An update on what I've been up to in Delhi!

So Independence day last Thursday was amazing! I woke up and watched the parade on my laptop and then I came up to the rooftop and saw thousands of people flying kites.
They were all standing on their rooftops and playing this game that involves trying to cut each others kites down. It was so nice to watch, there were Indian flags flying and Delhi really felt like a community - people were taking up flasks with them to the rooftop and chapati's and everybody was laughing and shouting and music came from all directions!
After that I went to an Indian families house and their relatives had come over, they made the most amazing food - canapes that consisted of black chickpeas and tamarind and homemade parantha's amongst other things.

I met their two lovely children and saw wedding photos from the sister who was just married last April. I learned of some of the marriage traditions for example when a woman is newly married they should keep their marriage bangles on for a year after they are married unless she becomes pregnant. I also learned that before the marriage, the woman has a henna ceremony and the man wears a t-shirt and is painted with colour while his friends rip off the t-shirt.

Seeing people come together and experience these festivals is just an amazing feeling and I'm too excited for Diwali which falls in November. It was nice to see friendship day and coming up is brother and sister day where the sisters give their brothers a bracelet and the brother gives the sister something else in return.

I've seen two sides to Delhi and it's very interesting to watch. Delhi is both modern and upcoming and the more South you head you see people opting for love marriages, rather than arranged. I am located in old Delhi, which is central and I discovered the reason people stare so much is in-fact lack of education about the world (through lack of money and never having seen Westerners).
Old Delhi is much more traditional though traditions are happening South, it just seems that the people are open to change (again because of education).
It's much easier to deal with being stared at when you realise why. People can explain why but I think you have to sit back and understand and think of it in their respect and experience it first hand for it to really set in to your mind. Regardless, I still don't like it but no matter who I am or how I dress, they will still stare so I'm slowly learning to live with it.

A couple of days ago, I took the metro to the habitat centre. The Indian metro is actually really good and completely cheap. It cost me 30 rupees to get on a train, then change, and then come back. The pound is very strong against the rupee at the moment (I actually read about the rupee falling to an all time low in the paper this morning) so I just worked it out and that's equivalent to 31p.
It's safe because they have a women's only carriage and it's a punishable offense for a man to travel in that carriage and also they have people employed to check bags, it's frequent, it's air conditioned and with the Delhi traffic it's a pretty fast way to travel.
They are currently building new lines so the metro is just going to get better and better.
The Indian's are so proud of the metro that if you take the metro to Patel Chowk then you will actually find a museum dedicated to the metro. It's kind of funny because they have a whole wall dedicated to pictures of people looking happy on the metro!

The habitat centre is brilliant. It's home to art galleries and restaurants and it's huge! I went to a really good exhibition for modern art there, it was totally free and I met one of the artists. This artist had created Ganesha (the elephant god in Hinduism - he's very popular here in Delhi!) and Buddha out of scrap metal, it was really cool. He also made the HMV logo and loads of little turtles with spoons for legs! There was some amazing photography and some paintings too.

So yesterday I went to North-East Delhi and it was so interesting because I'd never been there before and I went to a wholesale market that sells fabric. It was really cool to see where our clothes come from and just how cheap they actually are! I saw the labels that they sew on to create brands on sale and I also even saw the material used to make a top I bought back in the UK! It's so interesting to see first-hand how a business really works.

I never know what Delhi will bring by the day and it's such an awesome adventure - I mean I woke up just last week and there was a marching band playing outside my window!
Right now, I'm chilling on the rooftop and I've just watched the most awesome sunset. Sometimes everything moves so fast and it's so warm in Delhi that it's nice to take the time to chill out and research things! Tomorrow? I think I'm headed to the modern art gallery. It should be an experience because according to wiki it was established in 1956 and it's one of the leading Indian art galleries.

Delhi in a nutshell.

I'm not quite sure where to start when it comes to Delhi. I'm so in love with this city, yet there is times I really dislike it.
It's a strange feeling to say because last time, I never experienced the intensity I have this time.
In two days I went from 5 star luxury costing me around 150 pound for the two nights to the life of a traveler - costing me around 7 pound a night.
I've met all kinds of people, young, old, alone, traveling with people, people who like to chill out and people who can't sit still. Backpackers, business people, people arriving and people leaving.
I'm not sure which category I fall into just yet. All I know is that I'm a lone traveler who to an extent doesn't like to sit still but I know that I need the security of a home-base.

