Dwarka, Bindis, Roti and Hindi

Saturday morning we woke up to chai, prepared by, Maya, Pareena's parents' live-in maid. Nana and Nani (Pareena's parents) pay for all of her living expenses and I believe a tutor. They send her wages back to her parents in Nepal.  Saturday morning, after tea, we were offered a full body massage by a cleaning woman who comes to Nana and Nani's flat every morning. Her name is Suman (a name a procured myself after asking in Hindi!!).  Let me just say that Suman gave a gift to every man that I will ever be involved with for the rest of my life. I am certain that no massage will ever measure up to the one Suman gave me.

A bit about where I am currently stationed. Nana and Nani (the parents of my professor Pareena Lawrence who I have worked for for the past year) live it a colony of New Delhi called Dwarka. Dwarka is one of the largest sub-cities in Asia with 1,000,000 people inhabiting 5,648 ha. Nana and Nani are in Sector 22 which is a collation of apartment complexes that surround a common courtyard. Within the complex are services that range from a dry cleaners to a common kitchen that prepares and delivers meals to pedicure and manicure services (which Pareena, the girls and I are planning on employing today).

The reason that I am writing right now, 4:30am, is because of a lovely little thing called jet lag. Since I arrived I haven't slept for longer than 5 hour periods.  Strangely enough I am never really tired, but it makes for quite a bit of free time in the middle of the night.

So what have been the highlights so far? The food for sure, and the language. We have learned to ask for tea (completely critical) ask names, ask how others are doing, thank others. It's really terrific. Ravi, Nana and Nani's driver, loves giving us lessons in Hindi. Most people speak it almost exclusively and will only speak English when they are speaking to us.

The food has also been completely terrific. It is all new: roti, samosa, allagobi, lentil, curd, rice. It is all so good, so flavorful and so different. Saturday night we visited Kavita, a professor from Rohtak University in Haryana at the Haryana Bhawen (government housing in for Haryana politicians, etc. in Delhi were I will be staying later in the summer) and we met her daughter Shiva who plans to attend UMM next year!! Shiva thought it would be funny to encourage us each to eat a chili. I took the most minute bite and my mouth immediately became completely ablaze. Needless to say Shiva (named after the Hindu god of destruction) was utterly all too entertained. 

Last night we went out to a marketplace to do some 'window shopping.' Wearing our salwar kamis (tunic and cotton pants outfits that the girls and I have adored wearing since our arrival), Pareena also hooked us up with our first bindis. For those who are not familiar, bindis are the jewels or dots worn in between the eyebrows that are thought to bring luck to the wearer. I think I looked more than a little ridiculous.

In sum, as this post is getting exceedingly long, thus far everything has been indescribably wonderful. My body feels rejuvenated and healthy, absolutely delighting in every new sensation; my mind is being set on fire with curiosity, and ideas. My thirst for real experiences in development, politics and economics is being quenched; and my spirit is electrified. The girls I am with, Dot and Katie, are incredible. The atmosphere, the swelling conscienceless, the cinematography of this experience is epically illuminating.