To Move or Not to Move

PLaneMad

It basically boils down to how adjusting and adventurous you are. But if you have survived in other indian cities, this is a piece of cake. its wet from oct to dec and pretty cool dec to feb. only after that does the whining about the sun start

And for a woman, its a very safe city. And no matter what youre interests are, theres already a community or group for it, so you have plenty of things to keep yourself busy.

The local cuisine and people are predominantly veggie, so you wont have problems on that fron either

Nick-H

That's in Chennai terms. In, for example, British terms, it as as hot as a good English summer day during those months!

mirjamd

Unfortunately, I know enough expats here who haven't been here for years, and are also driven up the walls from time to time about how differently things are done here and how slow things can go. Of course you know the pace is different here, but if you have to deal with somebody, or really get something done, you might forget all your cultural relativism and still get pissed off But that is just part of living here....

RWeHavingFunYet

You'll have a difficult time in Madras, especially for a person moving from the bay area. San Francisco is an air-conditioned city, where as it's hot and humid in Chennai. You can try to adjust in Madras, say if you were from Florida. It's not the heat that kills you, it's the irritating humidity that drives one nuts. The moment you walk out of the shower you'll be sweating.

Nick-H

There's two people on this page from cold, wet Europe, and we've adjusted.

We have fans. We have AC (not cheap to buy or run, but you'll probably want to have at least one in the bedroom).

I actually verge on liking hot+humid.

wonderwomanusa

Ms. G, the OP, is from San Francisco, where the average year-round temperature is around 20C/68F and humidity is around 70%. Gong from this climate to that of Chennai is going to be rough for at least a year.

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The map is not the territory. --Alfred Korzybski

Nick-H

There is stuff on the net about how the body reacts to a considerable change of climate, and it does take weeks and months to adjust its functions (that's physically coping, not necessarily being comfortable or enjoying!). Then you go through a phase where you still feel too hot in one place, but back 'home' you wonder why you feel cold all the time, especially when your friends are sunbathing.

Is it possible to feel cold at 20C? Yes --- if you've just come back from 35-40.

In the early stage of climate adjustment, it is important to understand that what you are doing can actually be dangerous. Dehydration, heat shock, sun stroke, are all possible, as well as obvious sunburn.

It's very easy to stay safe in this respect; take it easy, walk in the shade, use an umbrella in the sun, drink more fluid than you think you need, and probably a few other things I've forgotten about, but which are recommended elsewhere.

In one respect the humidity helps keep you aware of how much you are sweating. You don't sweat less in a dry heat, but you stay dry because it evaporates fast.

It depends what time of year you start, because nobody likes mid-April to mid-May here, the month with the Tamil name Fire, but your body should have started coping in a couple or three months. If you come in December, you just might be joining the locals wearing wooly scarves by the next December! This will be my fourth December here, and I just might this year.

My wife grew up here, but she doesn't like the heat. When I wonder at that, she reminds me that I now hate the climate I grew up in!

Ambler

Teacher G, have you made your decision yet? Moving from a cool climate to a hot and humid one can be done--I moved to SE Asia from Chicago. It took me a while, but now I'm pretty much acclimated. And I've been surprised how cool the last few days have been here in Chennai. Right now I'm in my office in Chennai (on the first floor of a college). With the door open and a ceiling fan going, I'm very comfortable. We've also found that we can keep our flat windows open most of the time (with ceiling fans going) and are very comfortable, something we never did in Bangkok.

But take it from a newbie...this place will be challenging at first! But just when I've had a rough experience, I have an encounter with a friendly local and I'm happy to be here again. Chennai people are extremely friendly, which goes a long way to helping me cope with the differences!

carlaeb

Wow I had no idea that there was any biology behind people's different tolerance for heat or cold. I just thought it was a preference. Good thing for me that I came from a hot, humid place. India is just like home in that regard!

