Namaste India

The Gurdwara Shri Banla Sahib (Sikh temple).

I’m in India! Actually I’ve been here just under three weeks now. But because I didn’t have internet at my accommodations for the first two weeks I wasn’t able to blog or otherwise keep in touch with family and friends.  So this blog post and a post about my overall impressions of the ICTY (to come at a later date) are long overdue.  

India is….an interesting country. Generally I’m enjoying my time here and I’m definitely glad I came, but I find myself constantly oscillating between loving it and hating it.  There are things here that are wonderful and things here that are terrible and difficult.  I’ll highlight the good, the bad, and the ugly as I retell the tales of my first two weeks here.

I departed Amsterdam on Saturday morning, June 4^th. There was a brief layover at London Heathrow and then I was on my way to Delhi. When I boarded the flight to Delhi, I realized there was no seat cushion on my assigned seat.  I turned to the flight attendant and he responded, “So you’ve noticed there is no seat cushion?”. My thought was, “How on earth could I not have noticed something like that?”.  The flight attendant then explained that the seat cushions had been removed for cleaning and that he didn’t think they would make it back in time for take-off. Luckily, however, this meant that I got an upgrade to business class! I’m not sure how I’ll ever be able to go back to riding in coach on long international flights….

I arrived in Delhi at about 11 p.m. and by the time I made it through immigration and collected my bags it was almost midnight.  The Dean at Lewis and Clark was kind enough to offer to pay for ground transportation from the airport to our hotel so there was a driver with a sign waiting to whisk me off to my hotel in Noida (a suburb of Delhi). When we walked outside, the first thing I noticed was how despite being nearly midnight it was HOT. 

Me with Mrs. Saint and her mother, Nani G at the Sikh temple.

After a brief sleep and delightful breakfast, I was driven to my temporary accommodations. While I was in The Hague, I had the good fortune to become friends with a woman named Nimisha, from the UK. Nimisha is of Indian origin and she helpfully connected me with her cousin Sneha, who coincidentally is a lawyer in Noida. Sneha was on a European vacation so she kindly allowed me to sublet her PG (Paying Guest - which is usually a room or a studio type accommodation that is attached to a family's home). Having a place to stay was a huge relief and in my case it came with the added bonus of an incredible landlady and her wonderful family. The landlady, Mrs. Saint (which is a fitting name), and her son, Ankit, and daughter-in-law, Mallika, whisked me around to purchase a sim card for my phone and run other errands. We ended up ordering Dominos Pizza for lunch on that first day, and I was surprised to see that Dominos has incorporated Indian spices and paneer (an Indian cottage cheese) into their menu. The Saints were also gracious enough to invite me to dinner every night, show me some sights and help me figure out the easiest way to commute to and from work with the metro and rickshaws. Although I'd like to think I would have managed without their assistance, I'm quite certain that my first weeks here would not have been so easy and enjoyable. I truly value the friendship I've developed with them. I'm placing the hospitality and kindness in "the good" category.

After one day to settle in, it was time to begin work at Fox Mandal Little & Co. Mrs. Saint drove me there in the morning so that I would have one less thing to worry about. I arrived at about 9 am, which was much earlier than anybody else in the office. The security guards showed me in and I sat in the lobby until the office manager arrived. Then the office manager introduced me to the HR manager who showed me to my desk and introduced me to my supervising attorney. After that I was introduced to a few people and I began reviewing some documents related to a joint venture I will be working on.  The first day was very different from the first day at the ICTY. The few attorneys I did meet were nice and I'm happy to know that I'll primarily be working with them. At the end of the day, one of my new colleagues assisted me in calling a taxi to transport me home. Unfortunately the taxi charged 475 Rupees (about $10) to drive me only a few kilometers. Upon arrival at home, Mrs. Saint asked the taxi how much he was charging me and proceeded to tell him that was too much.  She then decided that I would need to find another, less expensive method of transport.

Thali - South Indian Cuisine

In order to try out a different form of transport, Mallika accompanied me via metro and rickshaw. The metro in the Delhi area is rightfully considered the "pride of Delhi" (and is another one of the things I would classify as "the good").  The metro is clean, comfortable (ie. air conditioned), quick (one runs at least every 5 minutes), and safe.  Not only is there a security check when you enter the metro station (metal detectors and bag x-ray) but there is also a car on the metro reserved exclusively for women. When traveling alone, the women only car is a benefit because it is usually less crowded and I tend not to attract too many uncomfortable stares from India women. After departing the metro station close to my office, Mallika helped me arrange a rickshaw. Although the office is only a few kilometers from the metro station, the heat, lack of sidewalks, chaotic traffic, noise, and dirt make walking less than desirable. I would classify the noise, dirt, chaotic traffic (although there are lines painted on the roads, nobody uses them or adheres to any other type of traffic signal), and lack of sidewalks as both "the bad" and "the ugly".  Both Mallika and Ankit had taught me a few Hindi phrases so I could explain where I was going and ask how much it would cost, but it was a relief not to have to deal with this on the first day. After riding in the rickshaw to the office, Mallika spoke with one of the security guards and arranged for him to flag a rickshaw for me at the end of the day (again, the security guard is one of the people who have been very kind and made my life easier). 