When arriving in Delhi, you forget everything you know, everything you've been taught and everything anybody has told you. Delhi has it's own rules and you make them.
I seem to have built this facade in the last couple of weeks - I started by telling everybody all truths about myself "I'm 21, I'm single, I've been in Delhi X amount of time and it's my second time." I soon got bored of questions, touts and people wanting to follow me to talk. I felt like this made me an easy target. Now if a random person asks me "I'm an expat, I've lived in South Delhi for 2 years now and I'm married." Once I built this facade I immediately felt like I owned Delhi - nobody asks questions and I'm no longer seen as this tourist girl who doesn't fit into the crowd.

Now let me get the dislikes over with - Delhi is crazy intense. I love this so much but sometimes it's too intense. You will get stared at. It's inevitable. Every westerner I've met (and I've met a lot of people) experiences this, more so girls and it doesn't matter how much you cover up or try and fit in, you will get stared at. In-fact it's kind of strange but if you walk down the street with a guy, the staring gets less.

This has become one of these things for me where basically I've gotten used to being stared at but then I have days where I just want to walk around or sit somewhere without feeling the intensity of the staring. Some days everything blends in to the background and some days it doesn't.

I've met people who've thought they would hate Delhi and have fallen in love with it straight off and I've met people who've disliked Delhi so much that they've gotten the first plane to somewhere else in India. In my opinion these people haven't seen enough of Delhi. Delhi can feel somewhat unwelcoming but once you experience the city and know what it's about then it's definitely very much the opposite. I ask these people 'have you been here' or 'have you been there' and most of the time they haven't, although I do understand that the busy city life doesn't cater to everybody's tastes. I've met people who are expats living here and people who've been back numerous times, people ready to go home and people not wanting to leave or people just beginning.

I saw some interesting sides to Delhi this time - we went to a forest and it was so quite and cool right in the capital of the crazy city. I also went to the zoo which I'll go into more detail with...I was so unsure of this being I'm a vegetarian and all for animal rights but it was actually huge, quiet and hard to even find the animals!

The experience is so far amazing, I've met people I never would have met, learned things I didn't know and most of all I've grown up as a person and become more confident and self assured then I could have ever been. I wouldn't change coming here for the world and I'm very much excited to keep learning, meeting people, experiencing and growing.

I'll try and update more too (I've been so busy and the internet is sometimes not so good!) but I've so much to write with time disappearing so insanely fast. In a nutshell, you never know what to expect in Delhi, time feels super-speed and it's such an amazing experience to have!

It's exactly 26 days until I go and I'm fully excited! Just received a text and an email from the Visa office to confirm that my Visa has been processed and my passport is currently on it's way back to me :)
This was probably one of my favourite trips in India (although there were many!). We went to a fire ceremony in a temple and it was really interesting taking part in it. We all sat around a fire as the priests chanted and we all took it in turns to throw bark onto the fire. The ceremony represented Earth, Wind, Fire and Water and the blessing of our family which I thought was a lovely concept.

For any of my Liverpool friends who are interested in finding out more about the program I went on then this event is totally worth checking out: http://www.facebook.com/events/477216065705144/ I shall be attending too and it's worth checking out for any questions or queries you may have and to learn a bit more about India. The workshop shall take place next Wednesday (3rd July) between 5pm and 6.30.

If you're interested in another culture, particularly India then this book is for you :) I can't put it down! I'm on chapter 3 right now, I don't tend to read so fast because I like to reread a whole lot. Basically each chapter is a new story, which I love! The first chapter is about Mark Tully's servant's story - Ram Chander. This is interesting because Tully talks about Chander's daughters arranged marriage, why Chander came to Delhi in the first place and Tully visiting and speaking to people from Chander's village. It really shows his servant as a human being, shows all of Chander's personality and basically tells the story of how/why he came to Delhi, got lost as soon as he got there and ended up as part of Tully's family.

The second chapter is about The British Colonialism. This was really interesting to read because it tells of every aspect - art, religion, language etc and general shocking facts that I did not know. It's interesting because it is telling the story from a British guys point of view who does not necessarily believe we should have ever invaded. I feel similar but I've always had a general very idealistic view of how the world should be. I loved reading it anyway because it's so much more than just a view and it's just so interesting to hear of every aspect and hear of other people's views other than Tully.

