This morning started out at 8:30am with taxis to Old Delhi.
We took taxi’s to the metro and then the metro do Old Delhi. When we got out of
the metro, it was the “India” that I had pictured – old buildings, tons of
shops, a ton of people in the streets, bright colors, etc. We had a tour guide
who is a famous historian give us a tour of the city and bring us to a mosque.
Shahjahanabad (the old city) was built by Shahjahana, who is also the ruler who
built the Taj Mahal. Who ever builds the city also builds a religious center in
the city, so since Shahjahana was Muslim, he built a mosque right in the
center. Girls had to wear scarves around their shoulders, and we all had to
take our shoes off the whole time.
Our tour was supposed to end at around 12 so that we could
be back at the hostel by 1 to eat lunch. Our tour was so thorough that it
didn’t end until 3:30, so we didn’t get back to the hostel until after 4, and
none of us had anything to eat or drink since 8am in the morning. So that was
interesting. Our rickshaw also got very lost taking us home, so we got back
even later than everyone. We stuffed our mouths with food, and then took all of
our luggage (yes my gigantic red suitcase that everyone makes fun of) to our
classroom via taxis.
We were supposed to meet our host families at 3:30, but
since we were so late, we met them around 4:30 at our classroom. I am staying
with a girl named Jill from Atlanta who is super fun and nice. Our host mom’s
name is Naveen, and she has two kids: a son and a daughter. The son and his
wife and two kids live with them, along with Naveen’s husband. He grandkids are
so cute and are 6 and 3 years old. Naveen’s daughter is also married and stays
here a lot. As soon as we met her she gave us a hug and welcomed us to our
“home.” She has a servant, but he is taking care of his sick wife. However,
when we got to the house, two “drivers” helped us in with our bags. The house
is very nice, has wifi, and lots of bedrooms.
Tonight we went to an Indian Wedding! I jokingly asked my
host mother when I met her if she knew anyone getting married and if we could
go to a wedding, and she was like “yes, we are going to one tonight!” It was
beyond amazing. Tons of food, tons of people, tons of colors – it felt like I
was in a movie. We all went at got back around 12:30am. The Chief Minister of
the state was at the wedding (which is like the equivalent of the governor…so a
VERY big deal) and we got to meet him and take a picture with him because our host
family is somehow related to him. We took pictures with the bride and groom,
and I took a ton of the venue, food, etc. Everyone should be able to attend an
Indian wedding at some point in their lives.
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