Eight hours on the bumpiest cheapest all night bus ride of my life, and we arrive in the early morning. We resemble turtles, with our large packs strapped to our bodies. We have traded luggage life for backpack life. It is a better way to be. We are not sure about the name of the town. We know we are south, way south. Everyone speaks the state dialect, Tamil, and very few people know English or Hindi. We are the only white people to to be seen for miles. We like it. Finally, I'm starting to experience the concept of Indian hospitality that I had heard so much about. I had begun to think it was a myth or something that existed before my time.
People here are kind to us. They gesture us in, and smile. The rides are cheaper, as is the food, and the accommodation. We are not hounded by beggars, or people determined to sell us their wares. We share cabs with the locals, who nod and point, when we try to ask directions. There is a market street lined with shops on either side and the sky is covered by the awnings and fabric of the stores. The street is relatively quiet for being their center of commerce, and we can actually stroll down the aisle and partake in the purchasing of goods without pushing or yelling or feeling like we will be charged our soul if we decide to stop. This place is closer to what I had romanticized India to be. It is a welcome change.
We can both eat the street food, now that our bodies have healed from the initial onslaught of foreign bacteria, and thank goodness because the street food is so good. In the South, it is all served on banana leaves, and the right hand is the only utensil. I've never washed my hands more often and more thoroughly in my life. My favorite are the parotas, a flaky tortilla type south Indian bread that is made fresh on hot tavas, and is usually served with veg or non-veg gravy. I have to walk a bit before and after so I feel like I've earned this indulgence. I try to encourage TG to eat, so he can put on some weight. He was sick for so long that he was starting to resemble some of the locals, but he is finally feeling better, and it's a good thing to because it's time to work.
The city we have arrived in is called Nagappattnam, and it turns out we are just down the street from TG's office. Yay! Something went right! GIZ helps fund and improve various non-profit programs around the world, and the program TG will be assisting is called AVVAI Village Welfare Society. The twenty year old program organizes emergency service, shelters, rehabilitation, and educational works throughout the coastal towns of Tamil Nadu. TG will be bouncing from town to town finding how current projects can be improved or expanded, whether it's through some form of reorganization, funding, or presentation. The office is setting him up with Tamil speaking guides, and they will bus it from village to village. We will be here for two days. Then it's back up to Chennai to have similar visits to surrounding villages. Then it's off to the neighboring state, Andhra Pradesh, to continue the work, until he is needed in West Bengal for his other project. It is unpaid work, but they will be covering his travel expenses. I am proud of him.
Note: TG will be starting his own blog soon, to discuss and document his work
People here are kind to us. They gesture us in, and smile. The rides are cheaper, as is the food, and the accommodation. We are not hounded by beggars, or people determined to sell us their wares. We share cabs with the locals, who nod and point, when we try to ask directions. There is a market street lined with shops on either side and the sky is covered by the awnings and fabric of the stores. The street is relatively quiet for being their center of commerce, and we can actually stroll down the aisle and partake in the purchasing of goods without pushing or yelling or feeling like we will be charged our soul if we decide to stop. This place is closer to what I had romanticized India to be. It is a welcome change.
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| Parota!! |
We can both eat the street food, now that our bodies have healed from the initial onslaught of foreign bacteria, and thank goodness because the street food is so good. In the South, it is all served on banana leaves, and the right hand is the only utensil. I've never washed my hands more often and more thoroughly in my life. My favorite are the parotas, a flaky tortilla type south Indian bread that is made fresh on hot tavas, and is usually served with veg or non-veg gravy. I have to walk a bit before and after so I feel like I've earned this indulgence. I try to encourage TG to eat, so he can put on some weight. He was sick for so long that he was starting to resemble some of the locals, but he is finally feeling better, and it's a good thing to because it's time to work.
 |
| Map of Tamil Nadu - We arrived in Chennai from Delhi by train. Since then we have been busing up and down the coast of Tamil Nadu to Mamallapuram (an hour south from Chennai), Pudicherry, and now Nagappattnam. |
The city we have arrived in is called Nagappattnam, and it turns out we are just down the street from TG's office. Yay! Something went right! GIZ helps fund and improve various non-profit programs around the world, and the program TG will be assisting is called AVVAI Village Welfare Society. The twenty year old program organizes emergency service, shelters, rehabilitation, and educational works throughout the coastal towns of Tamil Nadu. TG will be bouncing from town to town finding how current projects can be improved or expanded, whether it's through some form of reorganization, funding, or presentation. The office is setting him up with Tamil speaking guides, and they will bus it from village to village. We will be here for two days. Then it's back up to Chennai to have similar visits to surrounding villages. Then it's off to the neighboring state, Andhra Pradesh, to continue the work, until he is needed in West Bengal for his other project. It is unpaid work, but they will be covering his travel expenses. I am proud of him.
Note: TG will be starting his own blog soon, to discuss and document his work
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