Madras

Hello again! I have managed to drag myself out of bed to get some lunch and do some tinternet work... Had to email my volunteering place as i have not heard from them for some time!! I hope they are still expecting us... Incidentally I have found another organisation at a lovely spot further down the coast that we are travelling to in the next few days... it may be nearing time for my first interview!! As yet I have no idea what to ask or say, but am sure that will come to me. (This is a new found confidence that in the UK would never have happened; but here, seeing everything and feeling this earth with my feet, it seems so much more doable). It is an org that is still working with Tsunami affected people so I hope to maybe volunteer with them in some aspect. Or even shadow a volunteer for a day or two... (that last idea just occured to me actually... Ah, how the magic happens!) That is very exciting for me aye.

I am still ill today. My throat is red raw and I am coughing a LOT. I think the autorickshaw rides are NOT helping. at one stage yesterday I was in a traffic jam and a truck's exhaust was pumping fume right into the carriage!! SO today I am under limited house arrest. I do NOT want this to turn bronchial (or any more so) or I could be in some proper trouble! Today instead I have been sleeping (yes, yes, I am lazy. 6.5 hour time difference though... sympathy please?!), planning our next move (getting my lungs out of the city for a few days) , and thinking about volunteering ideas. We are going for some lunch soon and then I shall go beack to the hotel room and do some typing about my impressions of my new land so far. I will learn some Tamil too. Tamil is hard for me, and sometimes people are super pleased when we talk Tamil, and encouraging, and other times they look like they hate us. Its confusing and not all that friendly. We are trying though. I am also noticing that as a woman I am not really spoken to much. DB is the star attraction. Which is fine, but strange. I am often the only woman in restaurants. The public spaces are very much male. But we are in downtown chennai though I think, we haven't been up north yet where it may all be different. For example, we haven't seen barely another westerner, large building, or western-style commercial outlet (maccy dees, business centre etc) yet - but these definitely exist. We are meant to go exploring further today but these lungs are worrying us a bit so DB may go on his own (on the Wi-Fi hunt. hehe) and I am, as I said, staying indoors... DB is going on the hunt for some strepsils or sommat equivalent asap. Atm I am coping with brushing my teeth a lot and gargling salt water - which I have to say is pretty darned nifty. Oh, and a lot of ibuprofen, which can be a bit misleading as it makes me think my throat is better than it is...

Anyway...

Curry for lunch again! The food is delicious but curry all the time is a bit taxing I have to say. although truthfully I am not craving anything else at the mo so wil keep on with the curry! Dhaal and roti is my favourite for now - relatively plain. Yesterday we had our first 'meal' (thali) which is a taster, almost, of many types of dishes, placed inside a silver tray with a banana leaf on it. You take all the little trays out and then rice is dolloped onto the banana leaf-tray, and you mix in the other dishes with it as you go. Is fantastic! Although a lot of the time we have no clue what we are eating, but that is all part of the fun of the fair really. DB had no less than 13 dishes yesterday. for 50p as well! kerazy deliciousness. We are off for another for lunch today - it is the main way of having lunch here.

So yes, as I said, soon we are heading down the coast for a bit of a backpacker chill-out time and research around it. Cycling tours and swimming pools (am going to scafe my way into a posh hotel for the day and sunbathe and read and be a tourist by the pool.) Ahhh... research doesn't have to be allllll bad. Actually when i saw the volunteering place I want to interview at I was very excitable, which is lovely to know. My research fires were dampened somewhat back home and it's nice to have a change of scenery - physically and academic-focus wise.

Well, i better look up this volunteering place on tinternet. I have the air con blowing straight in my face and man! It is COLD!!!

Back soon no doubt!! Enjoy the snow for me anyoone in the UK...

x J