First Impressions

There is quite a bit of the old British colonial days in our pace and ease of life here during our first week in Chennai. Our sprawling apartment has high ceilings, overhead fans (and AC), and an assortment of heavy wooden furniture. Our two servants, Suresh, the cook, is young and energetic and prone to giggles, and John, the driver, is older, wiser and has an easy smile. They help us with every task and problem that arises.

During the first week the school took us out each evening to the best hotel restaurants and then to a lovely beach resort an hour south of here on Saturday. John played older cousin for the younger children at these events, and everyone is in love with his "buddha aura," as one teacher put it. It has been an extraordinary welcome complete with open bars and top notch food at every stop.

There are loads of trees in Chennai, along the road from our apartment to the beach, which is eight-minute walk, and all over the city. It is a very nice feature in a crowded Asian city. The photo is a shot from the school, overlooking the cricket fields to the booming new construction nearby. Chennai is home to many multinationals, and so our school has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years.

Life is here is very agreeable for us so far. It's quite hot, but the food is *fantastic* and the people are so helpful and kind. I still have yet to set up my new camera, so stay tuned for more photos and stories about this fascinating place.