Four Deep in a Lorry...

Four deep in a truck riding to Delhi returning from a fair in Chandigarh. Two Americans, two Indians, one small cab holding us all. We bumped and bounced along bumbling with a basic determination that only an Indian can drive with. Exchanging songs and shoulders to sleep on we slowly made our way home, to stinky Delhi. In the end we endured, endearing ourselves to each other and exiting the path well traveled. Thanks for the ride fellas, it was one that will remain unforgettable.

Holy Holi!

What a good time, what a holiday, what an experience! I may now be nursing the better part of my consumption for this ruckus festival of color, but damn was it worth it! Bringing in the summer with water balloons, friends and strangers, music, and the famous bags of powdered dyes should be a global must. So grateful to have had such a great Indian experience for this day and so appreciative to be spending it with good friends and good people. Looking for plans next March 1st? Holi in India. I just hope I'm invited back!

Holi 2010!

Holi, marks the first day of spring...celebrated by bright colors, music and dancing. Below is a link to the full photo album...Don't miss these!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/choicevisuals/sets/72157623533440732/

Natural Order

It’s a funny thing being in a foreign place, the natural instinct is to draw comparisons to that which is familiar. One thing that always crosses my mind is transportation, how we get from A to B? From and American perspective, both public and private transportation is far more controlled than the rest of the world. Stay on your side of the line..in your lane, don’t speed, use your signals. Everyone in the world has somewhere to go but we all get there in very different ways. On the ride to and from work it is not out of the ordinary to come across a bicycle with a flatbed carrying a top-heavy load nearly three times the height of the bike. A personal favorite is observing the creativity of scooter and rickshaw drivers. The way in which they so calmly hop over a median into on coming traffic for a quick u-turn. Also the food vendor who was just ahead of us in the middle lane flipping the food as he drove, walked I mean. Throw incessant honking in the mix, the occasional against traffic scooter sprint, busses unloading in the middle of the road and cow crossings. All this and I still feel not the slightest bit of angst in a car or rickshaw. It is as if an unwritten rule exists. The bigger vehicle always has the right of way. It’s logical, the smaller you are the more likely of receiving the brunt of any accident. At the risk of bodily harm you simply concede to the larger waiting out a transport lesser to yours.

METROpolitan

The above photo, New Delhi Metro under construction. Everyday we pass under the Metro line, fascinating to see the progress on a daily basis. We are hoping that before too long it might be possible to take the train from New Friends(home) to the center of Delhi. On our route to work alone, there are a number of significant building projects underway. Much in preparation for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi next year, the city is in a state of evolution. Having only been here for just over a month and seen so much development seems to be a sign of things to come. What will look like in 10 years? One can only imagine…

Higher and higher and higher...

Did the little engine who could realize that it was getting close to the top of the hill? Did it only know after the crest, when its own momentum carried it, that it was in the clear? As far as I know there are pretty few places where there is just one hill to get over, did the engine accomplish the hill only to find a mountain range looming in the distance? Maybe the point seems arbitrary to some, but I like to think about the analogies of this poor little train. I like to think this train had some grit, an old paint job maybe, in need of some repairs probably, and most definitely some serious toughness. Just a thought that was spinning around...There are certainly ongoing challenges facing all of us, will you be the badass little engine or something else?Hhmm...keep the wheels turning...

Shoes

To be respected is a privilege, it must be earned, it has to be appreciated, and mostly it must be reciprocated. Humility is a quality of respect that often goes underlooked. On Saturday when one of the participants touched my shoe in a show of respect I was confused. Being unsure about the meaning of the gesture was part of the source of my confusion, but moreover I was bewildered as to why someone would admire another who has done relatively little. The real triumph, in my opinion, are the success stories that come from these kids who, as adolescents, have already seen the despair of crime, poverty, and most likely death. From my uncertainty I have come to believe that as someone fortunate enough to be in India it is an obligation to perform in the community as an advocate for better standards and better lives. Be an ambassador in your own neighborhood and instigate the change for dreams to be achieved.