13 Perceptions of Tamil Nadu, India

Hi. Maybe you’ve wondered where I was this summer. Answer: I was in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, where I was privileged to be curriculum coordinator in a pilot program for teaching English language learners.

Our group worked with about 50 orphans. Fortunately, they have English instruction at their school, so they know lots of English words, but they need practice stringing those words together in conversation.

The orphans were wonderful students and I’ll tell you more about them at a later time.

Since I spent most of July and August in Tamil Nadu and had so many great experiences, I’m still sorting out my reminiscences. In keeping with our Diner’s theme of endings, I’d like to give you an after-word from my visit halfway around the world.

Here are some impressions and things I found peculiar or worthy of comment.



13 Perceptions of Tamil Nadu, India

1) The people of Tamil Nadu are friendly. They smile readily. They like to talk to foreigners, which was good for me because with my red hair, I was clearly not Indian.

2) They like to have their picture taken, which is a bonus of amateur photographers like yours truly.


3) They want to see their picture after you take it.


4) In Madurai, the city where I spent most of my time, animals share the streets with pedestrians, motorcycles, bikes, rickshaws, buses, trucks and ox carts.

5) Did I mention ox carts? Here’s a picture.

6) Sometimes whole families ride a single motorcycle. (Sounds impossible, but it happens. They find a way.)

7) It’s customary to take off your shoes inside a house and many people go around barefoot, outside as well as inside.

8) People eat rice with their fingers, then wash after eating.

9) Indians eat in silence. They save talk for before and after the meal.

10) Many visit Internet cafes to check their e-mails or browse the Web. These cafes don’t serve food but what they do have are rooms divided into cubicles. Each cubicle contains a computer you can rent for between 25 to 75 cents an hour. That’s such a deal that customers like me often had to wait to get a turn.

11) It’s important to walk slowly when crossing a street so traffic can swerve around you.

12) Most women look good in saris. A clothing trend we might want to start here.

13) The warm weather lends itself to people having areas of their homes open to the outside. Imagine trees growing in the middle of your house. Very cool, if you don’t have to worry about snow and slush.

I’m sure many of you have traveled to foreign countries. The first things that strike us as travelers are the differences. Feel free to share your impressions of places you’ve visited. I’m eager to learn. Thanks.

Brenda

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