Apartment

I finally got an apartment. I decided to trade off distance for quality (sort of) and price. This combined with my natural frugality has forced me to try to learn the local public transportation system (a bus costs about 4 - 9 rupees, a 'share' auto rickshaw--which takes several people to the same area of the city--is 15 - 18 rupees, and a private auto rickshaw is 100 or more rupees). I have yet to find a published map of bus routes so I've mostly been learning by trial and error, with more error than anything else at this point. I also learned only too late that men and women don't sit next to each other on the bus. Apparently, you can stand anywhere you want, but certain seats are for women only (and these seats are designated only in Tamil). Even if there is an empty seat next to a woman, a man should remain standing rather than sit next to her unless it is his sister, mother, wife, or other relative.

I live in an area in the northwest of the city called Mugappair. It seems nobody is really sure of the English spelling as I've seen it on various maps, store fronts, and other postings as Mogaphair, Mugappair, Moggapair, Mogappair, and Mogapper. On my Chennai city map it is spelled Mogapper but I think Mugappair is closest to how it is pronounced. I'm probably the only white person within a 5 kilometer radius. However, several members of my church live in the area and one of them helped me to find the apartment (thankfully avoiding any brokerage fees and helping me to get closer to the local, 'non-white' price).

It is a bit far from work (it takes me about an hour with the traffic and convoluted roads) and I'm considering continuing the search for something closer to the office. The place has a small living room/dining room/entryway area, a tiny kitchen, a bedroom, and an attached bathroom. I am paying 12,000 rupees per month (about $300) so it is a little cheaper than my Boston rent and I even get my own bathroom and kitchen as well. The owner of the building has a few businesses and right now he has an Internet start-up (web page developing) in a room on the roof (which is more like a large patio). Other than the distance and my inability to access the Internet on my wireless card, it isn't a bad place. I even have a lady who comes three times a week to clean and do laundry for 600 rupees a month. My ability to communicate with her is extremely limited (my Tamil isn't great yet), but so far, we have been able to manage. Now if I can just find something productive to do amidst the wall to wall press of bodies on the bus during my morning commute...



My apartment building.


I was pretty proud of these elephant print sheets that I bought.


Throughout the city you can find these huge lit up icons; quite surprising the first time you come across one unexpectedly.


I have parakeets again! Well, really they belong to the building, but they are right in front of my apartment.


My landlord's company. The sign isn't actually hanging up as you can see.


Trash pile on the driveway outside my building.


The view from my roof.


View of Venugopal Road.


A thatched house next door.

More pictures can be found here.