Flatmates and other cultural differences

So my roommate is Annabelle, a cool ironic Chinese girl. She came first for 3 days and then left to live in an orphanage where she works, but two days later she called me and said, I can't stay here, can I come back, I sleep with cockroaches and lizzards and haven't had a shower since left from Egmore. She is good fun! Yesterday she got me a lil scared though. So I come out of the bathroom and she was there sitting on her bed and looking like this:

Yes, she bleaches her skin. And I am desperately trying to get a tan :D
Another thing - when Annabelle arrived and started to make her bed, she pulled out from her suitcase a plastic table cloth and spread it on her bed (to serve as a bedsheet). When I looked with confusion and amazement, she said "Its lightweight, hygienic and practical" :D :D Few days later she bought real sheets :D

Then my other flatmate is Angela, also very cool and in the same time warm hearted. She is from Kenya and has actually been already on one internship in Chennai, but since she found big love, so she is back! Again yesterday when I came out of the shower (they were surprising me so much yesterday...) and walked into the living room, there she was sitting here just like... drinking cognac and having eagle sitting on her forehed. Just like that. Chill. Thats AFRICA, man!

By the way "Mambo" means "Wazaaap?" and "Jambo" is "Hello!" in Sheng (one of the languages of Kenya). So I've been using these words totally out of their meaning :D


Other cultural differences
On the street and in other public space its typical to burp, fart and scratch your balls (especially men, women lil bit less), they do the last all the time actually. I have heard a theory that by touching their genital area men reinforce their manlyhood. Like do you see what I have? Uncounciously of course. :D or who knows.

All men have mustache, they say you are not a man if you don't have. Their very own pride....

Yesterday was the national day of India, their constitution is now 61 years old, largest democracy in the world. Locals say that the politicians are pretty much mafia and billions and billions of rupees of black money in on their Swiss bank accounts. Well.. I wore also proudly a lil Indian flag on my chest :)

Work talk
Yesterday I kinda started teaching. We're going to Bangalore this weekend with the kids and they are taking part of the national robotics competition (winner will fly to Atlanta to compete in the international one) and my job was to give them a team building excersise. It was cool, the lil ones were just so incredibly enthusiastic and for the older ones were also easy to handle. Guess it was beginners luck. They call me "Eva Madam". Hrr... I don't like the business language here, everyone are all the time sirs and madams. Eva Madam, Vinod Sir... uff sometimes I feel that I should also start talking like that, but well, not. I just can't get it out of my mouth, for me.. name is enough, no need for titles, I guess the difference is that I don't come from caste society.

Now pictures of garbage

Here are some views from train ride to work. These are the slums by the river Cooum river, the one which is 80% more polluted than average sever.

Now I've reached by train to Indira Nagar, which is the Nõmme like neighbourhood.

Indira Nagar train station from outside...

The street my office is located at

Typical "supermarket" that sells everything

My workplace! Here infront lil monkeys sometimes run on the street. They also steal bags of chips from the supermarket and then run and climb some tree, open the package there and eat the goods :D

So many times mentioned V and the kids infront of the robotics competition table.

My home street Halls Road in Egmore.. typical local joints

Here I buy my bananas nom nom so sweet here

The kitchen of my flat, the biggest cooking I've done in this dump is to boil water for instant noodles :D

SRW University, one of the best private universities in India where we took today the kids for a fieldtrip to the biomedical engineering department.

Inside "Ladies Compartment", very empty this time, usually always four people squeeze in the bench meant for three. Personal space does not exist in India, same goes for privacy.

Sum pics

First picture that was already in the camera...

 My bathroom... it is as CLEAN as it gets. No questions please.

 Pidgeon children from balcony.

 View from me balcony on Chennai, somewhere there is supposed to be the sea as well :)

Train station dog

Burma Bazar, a market selling smuggeled stuff, I bought myself a new Chinese mobile there. My Chinese flatmate had never seen this brand before, haha, I'll know tomorrow when I'll switch it on.

Train station people

More of them...

In the background children having their sunday bath

Lil house just on the street infornt of another house. The poverty line in India is 11 rupees (18 euro cents), if you earn more than that the government considers you ok...

Local hang place

Street view... not my street though.

Ganesha view

From day 4 started to drink the same water as the locals 

 Nom nom fingers into the food

And eating South Indian style

My room.. today I am roommateless, but I've had already 2 different Chinese ones in the course of 5 days haha, they are all sent off to rural areas to work mostly in orphanages.

Welcome to India. We make simple things difficult? Or not..

