There is a vibrant expat community in Delhi estimated to be in the several thousands. Many of the expats subscribe to a Yahoo! User group called Yuni-Net (Young UN India Network) which is a good source for networking, asking questions or just about anything else. It’s sort of a Schwab Unofficial meets expats of New Delhi. We used this list to help find our current apartment. I am constantly amazed by the policing of this network by its users. There was a recent exchange that I thought was a rather entertaining example of the expats policing the list. Needless to say, I’m not drinking Evian. Keep reading below.
Original Post:
Erika
Sent by: yuni-net@yahoogroups.com
To: yuni-net@yahoogro ups.com
Subject: Evian water??
hi yuninetters!
does anyone know where is in delhi a big supermarket, where i can buy a lot of good water, like evian? thanks!
erika
Hmm. Simple enough question. Here are some of the more colorful responses:
From: Andy
Hi Erka
Sorry, I really hate to ask this, and you may of course have very good reasons, but - why do you want to buy water that is trucked half way round the earth and that will necessarily cost you a fortune (apart from, dare I raise the green flag, the carbon footprint, i.e. energy wasted for transporting it)?
I'm not aware of any problems in quality of Bisleri or any of the other local "brands" if bought from a shop. Are there? does anybody know of any?
My tastebuds may be too un-educated, but I can't recall any special taste in Evian that the local waters would be lacking.
Best wishes, Andy
Posted by: "sameer
Thanks for asking the question andy! it has baffled me for long too, what the obsession with evian is?
erika,
there are several "big supermarkets" and even small shops where you can easily buy a lot of "good water", such as bisleri, catch, Himalayan and many others. millions drink it everyday and haven't complained one bit. but yes, do check the seal (even on evian). however, if by "good water" you mean "i-paid-too- much-for- it-so-it- must-be-good" , then i am sure no shop owner in Delhi would mind if you paid them extra money for the several Indian brands that they house. or if the "goodness" of evian is in the fantasy that it has been transported all this way "just for you", then even your local delhi shop-wallah will be happy to put a few bottles of water in his autorickshaw and drive it all over town before delivering it to you. or perhaps, you can try obtaining a "find your local evian store" map from the French embassy!
regards,
sameer
Posted by: "Ronny
Hello,
I also agree with Andy. But I also thought that people on yuni-net might be more conscious about their consume.
However Erika, to make you feel more comfortable with the idea of drinking Indian water: Bisleri just announced they join this unsustainable business and are going to export abroad.
Regards
Ronny
Friday, October 26, 2007
The one month check in
We have been on the road since June and it feels great to finally have a place to call home. We arrived in India a little over a month ago. We spent the first few weeks staying with a friend before getting settled into central Delhi.
The experience thus far has surpassed my expectations. Kristen and I were in a bit of a daze initially and were second guessing our decision to leave our life in the US for this temporary move. The AA Delhi to O’Hare flight seemed all that more attractive during the early weeks. The initial daze has now vanished. We have started to block out the noise and instead focus more on the beauty of this place. We have both grown and learned so much in our short timer here. Focusing on our work has made our visit more purposeful.
As we have been here just over a month I thought I would share some of my key cultural takeaways thus far:
“Crabs in a bucket”
Our friend Rajika who has lived in Delhi her whole life used the analogy of “crabs in a bucket” to describe India. The analogy goes something like instead of helping one another to climb out of the bucket, the crabs hurriedly crawl on top of one another. Instead of some crabs getting out, the crabs just crawl on top of one another and keep falling down. India is a constraint ridden environment which is only further impacted by the caste system and other religious and cultural barriers. While it’s a sad realization to think of people in this way, I nevertheless understand Rajika’s point of view. I wish there was less corruption and more collaboration in this culture.