The rest of the week I continued in the routine of going to work, working, coming home, and then eating with the Saints before either reading or walking (in a park, where it is safe from crazy traffic). I particularly enjoyed trying all the different Indian dishes between the meals served at work and the meals served by Mrs. Saint. In case your keeping score, Indian food goes in "the good" column. 

Me standing in front of the Red Fort

The first weekend, I met up with a guy, Dustin, from Lewis and Clark who is also completing an internship in Delhi. Dustin and I had not met prior to arriving in India, but we did speak a few times via Skype. Luckily he arrived just a few days after me, so Saturday we arranged to meet up and explore. I rode the metro into Old Delhi and we ventured off to the Red Fort. The Red Fort was built by the Mughals and I think my Lonely Planet Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra (Regional Travel Guide) described it well: "The sandstone Red Fort once represented everything glorious about the peak of the Mughal empire; today, it seems a rather forlorn shadow of its former grand self." I couldn't agree more with that statement. First, the admission fee for foreigners is 25 times what it is for Indians (and this trend of fleecing foreigners appears at all tourist sights and is a common theme I encounter when dealing with locals - fleecing falls into "the bad" category). The only benefit for paying more and being a foreigner is that you get to skip ahead to the beginning of the security line. Once inside you are greeted with former chambers, a bath house, and mosque of the emperors. There are not many signs of explanation around so you are mostly left to wander (Note: there were people offering to be tour guides inside, however, once after being fleeced a few times we were reluctant to trust their offers). Dustin and I wandered around for a bit, toured the Indian War Memorial Museum, and were asked to take photos with numerous Indians (I felt like such a celebrity - I should start charging for the privilege of a photo with me). 

Me in front of the Jama Masjid.

 After tiring of the Red Fort, we headed back out of the fort and down the road where we stumbled upon the Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India. At the Jama Masjid I had to wear a giant smock over my clothes and remove my shoes. This made the whole adventure HOT (too many layers and hot ground).

The Cycle Rickshaw ride through a very congested street.

From the Jama Masjid, we caught a cycle rickshaw back to the metro station.  I had agreed to help Dustin search for a place to live (with the assistance of Mallika's sister) and so we needed to move quickly. On our rickshaw ride, we encountered a very busy street. Good thing the rickshaw driver was adept at navigating through the congestion. Apartment hunting, or PG hunting, was not such a fun experience because, again, the greed/desire to fleece foreigners was apparent. The highlight of the housing search adventure was finding a sign that makes the threat of towing a car seem like child's play (see picture to the right).

On Sunday I went with the Saints to New Delhi.  First we went to the Gurdwara Shri Bangla Sahib, which is a Sikh temple. The temple was packed because it was a Sunday morning and because it was a Sikh holiday of some sort. The temple was lovely and it was interesting to experience the Sikh religious customs (including eating holy food and dipping my feet in a holy pool). After the Sikh temple we drove to Connaught Place, which is a major shopping area in India. There we went to a South Indian restaurant where I tried a thali (a platter with small amounts of a variety of dishes) which was delicious but too much food. Ankit and Mrs. Saint pulled out coupon books for the meal. Apparently, in India, companies give their employees coupon books which are basically certificates that allow them to eat out or to buy groceries at certain places. This is done so that the employees do not have to pay taxes on that portion of their salary! After gorging ourselves on South Indian food, we headed to Cottage Emporium. Cottage Emporium is a place run by the government and geared towards tourists. You can find crafts from all across India at a steep price. We went just to look around so I would know what types of crafts look for at the cheaper markets. Next we headed across the street to Jhanpat (sp?) which is a cheaper market. There I purchased some harem pants for about 3 dollars. The harem pants are incredible to wear in the heat. Finally, Mallika and I were dropped off at the Great India Place (a mall) where Mallika helped me select some fabric so I could have my own Salwar Kamezs made (typical Indian clothing - I promise to post pictures once I take them).
There's so much more to write, but this has become quite a lengthy post. So I'll save the week 2 adventures for the next post (which will hopefully be completed soon so I don't get behind!).