Day 1

India Time: 5:00 PM (June 25, 2013)
CST: 6:30 AM (June 25, 2013)

Today has been quite the introduction to Chennai. We arrived at the airport at 3:30 this morning and were greeted by the Udes. After getting through customs and immigration were rode a bus to the hotel. We divided up bags and took a walk to Pastor Matt and Vanessa's house. After cleaning up and a quick nap, we took our first rickshaw ride to meet up with "the boys" back at the hotel. From there, we walked toward the beach.

It's definitely warm here, but it's an interesting warm. I won't pretend that we don't sweat when we're walking, but even if our end destination has air conditioning, we DRIP when we sit down! (Maybe I should just say I there...) :-)

We ate at a little deli near the beach where some of us had our first experience with dosai, and others their first experience with uhtapam (definitely spelled that wrong). I'll let the others tell you about dosai, but uhtapam is basically a pancake that you can order with varying degrees of spices and vegetables. When we first arrived at the restaurant, we each received a banana leaf on which the servers began putting sauces. Some would disagree, but a few of the sauces were pretty hot. ("Chilled" sauce, but very spicy!) We also got a type of soup that tasted a bit beany (also hot). Our uhtapam came cooked with butter and onions, and was a good intro to Indian cuisine.

From brunch, we headed to the beach. The sand was very hot, and there were bits of garbage in the water. The tide was coming in, and thankfully Nathan noticed his shoes being swept out to sea, otherwise a few of us would've been shoeless. The water was warm and the waves were crashing hard, so it was a very pretty site.

A few Indian girls came onto the beach after school and talked with Nathan, Lucas and David. They asked us questions about who we came to see, where we were from, if we were friends or family, and told us a little about themselves as well.

We got a treat on the way back from the beach when we stopped at a smoothie shop about half way between the hotel and Matt & Vanessa's apartment. They had all sorts of pure fruit juices and different types of smoothies! It was incredibly refreshing!! Almost everyone ordered something different, so everyone got to sample pure kiwi juice, the sunrise (strawberry and orange juice), the blue dot (we think that one was mulberry--not completely sure), and different blends of mango, among other all fresh and pure juices!

It was very interesting to walk some of the streets in Chennai. Pedestrians don't have the right of way, but it was funny to watch mothers stop to have their children wave at us or guys on bikes wave as they rode by. Most of the transportation near where we're staying is rickshaw and bike (motor and pedal), with an occasional bus and lots of parked cars. There are lots of ferrel animals running around. Mostly dogs and goats. Dogs especially down by the beach where they were cooling off in the water. There are stands everywhere and shops line almost every lower level. There are a lot of interesting smells and different foods to see. We even sampled some fresh coconut water!

Most of the girls are just waking up from much needed naps and we'll be meeting up with the boys for dinner soon. It sounds like it will be an early night since we leave for Nellore at 5:30 tomorrow morning. I'm excited to start meeting people in our churches and seeing the kids! I'm sure it's going to be incredibly energizing!

~Becky Haddad

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