Note: this is pretty long, so skip to 'obscure observations' at the bottom if you want.
As I was ill for three weeks of my time here, I have postponed the Human Rights Law Firm till another time- I've got ten days in Delhi before I head off on a tour through N.India, and this doesn't leave any time to get stuck in. However, I've lined up a variety of things to do for this week, which I'm hoping (because organisation seems pretty chaotic here) will happen: I'm going to join the landlady's daughter who runs an NGO that educates girls from the slums in English and vocational skills; this morning, I helped teach at a school nearby, and I think I've been invited back for a couple more mornings. From my limited experience in other countries (mainly France, living with families), I think I prefer to do stuff, rather than buy stuff. Certainly more interested in the people than the museums, so I think that will be the theme to my travels.
I'm staying at a really lovely guest house, four metro stops from the centre of New Delhi. The landlady is extremely caring, and generous, although she is also quite bossy and wants to know every detail of your life (sorry guys). This is a small cost to pay for the all inclusive meals, and her help with getting to know Delhi. I wish this blog had an audio feature to it because some of the things she says are hilarious, including: "You must buy yourself a beautiful sari. Yes, yes very berry important that you take one back. You never know when you will need one." ..... The food is intense. I thought I was pretty good at handling hot food, but there seems to be a perpetual heat to every meal that is ever served. Except for breakfast. At breakfast I have been consistently given an Indian chicken egg. Now, I do like eggs. But even in England I'm quite fussy about them. So it took quite a lot to eat the first small, misshapen white egg on my plate. Turns out it was totally fine. Except that I'm not sure if I can handle them everyday. Oh and I've also learnt to say 'no' to food, because if you're too polite you end up with a HUGE plate. eg. Sunday: she made what I'd call Indian eggy bread, and piece by piece at a time she cooked it up, hobbled to the table and put it on my plate. It got to piece five, when I realised she wasn't going to stop, and the toast was just stacking up on my plate.
Yesteday, then, I joined another girl (American) who is also staying at the guest house, and all her friends for the day. They are all here to learn Hindi at a college. She's only been here four days and she's pretty keen. She's bought all the attire of traditional Indian wear, and actually, in a place like Delhi where alot of girls wear 'Western clothes' (so to speak), she looks more Indian than an Indian. Oh, and she's very 'spiritual'. She keeps telling me how I must look after my inner eye, and somehow manages to link stuff up to a scientific explanation. I guess you'd say she's an out and out hippy. She proudly showed me her tattoo (one of 6) which says 'one love' forwards and backwards, and says that she enjoys feeding off energy (I prefer cake). There is, to be fair, a lot of energy in India. And I suppose you can learn things from people who have slightly different ideas on life. She said she has only one goal in life, which is to be 'happy' and that just stepping out of the door each day is enough of an achievement for her. She must, therefore, be extremely happy. As someone who likes to micromanage life, her opinions were 'refreshing'. But sadly conversation doesn't progress much beyond spirit chat. It seems like she's so relaxed, the conversation level never reaches above neutral. Crack a joke and she'll just nod and say 'I see, ok, I see'. And she also keeps getting lost everywhere because she's too relaxed. The landlady keeps having to pick her up and bring her home. It pays, to micro plan sometimes I guess.
Wow, I go to India, and I spend a whole paragraph chatting about an American. Anyway, I joined 'Team America do Hindi' for lunch and an Art festival. Not much to it. They all take themselves very seriously and are continually saying 'namaste' to each other (hello), pleased that they have begun to learn the new language. Fair play.
Today, was more interesting because I took myself on a little trip in the afternoon. I went to central Delhi and went on a long walk past very impressive government buildings, down down down a big parade road to India gate (a big war memorial, the big cousin of Marble Arch), then along to beautiful Lodi gardens and C15th tombs, then up to Khan market- a jumble of tiny shops from Indian brands to Accessorize (Ellie, you'd feel totally at home). I'm sorry to say I purchased a diet coke from SUBWAY, having felt I'd done enough of the culture thing for one day. So, I sat in the stinky Subway listening to comparatively slutty western music which was completely disjunct to the surrounding market stalls...So far it seems that if you walk confidently, and say no firmly, people just let you get on with it. I do, however, wear my scarf over my head when walking between places just for the anonymity and because otherwise a gazillion scooters (literally little tin cans on three wheels) see my white hair and try and offer me a 'berry berry cheap tour'. I'm aware of quite a few Westerners wearing what they want, but despite that my hair is just too much for anyone here it seems.
Weather is perfectly warm which is a lovely lovely change to England weather. I haven't felt warm sun for a very long time, and you forget how nice it is.
Obscure observations and notes:
- I am now a road crossing PRO. Give me a busy London road any day, because here there's not the same concept of 'Pedestrian crossing'. There are road markings but no nice flashing green men to tell you when to go. Instead you dodge traffic, stand in the middle or...as you can all imagine...run.
- Most of you have met my lucky brown trousers. I have taken them back to their birth place and am now wearing them fondly. Except that a bird pooed on them. Gross, but also a sign of good luck...yes, you lucky brown trousers. I DID, however, feel slightly guilty when the landlady marvelled at my Primemark handbag and said how nice it was.
- The Metro here is extremely efficient, cleaner than London, but security TIGHT (body check and bag check). Most curious (/alarming) was the army man who had built himself a fine defence wall out of sacks and, was crouching behind them with his gun in the MIDDLE of the station ticket area. Was he playing pretend soldiers?
- What is on with road signs/ signs in general? Some are great- tell you where you are. Some are non existent. Some advertising signs are cemented across the pavement (which seems to be pretty redundant in places anyway) and the map sign to Khan market was nailed sideways on to a post. To see it, you'd have to cock your head to try and decrypt it.
- Honking of car horns seems to be a hobby as well as a survival method whilst driving.
Don't worry, blogs wont be this long normally. Especially because internet will be limited from next week for two and a half weeks.
Have added the last of my pictures to make me draw more in India. A mixture of commissions, and playing. Apologies if they're massive- as you've noticed, I can't seem to achieve a consistent size.
AH, and I nearly forgot: the rest of my English picture. Going to add them all now so it will force me to draw new ones in India.
Just found this fascinating and delightful site.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures are among the most lovely of their kind I have seen for ages and ages. I want to write a book and ask (beg) Imogen to illustrate it!
The best word here is a Chinese one : 'na li'. It essentially means 'thank you, not true, whatever, thank you, but that's too much of a compliment, that's too kind...' and lots of other sentiments along those lines. The beauty of Chinese is that all these meanings can be crammed into just those two little words. SO nali nali nali! That said, any excuse to draw. It can be quite intriguing seeing what comes out the other end of a pen.
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