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What main languages are spoken here?:

The main languages spoken in Vellore are Tamil, English and Telugu. Nearly everyone speaks Tamil (the official language of this state, Tamil Nadu), some people are also fluent in Telugu (a local language to this region of India) and most people know at least a few sentences in English from school and from daily life.  Some things like "left" and "right" and "apple" are called by their English names, even by people who only speak Tamil or Telugu fluently.

What type of money is used here?:

The money here is called the Indian rupee. A U.S. dollar is the same as about 70 Indian rupees. The rupee bills all have Mahatma Gandhi on one side and a different image on the back, and the bills come in many bright colors. The coins change every year, so there are many different-looking coins that are worth the same amount of money.

How much does a bottle of water cost?:

A bottle of water costs 35 rupees at room temperature (“no cooling”) or 37 rupees if it is refrigerated (“with cooling”). In American money, this means a water bottle costs between $0.50 and $0.53.

What was the best meal this week?:

The best meal I ate this week was the dosa (dough-sah) I cooked at home. Dosa is a South Indian dish made from fermented rice flour batter. It can be crispy or fluffy.

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