Let's talk about Delhi, pronounced dill - ee in Hindi ( दिल्ली ). It's important that you know a little about this city before I go any further with this blog. I know it's been almost a month since my arrival but there are so many aspects of life in Delhi that continue to shock me day to day, I will attempt to convey a bit of the perplexing hub that is Delhi. First off it is important to note that New Delhi is India's capital and as such I had a certain set of expectations with regards to what I would find. So, you know, it's the capital so it should be a little like Washington D.C., right? Negative. I have found that New Delhi does resemble D.C. - all the politicians hang out in a neighborhood very similar to the mall, but that's about it. After a 23 hour layover in Amsterdam and too many stroopwaffles later, I arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at 11pm and found myself in frighteningly humid 90+ weather. The amount of honking coming from what at the time seemed like every car on the road was deafening and it soon became clear that the dashed lines designating car lanes are optional here, merely a friendly suggestion. You'll find auto rickshaws (India's inexpensive alternative to cabs) weaving in and out of traffic and racing past in between lanes. But that's not all that you'll find on the roads. One or two...or just about a million cows have been known to cross the road at a moment's notice; some have owners, some do not but they probably have more rights than pedestrians do here. Along those lines, it is certainly important to note that Delhi is not a walking city in the least and for several reasons: sidewalks are practically non-existent here; Delhi is GIANT; and it's extremely hot, making it almost unbearable.
Whether by foot, auto rickshaw, or metro (which is actually quite clean and impressive here), however, exploring Delhi is certainly a lot of fun. There is an overwhelming amount of things to see and do here in Delhi, whether it's temples, markets, and even gardens, you'll get your share of sights here. Not only are they numerous, but they are beautiful. The architecture and the soul found at each and every one of these places is astounding, I definitely fear not having the time to explore the city enough. But perhaps what shocked me most about Delhi was the stark contrast between the beauty and soul of Delhi and the extreme poverty that plagues a significant part of India's population. I was under the impression that because I was informed and had a notion of these problems that there was no reason for me to be surprised by what I would encounter upon my arrival. Wrong again. Discussing poverty and hunger with your professor and peers in a classroom or reading about it in a textbook or newspaper doesn't come close to the feeling you get when you see it up close, when it's in your face and a child's frail hand taps you and you look up into their pleading eyes. It's something you can't really prepare for, you just have to live it. And after almost a month of living in this environment, as that heart-wrenching feeling lurks in your chests and ferments over some time, I can say it feels even more strange to see this scene play over and over again and become a part of the environment you live in for an extended period of time. And that is why Delhi confuses me so much, you can encounter many scenes like this and yet when you interact with people you find that there's so much color, life and happiness. Delhi's just one extensive, bustling contradiction and I can't say I was able to do the city justice in this one post, but hopefully you will get a better sense of it as I write and post more pictures throughout the semester. Good night everyone!
- Eli
P.S. On a random side note, I was listening to "Ja Sei Namorar" and "Boa Sorte" while writing this post. You can find them both on this playlist. They are both fun Brazilian songs that my awesome Brazilian host mom introduced me to, I love them both and recommend that you all listen for a bit.