Today is exactly two weeks in India. Huh.. it has been hectic. I'm taking it as a challenge that I am going to endure and come out stronger. 


My initial culture shock that lasted 2 days where I had my heart pounding 24/7 and wanted to get tickets back I subsided and I am feeling pretty much relaxed. Even though the trafic is still a huge challenge for me. Crossing the street always involves risking my life, getting horned at . Well, horn is used here for everything all the time. It means, watch out, hello, I'm coming, I'm going, get out of my way, go, don't go, bye, hello beautiful, hello ugly... etc. Just all the time horning. My office is located in a suburban area, very beautiful, reminds me of Nõmme a lot, all one family houses with garderns, only exception is that there are palm trees :D So and these streets there are very quiet and when I walk around them and a car or a bike passes they always horn, its not that we hadn't excanged looks, its just I dunno for what. Used to freak me out, but now I'm practicing selective hearing.


In the street I am being looked at a lot. In Chennai there aren't almost at all tourist, so being white here really sticks out. Anyhow I learned that the best weapon against the looks is to look back and smile. Then always I get back a huge warm smile with big black eyes and flashing white teeth. Children just sometimes come to me touch my arm and then look at me and smile so happily, thats ok, thats cute. 


So to work I go by train, I feel like a grown up already haha, taking two trains and it takes me about one hour from home to office if the trains come instantly. Here there are in the trains such things as ladies compartments which of course means these compartments are only for women. And in these I feel much better than in the mixed ones, since the looking at me is lil bit mure subtle. Of course they look, but not so intensly. But in general I feel that I am in a zoo and I am the animal, some people turn their heads so much that it seems that they're almost braking their necks in the process.... so after being few times in the mixed compartments, I switched to ladies one. Even though I hate this kind of segregation of sexes. 


Anyhow, but the aiesec guys were like yeah Eva you should take the ladies one and pick someone up haha. That actually almost happened another day. Well I was picked up. Some very beautiful woman dressed all in yellow in this Indian dress (not sari, but the other one, made from three pieces) smiled and started a conversation like where are you from etc. And then said yesyes, I saw you also yesterday in Fort station. Haha, I replied, but I didn't see you, Yeh, this is the thing here, they all see me, but I don't see them. Well I see, but there is just so so many people.. 7 million... Tallinn was 400 thousand. I was this close to ask her out for a coffee, since she was cool, beautiful and educated, but then I said, ok so see you again on the train. If it happens nice, if not, well there will be another one :)


Its hard to get contact with women here. All the aiesecer are men who I've met until now, and women are usually in the shadow of men. One day V invited me to join his family to Pulicat lake and I met 11 members of his family. It was very nice we took a boat over a lake to a small sandy island. It was a lagoon, on the other side of the island was the see. Oh and there was also this cutest girl ever 1,5-year-old Mithu, ufff so big black eyes and such a sweet smile. First she didn't dare to look at me and always looked away when I took a look at her, but by the evening she was playing with my hands and bracelet, it was so so sweet :)


I am trying to get the female perspective of India. So me and her aunt went for a lil walk (about 200 m from the others) and then she said, wait, lets wait for the gents as well. I was like, why can't we walk to the sea alone? And she said, yes, but was better like that and that she was brought up that way. So her husband and another joined. Yeh.. my European upbringing by hippi parents  is totally abnormal here. Haha..


Uff and today I finally bought a camera and will start documenting the contrasts. And the masses of people.


Now I' realizing without how many luxuries is totally OK to live. So I don't have hot water, but its ok, if the coldest weather is +26 :D and soon it will be like +40, so I'm not complaining. Just the morning shower is a bit challenging. The washing mashine is from stone age, I have to let the water in, then make it spin, then drain, then new water in, then spin, .. hard work :D and then squeeze it by hand. The fridge is almost not working, milk goes bad by the second day.


About the apartment - I decided to stay in this dump called Egmore :D because V (my boss, who has become more of a friend by now, he is 25 and an exaiesecar himself, has been to 2 internships, one in Ghana and another in France, so he knows whats this trainee life about) organized 3 cleaners to come and clean it. They of course did it the Indian style, using the same mop first on floor then on shelves. That kind of cleaning, no comments. No matter.. all the piles of garbage were cleared out and I cleaned once more after them using the European Eva style and now its tolerable. Since first days I was alone in the apartment, but now I have a Chinese roommate, a Kenyan and a Indonesian, until now all girls and well the apartment is pretty full now. Umm and I chose actually the wrong room--- I finally took the one with balcony, but now I understand that its not such a great thing, since everyone are constantly coming and going to the balcony and also I have to share the bathroom with four people. Oh well.. so much about privacy in this country :D

7.01.11

Now out my cotton ball comfort zone Europe

On the day of my departure I woke up with my head weighing about a ton and hurting like a train had gone over it, trought hurting, and feeling way too warm in my body. Conveniently I had gotten sick, felt like a typical virus. I guess my body wanted to protect me from going hahaha, but I pumped my blood full of Theraflu and by the evening felt like reborn (gotta keep it flowing in though).

