Only in India

Here's a list of the things that I have experienced that are, in my opinion, experiences and things unique to India. Some of them are things I love, some are things that challenge me, all are unforgettable.

• John Lennon concert at MCC. Definitely the greatest and most unexpected first night in India. All of the students and professors were great singers and musicians. And Suri, the MCC professor that will be with us for all of our trips, is so adorable and charismatic. He looks so much like Gandhi but make no mistake, he wears his circle rim glasses to emulate John.
• A baby cow chasing me on the side of the road so it could catch up with its mother. The loud mooing that suddenly came from right behind me was pretty surprising.
• Twelve adults in a rickshaw. I was sitting on the wooden board that was part of the "window." Half of my body was inside the vehicle and the rest was hanging on for dear life. It was scary and exhilarating. At least I had the best seat in the house.
• Seeing five people on one motorcycle. A dad, mom and three children. Side note, only the father was wearing a helmet, which seems to be pretty common in Chennai.
• Four tea breaks a day. If I wasn't addicted to caffeine before, I am now. Masala chai, mmm-mmm.
• Drinking straight from a coconut. It was not what I expected, more salty than I ever would have guessed. I still can't decide if I like it or not.
• The movie Speed playing on Indian TV in English with English subtitles. Seriously, this movie would only play in India unfortunately for the country.
• Open sewers in the streets where the water runs blue and gray and is edged in trash. The smell is almost unbearable for me. I am starting to understand water quality issues so much more. Furthermore, the amount of pollution and trash everywhere is astonishing. It cannot be explained.
• On a lighter note: nannanananananananan, I love nan soooooooo much.
• Also rice in some form at nearly every meal.
• There is a culture of men  touching men and women touching women. Because they cannot interact with the opposite sex, friends are very affectionate with each other. It is not weird at all as it would be back home. Instead it is very loving and widely accepted.
• At MCC, women have a curfew of 6:30. What the what? Gender inequality in my face. We as study away students don't have to follow this rule, but it makes it that much more weird feeling to be one of very few women out during the nights.
• Mango every thing!!! No seriously, everything. This morning I had mango cornflakes.
• Exchanging money at the bank was quite an event involving more paper copies than I have ever seen. I miss my online banking.
• Pick-n-Pack! I love that place soooo much. It's an Indian convenience store just down the road from MCC. I bought some more shampoo (I hope my hair starts cooperating), laundry detergent, etc. and three diet cokes. In all I got about seven things for about 8 USD. It was fantastic.
• Bucket baths, who knew? So refreshing and awesome and life changing.
• Eating with your hands, also who knew? There is actually a specific technique (only the right hand) and reasons behind the practice. Also, it makes you eat slower and enjoy the food more.
• Crossing the road in Chennai is terrifying. Even when I see old women strolling across the highway not bothering to look and with no fear, I still am terrified. Though last night I crossed all by myself...and proceeded to almost get hit by a motorcycle (sorry mom). Still at least I am getting better at it.
• Playing ultimate frisbee with our new Indian friends. They caught on so quickly and we got quite the impressive game going. Not to mention that running around barefoot in the dirt and mud is so much fun. Shout out to new Indian friends Das, Fawaz, Sujin and more.
• Sitting in my Eno hammock, looking out into the scrub jungle that is MCC. There are deer and wild boars and all other sorts of exciting flora and fauna all around. I am basically on vacation.
• Neem...is not my favorite thing.
• SOS Children's Village is great. It is a home for orphaned children that works on the basis of families rather than a centralized orphanage. It is such a neat place and it is right outside of campus. The staff said we could come back and play with the kids anytime, I'm excited.
• Finally, the food and accommodations at MCC are totally incredible and more than I could ever ask for. Curry for every meal is definitely something I could do forever.

Well that's just a handful of things I have experienced here in only the first four days. I know this trip will hold so many more adventures and experiences.  I'll keep you posted.

Joy