So much to see!

Today is the day that it finally hit me that I’m in India. I also finally slept despite the heat and woke up so very happy today. I even laughed to myself as I looked around our tiny room and shower that is nothing more than a spout of water that pours onto the bathroom floor by the toilet; I came to India all by myself! I am staying in a hostel I knew nothing about other than the IVHQ coordinator said I’d be taken to one. I love it! I am trying to soak in everything about this experience because it’s all so drastically new to me. Even though the heat is oppressive, without AC is how the majority live here and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Now that I feel like I’ve overcome culture shock, I’m really taking in everything and appreciating it through the lens of Indian culture. I was impressed to see a family of five (three toddlers with their parents) on a motorcycle. A girl from the back of our van said “that’s child abuse.” Yes, in the US those parents would lose their children. But, everything is just so different here and it’s lovely. I have to remind myself to absorb everything within the context of this culture and not compare it to my own.

Today I woke up to a quick shower (this whole lack of hair dryer and make up really makes getting ready a quick process) and some sort of fried bread situation with pickled tomatoes and chai. My whole volunteer group was then ushered into vans outside waiting to take us on an entire day of sightseeing. The best part, the vans had AC! So off we went first to Qutub Minar. Qutub Minar is the tallest minaret in India and from what I could understand of the tour guide is that it was constructed by a ruler in India a really long time ago to be taller than another Minaret in another country. Typical men.

After Qutub Minar we were supposed to go to the Lotus Temple but the drivers told us that we should take a detour to a place called Delhi Haat. Not knowing what they were talking about, we agreed. Turns out that Delhi Haat is a shop that makes custom Indian wear and my best guess is that the drivers get commission for bringing in big groups of white girls. Anyway, the tactic worked. We were ushered into a big air conditioned room with every color imaginable of sequined adorned fabric on shelves from floor to ceiling.  A bunch of tailors came in and talked about the different styles  of traditional Indian women’s outfits they could make for us. I don’t know if it’s just me but I’ve always admired the beautiful fabrics and colors that the Indian women wear. I feel like their sequin and bead placement is always just right, never gaudy yet decorative. They served us chai while showing  hundreds of glorious fabrics and we got sucked in. I’m now the proud owner of a blue punjabe (I have no idea if that’s the right word actually) outfit. It’s a silk royal blue dress with patching pants to wear underneath.  I think the selling point was that they take credit card. Places that take credit card are rare and we are trying to hang on to our rupees as ATMS are a little scarce.

So, after our two hour detour, we went to the Lotus Temple. The Lotus Temple is my favorite thing about India thus far. It was built out of marble in the 1980’s to look like a giant lotus flower. It was built strictly by volunteers of the  Bahai faith. They invite anyone to come in and pray, as prayer is universal in all religions. I love that. So, you take off your shoes and everyone sits in silence and prays to whichever God they most align with. Or you can simply meditate which is what I did. I read on a sign outside of the temple that they are planning on adding nursing homes, orphanages, schools, and libraries free for the impoverished. I love that the Bahai faith is open to every single religion and incorporates so much humanitarianism into their philosophy.  It reminds me of a quote my Mom told me when I was younger to explain that religion is insignificant and is something to not ever be judged: “there are many different paths to the top of the mountain.” Bahai philosophy is simply that religion is a product of one’s culture and upbringing and is therefore absolutely going to be different for everyone and this diversity should be embraced, not a cause for conflict and judgment. (I hope I’m not butchering the faith with my summation)

After the Lotus Temple we went to Humuyans Tomb. It was breath taking. I can’t believe someone spent that much money and architectural brain power on their own burial. It was a palace for a corpse. I don’t know what else to say about it besides see the photos.

By the time we were done sightseeing, it was 6pm, we were exhausted and starving because we’re scared to eat “street food.” I came home and scarfed down peanut butter while I anxiously waited for dinner. The food here is interesting. It’s good, really good actually. But the portions are small and it’s all carbs. One of the girls compared it to “prison food” and as I type that it makes me wonder if she’s been to prison? Anyway, I don’t think it is prison food because the food here is so yummy, I think us white girls are used to eating a lot more. So, we came back and went to a sweets shop down the street and everyone but me bought candy bars. I’m content with peanut butter. Anyone who is around me regularly isn’t surprised by that at all.

I love that we’re in a suburb of Delhi. I feel like I’m getting so much authentic culture. I don’t ever see other westerners until we go into Delhi and even then they are scarcer than I expected. In fact, I’ve never been photographed so much in my life. Some of the men take my picture inconspicuously and some ask if they can pose with me for pictures. It doesn’t inconvenience me so I pose with them and they are really respectful about it. Plus, I am more dressed down than I have ever been in my life so I’m going to be blunt and say it’s a tiny bit flattering. The other girls were laughing because I agreed to pose with these two guys and before I knew it there was a swarm of men around me waiting for their turn to take pictures with me and a bunch had jumped into the background of the photo. I got smart after a bit and took pictures with them and told them in return, they had to take my photo in front of some of the sights so I could give it to my Mom.

Though the touring of historic and architectural marvels was awesome, my favorite thing about India is simply being immersed in a culture completely different than what I grew up in. I love observing the customs that are completely different as well as the behaviors that are wired into all humans, no matter what side of the planet you live on. Immersing myself in a new culture, to the point that I’m outside of my comfort zone for a day or two, is my new favorite hobby.