of Jaeem and Kumayun's Tomb

I've been in Delhi for a full day now and wow is all I can say. I'm sitting in an internet cafe right now because the flat we are staying in doesn't have any wireless. That really doesn't matter to me because, well, just that we are staying in this flat is a blessing. My friend Caylen was an SM to India last year and a couple days before I left Bangla Hope, I messaged him saying that I was going to be in Delhi for a week. He wrote me back right away, sending all kinds of information--most importantly was the number of his friend who he had worked with. Thus, his friend Jaeem picked us up at the airport yesterday morning, took us to his flat, and is letting us stay there for the week. Just incredible. He's also going to take off Wednesday and be our personal tour guide down to the Taj Mahal.

Today Dad and I set out in a taxi we had reserved for the day and hit up three major sites: Qutub Minar, Raj Ghat, and Kumayun's Tomb. Qutub Minar is the tallest structure in all of India and isn't really used for anything. It's in the middle of a bunch of stone mosque ruins and was probably erected in honour of some important person who died.. Not sure. Raj Ghat is the vast gardens (kinda similar to Stanley Park) where Mahatma Gandhi's grave is. Nothing too exciting but something I can say that I've seen--Have you? LOL

Now Kumayun's Tomb... Wow. It's the precursor to the Taj Mahal and was designed by the emperor's wife upon his death. It's breathtakingly beautiful. Just incredible really... I wish I could load pictures, but after loading them onto my laptop, I could quickly see that the picture really doesn't do it justice.

The one thing that has caught me off guard is how I feel stuck between culture shock and reverse culture shock. It's hard not being able to speak the language and many a time I've found myself slipping up and speaking Bangla to a Hindi-speaking person. Sad day... But the converse is worse! India is by no means up to Western standards and I still feel myself in awe of the quietness of the traffic, the lack of rickshaws, and the price of things here. I know how much a bowl of rice SHOULD cost so why are you charging me so much for it? I could get the same thing in Bangladesh for... And that's when I'm caught thinking about how things are in Bangladesh and feeling confused why they aren't the same here. And I'm in INDIA. How is Bangkok going to feel? How is VANCOUVER going to feel? My goodness... This is going to be rough isn't it...?

I've noticed that I've been beginning so many of my sentences with "In Bangladesh, this/I/it..." and so forth. Any time I start to add anything to a conversation it has to do with Bangladesh! I hope I'm not starting to annoy Dad but I really can't help it! I'm pretty sure this trend will continue even when I'm back home, but honestly, suck it up. This place is a part of me now. I'm petrified of forgetting it so even just talking about random adventures, culture norms, and the language helps me to feel just a smidgen closer to the life I left.

Speaking of which, I miss my kids. Even when I saw the kids at Bill's orphanage it made me miss my kids. Any kids I see remind me of how adorable the kids at Bangla Hope are... I can't NOT go back. And even after only four days, I think Dad has the same sentiments. Who wants to come next time? lol Spring break next year sound good...? lol And I'm only HALF kidding...!

Okay. 10rp/hr is about to run out. I don't know if we will be coming back to the cafe again before we leave, but if not, I'll be in Bangkok on Sabbath and I'm sure we'll have internet in our hostel. Well, we'd BETTER have internet lol. So for now, I hope this was able to be a tiny insight into Delhi... Probably not but it was a good effort eh? Maybe when I have more time I'll go back and update these posts--even if it's for my own benefit. Nonetheless, for now, peace.
ami tomake bhalobashi