Pictures: Dosa cooking on the griddle, some of our group on presentation day, remains of our indulgent "western" lunch, Erin on the beach in Chennai, and me with Thendral- our host mom from Thanjavur
Our course is officially over, hard to believe! The last 2 months, and especially the last week or so, have been a whirlwind of activity. Last weekend in Kerala was a calming reprieve from our projects, but it was nice to know how much progress we'd made and that our final papers and presentations would soon be complete. After 2 overnight trains in 3 days, I spent my last night in Thanjavur, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness about the upcoming transitions- to the chaotic city of Chennai, and then to St. Louis, and then Oregon. Our host mom in Thanjavur was sad to see us go, and we were sad to say farewell to her after her amazing hospitality and kindness. We said our goodbyes and took pictures with her before heading out for yet another overnight train.
My impressions of Chennai after being in India for 2 months are much different than upon my initial arrival- although things are chaotic and loud and still occasionally overwhelming, I feel more accustomed to the hustle and bustle, and I have a better understanding of the culture. I'm not as hesitant to venture out and explore, and I appreciate knowing how to navigate some of the busier streets and shops. A group of us endulged in a trip to the westernized mall on our first day back- I think some of us were craving some of the foods and comforts of home- and were excited to eat at Pizza Hut of all places. Other than that I'm trying to eat as much delicious Indian food as possible before I return to my usual diet.
Our final presentations were yesterday, and the preparation leading up to them was definitely tense- most of us were locked up in our hotel rooms writing, creating power points, and practicing speeches. I felt lucky that I wasn't presenting but helped my groupmate prepare. After hours of working on the paper and presentation slides we were both delirious and just hoped for the best the next day. The following morning most of the women in our group attempted to dress up in sarees (we all had creative approaches to draping them, none of which were correct), and headed to the ICTPH office. While waiting for presentations to start, I ventured to the cafeteria and was pulled aside by 3 female janitors- they insisted on fixing my saree. It was pretty comical having three strangers unravelling me and putting me back together again, kindly donating their safety pins to secure me in the endless fabric. We all laughed and had a good time.
The presentations went really well, although the audience was smaller and less intimidating than I was expecting. We were all prepared to be thrown challenging questions, but there were very few questions at all. At least were were prepared and the ICTPH staff attending seemed to be pleased with our proposals. ICTPH was kind enough to transport us to a nice resort on the beach of the Bay of Bengal for swimming and dinner. A few of us were adventurous and swam in the bay- the water was a perfect temperature and the waves were easy to swim through- I felt totally at peace.
Now I have 48 hours to say goodbye to India, process my time here, and spend time with my colleagues and friends who have made this experience pleasant, interesting, challenging and inspiring.
My impressions of Chennai after being in India for 2 months are much different than upon my initial arrival- although things are chaotic and loud and still occasionally overwhelming, I feel more accustomed to the hustle and bustle, and I have a better understanding of the culture. I'm not as hesitant to venture out and explore, and I appreciate knowing how to navigate some of the busier streets and shops. A group of us endulged in a trip to the westernized mall on our first day back- I think some of us were craving some of the foods and comforts of home- and were excited to eat at Pizza Hut of all places. Other than that I'm trying to eat as much delicious Indian food as possible before I return to my usual diet.
Our final presentations were yesterday, and the preparation leading up to them was definitely tense- most of us were locked up in our hotel rooms writing, creating power points, and practicing speeches. I felt lucky that I wasn't presenting but helped my groupmate prepare. After hours of working on the paper and presentation slides we were both delirious and just hoped for the best the next day. The following morning most of the women in our group attempted to dress up in sarees (we all had creative approaches to draping them, none of which were correct), and headed to the ICTPH office. While waiting for presentations to start, I ventured to the cafeteria and was pulled aside by 3 female janitors- they insisted on fixing my saree. It was pretty comical having three strangers unravelling me and putting me back together again, kindly donating their safety pins to secure me in the endless fabric. We all laughed and had a good time.
The presentations went really well, although the audience was smaller and less intimidating than I was expecting. We were all prepared to be thrown challenging questions, but there were very few questions at all. At least were were prepared and the ICTPH staff attending seemed to be pleased with our proposals. ICTPH was kind enough to transport us to a nice resort on the beach of the Bay of Bengal for swimming and dinner. A few of us were adventurous and swam in the bay- the water was a perfect temperature and the waves were easy to swim through- I felt totally at peace.
Now I have 48 hours to say goodbye to India, process my time here, and spend time with my colleagues and friends who have made this experience pleasant, interesting, challenging and inspiring.
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