End of 2nd Week in Chennai

I haven't created new entries for the blog this week because I do not go out of the hotel during the evenings and there are not daily stories to relate. But I have encountered a few experiences, and some continuing observations.

Fire Drill

“Attention, attention. There is an emergency fire situation on the third floor. Exit the building immediately. Do not gather your belongings. Move to the exits crisply but do not run. Do not use the lift. Use the stairways”.

As I was leaving a meeting, this announcement began blaring on the loudspeakers inside the buildings. The person making the announcement had an urgency in his voice; he was speaking loudly even with the amplification. My first thought, “what should I do?”. My Indian colleagues said that we must leave the building. I followed them out. It was quite hot and humid outside with no shade. Once outside, I started worrying about my USAA co-workers. I quickly realized that we did not have a plan in place to contact each other about our whereabouts and safety. I then tried calling the others but I could not reach anyone.

After a few minutes, a person with a bull horn walked through the crowd telling everybody that it really was a drill and it was now over. Go back into the building. By this time, I had gotten in touch with one of my co-workers who had not left the building at all. He thought it was a drill and so opted not to leave. I will suggest to my co-workers and to USAA management that we need a plan for an emergency. This plan should include a way to get in touch with each other.

More Observations

• Indians drive on the left side of the road; similarly when approaching somebody while walking, move to your left to go by him


• “Schedule” is pronounced “shed-yule”


• The bathroom scale in my hotel room displays kilograms (I am 66.4 – I guess that’s good)


• There have been several power outages at the hotel recently; not sure of the cause; riding the elevator is adventurous


• The ground floor of any multi-level building is Floor 0; “First” floor is one flight up


• Roadway overpasses are called “flyovers”


• Chennai has no highway system within the city; that explains why there is so much traffic and gridlock; imagine if all highways in San Antonio were closed and everybody had to travel using other surface streets


• Cricket is the favorite sport; you can watch it on TV everyday of the week regardless of the time of year; it is similar to baseball but I'm told games can last for days


• “Elevator” is a “Lift”


• Restaurants do not sell beer, wine, or alcohol unless they are part of a hotel


• People I work with have names like: (female) Renu, Narmada, Priya, Lalitha; (men) Vijay, Kiran, Sundar, Rajeev


• A affectionate term for mother is “Ama”

Another One Goes Down

In one of my previous blog entries, I mentioned about my co-workers getting sick. At that time, three people had taken ill. We affectionately refer to the malady as "Delhi Belly". (We haven't been able to come up with a catchy phrase that includes the city we are in, Chennai.) The three people who were puny before have all recovered but are being a little more cautious about what they eat. Yesterday, another of our group succumbed. He was not feeling good at breakfast, and then he left work early to come back to the hotel.

As I mentioned before, I know my time is coming. But I continue to try local cuisines. Yesterday evening for dinner, several of us went to a local restaurant that specializes in North Indian food. Our food came served to us on large banana leaves. I had Egg Briyha which is rice with mixed vegatables and hardboiled egg. I also decided to be adventurous and so I ordered the Brain Masala. It is sheep brain in a spicy sauce. It was flavorful but the "meat" was softer than I expected. My co-workers thought I was crazy but so far, I have survived.

How Many People Can Ride A 2-Wheeler At One Time

This is an ongoing question that we have. Everyday there are many motorcycles that buzz in and out of traffic. There are many more motorcycles than cars. It was explained to me that the middle and upper classes are the only ones who can afford cars. Motorcycles are the method of choice for the masses for quick transportation. I have seen one person on a motorcycle, I have seen two people on a motorcycle, I have seen three people on a motorcycle, and I have seen four people on a motocrcycle at one time (picture above). I have heard stories of five at one time, but I have not personally seen this.

I have seen a person on a motorcycle carrying two full five-gallon water bottles. I have seen one person driving and one person as a passenger carrying boxes that were stacked higher than the both of them. I have heard stories of a person carrying one passenger and also two crates each holding chickens. Again, I cannot personally verify that story.