Hot and tired.

Friday July 15th
Hello friends,
we've had our first India adventure, and lived to tell about it.
Yesterday we got to visit the Social Work department at Madras Christian College, where Aimee is working and living. She has a cute little apartment she shares with Caroline, another woman from Denver. It is a bit of a walk from our Guest House, the campus here is just enormous. We had a bit of lunch in the student center, and then Aimee took all of us out on the town to explore the city of Chennai a little bit.
We took the train in 12 stops to Najapurum (or something like that). The train was full, but not packed, so we got to sit down. Most striking to me on my first Indian train ride were the beggars coming through the cars, singing a mournful tune as they went. (though the complete lack of doors was also notable). When we arrived, we got off in the midst of heavy city traffic, and waited by the side of the road for a 'share car' a small minivan which holds about 7 people that goes in a regular loop and picks people up from the side of the road along the way. Its like a little minibus, which is rather neat. We got very cozy as we headed off into the city to the Spencer Plaza mall (yes, an Indian mall. It was very interesting-some similarities to ours, but also a lot more crowded.) Rachel found two beautiful Salwar Kami's at a little shop where Aimee had been before, she is going to feel much more comfortable settling in as a pastor's wife next week I think.
After a snack of ice cream, (fig and honey as well as black currant-yum!) we headed back into the chaos, attempting to find St. Thomas Mount, where Doubting Thomas was martyred in the 1st century (according to tradition). However, the sun was fading fast, and our guidebooks said 'its near the train station' which is not very useful for directions, when 'near' is defined as within a mile or so, there are no signs, and no one speaks English. Stymied, we retreated to a lovely Indian restaurant restaurant for supper (so spicy, but not inedible), after which we returned home, to cards, and a good night's sleep, since we were completely beat.
Today, we went back out into the world. In the morning, I successfully traversed my first solo cross cultural experience. I was sent out to collect breakfast for Rachel, Michael and me. I went to the student canteen, and learned how to order, how to pay, how to ask for things to go, and what an Indian doughnut looks and tastes like (not sweet, and covered in slightly less spicy than usual sauce, but delicious!). A small triumph, obviously, but I try to be pleased with small triumphs.
The bigger adventures of the day were two. First, we all went to Aimee's placement for the summer, an Indian agency working on reducing AIDS among transgendered, homosexual, and sex worker populations. There we got to see their headquarters, hear that Hillary Clinton will be visiting them next week, drink tea (apparently part of most morning rituals) and visit the hospital where they treat AIDS and HIV patients, attempting both to manage the disease, and reduce transmission. They help about 100 people a month at the hospital, with 3 people on staff. It was very interesting to hear some stories, and the social workers had lots of good questions.
In the afternoon, we gave St. Thomas Mount another try. It proved to be more like 2 miles than 1 away, which is a bit much in the 95 degree heat, but we found it eventually, and after a 200 ft. climb, the mountain gave us a tremendous view of the city, with people sprawling out as far as the eye can see in every direction (Chennai is the 4th largest city in India). On top is a very Indian monument to St. Thomas, with bright colors, a gilded crucifix, statues to John Paul the 2nd and Mother Teresa, as well as a Portuguese cathedral. It felt like the end of a good quest, or a pilgrimage, after the long walk and getting lost a couple of times.
After a rest break in the late afternoon, as went over to the Center for International Social Work at Madras Christian College, Aimee and Caroline's official residence, for dinner of various Indian Cuisines made by Caroline. We also met Aimee and Caroline's friend Whitney, a social work student from Canada, and had a lovely evening of chatting and eating good food with wonderful people.
It has been a good day, we're ready to rest, and for tomorrows trip to the beach at Mamalapuram (I'll try to check back in on Sunday evening).