Originally posted: February 26th, 2014
As a child, one of my favorite books was Stellaluna. It was about a bat that loses its mother and grows up with birds. The differences between Stellaluna and the birds become apparent, but they decide to be friends despite their differences. I’m learning more and more about differences between my culture and other cultures in person: tipping on meals, experiencing the caste system first hand (kinda depressing), eating balls of flavored water?, weddings are apparently so much cooler here, food is awesomely cheap, DRIVING, etc. I think the differences should be celebrated and I’m so happy to have not only Apoorva as a close friend, but people like Aysa and Zeynep and many others from cultures not featured on this journey. I’m learning so much about people and it’s a trip to live the Stellaluna life for a bit.
I’ve been here for three whole days now and I’m loving it! The roads are crazy, the people are kind, the food is good, the slums are dirty, the clothes are colorful, the subways are a lot cleaner and better than the ones in the US, the hotdogs are much worse, the music is different, the language is full of words that are just plain fun to say. Chicken tikka is not only something I had for dinner, but it reminds me of the thing that the natives said over and over again during Ace Ventura movie about guano. CHICKEN TIKKAAAAA!!!!! Other fave words include Dilli Haat, cool in an accent, and Lodhi are fun to say.
Day one included a trip to the Qutub Minar, on day two I went with Apoorva to her work, which is in the coolest office building complex shown in the photo below
The above photo was taken INSIDE her office building complex. Amazing. I left her at work to walk to Lodhi Garden, a huge park full of ancient monuments, tombs, mosques, etc., and it was beautiful. I walked around, took some photos and videos and took it all in. There were TONS of different bird species, including hundreds of hawks that were regularly swooping down to snatch fish out of the lake. There were also parakeets and a bunch of other birds I didn’t recognize. I also saw a bunch of chipmunks (locals think they’re squirrels, and call them squirrels too) and a mongoose! Walking around this garden was so pleasant because all the birds made for the best music. Below is a photo from the Lodhi Garden
After Lodhi Garden I met up with Apoorva and her work friends for lunch (Happy Birthday Anushri!!! – totally took a guess on her name, but it was a while ago) and then Apoorva and I took the metro to Dilli Haat, a bazaar-like market place where we (Apoorva) haggled for some sweet goods. I also finally got to meet Rhea, Apoorva’s super cool bestie; long overdue. Also, I am Apoorva’s +1 for a wedding tomorrow so Auntie Mathur took me shopping for a formal kurta that I can wear to the wedding, seeing as how I didn’t bring any of my suits on this trip. Odds on me looking fly as shit vs looking like a horribly out of place tourist white boy in local garb: DEAD EVEN
Thank you so much Mrs. Mathur for the kurta!!!
Today was the first time this little baby bird ventured alone from the nest. Apoorva thought she had some event to go to (before being uninvited #ouch), so she dropped me at the metro and sent me on my way. I rode it for almost an hour to the center of Delhi, where I was jumped on by many men trying to give me sage council and tour me around. How many times does one have to say, “Nay, I’m fine, I know where I’m going. I’m not lost. I don’t need any help. I have to be somewhere. I’m going to meet a friend. No I’m not a tourist. No I’m not American. I live here. Both my parents are Indian and I’m going to meet them for lunch” before they leave you alone. In case you don’t see color, I’m very white, and the fact that I was wearing a bright pink shirt didn’t help me blend in. They smelled tourist on me a mile away. While not as persistent or conniving as Turkish sellers, they did their best to get me to stop and shop at their stands. Nay.
“Where are you from?”
“Philadelphia.”
“Great country, great country!”
I don’t know if they all took the same 3 hour seminar entitled “How to start a conversation with an obvious foreigner 101,” but they all knew. The beginnings of every conversation I had in a half hour period were all exactly the same. Verbatim.
“Where are you from?”
“America”
“Great country. How long have you been in India?”
“A few days.”
“How long are you here for?”
“Three weeks.”
“SHORT TIME!” ……then the conversation would deviate from there, with a lot more “Would you like” from them and a lot more “Nays” from me. It gets old fast.
Although they want you to utilize your services, everyone is very friendly. I roamed through the Palika Bazaar but after deciding I didn’t want to be hassled much more, walked as quickly out of the city center/tourist area as possible. I walked 30 minutes down a road to get to India Gate. Also very touristy, but the people selling goods were much more bearable here, and would go away after only a few nos. I walked around, drew a drawing of the gate while listening to a bunch of Maxxx Flair, took some photos, took some photos for other people, met a couple from LA, some Indian people asked me to be in their photos. Of course I obliged; I was famous for a day.
Then I came back on the PACKED metro and Apoorva picked me up (what a gal!). She took me to her favorite cafe (which is managed by her absolutely amazing friend Shefali) and had some of the most delicious food I’ve had all trip, and that’s saying something! Shefali, if you ever see this, I love you. That was amazing (The Eyck: Grilled chicken, cheese, peppers, etc., with a “broken brownie” milk shake).
This whole meal (cupcake, hot chocolate/coffee thing, panini, and milkshake cost like $14 USD. Gotta love this country
Then we came home and chilled, went to the market for minced mutton for dinner, which was so good. Apoorva’s cook does amazing things. Minced Mutton with noodles mmmmmmmmmmmmm get at me. That’s about it for a summary so far. Apoorva and her Mom and Nana are outstanding hosts. And I’m not just writing that because she’s gonna read this right after I post it. I’m writing it because I am so grateful for everything they do for me, buying me stuff I tried really hard to pay for, showing me the ropes of Delhi, taking me through the metro without getting pickpocketed, making me food (or having the cook make me food), haggling for me in hindi cause my language skills are not quiiiiiiiiiite at fluent yet, baking banana bread that is DELISH!, calling a plumber to fix the toilet that couldn’t handle 100% grade A certified American shits, taking me to all these amazing places, and even giving me your bed for the time I’m here. I would have been happy with a couch, but I’m living like a king, and it is so very much appreciated!
Thanks a million times over to these two gracious hosts!!!