Journey to India started in Tallinn bus station at 00.30 :D not even airport, but bus station. Hay que venir al sur, al Riga! and 40 hours to go until reaching the destination. Oh just a remark: when I sat in the taxi to go the bus station an old disco song was playing, the one “I left my job … daddaaadaa... come on, lets go, to a destination unknown”. I laughed inside and said to myself INDEED!

As soon as I arrived to Riga airport I went to bed, to an iron bench with my sleeping bag. When I opened my eyes 4 hrs later I realized that I was in the busiest place in the whole airport with a huge queue of people next to me, it was Ryanair chek-in time... I had been sleeping like a baby with the sleeping bad over my head, clueless and in peace hahaha. It felt interesting to get up from “bed” in the middle of this crowd, but I acted as if it was the most natural thing in the world, made me bed, had a drink of grapefruit seed extract, took my 7 things and left.

Latvia left a kind of harsh impression on me, since Ryanair flight registrators (?) in the gate were giving one girl very hard time over the size of her hang luggage. Quick comparison and umm… mine consisting of half empty back bag and a lap top bag were half bigger than hers okouu. The girl was on her knees taking clothes out of her bag and putting them on and almost crying and the bitches were yelling at her. A good cop bitch was telling her to wear the clothes instead of throwing them away to the recycle bin she had just provided few seconds earlier and a dyke bad cop bitch who was let’s say out of control both with her voice and body language and was enjoying the power trip, smiling secretly when looking away. Then a higher boss came, let her be sad and submissive for some more minutes and then they just said ok go. Why all that drama? To my surprise I had to take the same gate… cold feeling in my stomach! But the bitches went and were substituted by some softies haha one of them just asked from me, before giving me back my passport “Eto passport pravilno?” I said “DA! Just a new hair style :D” (background info: in my passport picture I’m very blonde without the hedgehog sides and somehow the shape of  my face is rectangular) He just smiled with his big black (probably with regular glass) Swedish nerd glasses and handed me the le passport and the boarding pass. Strange that in Latvia the first foreign language they tend to use with forigners is Russian, even though they’re more west than we are.

In the plane to Kiev I was happy to discover that I’m the only one sitting in a row of three seats, ready to lie down and enjoy sleep. But then of course I noticed three large Ukrainian bears sitting in front of me, and they were getting drunker and louder each minute. They took turns sitting on the first seat of the row I was in and were very chatty in spite of me not really talking back to them, but they were making these so absurd jokes, that I just couldn’t help myself. I would have wanted to, but somehow the best I could put forward in Russian was like yes and no and don’t understand. Of course my poor capabilities didn’t stop them, so I was their silent laughing/sleeping companion.

Ukraine is different. It seems the soviet times are still there. The surroundings are lil bit dusty and scratchy and you can tell that these walls have seen different times. The transfer zone started with a raunchy old corridor smelling of old cigarette buds and ended with a not so glamorous lady who marked down my passport number in a typical squared notebook (very oldshcool!). Kiev airport has this certain soviet feeling to it, but no matter! They have loud house music :D :D

Jõudsin kohale ja korra oli selline imelik tunne, et olen troopikas ja peaks keegi muu vastu tulema, aga ootamas olid hoopis V (mu boss/kolleeg) ja Darshin (aiesecar). Esimese asjana viis ta mind lennujaamast üle tee asuvasse magusapoodi ja pakkus mulle erinevaid asju proovida. Ütles, et ta tahab, et mu India algus oleks magus, kuna kindlasti tuleb mul mitmeid proovikive. Ja nii see oligi, nende sõnadega oli ta ka varsti kadunud ja sõitsime koos Darshiniga kodu poole, mina vaikselt pärast 50 h ülevalolemisest ainult mõtlesin, et PEAASI, et dušši alla ja PUHTASSE voodisse saaks. Tee peal õnnestus mul veel kohatut naljagi teha. Darhsin rääkis, et on 17 ja see on tema esimene trainee pick up ja et oli 3 h varem kodust autoga tulema hakanud ja tund varem kohale jõudnud ja mina jõudsin tund plaanitust hiljem. Ja mina uljalt selle peale, et ooo sul läks siis ju süütus. Ja tema ohkas vastu: “I wish”.