I have roots here
While I was born in Pakistan and moved to the US at an early age, I still feel a sense of attachment to this country. My father’s home was near Ludhiana, which is just north of Delhi. After Partition my father’s family moved to Jhallan which is a small village near Hafizabad Pakistan. It helps that I speak Punjabi which is one of the many local languages. I often get awkward looks when I bust out my Punjabi which is entertaining for Kristen to watch. Punjabi is spoken by about 100 millon in the world mostly in India and Pakistan. Despite Punjabi being a separate language it has a large overlap with Urdu and Hindi which are two main languages (aside from English, of course) spoken in Delhi. Having a language skill has been invaluable as I have been able to interact regularly with locals, which has been an enriching experience. Kristen is also taking Punjabi/Urdu lessons which have been entertaining for me to watch.
Financially poor but emotionally and culturally rich
When meeting people in this country who are financially poor my initial emotion is a feeling of sadness. My heart goes out to many of the people we encountered who live in harsh poverty. For example, there is the nicest man in our neighborhood who has a small stand where he irons clothes each day. He is at his stand early in the morning and irons clothes until sunset, sometimes staying longer to iron under the street light after dark. He charges 5 cents per item for the ironing. At this rate he probably makes no more than $2 dollars a day. Some days I don’t think he even earns one dollar. The same could be said for the maid our landlord employs or the bicycle rickshaw drivers we see on the streets in Old Delhi. After further observation and getting to know some of these people, I have realized that while these people are financially poor they are rich in emotion and culture. I can’t judge these people by my preconceived standards of material wealth. In fact as I reflect on my life there have been times when I was financially rich but was emotionally bankrupt. This experience has been a grounding force.
I continue to learn something new each day. I am having a rewarding experience and consider myself lucky to be able to spend this time with Kristen in India.
The experience thus far has surpassed my expectations. Kristen and I were in a bit of a daze initially and were second guessing our decision to leave our life in the US for this temporary move. The AA Delhi to O’Hare flight seemed all that more attractive during the early weeks. The initial daze has now vanished. We have started to block out the noise and instead focus more on the beauty of this place. We have both grown and learned so much in our short timer here. Focusing on our work has made our visit more purposeful.
As we have been here just over a month I thought I would share some of my key cultural takeaways thus far:
“Crabs in a bucket”
Our friend Rajika who has lived in Delhi her whole life used the analogy of “crabs in a bucket” to describe India. The analogy goes something like instead of helping one another to climb out of the bucket, the crabs hurriedly crawl on top of one another. Instead of some crabs getting out, the crabs just crawl on top of one another and keep falling down. India is a constraint ridden environment which is only further impacted by the caste system and other religious and cultural barriers. While it’s a sad realization to think of people in this way, I nevertheless understand Rajika’s point of view. I wish there was less corruption and more collaboration in this culture.
I have roots here
While I was born in Pakistan and moved to the US at an early age, I still feel a sense of attachment to this country. My father’s home was near Ludhiana, which is just north of Delhi. After Partition my father’s family moved to Jhallan which is a small village near Hafizabad Pakistan. It helps that I speak Punjabi which is one of the many local languages. I often get awkward looks when I bust out my Punjabi which is entertaining for Kristen to watch. Punjabi is spoken by about 100 millon in the world mostly in India and Pakistan. Despite Punjabi being a separate language it has a large overlap with Urdu and Hindi which are two main languages (aside from English, of course) spoken in Delhi. Having a language skill has been invaluable as I have been able to interact regularly with locals, which has been an enriching experience. Kristen is also taking Punjabi/Urdu lessons which have been entertaining for me to watch.
