Traveling On a Two-Wheeler

Ever since I decided that I would be frequenting the swimming pool (about 15-minute walk from my apartment), I had been on a quest to find a bicycle. I looked around the market near the hospital, and found out that new ones cost at least Rs2500-2800 ($55-60), which is a bit much considering I'll only be using it for a year.

Then one day I saw a bicycle under the stairs at the apartment, and I thought, "Surely our landlady (who is 93 years old) couldn't use that bike..." So I asked her who's bike it was, and she told me I could use it!

My "new" bike!

The next day I took the bike to a bike shop near the pool. I got the tires pumped, the bell fixed, and the brake pads replaced. The bike mechanic here is quite amazing. He replaced the brake pads in no time, and I was really impressed when he fixed the bell with a hammer and pliers. And he charged me a very nominal fee for everything. My bike is still a bit rusty here and there, so I'll probably be taking it back to the shop soon.

Traveling by bike here is quite dangerous, or so it seems, with all the traffic and crazy drivers. But so far I haven't felt too dangerous riding my bike around. Everyone here honks their horns superfluously, so I always I know when they are right behind me and about to pass by (although I'm really glad I have a reliable break). Now with the working bell on my bike, I can join in on the "honking" fun and warn the pedestrians when I pass them by (although so far no one has turned around when I ring the bell).

It's definitely nice having a bike. I can now go to the pool or campus in couple minutes. I could even go to the pool just to take a shower there so I could save water at my apartment (of course I wouldn't do that, but I've been taking a shower there every time I use the pool).

This evening I went to the pool, and afterwards stopped by the campus canteen and ate dinner with a bunch of international students. You can actually order food from Darling Residency, and have it delivered to the canteen every night, so a lot of the students eat at the canteen at 8PM. I'll probably be visiting the canteen quite a bit now that it's a lot more accessible.

I probably sound like I'm just socializing, going to the pool, and not getting any work done... which isn't too far from the truth, but I am starting to get some really good ideas for a research project. I've been reading some articles and meeting with people, which I'll probably be doing for the next... 10 months or so. Everything's still up in the air, so I won't write about it until things start to take some shape.

In any case, praise God for a bike!

And here's one of my favorites:

From icanhascheezburger.com

Europe in Vellore

Sundays are our days off, so Lucy and I spent couple hours at the swimming pool in the afternoon. It costs Rs200* to use the pool for a day, but we both got a 1-year membership, so we can go there everyday if we had time.

The pool is one of the main hubs for the many foreigners that come to Vellore (mostly med students rotating at CMC). So I got to meet several people from the UK, France, and Denmark. It was nice and refreshing to meet a bunch of people from various places. The place is well isolated from the outside world that, with all these Europeans, it almost felt like I wasn't in India any more. It's definitely a nice little getaway (and it's only a 15-minute walk from our apartment!).

Since we haven't started our research projects yet, I feel like I've been on an extended vacation... haha. I'm sure I'll get busy with work soon enough. I should enjoy this free time while I can.

After the pool I went to church service on CMC Campus. I came in couple minutes late because I thought the service was at another place, and when I sat down, I noticed that everyone around me were female. So for a second I thought I must have sat in the female section (not that I knew if there was one, but recently I found out that the seats on the left side of public buses are reserved for women). After a quick look-around, I realized that about 85% of the congregation were female. So I figured I was in the right place. It turns out all the nursing students were there, and they usually attend chapel at the CMC Hospital (which is different from Campus).

After chapel Lucy and I went to Dr. Kang's house, which is on CMC campus, for dinner. It was really nice getting to know her and her husband in a casual setting.

It was definitely a nice relaxing Sunday.




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*Rs = rupees; Rs200 is about $4.35.