Olivia Hay ‘17, Lady Doak Fellow

One time I jumped in a taxi at the airport, only for the driver to remember me from a previous ride from the airport about a month prior. I was reminded then that despite being a city of 1.6 million, Madurai really was the small town that everyone believed it was.

Olivia Hay ‘17, Lady Doak Fellow

The first time I saw an elephant was at Alagarkoil, a temple in the hills of Madurai dedicated to Vishnu. I stopped in my tracks to marvel at the size of the thing and wonder whose job it was to decorate the elephant’s face with painted symbols.

My friend encouraged me to give it an offering in exchange for a blessing. Eagerly I placed a five rupee coin in its trunk, only to get smacked across the face a few seconds later by the same limb.

“…did the elephant just slap you in the face?”

“You’re supposed to bow your head after you give the donation…” my friend laughed.