New Delhi Day One

Andrew and I have been in New Delhi for 12 hours, and I would say that so far it’s much calmer and nicer than I had been led to expect. Granted, Maitri arranged for someone to pick us up at the airport and take us straight to our new apartment. If we hadn’t had their help I’m sure we’d be feeling much more flustered by now.

We came straight to the apartment. We met Jacob, the spring semester intern. We also met Laxmi, our housekeeper. After a shower, a meal, and a nap, Jacob took us on a mini-tour of the surrounding neighborhood.

We went to a few markets and also went to check out where the Maitri office is located.  Some things to note:

-It was extremely hot during the first half of the walk, but there was a huge wind and dust storm, with a bit of rain, during the second half. The storm helped cool us off but it was very uncomfortable with dust and dirt blowing into my eyes and now I feel like my clothes and my whole body are covered in a film of dirt.

-There are lots of motorcycles here. I saw some carrying families of up to four people at one time. The dad was driving, the mom was riding side-saddle on the back, and then the two little kids were piling on in front of the dad.

-I went to buy a snack and the guy at the counter didn’t have exact change, so he gave me back *most* of my change and then two little pieces of candy. I thought that was cute.

-People are sort of crazy drivers here. They don’t stay in one lane and they honk a lot.

-Sidewalks are raised higher above the street than I’m used to. Every time I stepped down from the sidewalk I stumbled a bit.

-It’s not nearly as crowded as I had expected it to be. But I guess that might change once we actually go to Old Delhi.

The dust storm pushed us to cut the excursion short. It’s probably for the best since I’m exhausted and physically uncomfortable in various ways. My legs are still sore from the Eze hike and my fingers and toes seem to be swollen and hot. I’m also coughing a bunch now from breathing in all of that dust.

Back at the apartment I’ve been battling with the internet connection to try to post some more pictures and things. The connection’s strength keeps wavering so I apologize to anyone if you’re waiting for me to email you or something. But I’m pretty excited about the food I’ve had so far. Our housekeeper cooks for us. So far all of the meals she has made for us have been delicious and spicy.

Woohoo! I made it!