Financially poor but emotionally and culturally rich
When meeting people in this country who are financially poor my initial emotion is a feeling of sadness. My heart goes out to many of the people we encountered who live in harsh poverty. For example, there is the nicest man in our neighborhood who has a small stand where he irons clothes each day. He is at his stand early in the morning and irons clothes until sunset, sometimes staying longer to iron under the street light after dark. He charges 5 cents per item for the ironing. At this rate he probably makes no more than $2 dollars a day. Some days I don’t think he even earns one dollar. The same could be said for the maid our landlord employs or the bicycle rickshaw drivers we see on the streets in Old Delhi. After further observation and getting to know some of these people, I have realized that while these people are financially poor they are rich in emotion and culture. I can’t judge these people by my preconceived standards of material wealth. In fact as I reflect on my life there have been times when I was financially rich but was emotionally bankrupt. This experience has been a grounding force.
I continue to learn something new each day. I am having a rewarding experience and consider myself lucky to be able to spend this time with Kristen in India.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
The Children of the Dil Se Campaign
We first had an opportunity to visit the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Dil Se Rainbow Home for girls. The building was donated by the Delhi government. As you will note from the pictures, this shelter is an old and dilapidated building. The home is being funded by a Dutch NGO which hopes to open as many as fifty Rainbow homes for homeless children in India. The Dil Se campaign is working with the Dutch group to manage and fill the home with homeless kids. We were moved during the ceremony to see homeless girls ranging from 2-15 years of age.
Later in the week, Adnan and I had the opportunity to visit one of the boy’s hostels run by the Dil Se campaign on a farm outside of Delhi. We went with the head of the campaign, Harsh Mander, whom the boys call Papa. When we arrived to the country property the boys ran up to us, opened our car doors with huge smiles and embraced Harsh with hugs as they continuously said, Namaste to Adnan, myself and the other volunteers. Their excitement was overwhelming and tears welled up in my eyes. We were their guests and they were busily preparing for us all morning.
The 20 boys live in one building on 5 acres of land that is sprinkled with trees and gardens. The building consists of one huge room where the boys sleep on blankets, eat lunch, do schoolwork and keep their few belongings. It is a minimal space that will eventually need to be expanded to house more boys coming to live at the hostel. The home will eventually house over 100 boys. The boys take care of themselves and their environment. A few nurturing adults have volunteered to live at the hostel and are there to assist. And other volunteers like us come in and out during the day to teach, play or counsel the boys. This is a free environment and the boys may leave whenever they want. The boys have courage and the will to survive through all the cruelty already shown to them in this lifetime. They are ready to move on and do something with their lives. They were abandoned, abused or sent away from their homes to find a better life. Some were orphaned and had no relatives to turn to. Adults were missing in their lives. And now things are changing for them.
From the minute I got out of the car, I had two to three boys at my side the rest of the day making sure I was cared for while I was in their new home. They joyfully took me for a walk on their land, showed me their gardens and orchards, danced with me, showed me their treasured paintings, performed martial arts, gave me peacock feathers and flowers, taught me Hindi and most importantly shared with me a sense of hope. Most of the children followed the adults around wanting to latch on and hug, silently asking for attention. What they crave most is love and positive affection. They are already grown ups in many ways including the way they take care of themselves but they are little boys on the inside wanting a hug from their non existent parents. The boys continuously came up to Adnan and hugged him. It would not be appropriate for them to hug me, a woman.
Everyday the boys cook for themselves. Today they made us lunch, a special dish of rice, roti and aloo ghobi (potatoes and cauliflower) for the visiting volunteers. A group of boys served all the guests first, making sure we were all full before the kids served themselves. While I was sparsely eating lunch the boys actually insisted that I eat more. They would not leave me alone until I had 3 helpings of food. And remember this is before they ate themselves. I did not want to eat their food because it is precious to them. They were making me indulge in their greatest treasure. The boys looked to us as honored guests and if we were satisfied, they were satisfied. I was there to care for them, but they were the ones caring for me.
During introductions Harsh asked what the boys wanted to learn more than anything. They all shouted at the same time, ENGLISH!!! In India, English speaking skills are the way out of poverty. This is exactly the gift I can give back to them. During my work with the campaign in India I will be creating a conversational English program for all the Dil Se Campaign homes. I am developing the program for volunteers so it can actually scale. I am developing the program to teach the volunteers who in turn will teach the kids. Teaching the volunteers how to teach the children English is best way I believe that I can leverage my teaching and professional development background. I am honored and proud to be helping the kids in some small way.
