Saturday, February 19, 2005
First Day in Chennai.
Found myself in a small booth, sharing with Chewing Grass, typing away to you guys. See, I care for you so much. Now, at 7.00pm Chennai time (9.30pm M'sia time), i'v spent a total of 22 hours in this hot place with two great girls (ahem). And what they tell me... that I'm not wanted. I'm a *FLASHLIGHT* intruding their plans of being berdua-duaan (don't ask me what plans.) And considering I've only half an hour to blog, I will keep this asap (as short as possible).
We touched down at Chennai and there was this air stewardess who asked why are we three doing in Chennai.
Air Stewardess: Are you three studying in here?
Me: Nope. For fun.
Grace: No. Working plus studying.
Me: WORKING????
YeeP: Yes, in the hospital. 9 to 5.
Me: What? But got nothing to see in the hospital.
YeeP: What course are you taking?
Me: Medicine?
YeeP: What will you become?
Me: Doctor?
YeeP: So???
Ya, so??? It's supposed to be a holiday!!!! HOLIDAY!!!
Anyway, we made our way to through the immigration. Found a door that said REFUSAL ROOM, LADIES ONLY. Somebody tell me what this room means. Grace said its the room where ladies go reject their lovers.
We stepped out of airport and the first thing that hit me was how different it SMELLS!!! We hanged around, waiting for our transportation. YeeP and Grass were working themselves into a nervous wreck when they could not see our transport. As for me, I'm busy taking photos of ppl climbing on cars or men walking around in skirts.
Our room at the YWCA were quaint. Two beds, Grace sleeps on the floor. Somehow it reminded me of KKB all over again, doing hospital posting. And since we needed to do our washings, we had to have a clothesline and three of us debated where to tie it to. One suggestion was to tie it over our beds. Just imagine we are lying down and looking up and what do we see?
Our undergarments flapping in the wind and since we are looking at it, why not start comparing them too?
The next morning, woke up at an unearthly time of 8.00am and thank God there was hot water (diff from KKB). And after breakfast, we went to CMCT (Christian Missions Charitable Trust) where we were supposed to meet the person-in-charge, Dr. Coleen M. Redit.
Dr. Coleen M. Redit. When you hear the name, what is the first thing you can picture this doctor to me. Well, Dr. C.M Redit, I imagined to be a English-speaking, Indian male doctor. Well, then Grace tells me that the Doctor is actually a New Zealander, a White, and a FEMALE!!! What???? Isn't Coleen a male name and Redit an Indian name? Strange... after all, we have a guy friend name Coleen, or izzit Collin?
Anyhow, she happened to have returned to New Zealand, leaving us with a group of ladies that was supposed to show us around. We went for Chapel Service. Worship was good, Sermon was hilarious and boring. Hilarious because it was conducted in Tamil and the translator was trying to catch up with the Pastor. Boring, well.. sermons by tradition is supposed to be boring. The highlight would be the welcoming session, where we went invited on stage to be given a garland of lilies and velvet rose each. Indian tradition, just humor them. And there was speech giving.
I'm trained to give 7 minutes speech, but seeing that time is a restraint, my speech was barely 7 seconds. Hi. I'm Elena. Coming to Chennai for fun. Hope I have a good time here. God bless, and thank you. Sheena is so going to kill me.
After chapel, we had tea and then it was off to visit the whole center. They have a handicraft workshop, which does excellent handicrafts, will bring some if I have enough rupees left. They have a school, small children can be so cute when they are locked up in classes and not screaming everywhere. We met a few doctors in charge of the Health Centre and all that. We even went to the Bettany School, a school ran by CMCT and we were overwhelmed with so many kids trying to shake our hands.
I felt like some big shot president then. Haha... They sang for us and we visited the classrooms. The students all came from slums, but dressed in their uniform, they just looked like normal students to me. But after that we went to the slum areas... and the same kids seemed to have transformed.
I won't go into the melodrama of how saddening their living conditions are and all that, YeeP is going to yeep about it. But there is just one thing I felt when I took their pictures. The little kids were following us around, and you should see the joy on their faces when they see their little round faces on a LCD screen. I took their pictures and showed it to them and they were just laughing and screaming with joy. A little bubble of joy welled up in my heart as I see those expression on their faces.
Haha, talk bout little joys in life.
We saw a wedding ceremony, a big thing even in such woeful conditions. The people were so nice, letting us take pictures of their houses (if it can be called their house). It only have one room, they use it as a bedroom, kitchen and sitting room. The children run around naked and barefooted, but they seemed happy, only because there were strangers in their midst. They shook our hands, laughing with us, trying to draw our attention. Maybe they are just attention deficit.
After returning from the slum area, I was expecting to feel all dirty and uncomfortable, but that is not the case. These Indians are the same as you and I. They feel the same, they laugh the same way as I do. They look the same as me, a little idiotic but with laughter in their faces. Not bad people like some of my friends were trying to tell me.
Maybe I've only looked at the surface. But it is a slum area, the dirt and mud of society.
After a short nap in our room, we went for a walk (despite all warnings given to us by the adults about three girls walking alone on the streets). We finally ended up here, and I am supposed to share the one hour of renting tis comp with Grace. So I've used up 45 minutes and poor Grace is just standing there watching me type.
So gonna sign off now, and hopefully can blogged again in a few days time. Maybe post up some pictures too. See first la.
Till then...
No one lives in the slums because they want to.
It's like this train. It can't run anywhere except
where its rails take it.
- Cloud, Final Fantasy VII
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