India's Clean Heart

My roommate and I decided to brave the public buses for the first time last Saturday. By braving the buses, I mean that, for me, buses are the most intimidating form of public transportation. Subways and light rail have signs with clearly labeled directions and stops and maps. With buses, you have to be sure you're on the side of the road going in the right direction, you have to know where the bus stop is, and you have to be familiar with the destination area to know where to get off the bus. On top of it all, the buses in Mumbai have the route numbers in Hindi script (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_numerals) so you have to make sure your Hindi is good enough to know you're getting on the right bus. Once you've determined you're at the right bus stop going in the right direction, then there's the problem of actually getting onto the bus. Buses in India don't really stop, they slow down to a crawl while people exit from the front of the bus and people jump on at the back, and speed up again once everyone is physically on the bus. Not sitting, not even completely off the stairs getting onto the bus. Once all limbs and belongings are within the doorframe of the bus, it speeds up. I made sure my feet were planted right within the threshold of the bus, and got a good grip on the rail while my purse was still hanging out of the bus, it started on its way. I very much like this system, it is very efficient and shows there is no need for the bus to wait while all people exit and enter the bus from the same door and wait for all the passengers to pay. While waiting for my first bus ride, an older man started talking to me. I happened to wearing my "I'm not a tourist. I live here" shirt that's written in Hindi. He was asking about it and asked how I was liking India. Every Indian I've talked to has asked how I like India. Understandably, Indians have pride in their country. India is unlike any place I've been before and you can feel the whole country is on the brink of realizing its full potential in becoming a real power in the international arena. While standing on the unpaved side of the road, near the ubiquitous litter that lines the streets, in the midst of all the honking and the dust and pollution in the air, he looked at me and said "India is not clean, but our heart is clean." I knew exactly what he meant. And I know my attempt to explain it right now will be futile, but I will try.

Being in India is definitely sensory overload. There is so much noise, people, smells, and things happening that it's overwhelming. The crowdedness and business along with the pollution and litter can mix together that doesn't always give the impression of being clean. The crowdedness and lack of space lead to a different culture of lines and customer service. I'm used to standing at the counter and waiting for someone to help me promptly, and as soon as they're ready. Here, I've noticed that people think I'm just standing there, with so much space between myself and the counter, that they go up to the counter and ask for help directly. I didn't feel like someone just cut in front of me, I realized that customer service operates a little differently here and you have to make it clear that you are waiting for something or someone. Despite all of this, I've noticed that people love India and want you to love it too. They will speak English to you, but a few words of Hindi lights up their faces because they are so excited that a foreigner would try to learn some of their language. One man at a linen shop I was at would speak to me rapidly in Hindi for about a minute for each Hindi word I was able to communicate with him. When I demonstrated I didn't understand, he would stop talking but his excitement would set him off again at my next Hindi word. Even at the bus stop, one of the young women overheard our conversation with the man and helped us get onto the right bus and told us when to get off. Every person I've asked for help has gone out of his/her way to help me. People here love India, and want others to see its beauty and love it like they do. Isn't that the sign of a clean heart?

Bring on the humidity, Mumbai!

After my first Indian railway experience and an overnight train from Delhi, I have arrived in Mumbai! My first impression: it is HUMID! Delhi has a relative humidity of 34% and Mumbai has a relative humidity of 80% and you can really feel the difference. Add that to 34 degree weather (about 85F) and you just sweat instantly. Just standing outside makes you sweat and sticky. It's gross. My employer is actually based in Navi Mumbai, which is a suburban train ride from Mumbai. I live at the employer's complex and it is pretty nice, which means I don't really have to go outside or have a commute. It takes me about 2 minutes to get to work as I live about 50ft from the office. I share a flat with another volunteer and we're definitely putting some effort into making it homey for the next year. We have done a little exploring and really lucked out with our neighborhood. In one direction we have a 3 story mall with a supermarket (!!!) and McDonalds. In another direction we have roads full of stores of the more traditional Indian fare where we can get good bargains on everything from fruits and vegetables to clothes.

I've also started my role with my employer and right now I'm just familiarizing myself with the organization, its history and its current projects. I have to say I'm impressed with how much the organization has accomplished at the local, state, and national levels. I can't wait to be a part of the change they are already causing.

I know that's not much for now, but I've been taking it easy trying to settle in and make my flat a home. I've also been eaten alive by mosquitoes in the three days I've been here so I'm trying to find a solution for that. Wish me luck!