I have taught in some heart wrenching situations with abused children but not even that prepared me for the emotions I felt meeting these kids. Meeting the boys was one of the most moving days of my life. These kids have a courage I have not encountered. The love, compassion and caring they showed brought a sense of perspective to my own life. I asked myself; how can children that have experienced the cruelty of the world at such a young age still dance, sing, smile and play. Watching the boys interact helped me to see the resiliency of the human spirit. Of course, there were two or three boys who had forgotten how to smile or play. These few boys wandered away and wanted to be left alone, which was sad to see. And my prayer for them is that their smile returns from the work the Dil Se Campaign is doing for them. The world shut their eyes on these kids and here in this environment they are learning to trust adults again.
As we drove away the smiles left their faces and they asked when we would be back. Soon I promised.
Here are some pictures from our visit to the Salaam Balak Trust and the Aman Biradari Dil Se Campaign boys and girls homes. Click on the link below to see the pictures.
Later in the week, Adnan and I had the opportunity to visit one of the boy’s hostels run by the Dil Se campaign on a farm outside of Delhi. We went with the head of the campaign, Harsh Mander, whom the boys call Papa. When we arrived to the country property the boys ran up to us, opened our car doors with huge smiles and embraced Harsh with hugs as they continuously said, Namaste to Adnan, myself and the other volunteers. Their excitement was overwhelming and tears welled up in my eyes. We were their guests and they were busily preparing for us all morning.
The 20 boys live in one building on 5 acres of land that is sprinkled with trees and gardens. The building consists of one huge room where the boys sleep on blankets, eat lunch, do schoolwork and keep their few belongings. It is a minimal space that will eventually need to be expanded to house more boys coming to live at the hostel. The home will eventually house over 100 boys. The boys take care of themselves and their environment. A few nurturing adults have volunteered to live at the hostel and are there to assist. And other volunteers like us come in and out during the day to teach, play or counsel the boys. This is a free environment and the boys may leave whenever they want. The boys have courage and the will to survive through all the cruelty already shown to them in this lifetime. They are ready to move on and do something with their lives. They were abandoned, abused or sent away from their homes to find a better life. Some were orphaned and had no relatives to turn to. Adults were missing in their lives. And now things are changing for them.
From the minute I got out of the car, I had two to three boys at my side the rest of the day making sure I was cared for while I was in their new home. They joyfully took me for a walk on their land, showed me their gardens and orchards, danced with me, showed me their treasured paintings, performed martial arts, gave me peacock feathers and flowers, taught me Hindi and most importantly shared with me a sense of hope. Most of the children followed the adults around wanting to latch on and hug, silently asking for attention. What they crave most is love and positive affection. They are already grown ups in many ways including the way they take care of themselves but they are little boys on the inside wanting a hug from their non existent parents. The boys continuously came up to Adnan and hugged him. It would not be appropriate for them to hug me, a woman.
Everyday the boys cook for themselves. Today they made us lunch, a special dish of rice, roti and aloo ghobi (potatoes and cauliflower) for the visiting volunteers. A group of boys served all the guests first, making sure we were all full before the kids served themselves. While I was sparsely eating lunch the boys actually insisted that I eat more. They would not leave me alone until I had 3 helpings of food. And remember this is before they ate themselves. I did not want to eat their food because it is precious to them. They were making me indulge in their greatest treasure. The boys looked to us as honored guests and if we were satisfied, they were satisfied. I was there to care for them, but they were the ones caring for me.
