General Musings on Delhi

My first five days in India were spent in Delhi, the capital of the country. Delhi immediately immerses you in the thick of Indian culture and life. There, there is no escape from the good or the unsavory aspects of the country. Here are some of my general musings and reflections on my stay there:

1. Indian men - a very different category from any others that I have previously encountered. They are utterly fascinated by American women. Everywhere I go, the men stare at me openly. Many go beyond that and attempt to interact with us. Mostly it is harmless, but aggravating attempts at conversation - they address us as 'madam', 'boss', 'american lady', 'ma'am' and other semi-entertaining names. Some, however, feel the need to touch our 'lovely white skin'. Other ploys to create a connection include waving hysterically, making kissy faces, and picking up little kids and practically shoving them at us. It doesn't help that we are traveling around in a group of 19 white girls and 4 white boys. It is impossible to blend in.

2. Indian women - they are absolutely beautiful. Generally, I think their faces are gorgeous. Additionally, they wear amazingly colorful and fun saris and salwar kameez. They look so much more alive than Western women. In fact, I think that Indians know how to live better than Westerners do. They are less concerned about doing everything as quickly as they can and more concerned with enjoying every moment of their day. I like it.

3. You all know how much I crave cleanliness. It is next to impossible to stay clean in India. First, in Delhi it is unbelievably hot and humid. When I got off the plane at 9:00 pm it was 104 degrees out. Basically, the moment you wake up in the morning and move for the first time, you start to sweat. It is undeniable and unavoidable. Secondly, there is a lot of refuse and just general dirt all over the place. Random piles of bricks are everywhere in Delhi, I have yet to figure out why they are there. Because it is monsoon season, there are many puddles full of dirty water and various other things that may be living in the water. If you ever come to India, remember to NEVER touch the outer walls of buildings or fences. Men pee on walls and fences everywhere, and anytime of day. There are also flies everywhere. They climb all over you. There are also an incredible amount of people in Delhi. It is impossible to avoid bumping into others while walking around.

4. I had my first experience with true monsoon season on my third day in Delhi. A couple of the girls in the group and I went out to lunch together at a restaurant about 15 minutes from our hotel (I had probably the best meal so far there - a delicious fish tikka). When we walked out of the restaurant it was raining lightly. About a minute later it was downpouring. I have never experienced such an intense rain in my life. We ran down the streets of Delhi to our hotel, laughing hysterically. The people taking cover under awnings stared at us - probably thinking what stupid Americans we are. Apparently, the wet look is very hot in India right now. Two sets of men took pictures of us as we ran by. By the time we got to the hostel, we were completely soaked through. Minus the puddles it leaves, I think the monsoon is great.

5. We went to the Gandhi Museum in Delhi one afternoon. It was nothing like I expected. It was incredibly high tech and interactive. While it was interesting, it was hard to reconcile in my mind with who Gandhi was. I did enjoying seeing where Gandhi spent the last 40 or so days of his life, where he was shot, and his grave. My favorite part of the museum was the peace gong out back.