Old Delhi, "The Real India"and Cricket!

For the past two and a half weeks I have come to know and love New Delhi. There is such a richness of people and personality that can't really be described. However last Saturday and tonight I was able to spend time in Old  Delhi. As the cycle rickshaw drivers will tell you, Old Delhi is the Real India. Saturday began with another visit to Chandni Chowk. We had cycle rickshaws for the day to navigate us through the streets of Chandni Chowk that we got lost in before. We started at the Digambar Jain Lal Temple, and had a brief visit with the jain saadhu before receiving a blessing. From there it was a visit to the spice market and a great view of the market's hustle.  Men with carts carrying 10 heavy sacks of spices would weave among the pedestrians, cycles, autos, and cars to deftly park at the curb by the market. Then other men would carry a large sack on their backs up weaving again through a crush of people to take the spices to market. There were some amazing views from the top of one of the spice market buildings. You could see the rush of people on the street and the buzzing activity of the cars and rickshaws mingling with the people. Walking through the spice market was an exercise in trying to hold in your sneezing and coughing because the spices were so biting and pungent. Seeing the sacks and sacks of spices was a great illustration of how much flavor Indian food has. After the spice market we got back into the cycle rickshaws and had lunch at Karim's, a fifth generation Old Delhi institution. After our delicious lunch, we made a visit to Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India. Inside the courtyard of the mosque was a large pool of water with rivers leading into it. There were 100 men lounging about, and about 3 women. Our Old Delhi ended with our cycle rickshaws back to the Red Fort. Experiencing the crowds of people and the chaos of cars and people on the street is the very picture of the picture of Old Delhi and India. I'm amazed at the amount of people there are and am bracing myself for the larger crowds in Mumbai.

Also based in Old Delhi, we spent an evening on Thursday with Aashray Adhikar Abhiyan, an NGO that has set up homeless shelters and free health clinics across Delhi. AAA does such amazing work. Seeing the most marginalized, forgotten people who are often tossed aside or shunned receive health care and treatment was an eye-opening and touching experience. Two doctors were sitting on two folding chairs while the patients waited in a line on the floor for their turns to speak with the doctors. There is a table set up with all the medicines that are distributed for free to the patients by a pharmacist who also volunteers. The health clinic is open Mondays and Thursdays and helps people with mental illness and chemical dependencies. If patients need in-patient treatment, they receive more care at IHBAS (Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences.) It's amazing to think that all is needed to set up a homeless health clinic is two folding chairs and folding table. They are able to treat 200 patients a night and have had many success stories of mentally ill homeless people who have received treatment and are now self-sustaining. The homeless shelters are free to women, children, and the elderly while it is 6 RS ($0.13) for men. Before going to the AAA session, I was debating staying at home and resting from an exhausting week. After, I was so glad I went. It was eye-opening to see an NGO on the ground and operating a true grassroots movement. It doesn't take much to provide free health care to the homeless and help make marginalized people make complete u-turns of their lives. I feel so inspired after seeing the changes that this organization is making and the complete generosity by spending their time and resources helping these people. In another vein, it makes all the amenities I "can't live without" seem so superfluous and my complaining a source of shame. Not only does my complaining marginalize these people even more, but the content of my conversations seems so superficial and insignificant.  That may be extreme, but seeing the great work that AAA is truly awesome and inspiring. I'm hoping to use the experience to motivate me during my year of volunteering.

And finally, world cup cricket! Cricket is a HUGE deal in India, almost a religion. The world cup has been going on for a few weeks. Wednesday was a largely publicized semi-final between India and Pakistan. After about 9 hours of game time, we had a great fireworks show on the roof of our hostel. Fireworks were going off all over the city in celebration of the win against Pakistan. With their win, India was set to play Sri Lanka in the final on Saturday. Although the game started at 2:30pm, we knew it wouldn't be over until about 11pm. Close to 11pm, we made it out to India Gate in anticipation of the celebrating that would follow India's win. And what a celebration it was! I've always wanted to experience the absolute joy and pride that people feel when their country wins in the international match of their national sport. Indian cricket fans did not disappoint. The road around India was packed with people and soon packed with cars and motorbikes. I was interviewed by two news channels about cricket and the celebration and the celebrators would follow the cameras to demonstrate their joy by dancing and yelling. People were standing on moving cars, hanging out of windows, and I even saw a driver with the door open hanging out of his car while driving. By the time we left at 1am, the celebration was still going strong and the roads were completely jammed for miles. We had to walk back most of the way before we were able to find an auto that could drive on the roads back to our hostel. I think videos and pictures can better illustrate the craziness and chaos after India won the world cup.