During introductions Harsh asked what the boys wanted to learn more than anything. They all shouted at the same time, ENGLISH!!! In India, English speaking skills are the way out of poverty. This is exactly the gift I can give back to them. During my work with the campaign in India I will be creating a conversational English program for all the Dil Se Campaign homes. I am developing the program for volunteers so it can actually scale. I am developing the program to teach the volunteers who in turn will teach the kids. Teaching the volunteers how to teach the children English is best way I believe that I can leverage my teaching and professional development background. I am honored and proud to be helping the kids in some small way.
I have taught in some heart wrenching situations with abused children but not even that prepared me for the emotions I felt meeting these kids. Meeting the boys was one of the most moving days of my life. These kids have a courage I have not encountered. The love, compassion and caring they showed brought a sense of perspective to my own life. I asked myself; how can children that have experienced the cruelty of the world at such a young age still dance, sing, smile and play. Watching the boys interact helped me to see the resiliency of the human spirit. Of course, there were two or three boys who had forgotten how to smile or play. These few boys wandered away and wanted to be left alone, which was sad to see. And my prayer for them is that their smile returns from the work the Dil Se Campaign is doing for them. The world shut their eyes on these kids and here in this environment they are learning to trust adults again.
As we drove away the smiles left their faces and they asked when we would be back. Soon I promised.
Here are some pictures from our visit to the Salaam Balak Trust and the Aman Biradari Dil Se Campaign boys and girls homes. Click on the link below to see the pictures.
 |
| Volunteer Role |
Aman Biradari, Dil Se Campaign
I am reminded of a quote that I first read in an email that was sent to me by Harsh Mander, the executive director of the Dil Se Campaign. I thought that I would share the quote:
“Human history is not only a history of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage and kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will define our lives.”
Howard Zinn
Aman Biradari is a people’s campaign for a secular, peaceful, just and humane world. The previous mission statement seems obvious enough, but it is not the life lived by the homeless children we have had met in Delhi.
Adnan and I are currently working for the Dil Se campaign which is part of Aman Biradari, a grassroots organization started 5 years ago in Delhi. We have a high level of respect for the Executive Director, Harsh Mander whose work in Gujarat after the tragedies of 2002 was quite intense. Working with this campaign is sort of like working for a start up but in the social sector, of course. Adnan and I had the pleasure of seeing 5 years of work come together as we celebrated the opening of The Rainbow Home for Girls. Previous to the home the girls were homeless living on the streets, some as young as 3 years old. The young children are the most painful to see because all they truly need is a parent’s warm embrace. Instead the children have the hard cold streets that brutally take away their childhood.
Street children in India have had blind eyes on them. More and more children are taking to streets for a variety of reasons and an alarmingly miniscule proportion have been reached out to by state and non-state actors. It is estimated that out of 50,000 street children in Delhi alone, 1,200 are reached by custodial juvenile homes and a maximum of 1,500 by all NGOs. There are also serious limitations to the conventional state approaches of custodializng such children, and the NGO model is too cost intensive to be replicable on the scale that is required.
In the past there have been Government run homeless organizations but they shut down due to funding or other unfortunate circumstances. The children also hate these homes because they are more like jail/juvenile homes with abuse running large and child trafficking happening all too often. These homes are corrupt with rapid abuse. If the children aren’t criminals already, they will leave these custodial homes as criminals. NGO’s also started homes but most were only funded over a five year period. At the end of the five years, the children were back on the streets unless other funding could be raised. In most cases no such funding was available and the homes shut down.
Before the Dil Se Campaign the homes were run in isolation to the community and to each other. The Dil Se campaign is different because street children’s homes should be sustainable. They should be state lead with a low cost model and the state’s responsibility to take care of the most vulnerable of its citizens. The campaign tries to provide the rights given to all citizens by the government to the children. These rights, including protection, food, education, health care, recreation and love, derive from the fundamental right to life in the Indian constitution, and to the international covenants to which the Indian government is signatory. The state told Aman Biradari that they will provide land from abandoned government sites/schools. The campaign is dedicated to keeping these homes open with the help of government funding as well as help from the community and the private sector. The Dil Se campaign wants to open 50 homes throughout Delhi that run together in vacant Delhi buildings or in schools that are vacant at night because the infrastructure is already there. These kids have missed years of school so they not only need schooling but also need shelter. The campaign believes in keeping these kids until they are productive citizens. They will not turn a child away and the children are free to come and go as they please.
