretty
cool.
Wow. I’ve written too much. You’ll hear from me soon!
Ever your loving
Isaac H.
pseudoisaac 