Everywhere I look, I want to just take tons of pictures (but I really haven't had the chance to do so) We arrived in India in the middle of the night, yet the airport and streets were crowded. Lots of motorcycles, rickshaws, and pedestrians everywhere. Seeing India on a TV show like The Amazing Race is nothing to the real thing. The most challenging element has been the heat. And it's not even that hot this time of year.
After attempting to sleep a few hours, Dr Prasad gave us the tour of the Pathway Center in Chennai. Pathway is a school and orphanage for mentally disabled and abandoned children. The education program they have set up, is quite extraordinary. Each child gets tailored education especially for their individual needs. I can't wait to spend a lot of time in the coming week with these children.
Jagan is a mentally handicapt boy that is learning complex beading skills. Pathway makes and sells beautiful jewelry and decorations, including these beaded butterflies.
Just across the street from Pathway is one of many slums. Extremely poor people build shacks and set up their homes there. The street has public water spickets along the road. Women use large jugs or vases to collect water for their daily needs (pictures to follow soon)
We headed for the textile shopping area in Chennai. The thrill of traffic can almost be compared with a ride at Disney, except with higher levels of adrenaline. Somehow we made it to the store unscathed, and entered a huge 4 story clothing building. The store is set up quite different than any store I've ever been in. Tons of employees are behind counters, and one will be your
personal assistant. You tell them what you are looking for, and they start pulling out stacks and stacks of different flavors of that type of clothing. They are all stored neatly in plastic wrappings and in bundles behind the counters, and the assistant just starts unwrapping tons and tons of packages. After just a few minutes the whole counter has become a mountain of colorful cloth. I bought some few fun outfits for the kids, as well as more functional clothing items for myself and Joe. Unfortunately they don't allow photos to be taken in this store, so after we came out, I just shot a few snapshots of the street in front.
Fresh fruit stands are all over. Unfortunately I can't take the chance of becoming sick by partaking of this delicious looking feast.
1 comment:
You are obviously out of range of a computer or you would have comments here, I am SURE. Are you staying in Chennai? Going out to the Farm? Keep us posted!
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