During our work with the campaign we were surprised to learn a few moving facts. Only one in ten street children beg for a living, and most of these are very young. Less than 10% of street children are in conflict with the law, not more than children who live with their families. Street children all work for the little money they have whether from picking up garbage to be recycled, sweeping stores, cleaning, shoe polishing, apprentices, etc.
“Human history is not only a history of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage and kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will define our lives.”
Howard Zinn
Aman Biradari is a people’s campaign for a secular, peaceful, just and humane world. The previous mission statement seems obvious enough, but it is not the life lived by the homeless children we have had met in Delhi.
Adnan and I are currently working for the Dil Se campaign which is part of Aman Biradari, a grassroots organization started 5 years ago in Delhi. We have a high level of respect for the Executive Director, Harsh Mander whose work in Gujarat after the tragedies of 2002 was quite intense. Working with this campaign is sort of like working for a start up but in the social sector, of course. Adnan and I had the pleasure of seeing 5 years of work come together as we celebrated the opening of The Rainbow Home for Girls. Previous to the home the girls were homeless living on the streets, some as young as 3 years old. The young children are the most painful to see because all they truly need is a parent’s warm embrace. Instead the children have the hard cold streets that brutally take away their childhood.
Street children in India have had blind eyes on them. More and more children are taking to streets for a variety of reasons and an alarmingly miniscule proportion have been reached out to by state and non-state actors. It is estimated that out of 50,000 street children in Delhi alone, 1,200 are reached by custodial juvenile homes and a maximum of 1,500 by all NGOs. There are also serious limitations to the conventional state approaches of custodializng such children, and the NGO model is too cost intensive to be replicable on the scale that is required.
In the past there have been Government run homeless organizations but they shut down due to funding or other unfortunate circumstances. The children also hate these homes because they are more like jail/juvenile homes with abuse running large and child trafficking happening all too often. These homes are corrupt with rapid abuse. If the children aren’t criminals already, they will leave these custodial homes as criminals. NGO’s also started homes but most were only funded over a five year period. At the end of the five years, the children were back on the streets unless other funding could be raised. In most cases no such funding was available and the homes shut down.
Before the Dil Se Campaign the homes were run in isolation to the community and to each other. The Dil Se campaign is different because street children’s homes should be sustainable. They should be state lead with a low cost model and the state’s responsibility to take care of the most vulnerable of its citizens. The campaign tries to provide the rights given to all citizens by the government to the children. These rights, including protection, food, education, health care, recreation and love, derive from the fundamental right to life in the Indian constitution, and to the international covenants to which the Indian government is signatory. The state told Aman Biradari that they will provide land from abandoned government sites/schools. The campaign is dedicated to keeping these homes open with the help of government funding as well as help from the community and the private sector. The Dil Se campaign wants to open 50 homes throughout Delhi that run together in vacant Delhi buildings or in schools that are vacant at night because the infrastructure is already there. These kids have missed years of school so they not only need schooling but also need shelter. The campaign believes in keeping these kids until they are productive citizens. They will not turn a child away and the children are free to come and go as they please.
During our work with the campaign we were surprised to learn a few moving facts. Only one in ten street children beg for a living, and most of these are very young. Less than 10% of street children are in conflict with the law, not more than children who live with their families. Street children all work for the little money they have whether from picking up garbage to be recycled, sweeping stores, cleaning, shoe polishing, apprentices, etc.
My first impression of India
It is wedding season in India but not for Adnan and me! Not one plan is in place for our wedding (except for the possibility of a Monsoon Wedding).
