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Writing an article about my time in Chennai seems to be an almost insurmountable challenge. Not because of the culture shock which many foreigners experience when they visit India. Not even because of the typically Western difficulties of getting used to the famous and feared Indian chaos, the cows in the streets, the stark, upsetting contrast between the rich and progressive on the one side and the poor who are doomed to a standstill on the other.

I had read about all these things in books, I had seen them in documentary films and I had even spoken about them with some people from India before coming to Chennai. And in fact, the culture shock failed to appear. I got so easily adapted to the culture, the traffic, the mentality of the people and even the climate that, although the surprises I had been hoping for were definitely very numerous, they did not overwhelm me.

Only after some time I found that there is something about this country which cannot be found in books or conversations. Something which made me addicted to it even after the short time I spent here...

But this engaging charm is not as obvious as the tempting smell of exotic spices in the streets. If you want to find it, you need to look beneath the surface, you have to submerge into India’s life with all its attracting and also abhorrent aspects. And that’s what I did...

I had been told that my first impression of Chennai would be rather unfavourable. At first glance I would probably be repelled by all the pollution, the noise, the crowds. Thus, coming from a peaceful little town in north Germany (which in India would probably be regarded as a bigger village) I was quite sceptical if I would be able to handle the Indian chaos from the very beginning.

However, the first impression that Chennai gave me was entirely different! Instead of feeling intimidated because of my foreignness, I was encouraged by all the people staring at me curiously on my arrival. I had been the only white passenger at the whole airport and while driving through the city for the first time I didn’t notice even a single western-looking person!

The huge advertisements boarding the roads showed INDIAN models wearing INDIAN clothes. And on the very top of all things: There was not a single McDonald’s! Realising all this, I knew that I had not landed in one of those uniform metropolises that are the same all over the world. Chennai was definitely different. I was glad because I had come to India to experience all these (or at least some) of these differences.

I decided to start slowly and hence chose a drive with one of the funny looking “autos” to be my first adventure in Chennai - instead of taking the bus which, as I had heard, was always pretty crowded. However, when I left my temporary place of stay in Nungambakkam for the very first time I realised that there was another “first adventure” waiting right in front of me: I had absolutely no idea how to cross this street! In addition to all the cars, buses and autorickshaws, it was crowded by everything which in Europe can normally be found either on the pavement or on a field. Hectically trying to look at all directions at the same time and at the same time wishing that I had at least one more pair of eyes, I finally reached the other side with a sigh of relief and a certain amount of pride - which immediately vanished into the air when I disbelievingly watched a man on a bike who while driving was calmly reading a newspaper... Probably the most important thing to learn in Chennai is how to stay calm and relaxed and be very attentive (or alternatively, very optimistic) at the same time.

One of the things I had been looking forward to since I had decided to come to Tamil Nadu was the famous south Indian food. But even that came out to be a challenge in the very first place. What struck me was that, first: Dinner in India doesn't come earlier than 9 p.m. and my pampered stomach, used to be fed at least every four hours, was revolting harmfully against this unusual treatment.

Secondly, unlike in Europe, Indian families don’t eat together. I was told that the reason for this is the style of cuisine, but although I totally agree that a HAS to be eaten fresh, hot and crispy, I think that there is another reason for this habit. While Europeans usually enjoy and even somehow celebrate every meal by relaxing, eating slowly and taking their time to talk with their family, most of the people in India only eat to fill their stomachs and to fight hunger.

Of course, I knew that in India people eat with their (right!) hand. But I had no idea that there are so many other eating rules! When drinking water, you are not supposed to touch your glass or tumbler with your lips, your plate should never touch any of the other food vessels on the table, when you want to serve yourself some more of this delicious side-dish, the spoon should not get in contact with your plate etc... I admit that I was a little bit confused and initially unable to remember which hand to use to serve food, to hold the tumbler or to wipe my place. However, I got so much used to it after some time that once being invited for dinner in a high-class western-style restaurant, my fork and knife remained untouched because I found it much more comfortable to eat with my hand...

I got used to the eating habits. And I became a real addict of south Indian food! Sambar, rassam and tayir sadam with ‘chakarai’ (sugar) (which, I admit, is completely non-Indian...), mouth-watering side dishes with a lot of coconut, crispy dosai and parata... Actually, there’s an endless list of favourites.

I was upset when I didn’t get my idlis for breakfast which Appa used to serve me every single morning. I always preferred parata to pizza and noodles, and, although I’m not a vegetarian, I haven’t touched meat since the day I arrived. What is chicken, pork or beef compared to chapatis with Paneer Butter Masala?!

To be continued

Ania Zymelka

(Ania, born in Poland, now lives in north Germany with her family. She has just completed her schooling and is waiting to go to university. In the meantime, she decided she would also visit a country and learn about it. She will be exploring the economic, political, cultural, social and other links that Chennai has with Germany during her three-month stint in Chennaionline. Ed)