The 3 P's

Today we finally picked up the kids from the airport and my work has begun. Delhi was sweltering again but with more humidity this time. We even got a brief rain in the afternoon which drove us into the National Museum rather than the tour of the Red Fort as I'd hoped. The museum was a pleasant surprise and although I only had enough time to skim the first floor, I saw some amazing art - some of which was more than 4,000 years old! The kids seem great despite being drowsy from jetlag, so I am really looking forward to the program getting started! The kids also got to visit a Sikh temple, cover their heads in bright orange (tourist) kerchiefs and the best part was getting to make chapati (a type of bread similar to a thick tortilla) in the community kitchen where all devotees come to help when they visit. I even made a couple myself and stirred a giant (maybe 5ft wide) bowl of onions over a raging fire. Kids and elderly alike sitting around the platforms... you must see the pictures!

Yesterday, the other staff and I had one last day to get some of our own errands out of the way. I did not have much to do, so I wandered the labyrinthine streets until I found myself at one of the main markets once again browsing the hundreds of stalls for gifts. Despite the fact that there were 50 or so Indians around me at any given moment, I never ceased to hear "Madam! Madam! Yes, come and have a look! Just look. Looking is free. Just step in side! Madam, yes, I have something for you. Please Madam!" It was really quite amusing to see the tired shopkeepers perk up and grab something to show my or even follow me for 5 minutes offering me deals "special deals" for something they thought they saw me glance at. Like little shadows. I did find someone that I think I trust enough to make some ready-to-wear saris (since I do not know how to do the complex pleating), which is exciting and I could not get enough of the brilliantly colored materials! Even outside the shops, you see 6 meter long 'banners' hanging from apartment balconies. These banners, being not just laundry but a representation of the women within... Ah, the women of India, so elegantly draped in such rich flavor, are the jewels of this country that can otherwise appear so harsh.

The dust never seems to settle in this city of 17 million people. Today the tour guide jokingly cheered that India would soon overcome China since they do not have the one child rule but on a serious note added that Indians suffer from the 3 Ps: Population, Polution and Poverty. Sadly, so evident. Each day I venture out from the AC oasis that is my hotel room, I see people from all walks of life, I see people in traditional and modern dress, all forms of transportation (more than once I've seen a bicycle rickshaw driver on his feet, pulling his bike over a particular rough road laden with a customer. My favorite form of transport is the motorcycle rickshaw and my least favorite is the bicycle rickshaw), ever so constant honking to the point that I wonder if it is some form of morse code they are speaking with each other.

Every once in a while, I admit my friends and I would duck into a cafe to cool off and drink an overpriced coffee or my favorite as of late, a green apple soda from a place like 'Cafe Coffee Day'. It's a guilty pleasure as you pay 2-3 times as much, but it's a short, comfortable reprieve from the onslaught of Delhi.

So, I still have some catching up to do in regards to the first weeks whirlwind experiences but for now I must get some sleep before another 12 hour journey north - this time, with 10 kids en tow! Until next time! :)