We arrived in New Dehli somewhat disheveled and have remained in a frenzied state everyday sense. We have had to a find a home, a volunteering opportunity and figure out our whereabouts. I must say that between the locals we have met and friends we knew before we got here, everyone has been so sympathetic and supportive of us. I am grateful for every gesture of thoughtfulness.
Dehli is everything people told me it would be; dilapidated houses, muddy roads littered with piles of colorful trash, homeless people/families/children, cows ruling the streets, stray dogs scavenging for food, slums lining the roads, hoards of people sleeping on mats wherever they can and much more. But no one told me about the amazing service at stores and restaurants, the enticing food, the beautiful parks, the helpful locals, the entertaining newspapers in English, the incredible boutiques, the detailed handmade articles, the non-wasteful living system (they have their own recycling system that pretty much everything is used and reused and reused yet again), and most importantly the hope running through the veins of the city.
Of course there are things that terrify me here. But it isn’t what I had expected. For example, the top of the list is not the water (only a little scary) but commuting on the roads. Whether I am walking or riding in an auto rickshaw my nerves are shattered by the time I get to my destination. I have seen my life (as well as other lives) flash before my eyes. But what I have learned over a very short period of time is what looks like pandemonium to me is actually a very orderly street system here. Driving down the road is something like the following: First bargaining with numerous auto rickshaw drivers for a fair price, many of whom will not take you to where you want to go. Then proceeding to get in the mini vehicle instantly being sprayed with dust and exhaust from other drivers while swerving because a car is driving down the wrong side of the street (this would immediately cause an accident in the US) while avoiding a horse cart swerving again to avoid bicycles carrying everything you can possibly imagine balanced on them. We almost just hit a pack of stray dogs and people walking in and out of traffic while passing a motorcycle with a family riding on it (a baby is sandwiched between her mom and dad, the driver). It is mayhem. But it somehow all works. The auto rickshaws nearly kill us or others almost every day we ride them and no one seems to flinch. The bright side of auto rickshaws is their extremely cheap price. Getting anywhere in the city will cost you less than a dollar. We drive for 40 minutes across the city and it is still around a dollar. Unreal.
The first few days after we arrived in Delhi we stayed with a friend of a friend of Adnan’s named James Moore. He is from Texas and is working at The Gates Foundation in Dehli. He was generous enough to let us stay with him for the first eleven days until we found an apartment.
We have an apartment in an area of New Delhi called Defense Colony. Our landlady built the four story building 2 years ago. She owns two of the floors and she sold the two other floors. We are living in a newly renovated basement space. The only problem is when the wind shifts at night, the nearby sewage wreaks havoc in our place. The smell has woken us up several nights due to its poisonous scent. I have never smelled anything so foul. I might not have a sense of smell when I return to the states and Adnan might finally lose all of his nose hairs. :) We are both excited for the cold weather to come.
We have met with tons of people and organizations to volunteer with. In the process we have learned a plethora of information about this dramatically changing city. Organizations are starting all over the city to help the poorest. Dreams fill the city. They say that over 400 million people in India live off of less than $1 a day. That is a greater population than the United States. We have seen many street children here which are a difficult reality to stomach. I want to snatch them all up, put them in a classroom and teach them. (Well, I will be doing that a couple days a week).
We have had some really interesting meetings. Check out this tour we took about homeless street children at the Delhi rail station. It is the Salaam Baalak Trust tour that is run by former homeless street children at the New Delhi Railway Station.
I am grateful for the opportunity for this eye opening experience. To sit and observe this ever changing country has been fascinating. So much growth is happening and so much more needs to happen. I refuse to allow the less-lovable elements of this city overshadow the positive points of the truly multidimensional metropolis.
We have some exciting trips in the making as well, including a visit to Manali in the Himalayas for my birthday in October and the Pushkar Camel Fair in late November. Keep in touch because there is more to come.
