India: Days 1 and 2

Hi!

I'm here- across the world! It shouldn't have taken me this long to write, but, being the computer genius that I am I managed to block my own blog and then had to spend the last two days figuring out how to get it unblocked. Yes, I am also shocked that my parents allowed me to travel across the world by myself, brilliant as I am.

But- on to more important things. Two days' isn't really enough experience to give a very accurate account of a country of a billion people, but I'll do what I can.

Delhi is both the New York City and the Washington D.C. of India. In our small neighborhood alone there are over 100,000 people. I can't even imagine how that is possible, but I believe it because looking around, there are people everywhere. Every street is packed with people, bikes, small cars and these strange little green and yellow motorized carts which I'm told are taxis (see picture below). The roads are paved and there are lots of tall square houses. But even so the city is a jungle. I know that the next house is less than a hundred feet from our back window, but I can't see it through the trees. And apparently keeping tabs on millions of people is enough work for the government, because the animals pretty much do as they please. Yesterday we almost hit a cow in the street that hadn't bothered to use a crosswalk. There are also stray dogs everywhere. Unfortunately, other than some goats, birds and frighteningly large bugs that's all the animal life I've seen. I think deep down I really thought I would wake up to elephants staring in my window. But, when I complained about it my grandmother told me I could ride an elephant if I wanted. I think she's bluffing.

The streets are very scary, even scarier than in Europe. In Europe its like they don't have traffic laws. Here its like they don't have traffic laws and all the drivers are drunk. And maybe blind too. On the little Vespas or whatever they are the women wear all their skirts and sit side saddle behind the men and don't bother holding on. Every time one of the maniacs takes off after a light I watch expecting to see the woman behind him flying off the back of the bike. But it never happens. They do get in accidents though. Monica, our little neighbor girl who is twelve and is the only person I've ever seen smile in this whole country, told me today that her one of the bikes hit her mother last year and crushed her leg. She still can't walk, but she will be able to someday.

Other than Hindi the only language I hear is this kind of Indian accented British-English that sounds like it stopped evolving when the British colonizers left in the 30s. Lots of words like "cinema" and "fellow" and "Caddie, shall we take our tea now?" These people drink so much tea. But they all speak both languages. Even the dogs. Everyone except me. I'm working on it.

That's it for now. Pictures will be in the next post, and maybe a video soon if I can get this stupid thing to work. Miss you all.

Caddie

Things I have learned about India
50 Rupies = $1
Native language: Hindi, also English, lots of tribal languages
Average temperature in the summer: 45 Degrees Celsius, about 120 degrees Fahrenheit
Religions: Muslim, Catholic, Seek, Punjab, Hindu... probably lots more
Hindu Holy Trinity: Brahma (Main God) Shiva (Very scary God) Vishnu (Takes many forms, very confusing God).

Things I have yet to learn about India
How a culture that requires so many layers of clothes could have developed in a country that is so unbelievably hot or why they insist on inflicting this tradition on poor outsiders who are not used to the heat and already felt like they were dying before you piled all these clothes on them.