Being interviewed for nnis.

People on cars! People everywhere!

Notice the cop's celebrating too!

Shopper's Paradise

Before leaving for India I heard and read stories of how great it is to shop in India and how you can get great clothes at fantastic prices. I had braced myself for being disappointed by these grand expectations, and figured that being in a big city in Delhi the prices might not be as cheap as people claimed. I am so happy that the shopping reality here is better than the stories I have heard. After the colored festivities of Holi, I have made some ventures into Delhi's shopping selection. My first week here I went to the N-Block market in Greater Kailesh and surprised to find that I could buy an entire outfit for about $25. This deflated me a little because this was not the outrageous value that I was told India was going to offer. However, the shops in this market are Western style with showrooms and racks of clothes. I did a little more digging to find out where the locals shop.

Monday afternoon I spent the afternoon and evening at Sarojini Market, an authentic market where locals told me some great deals were to be found. As I started to wander the stalls of the array of kurtas and jewelry, I couldn't believe the beautiful colors and the amazing prices. Many of the prices for kurtas were 150 RS, about $3, and of course that's just the starting point for some hard haggling. The stores at N-Block market had kurtas starting from 600 RS, and those were fixed prices. I went from stall to stall, overwhelmed by the choices I had in style, fabric, and pattern. There was stall after stall along each lane, and then on each side of the lane when going further into the market. There were even more stores and stalls when navigating perpendicular to the main stalls. Stores were selling clothes, shoes, jewelry, scarves, pillows, saris, everything that could be worn or was made from fabric. I'm still getting my bearings on the array of different kurta styles and salwar kameez I could wear so I limited my shopping to necessities. For two skirts, two pairs of shoes, and two pairs of pants I paid about $14. Amazing!

Since I have been struck with a little Delhi belly on Tuesday, I've been taking it easy this week. Tuesday and Wednesday were classes as usual. After being cooped up for two days I decided it was time to find some more shopping. I've been hearing about Lajpat Nagar Central Market from locals so I decided that I had to check it out. I found even more stalls and stores filled with an even wider variety of items, including housewares and silverware. One thing I love about India are the truly gorgeous fabrics and colors and patterns that all the women wear so beautifully. One fabulous store had ribbons of these amazing fabrics and patterns, material to line curtains, sheets, clothes, everything. With all the different types of patterns and clothes, and a question from my language teacher about why I haven't started wearing Indian clothes, I decided it was time to start my collection of kurtas. Prices were a little more expensive here but I walked away with two kurtas, pyjami leggings, and a scarf for 770 RS, about $17.

Before leaving for India I also decided to learn how to sew so I could make some clothes for myself. I can be really picky when I know what I'm looking for, and often I've spent hours looking for something and giving up when not being able to find it. While researching for India, I learned that India has many great tailors and it is affordable to get custom tailoring. At different markets I've received quotes for a pair of pants to be $24, including fabric $9 if I provide the fabric. I haven't done much research at fabric stores, but I'm hoping that buying the fabric separately will make it even cheaper. Now I can have all those clothes that I've searched for!

I'm kicking myself now for not taking pictures of these markets thinking, oh I should savor the experience, and generally I don't take much pictures. But I'm realizing that since I'm leaving Delhi I should be better about taking pictures! I do have some videos from some of the rickshaw rides I've taken. Here is a fairly tame one although you can hear how important the horn is while driving.

Auto (as they are called):

My experience:

Happy Holi!

Happy Holi! I have only been in Delhi for a week and I am lucky to be here for Holi. Holi is a festival of colors and celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Holi is celebrated by people throwing colored powder and colored water at each other. Bonfires are lit the on the eve of the festival in memory of the miraculous escape that young Prahlad accomplished when the Demoness Holika carried him into the fire. Holika was burnt but Prahlad, a staunch devotee of god Vishnu, escaped without any injuries due to his unshakable devotion. Walking the streets the past few days carried the likelihood of having colored powder at you, which is easily washed off. Yesterday while shopping for some electronic goods at Nehru Place, there was a fantastic mini-performance of two girls dancing to a group of men drumming. The people were happy and enjoying the holiday, while participating and being covered in colored powder. That night there was a performance by famous classical singer, Shubha Mudgal. The music was beautiful and it was followed by performance illustrating the reasons for celebrating Holi.