OK- what I want to know is, why aren't you supposed to eat raw veggies, assuming you peel them? Someone said even their doctor told them to stay away from salads and raw veggies. Do you just mean out on the street or do you mean from the market too? Teacher G is asking about living here, so I don't think the concern is street food. I'm asking because I've been eating raw veggies from the market at least once every single day for the past month. Is there something I should be worrying about? I can add it to my growing list of health concerns.

Teacher G

Hi Carlaeb,

So tell me how is shopping for food in India? Are you feeling okay eating the raw veggies? Have you been cooking them? I'm definitely moving over this summer so any advice you can offer on staying healthy would be wonderful. Have you been soaking your veggies in iodine before eating? What special things have you been doing to not get sick.

Teacher G

Hi Haylo,

I went to the health food store to ask about the baby bottle sterilizer and they looked at me with question. They suggested grapefruit seed extract. Is this what you were referring to?
Can you be more specific and do I need to bring that over from the states or can I find in also in Chennai?

Thanks!

carlaeb

Gosh no, nothing so elaborate. I have a tap in the kitchen where I wash dishes. Then I have a water filter machine which is common here called Aqua Guard. I'm sure you'll have one, and if not you'll need one. The only precaution I've made is with water. I only drink the filter water and I only cook with it too- even to make coffee or boil something. I use the tap water for cleaning and dishwashing. When I'm out, I'm careful about ice. I brush my teeth with tap water though, which I'm sure is bad for me and I don't recommend it, yet I've not fallen ill from it. Veggie and fruit shopping is a joy in India. Very easy, just go to the market and see what you want. I eat raw fruits and veggies all the time. The only precaution is that I wash them first with filter water. I don't use soap or soak them or anything, just rinse and scrub with my fingers like I do at home. I've never heard of soaking in iodine.

This is not very helpful to you probably! That is why I was asking too. I know not to eat raw food in restaurants or on the street, but I've never even heard that you are not supposed to eat raw veggies AT ALL. I'm surprised and confused! And now a little worried that I'm growing a colony of parasites in my stomach.

In restaurants or street places, I avoid ice and only order fresh cooked food that is in season. With all the power outages, frozen foods thaw and then get frozen again leading to frost bite. This has happened to me twice, but the second time I recognized the spoiled taste and avoided getting sick. For example, peas and mushrooms are frequently frozen. Lentils are almost always fresh and they are cooked very hot. So if you are not sure about the place, just order lentils or potatoes or something like that which is likely to be very fresh and hot.

I've only been living here a month! My health concerns have mainly been about the air quality (I have asthma) and mosquito repellant.

Oh and we don't eat non-veg at home and have had no problem at all.

Haylo

No, the one that was recommended to us was an Indian made product called "Sterilo", it's a mild chlorine solution which is used to sterilise babies bottles and suchlike. Can't imagine why this would confuse shopkeepers, even if that particular product isn't available in your area, as bottle feeding is very popular in India.

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The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful - E.E. Cummings, poet (1894-1962)

wonderwomanusa

When I was first in India, the word in some places was "don't eat anything that grows below your knees." At the time, night soil was used for fertilizer, so whatever diseases your neighbors had were passed on in your veggies.

I do not know the prevalence of chemical fertilizers at this time, so I am still very careful about cleaning and peeling vegetables.

Fruits, also, maybe be treated with pesticides or picked by workers with dirty hands, so you will also want to wash and peel these.

I found out the hard way, years ago, that strawberry juice from
the local juice bar (in Mumbai) was particularly dangerous.

carlaeb

I'm loving my Hep vaccine right now. Must remember to get the third booster. I guess I should start picking names for all the parasites or amoebas or worms swimming around in my stomach.

Darn it. Now I'm going to think about night soil every time I eat. I'm going to pretend that just means dark earthworm rich Mother nature soil that happens to be under moonlight. That's all.

As for pesticides and the like, I know. I've been worried about that. I'm pretty careful in the US because it is easy to know where my food comes from and how it was grown and treated (I live in an area with lots of well-regulated farmers markets). Surely the washing gets rid of most of the chemicals...