Day Two

2/4/10
The days seem to go by so fast here. I’ve only been here for two days and it feels like two weeks.
We didn’t have Hindi lessons today. Instead, we went to lunch at the little hole in the wall lunch canteen called Andhra Bhawan, it was so authentic that about 2/3rds of the group had to take 5 tablets of Pepto-Bismol. I’m very proud of myself for trying and eating (most of) the food here. It’s mostly carbs and veggies but so far I haven’t missed a meal.
After lunch our group split into 4 smaller groups and each went to different temples in Delhi. My group went to the Birla temple which was absolutely gorgeous. When we walked in there was a bollywood movie being filmed and of course us stupid Americans thought the actors were just enjoying the temple just as we were. We were quickly shooed (quite rudely) out of the set. Other than that, the temple itself was quite serene. The walls were adorned with brightly colored paintings different gods such as Kali, Durga, and Shiva. In one section excerpts from the Baghavad Gita were carved into the stone walls. We gave offerings and were blessed by a priest who later explained to me that everybody, no matter what religion, race, or gender, was welcomed into the temple.
After the temple we went to Humayun’s tomb which was absolutely stunning as well. Definitely the most beautiful structure I have ever seen in my life (thus far). It was HUGE and so detailed! It’s funny to think that such a big piece of architecture was just built for one guy. He must have been very loved…or very rich.
I’ve been spending a lot of time with Savita-ji, one of the Hindi teachers/student mentors. She is such a sweet woman and probably one of the friendliest people I have ever met. She took Austin and me to a nearby market to exchange some money which of course was an experience. We took a rickshaw there and I definitely saw my life flash before my eyes. I really don’t know how people can live in this city with this traffic. Apparently Delhi had the highest number of traffic deaths in the WORLD. I kiss the ground every time I get out of a car. Anyway, the market was about a 10 minute rickshaw ride away and I bought my first Indian scarf for about….$1.50. I love India. Everything is so beautiful and cheap here! Tomorrow we’re going shopping for Indian clothes to wear around the city so we’re not blatantly foreigners. I want to bring a suitcase of just scarves home!
When we got back I was locked out of my room so Savita-ji gave me some one-on-one Hindi lessons which were really helpful. I can already tell it’s going to be a struggle to learn this language. Tomorrow we have a quiz which I’m not too confident about…hopefully it will just get easier.