Typical Day in Delhi

Thought I should give a basic run down of what my days consist of here in Delhi. Even though I am half a world away it is amazing how easy it is to fall into a work day routine and become comfortable with every day mundane activities.

My day starts at 8:30 with breakfast, usually porridge, toast or parantha, and tea. Simple, but quite good and a couple nice slow cups of tea are a great way to start the day. Following breakfast it is time to get ready for work and an occasional phone call home. Competing with 12 girls for 2 bathrooms really isn’t as bad as anticipated and we all leave for work at different times so, thankfully, having to wait for a shower is rare. Of course it helps that most of us don’t bother showering daily since the pollution and dirt is so bad half the time there is no point in attempting to keep clean. Embrace the Filth!! I leave for work with the other girls who work at my center around 10:15. We find a rickshaw (which has been known to take up to 45 minutes to find one that’s willing to go to our part of town and not rip us off) and ride 45 minutes across town to a neighborhood called Pahar Gang. The street I work on, Multani Dhanda, is apparently right on the line between a decent neighborhood and a rough area of town. Luckily we work in the decent area. I have never felt unsafe near work, but am grateful that I don’t have to be in that area at night.

After arriving at work between 11 and 11:30 we spend time with the women at the center. The women are there taking classes in embroidery, beauty, or computer. We generally just sit and talk with the girls, and occasionally bring small craft projects to do with the girls – friendship bracelets, picture frames. We also conduct very informal English classes and play lots of hangman. I am very spoiled in the services the center is able to provide. In my time here I have gotten my eyebrows threaded, mehendi (henna) done on my arms, pants mended, and some prescription medications all for free. Some days I definitely feel like the girls help me more than I help them. After spending a couple hours with the girls we go to lunch at the same restaurant every day, Darbar. Great food and after being warned numerous times about the food in Pahar Gang causing massive stomach problems Darbar is a true gem.

After lunch we go back to the center and run a free afterschool program for the neighborhood children. The group of kids we work with changes daily and our numbers fluctuate from 4 to 40 kids. It is absolutely insane and we never have any idea of what to expect. When I arrived the kids were doing math problems and English penmanship lessons every day for 2 hours. We quickly changed this knowing that kids need to play and 2 hours of “homework” is overkill for 3-12 years olds after a day at school. We now color, play games (red rover, duck duck goose, a counting slap game, follow the leader), dance, and sing songs (a tootie tot being their favorite and the legacy I am leaving behind). The kids are a lot of fun and have so much energy and have taught me some killer bollywood dance moves. They are the most affectionate kids I have ever encountered giving numerous kisses and hugs every day before and after our program and generally treating us Didi’s as royalty. Many of the children have taken to calling me Didi Khushi since Chrissy is very difficult to pronounce for their Hindi tongues. Khushi means happiness in Hindi, so it is a nickname that I am very happy to embrace.

We send the kids home at 4 and get a rickshaw back to Siri Fort Road. From 5 til 7 I generally run errands, get on the internet at the “forbidden market” (our host family forbids us from going there for unknown reasons, but it is only a 5 minute walk away and has the cheapest produce and internet), or do some reading. Dinner is at 7 every night and is generally very unsatisfying. The dahl is generally watered down and lacks spices, so second dinner is frequently required. After dinner all the volunteers generally hang out playing cards, watching tv/movies, making travel plans, and going to a nearby coffee shop. Then off to bed and the routine continues.