by Sarvesh Chandran, PRC-Saltillo Ambassador
Hello Friends,
Trips and vacations are fun and interesting. Sometimes, long trips can be stressful to plan and travel. My name is Sarvesh Chandran. I live in Chandler, Arizona. This Summer, I went on an exciting trip to India for a month. I am blogging about: travel experiences from Phoenix to Chennai; vacation time in India; experiences with using my communication device in India; experiences with using the Avaz communication program; travel experiences from Chennai to Phoenix.
First, I am sharing my travel experiences from Phoenix to Chennai. My parents and I packed and repacked our suitcases several times before the trip. We wanted to pack so that we could lift the suitcases as well as to ensure that the luggage did not exceed the allowed weight limits. We boarded a cab for the 45-minute trip to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. My parents and I checked in our bags and obtained our boarding passes at the airline counter. I was really scared about the security check process. However, a TSA Cares officer team enabled me to complete the security check with minimal stress. My parents and I went to the gate to wait for boarding the plane to London. The airline staff was very helpful and allowed us to pre-board the plane. I needed the extra time to settle down in my seat before the boarding rush began. I was both excited and nervous when the plane took off for London. I couldn't sleep on the plane. I ate, hydrated, and watched movies. The plane was delayed on route to London. We arrived almost an hour later than the scheduled arrival time. Heathrow airport is humongous and we had to run to catch our plane to Chennai. We boarded our plane because very helpful disability assistance staff at Heathrow assisted us with navigating the different types of transportation and different terminals. I couldn’t sleep during the flight to Chennai because I was really excited about meeting my grandparents. We arrived two hours late at Chennai airport. The journey from Phoenix to Chennai took almost 30 hours. We completed immigration in Chennai and boarded a cab to go to my mom’s parents’ apartment.
Second, I am sharing my experiences in Chennai. Initially, I was a little shy with my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousin since I had not seen them in person for almost three years. Moreover, I was very jet-lagged since Chennai is 12.5 hours ahead of Phoenix. For example, 10 a.m. Phoenix time is 10.30 p.m. Chennai time. I slowly warmed up to my family members. Chennai was warm but much cooler than Phoenix. Chennai is next to the Indian Ocean. So, cool, ocean breezes set in the mornings and the evenings. The vegetation was green, lush, and tropical. The climate was great for reducing my allergies and my skin was not dry like it is in Phoenix. I visited with my paternal grandparents, grandaunts, granduncles, and second cousins. Everyone was very kind and affectionate towards me. My parents and I explored Chennai and the surrounding areas. We went to beaches; heritage sites; parks; shops; museums; restaurants. I especially liked the beaches, the sea shells museum in Mahabalipuram, and the Railways museum in Chennai. I loved taking cabs and autorickshaws for transportation. In fact, autorickshaws are my favorite transportation because they can easily navigate the Chennai traffic. I really liked walking in my grandparents’ apartment complex because I met and interacted with many people. I learned to say and sign Vanakkam which is used as an interaction greeting. My mom’s mother and my mom’s sister made 35 different traditional Indian foods for me. I learned to do new chores to help my grandparents. The LAMP communication program was very helpful for communication in India. I had tried the Avaz communication program before I left for India.
Third, I used the LAMP Program in India for communicating my wants and needs. For example, I communicated that I was hungry and I felt happy. I also used the LAMP program for open-ended conversations. For example, I asked questions and I replied to questions. I shared my opinions and even gave advice to my teenage cousin. I used the LAMP program to play games like MadLibs. It was really wonderful to participate and interact fully with family and friends. I tried the Avaz communication program before I left for India. I really liked Avaz’s multi-language capabilities. I am tri-lingual. My languages are English, Tamil, and Hindi. I learned Spanish for two years in high school. I liked Avaz’s quick and accessible communication phrases in English, Tamil, and Hindi. I also liked the authentic Indian accents because they facilitate the listener’s comprehension by reducing noise during the communication process. Therefore, the listener is more inclined towards active listening and reciprocal communication with the sender. I was really sad when I left from Chennai to come back to Phoenix.
Finally, I left from Chennai to come back to Phoenix. My parents and I left at 2 a.m. in the morning to go to Chennai airport. We requested disability assistance at Chennai airport. I felt more comfortable with immigration and security checks because I had experienced them fairly recently. We pre-boarded the plane in Chennai. I cried a little when the plane took off because I was missing my relatives in Chennai. I slept during the journey because we had been awake all night. We reached Heathrow airport in London and we requested disability assistance. The staff were very helpful and asked us to wait in a specially designated area of assistance. We explored the terminal since we had almost three hours waiting time for boarding the plane. The shops and restaurants looked interesting and nice. We pre-boarded the plane in London. I slept through most of the journey back to Phoenix because my body was readjusting to time zones. The journey seemed extremely long to me. We reached Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and we quickly completed immigration because we had Global Entry. However, we waited a long time for our luggage. The whole trip from leaving my grandparents’ house in Chennai to coming back to my house in Phoenix took 32 hours. I am happy to be back home. I am looking forward to the next India trip.
-Sarvesh
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