On a
lighter note to following my poverty post, Delhi has so much richness and
beauty to offer and I’m still soaking in every moment of this drastic cultural
contrast. Yesterday the heat and dehydration had their way with me and I ended
up reading in my room the entire day. Though I wasn’t exerting any energy in my
reading, sweat still crept constantly out of every pore. I actually thought I
was sick already but I’m pretty sure that it was just unavoidable dehydration
because after a couple hours of rest and water drinking, I was fine.
Last
night, however, we discovered a bar! It seems like drinking isn’t part of
Indian culture because I’ve yet to see a liquor store and honestly I think I’ve
only seen two bars in all of Delhi and the surrounding area. This bar is in the
market down the street and it’s actually more of a restaurant. The only restaurant
near our hostel that doesn’t look we’d die if we ate the food. So, we went up,
lavished in the AC, drank a few beers, and ate some fabulous Indian food. There
were a few guys there who came up to dance when we hit the dance floor. I was
surprised how far back they stood. They kept a really respectful distance,
something I’m not used to from my country.
Respectful
distances don’t apply to all Indian men, however. I’m so over getting
photographed all day every day. Men will hide behind trees, stacks of pants, or
just walk up to my face and snap my photo before I know what’s happening. I
have no idea what purpose all of these photos of me spaced out and sweaty are
serving. At the sightseeing stops my
group literally gets photographed more than the monuments. A weird balance
here.
The
first place we stopped at today was Raj Ghat. It’s the exact spot where Ghandi
was cremated and there is an eternal flame that burns over a monument in his
honor. It was quite peaceful and I felt so lucky that I got to see it and honor
Ghandi as I’ve always associate his smile with the word bravery.
After
that we were dropped off at Red Fort and a bizarre. This is the time of day in
which dehydration won and poverty hit home. While we were waiting for our cab
drivers to pick us up, the stares and photos started to peak rapidly. We found
ourselves with a swarm of people around us and nowhere to go. A guard happened
to be nearby and he shooed everyone away with a club and didn’t leave our group
until the drivers came. Have I reiterated enough how ready I am to get to
Dharamsala? The beautiful, cooler weathered Himalays are anxiously waiting for
me, I can feel it.
One
gets the sense here that everyone is kind of “on their own.” In the states, I
do feel like there are enough police, laws, doctors, etc that I feel safe and
part of a community that looks out for each other to a certain extent. Here, I
don’t see any traffic police or driving laws. In fact, the experience of being
a passenger every day is, well, I’ll call it stimulating. There is so much to
see and as I’m looking out the window at homes made of trash bags, I’m also
noticing that I’ve yet to see a stop sign or traffic light. Just constant horns
beeping and games of “chicken” as cars inch out into a busy four way
intersection. The only doctor office I’ve seen was in a row of garages that
were selling trinkets and apparently medical services. It seems like one learns
to be self-sufficient at a very young age and it’s apparent in how the Indian
people maneuver through the busy streets, everyone seems kept to themselves.
For the most part.
One of
my favorite things about my experience thus far is talking with the other girls
who are here. We have girls from all over the world so we’re constantly
explaining phrases, references, a few slang words. One of my favorite things to
do when I meet someone from another country is ask them about their perceptions
and stereotypes of Americans. Here is what I got:
-
Americans are lazy
-
Americans are dumb
-
Americans are shallow
-
The movie Gossip Girls best represents the girls
in America.
Can’t help but notice that none of these stereotypes are
positive. However, all the girls in the house were quick to assure me that they
think I don’t fall into any of these stereotypes. I’ll have to reflect on this
more and decide how founded these stereotypes are…
Hmm .. What beers were available there?
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