We arrived in New Dehli somewhat disheveled and have remained in a frenzied state everyday sense. We have had to a find a home, a volunteering opportunity and figure out our whereabouts. I must say that between the locals we have met and friends we knew before we got here, everyone has been so sympathetic and supportive of us. I am grateful for every gesture of thoughtfulness.
Dehli is everything people told me it would be; dilapidated houses, muddy roads littered with piles of colorful trash, homeless people/families/children, cows ruling the streets, stray dogs scavenging for food, slums lining the roads, hoards of people sleeping on mats wherever they can and much more. But no one told me about the amazing service at stores and restaurants, the enticing food, the beautiful parks, the helpful locals, the entertaining newspapers in English, the incredible boutiques, the detailed handmade articles, the non-wasteful living system (they have their own recycling system that pretty much everything is used and reused and reused yet again), and most importantly the hope running through the veins of the city.
Of course there are things that terrify me here. But it isn’t what I had expected. For example, the top of the list is not the water (only a little scary) but commuting on the roads. Whether I am walking or riding in an auto rickshaw my nerves are shattered by the time I get to my destination. I have seen my life (as well as other lives) flash before my eyes. But what I have learned over a very short period of time is what looks like pandemonium to me is actually a very orderly street system here. Driving down the road is something like the following: First bargaining with numerous auto rickshaw drivers for a fair price, many of whom will not take you to where you want to go. Then proceeding to get in the mini vehicle instantly being sprayed with dust and exhaust from other drivers while swerving because a car is driving down the wrong side of the street (this would immediately cause an accident in the US) while avoiding a horse cart swerving again to avoid bicycles carrying everything you can possibly imagine balanced on them. We almost just hit a pack of stray dogs and people walking in and out of traffic while passing a motorcycle with a family riding on it (a baby is sandwiched between her mom and dad, the driver). It is mayhem. But it somehow all works. The auto rickshaws nearly kill us or others almost every day we ride them and no one seems to flinch. The bright side of auto rickshaws is their extremely cheap price. Getting anywhere in the city will cost you less than a dollar. We drive for 40 minutes across the city and it is still around a dollar. Unreal.
The first few days after we arrived in Delhi we stayed with a friend of a friend of Adnan’s named James Moore. He is from Texas and is working at The Gates Foundation in Dehli. He was generous enough to let us stay with him for the first eleven days until we found an apartment.
We have an apartment in an area of New Delhi called Defense Colony. Our landlady built the four story building 2 years ago. She owns two of the floors and she sold the two other floors. We are living in a newly renovated basement space. The only problem is when the wind shifts at night, the nearby sewage wreaks havoc in our place. The smell has woken us up several nights due to its poisonous scent. I have never smelled anything so foul. I might not have a sense of smell when I return to the states and Adnan might finally lose all of his nose hairs. :) We are both excited for the cold weather to come.
We have met with tons of people and organizations to volunteer with. In the process we have learned a plethora of information about this dramatically changing city. Organizations are starting all over the city to help the poorest. Dreams fill the city. They say that over 400 million people in India live off of less than $1 a day. That is a greater population than the United States. We have seen many street children here which are a difficult reality to stomach. I want to snatch them all up, put them in a classroom and teach them. (Well, I will be doing that a couple days a week).
We have had some really interesting meetings. Check out this tour we took about homeless street children at the Delhi rail station. It is the Salaam Baalak Trust tour that is run by former homeless street children at the New Delhi Railway Station.
I am grateful for the opportunity for this eye opening experience. To sit and observe this ever changing country has been fascinating. So much growth is happening and so much more needs to happen. I refuse to allow the less-lovable elements of this city overshadow the positive points of the truly multidimensional metropolis.
We have some exciting trips in the making as well, including a visit to Manali in the Himalayas for my birthday in October and the Pushkar Camel Fair in late November. Keep in touch because there is more to come.
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