Chennai

I've flown to Chennai for four days to see the city and continue my pre-Oxford research.  Check out the crowd gathered to greet me at the airport this morning! 

...okay, so they weren't there for me, but this crew certainly was robust for 9:00am arrivals. 

This was my first sight after passing the greeters.  As the city where I live is entirely flat, these hills were breathtaking.  When my breath returned, the air inhaled was remarkably fresh.  As in Mumbai, a strong ocean breeze makes a world of difference in an Indian city.

My cursory knowledge of a language spoken only in the state I had left behind, however, amounted to nothing.  This cab driver and I couldn't get on the same page, so he spoke with someone from the IJM Chennai office in his native tongue.  I think he drew it out to continue holding my pink iPhone.

What's that?  The "Oh-hey-I need-to-get-out-and-walk-across-the-street-to-discuss-these-directions-with-someone-else" line?  Classic.

Initially, my favorite sights in Chennai are the walls around town.  Here are some I saw today:

I thought this guy looked pretty cool, too:

Ever since the Cricket World Cup I've been looking to buy an Indian team jersey.  Today I finally found one in a Nike store!  As luck would have it, the building's power went out just as I began to step into a fitting room.  Through the dark I saw a Nike employee approach me.  He had a large, blunt object in his hand, and in all honesty I was apprehensive.   I soon realized that he was presenting me with a battery-powered lantern for use in the fitting room.  Talk about tenacious business.

The highlight of the day, by far, was dinner.  The IJM Chennai interns had noticed a restaurant named "Burma" a while back.  Feeling up for Burmese cuisine, we decided to try it out this evening. Everyone was excited for a fresh adventure.

With great anticipation we arrived and were seated, taking in the Burmese aura induced by extensive scene-setting; wall murals, faux grass, an immigration desk, and more. 

When the menu came, though, all the dishes appeared to be Indian.  We scoured the menus, sure we were missing something.  Finally we called the manager over and asked to see the Burmese menu.  "Oh no," he said, "we don't serve any Burmese food here."  An intern politely inquired as to how he justified the name of the establishment.  "The owner is from Burma," he replied.  "That is all."

That is India.