Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Yesterday, July 18, we arrived in Chennai (Madras), India.  Compared to other cities in India, Chennai is actually pretty young.  It’s about 300 years old and was established by the East India Trading Company (British).  Currently, it’s the fourth largest city in India.   We were taken on a bus tour to get to know the city and then to the Fort Museum, located at the site where the first settlement was.

We have an excellent guide, Dr. S. Suresh and he’s in charge of familiarizing us with the city.  This is the old market of Chennai. Our guide told us that shopping there isn't for the faint of heart.  After seeing it first-hand from the bus, you better believe I wasn't going in there alone.

In the evening, we were treated to a dinner at the home of our Indian counterpart, Shoba Raman.  She is an Indian teacher that was sent to teach in a Vermont High School.  She had invited several teachers to her house, including another Fulbright scholar that had been sent to Wisconsin.  Below are some of the pictures.  Their saris were STUNNING!

Today, we went to visit the Padma Seshadri Senior Secondary School.  Although that name may be confusing, this school is actually a private elementary through high school.  We spent the entire school day there.  At first I was apprehensive about that, but we ended up having so much fun!  That’s the thing about this Fulbright-Hays program, they find these gems of organizations and schools and expose us to them.  I began my day by taking a yoga class with second graders.  The teacher kept saying, “Enjoy the silence.”  However, they couldn’t stop giggling and looking at me.  I sang, Edelweiss  from the movie, The Sound of Music with some students during their music class.  I had to forbid myself to cry.  I used to sing that song to Kevin and Kyle to put them to sleep, and when I heard it, I wanted to lose it, but the Finlay teachers would be proud of me, I kept my act together.  I helped one of the art teachers with a lesson on making hats.  Below you will find a picture.  We had lunch there.  Then we were treated to a show.  The kids are incredibly talented and amazing.

Another great day in India!