Uus kodu oli täis rõõmsaid traineesid: saksa Sandra, kelle toaakaaslane oli ära ja kelle tuppa ma siis crashisin, Uus-Meremaa Emma, Poola Peter ja Brasiilia Giordano. Kõik superlõbusad ja tahtsid mind peole viia. Aga mina olin täielikus surmaunes ja ainult ootasin, et pliis, millal saab magama. Korter oli veits jube ja vannituba oli täiega jube, aga kuidagi sain hakkama. Ja viuh, teised siis lõpuks läksidki peole ära ja mina hakkasin üritama magama jääda. Njah. Naljanumber. Kuulasin vaheldumisi ventilaatoreid ja tuututamist ja kolinat tänaval, süda põksus ja keerasin küljelt küljele, kuni nad 5 h hiljem tagasi tulid, siis millalgi ka suikusin.

Keereldes rahustasin end kogu aeg, kõik on korras, ma olen siin, mul on toredad inimesed ümber ja ma olen lõpuks voodis oma linade vahel ja mitte miski ei saa mind puutuda. Aga kogu kära, lõputu inimestemass, haisud, kolin, mürin ja veel miljon asja, kõik keerles peas. Aga siis ma veel olin rahulik, olin ju ainult ACga autos lennujaamast pimedas koju sõitnud. Hard core kultuurišokk algas homme.

8.01.11

Hommikul tšillisime ja siis käisime auto rikšaga Marina Beachil ja seejärel söömas ja seiklesime ringi. Mul hakkas poole selle tralli pealt pea valutama ja ma ei suuda seda ümbrust ja enda reaktsiooni ja kaitsepositsiooni ja pingesse tõmbumist enam praegu isegi kirjeldada... Õhtul tuli üks aiesecar meie juurde ja teatas, et mina pean ära kolima ja keegi minuga koos. Peter ja Giordano tulid siis koos minuga Egmore’i. Siin on ilge räpapeller korter. Öösel oli mul täielik värinašokiseisund ja mõtlesin piletite ostmisele, et Eestisse tagasi minna.

9.01.11

Hommikul helistasin esimese asjana V'le, et mul on väga sitt olla ja ma ei suuda sellise räpa sees elada. Ta tuli tunni ajaga mulle motikaga järgi ja siis kihutasime läbi Chennai 60 km/h kontorisse. Seal oli ees indialannast trainer Vina ja teine etiooplasest, nimi veel pole meelde jäänud, tore poiss igal juhul. Alguses oli imelik kogu aeg mingeid lapsi näha ja kuulda, aga päeva peale oli OK. Käisime Kentucky Fried Chickenis söömas minu pärast IRW. Ja nad isegi ei julgenud öelda, mulle seda, ma ise äkki tulin selle peale ja küsisin ja siis oli vastuseks, aga sa ju, vaeseke, ei saaks India restoranis midagi süüa. Kõik muud toidukorrad siin olengi ainult India asju söönd ja kõik on väga korras olnud.

Lauas sattusin rääkima Samiga, kes on Vi ja G  nö soosija, kinnisvaramagnaat ja lapsevanem. Kurtsin temale ka oma korteripuudusemuret ja ta tahtis abivalmis olla, eks siis näeb, mis sellest saab. Midagi arvatavasti. Õhtul käisime V'iga paari Ladies Hosteli vaatamas, päris rämedad kohad, hull tore motikaga kihutamine jälle selles hullumaja liikluses, me likes. Lõpuks viis ta mu enda juurde koju teed jooma ja jäime ööseks sinna hoopis, mis oli eriti huvitav ja tore. Kohtusin ta perega, ema, kes oli tõeline India naine ja usklik isa, kes kais ringi kollane riidepalakas ümber ja nägu mingi valge asjaga triibutatud. Tõeline India kodu, suur tuba pühade meeste ja naiste pilte täis. Ema tegi meile ka süüa, õhtul chaptat ja chutney’t ja hommikul igilisid ja teistsugust chutney’t. Ja ta nõo imetilluke tütar oli nagu maailma kõige ilusam laps, nii suured ja sügavad pruunid silmad, nagu pühal lehmal ja siinmail on see ka vist kompliment. Majas elasid ka ca 15 isa catering ettevõtte töötajat.