The third chapter, I'm about half way through and it's about a festival called the "Kumbh Mella" Tully's book is now a definite recommendation and I wish I'd read it sooner, it's captivating and I love how it's separated into several stories/themes. It's so interesting that I've not shut up to my dad with facts/opinions/views about India as I'm reading ha! If you get the chance then read it guys :)

Oh and I've just finished reading this! I'm not a huge reader but recently I'm really into wanting to know more about India and since I've finished my studies I have free time on my hands before I fly back over there! The Little Book of Hindu Deities was drawn and written by Sanjay Patel who is one of the animators for pixar. He is Indian but was born in America and based his style of drawings of the Hindu gods on Hello Kitty. I really enjoyed this book and actually read it really fast, the idea behind it was basically to teach young Indian children and foreigners about Hinduism. I've never really been a religious person myself but it was so interesting to read all of the stories behind the gods against these amazing drawings put forward in a more simplistic way. It was also amazing to learn about the festivals centering around these gods that take place in India every year.

I've now moved on to Mark Tully's No Full Stops in India which I've only just started but I love it already! We met him when we were in India and when I was looking for a book to read it was the first thing that came to mind! Mark Tully is a British national living in India and I think that is fascinating in itself coming from a British person with a massive interest in India. As I said earlier, I've never been much of a reader so it's difficult for me to get into a book because I'm such a visual person. Don't get me wrong - I'm in love with foreign cinema, subtitled and I can't stand dubbed films but it's still going back to the visual. Mark Tully was such an interesting person to meet and I am so interested in learning more about India that his book was the first I thought of. I love it. I'm currently creating my own visual as I go. Will let you guys know more once I've finished the book!

Thought I'd share a video that was made of some of our experiences from start to finish! The applications are now open for the program I went on - if anybody is interesting in applying it's open to students at university but you can apply even if you're graduating this Summer! All accommodation, food and trips out are funded and you will be able to take part in an internship of your choice :)
Applications close on the 6th of July and if you fancy your chance at applying then go to www.studyindia.co.uk - it's seriously amazing so get on it and check the video!

The second day of Delhi I went shopping, I literally got a Sari tied around me and I was in so much shock I didn't know what was even happening. To this day, I regret not buying it! I was so caught up in the moment I wasn't even sure what was going on, I later looked at the photo and fell in love with it! Indian culture is totally amazing, the way one minute you can be dazed by the moment and the next you can be wishing you didn't let it go by so fast. I'm not saying India is a first in this feeling but it's by far the most intense. A month felt like a week, and it felt crazy, yet amazing at the same time. :)

A little about myself.

I'm from a family who doesn't like to sit still. My dad used to work away in foreign countries on business when I was small and my mum, well my mum met my dad and he inspired her to go back to university. She became a doctor and as my dad ended up starting his own business in the UK, my mum began traveling away to Uganda with her job. My parents both did their degrees in science and I chose to do mine in Film Studies.

I've always expressed an ultimate passion in going away and experiencing new cultures. At the age of ten, I said to my mum that I wanted to go to Japan - I'm not sure of many ten year olds who express this interest but my mum figured it was a phase and I'd grow out of it. Eleven years later and Japan is still one of my aims. I can't quite imagine what my life would be like today if I hadn't have had the amazing opportunities I have had. Something fascinates me and always has about all different cultures in the world.

I purposefully chose my university based on the study abroad program that they offer and that alone. Life is funny though and I didn't end up going on that program which actually worked out better than I ever could have imagined. Last year my mum was applying for funding for Ugandan students and accidentally stumbled on what would impact on my future more than I would ever know.
My mum called me and told me about a program called 'Study India'. My parents are well aware of my absolute fascination with Asia as a whole, more than any other continent in fact. When I was 16, I went to Hong Kong and Beijing and it was pretty much a dream come true. I always wanted to go to India but I honestly didn't expect to come to love it as much as I did.

I applied on a whim, the applications were due in a couple of days after my mum stumbled across it and I honestly wasn't one hundred percent that they would even pick me. It was worth applying since they take university students and paid for accommodation, trips out and food. I was completely shocked to be chosen, and headed to India for a month last Summer. I'll blog more about India in later posts and include pictures, but I'm going to end by saying that I never could have expected to love India as much as I did. In fact I made friends that I'm sure I will stay in contact with for the rest of my life and had the best experience ever. India felt like a home from home, therefore I've recently booked to go back on the 24th of July for 5 months. Counting down the days now and I'm utterly excited.