February 6th, 2013 – Here Comes The Bride

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. 

February 5, 2013 – Squirmunk

Today started at 8am with breakfast at the hostel: an omelet type thing with bread and tea. Again, the tea was delicious. We left the hostel and headed to our classroom in taxis. We had a CUI lecture (contemporary urban issues) about how to conduct ethical research, and we listened to a broadcast from radiolab about how these ethical concerns come into question. After, we had a tea and samosa break (yum) and came back together for another lecture on the history of Delhi by a professor from India. He was very dynamic and easy to follow, and the lecture was very informative in providing an outline of Delhi’s complicated history as well as the history of partitioning.

For lunch, we walked through the surrounding neighborhood to a restaurant called Eatopia which is like a food court with a few different options for meals. I had chicken Singapore noodles…really good and just the right amount of spice. After, we split up into four groups that each headed to a different part of Delhi for a walking tour. We took rickshaws (autos, as they call them here) to get there. You have to negotiate with the driver before they take you, so one of our autos was 80 rupees and the other was 50…seems unfair, but 50 rupees is about the same as one dollar so it was fine. Driving through Delhi traffic is an experience – I’m pretty sure my life flashed before my eyes multiple times.

We explored an area of Delhi that has ancient mosques and buildings that are preserved. It is in a “park” like area with tons of trees and flowers, but the park is private and you have to pay money to get in (5 rupees for natives, 100 rupees for foreigners. They knew by looking at us). We walked around with Sonal, our country coordinator, who helped teach us about the history of this area of Delhi. We saw lots of squirrel like chipmunks (hence “squirmunks”). We also went to the Indian gate, which is a really famous and beautiful landmark in Delhi. Tons of people there wanted to take a picture with us, but we ignored them. And Sonal bought us tea on the street – she said it was safe to drink because it was boiling hot. We then threw our cups on the ground because Sonal said that that is what people do because there are very few garbage cans.

For dinner, we met up at a garden and walked over to the Islamic Cultural Center for an amazing meal: naan, paneer, curry, and rice. Super long day…homestays tomorrow!! So excited!

2/don’t really know what day it is/13 – Namaste

Flight to Dubai is about 11 hours. The Emirates airline is extremely nice and had two floors, except the top floor was only for first class. From what I am told, they have chairs that expand into beds, a bar, and unlimited food…but that could be a rumor. Our normal people seats were perfectly fine. We each had a tv, a blanket, pillow, little travel case with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and socks, and headphones. I slept for most of the flight, but also snuck in a few episodes of modern family and watched the Disney movie Brave. The food on the plane was good, and they knew that I was a vegetarian before I ordered and delivered my food to me and the other vegetarians (there were a lot!) before everyone else. At night, the lights in the airplane are blue and there are stars on the ceiling…very cool. And there was a crew of like 50 people (I took a picture don’t worry).

Our layover in Dubai was very quick. As soon as we got there we walked right to security, right to the gait, and then right onto the plane. We flew Emirates to Delhi which was only a 2 hour and 30 minute flight. We waited at the airport for our country coordinator, took a bus to the hostel, and moved into rooms – 5 people per room. At this point, it is about 7:15am India time on Feb 4th. We lost a day from traveling. Wonder how the superbowl is going.

I took a nap from 8am to 11:30am and then we met up at 12. We ate a delicious lunch at the hostel, which was bread, potatoes, rice, noodles, and some kind of bean spice sauce. All carbs, but so yummy. Then we took taxis over to our classroom. In India, they drive on the other side of the road and the driver’s seat is on the right side of the car. Being overly tired and watching cars make right turns is a difficult task. There are also a ton of rickshaws on the road, and lots of people riding bikes and walking between cars. At the classroom we had a brief introduction to India by the program director, and a very brief overview of the do’s and don’ts of Indian culture. We will move into our homestays on Wednesday night.

Tonight we are all hanging out at the hostel. A few of us went for a brief walk outside, but there is nothing around here except all of the embassys which are all wired off. Can’t wait to sleep tonight!! Excited for this crazy first adventure!

February 2nd, 2013 – The Fam

I spent the whole day with my wonderful family in NYC at Aunt Robyn and Uncle David’s house. A few of my friends came too, and it was great to take a nice shower, eat amazing food, and relax for the day before our flight. Thanks again for having all of us!!

Got back to the YMCA at 6:45, got ready to go to the airport, and we were off. India here we come!! 

February 1st, 2013 – Reflection

Today was all about reflecting on our experience in NY. We did this individually, in small groups, with partners, and as a whole. We talked about things we did well, things we need to improve on, and questions that we still have going forward. We went to a bar for lunch…most expensive and least amount of food on the trip so far (very disappointing). After, we met with Chris who was the country coordinator in NYC and evaluated the program: things we would change, add, etc. We had a bit of free time to get ready for dinner, and all met up again at night for dinner at San Martin Restaurant around the corner from the YMCA. The three course meal was amazing, and it was great to all come together before our big trip across the world! We all went out at night, even though it was freezing. 

January 31st, 2013 – Map Drawing….Beware

Today we had our first urban planning and sustainable environments class where we talked about what urban planning is and then got an introduction about mapping. We then went out and did our first mapping exercise where we drew one city block in detail, focusing on one aspect in particular: how many people there are, what public space usage is, measurements of buildings, etc. We got huge salads for lunch that lasted until dinner…no more fresh veggies abroad for a while.

After, we had free time and a bunch of us went to the NY Stock Exchange for a tour. A lot of the financial terms went over my head, but it was so fascinating to see Wall Street for the first time. For dinner, we went across the street to a little café and I ate my leftover salad from lunch and soup. At 7pm we attended a lecture at the New School on the “Right to the City Alliance” and heard from a panel of different people: one from occupy wall street, one from community voices heard, and others from other organizations.

We went to a friend’s house after who lives in NYC and hung out with his parents. Then it was time to come back home and start getting ready for India!!