Pere naised tegid õhtul värava ette riisist tehtud värviliste jahudega mustreid, mis selle nimi oligi, ja ma aitasin ka kaasa ja täitsin ka paar ristkülikut. Eriti lahe oli sedasi nende pererituaalist osa võtta. Ja kogu see soe õhkond seal rahustas mu maha, mitte et ma öösel magada oleks saanud pärast, peab ju ventilaatorit kuulama ja küljelt küljele keerama, aga rahu tuli ja teadsin, et midagi halba muga ei juhtu siin.

10.01.11

See Egmore korter on kolme magamistoaga ja kahe vannitoaga ja veel hiiglasliku elutoaga. Ma valisin sellise magamistoa, millel on oma vannituba, kui juba, siis juba. Mis sest, et teisel oli rõdu ja AC, olen tüüpiline Eurooplane ja valin mitte kahest kohast tilkuva ja veits vähem prügi täis vannitoa.

Ja üldsegi, rõdul oli üks tuviema oma poegadega. Läksin mina siis uudistama, ooo rõdu, vaatame vaadet ja imestasin, et mida see tuvi seal nurgas kangestunult istub ja mind konkreetselt altkulmu pea viltu passib. Tegin siis tsuhh-šuuuhhh ja hop lendas, aga tema istme all olid kaks väikest udusulis magavat pojakest. Aww.. ma lidusin kiirelt minema muidugi ja lasen neil seal rahus elada, vähemalt seni, kuni ma siin korteris üksi olen. Vast pojakesed varsti võtavad tiivad selga ja lähvad oma teed, seni aga on rõdu neile. 

Ja mis värk siin maal WC-dega on, isegi nendesuguste jõukate kodus oli see põhimõtteliselt sama jube, vast vähema prügiga, kuid siiski, kui minu Egmore’i uues kodus. Seda nähes ja seal ka hiigelprussakaid nähes, keda ma enda juures õnneks, ptüiptüiptüi, kohanud pole, tuli mu hinge rahu. Indias lihtsalt ongi nii, ongi koledad WC-d, alati võib need ise kodus puhtaks küürida, kuid eemaletõukavaks nad jäävad alati. Otsustasin leppida oma pakutud koduga ja V isa lubas saata mõned oma töötajad suurpuhastust ka tegema ja.. no eks näe, kas see päriselt ka juhtub.

Eestis ja Euroopas ja ka USAs enamvähem nagu tehakse WC kuidagi õdusaks ja vaibad jne. Siin on see veega lödistamise komme ja alati kõik ujub. No ausõna, me käime officis paljajalu, väljas ukse ees on hunnik plätusid, ja no ma ei ole just jälginud kuidas teised seal käivad, aga mina küll ei suuda sinna minna paljajalu, mingi läga sisse. Küsimus, et kas nad siis käivad kogu aeg poolmärja jalgevahega ringi, saan mõne indialannaga rohkem tuttavaks, siis kindlasti küsin selle delikaatse küsimuse, et kuidas ikka peoga saab. Ehk siis tualettpaberist ma ei hakka üldse rääkima. Ma pole seda kuskil näinud, va traineede kodus. Ja poodides küsides, poodide variantide juurde tulen hiljem tagasi, vangutatakse pead ja öeldakse, et pole õrna aimugi, kust sellist imeasja veel saama peaks. Siin on muidugi olemas mõned meie mõttes poed, a la Rimi ja Selver, aga need on kõik põhimõtteliselt Stockmann, kuna hinnad on laias laastus samad, mis Eestis. No lihtsalt väike näide: 1 rull tualettpaberit, see on siis ainus koht, kust seda saab, maksab 10 EEK. Normaalne. Siin maal, kus kõneminuti hind on 14 senti ja väga heas restoranis saab kõhu täis süüa ca 60 krooniga.

Täna siis käisin esimest korda üksi linna peal, vahetasin raha ja ületasin teed. Jeah. Ja õhtul sain tuttavaks siin kodu lähedal olema 300 (hmmmm?) aastat vana oleva hotelli omanikuga. Tõlkis mulle restoranis kirjalikult kogu menüü ja pani kaasa (osav müügitehnika) ja näitas oma hotelli veel ja pakkus oma officis chaid ja jutustasime elust ja armastusest. Haha, kohe uuris horoskoopi jne irw. Jutu käigus tulin ka kapist välja, heh, ta polnud üldse kohkunud, vaid rääkis oma teistest gay sõpradest ja oli igati laadna, ainult, et vist tal oli veidi kahju, et mina ei olekski tema üks paljudest international girlfriendidest. Eks näeb, võib-olla siis pidutseme veel koos. Höhööh.