As for earlier in the week, I have spent time going to various markets in search of ear plugs and clothes. At Khan market on Thursday I was able to find some earplugs for 125 RS which is about $2.75. I thought that was an outrageous price to pay for ear plugs but understood the markup as this was the first store that had them out of the many that I visited. I decided that was too expensive and wandered to six more stalls before finding another seller who sold me four pairs of ear plugs at 15 RS a pair. What a bargain! I'm glad my persistence paid off. This was also the first market we found alcohol so we each bought a beer to drink back at the residence to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. One thing I've had to get used to is that the cars drive on the left side of the road. As there are few streets that have defined pedestrian crossing, I've had to learn to look the other way when crossing the street. It's taken a few closer than comfortable calls for me to know to look right first, not left.

Friday was another day for exploration, this time at Defence Colony, which had nice restaurants. We found a bar there with happy hour and spent hours on the rooftop talking. What a great way to end the week.

On Saturday, I was exhausted from not yet having a full night's sleep. I guess my 25 hour flying time and 12.5 time difference is doing a number on my jet lag and sleeping patterns. However I was able to pull it together long enough for a quick nap in the morning before heading out for my most jam-packed day yet. Back to Nehru Place, where this post begins, we started by buying some electronic gadgets. I now have Internet! From there we decided to go to Chandni Chowk, one of the busiest markets in Old Delhi. Chandni Chowk is truly an experience. There is a crush of people walking from stall to stall, and there are a variety of different kinds of stores and smells. I was on a mission to find some great clothes and fabrics but the sheer number of people deterred my efforts. What I did see was amazing and I'm looking forward to going back to get some beautiful fabric. Chandni Chowk is across the street from the Red Fort, a grand building that was completed in 1648. From there we wandered for a bit but realized we had to return home for the concert we were attending that night.

From this first week in Delhi, the most significant impression in my mind is how culturally rich and diverse India is. I know you hear this about India all the time, because I certainly did, but it really is the truth. I don't know of any other country where the Western and American culture has had such little impact. The movie theaters have more Bollywood movies than Hollywood movies. Women walk around in saris and salwar kameez, not jeans and shirts. I've heard Hindi music on the street, the only Western song I heard was a Justin Bieber song in the background for about 5 seconds. Even the cars driven by bachelors blast Hindi music with deep bass beats. I very much admire and love that India's culture is so rich and deeply-rooted that it is still as prevalent today as it has always been. And then there's the diversity, as the many religions that were started here can prove. Each city and state have its own culture, food, dress, way of life. It could take lifetimes to experience all that India has to offer.

Bring on the heat, Delhi!

After about 25 hours of traveling, and a fortuitous delay in Chicago which actually allowed me to be early and make my third flight, I am in New Delhi! There were three others on my flight from London who are also volunteering with VSO so we got picked up together and rode to the center with my luggage on top of the car. The AC in the car felt heavenly after hauling around luggage, have to get used to the heat! Volunteers and luggage all arrived at the center in one piece.

So far I have seen the airport, roads from the airport to the training center where I'm staying, and the four blocks I walked to get to this internet cafe, but from these 6 hours I can tell India is a place like no other. There is such an array of people and sights and smells, its an experience for all the senses. The lifestyle and pace of life is so different from the States, it does seem like another world. Never have I walked with the traffic with cars honking for reasons that I can't really discern. Delhi seems to be frozen in time between the traditional culture and the new technological culture. I walked past an outdoor market to reach this internet cafe which is a closet-size rectangular space with stations of computers next to each other.

Since I have been here less than 7 hours, and 4 of them were sleeping, I haven't experienced much but I can't wait to!

Not Really India Related

I know it's been a couple weeks since my last post and I won't be in India for another couple days so I thought I would share the news of a new addition to our family! While I was preparing to make dinner last night my parents came home with a new dog! She's so cute, her name is tentatively Daisy and she is a Cairn Terrier / Silky Terrier mix. She's very sweet and loves to follow us around, she needs to see what we're doing and likes to be involved.

Here are some pictures and then it's back to India posts I promise!

Daisy:

And of course I miss Kanye (and Robert):

Other than that I have arrived in San Diego, happy to wear flip flops again, and preparing to make my official departure. I have three days to unpack everything I moved from Kansas and then plan on what to repack for India.

Also, I meant to include the VSO website where you can learn more about VSO and donate if you would like. www.cuso-vso.org