My Thanksgiving

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

 ~Melody Beattie

In some ways, being abroad during Thanksgiving and the holidays has allowed me to step away from the consumerism that plagues the U.S. and instead reflect on what the holidays are actually supposed to be about.

This is not the first time I’ve been away for Thanksgiving. Yet every holiday I’m away, I’m in a different point in my life and often have a different outlook every time. Some holidays, I’ve prayed they pass by fast so that I can get home that much faster. While others, I enjoy the different cultural adaptations and see them not as a replacement for Thanksgiving or Christmas back home, but instead as a new experience.

As I do reflect on what I’m thankful for, I first have to stop and think how I got to where I am today. Ten years ago, I never thought I’d be living in New Delhi doing an internship as part of my Master’s degree. But knowing that I have supportive friends and family has allowed me to have the peace of mind to leave the country and set off on my own. Without my support system, I don’t know where I’d be. Through the roller coasters of living abroad, they have helped me through my struggles and have been the cheerleaders through my successes. Because when you take away the Christmas music being played on November 1^st and the shoppers scrambling to buy the “need to have” items, to me the holidays are about one thing. Being with the people that love and care for you unconditionally. No distance can take that sense of support away.  

The Nehru-Gandhi Family Legacy

If I die a violent death, as some fear and a few are plotting, I know the violence will be in the thought and action of the assassin, not in my dying, for no hate is dark enough to overshadow the extent of my love for my people and my country; no force is strong enough to divert me from my purpose and my endeavor to take this country forward. 

~Indira Gandhi, former Indian Prime Minister 

After visiting Humayan's Tomb and India Gate, we had some lunch then made our way to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum. Just as we were entering the museum, we saw a tour bus of local women who were coming to visit the museum too. After entering the very small museum, we soon realized that the other women on the tour were illiterate and were quickly passing by each exhibit. With the small, cramped museum packed with the women from the tour bus, it was difficult to leisurely stroll through, but having Karin’s co-worker with us definitely helped. She’s so passionate about history and was able to tell us all about the controversies with Indira Gandhi, her political life, and the reign of her family. 

The remnants of Rajiv Gandhi's clothes after the suicide bomber killed him

Now that I’m hooked on hearing more about the Gandhi family legacy (not to be confused with Mahatma Gandhi who has no relation to Indira), I think I definitely want to read her biography. Their family history reminds me so much of the Kennedy family in the U.S., with the political life and tragedies that have consumed each family.  

The Nehru-Gandhi family has a huge political legacy in India. Indira’s father, Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. Then Indira Gandhi became the third Prime Minister from 1966 to 1970, then became elected again from 1980 until her death in 1984. Indira’s son, Rajiv Gandhi was a pilot but after persuasion from his mother, he got into politics as well. He became the sixth Prime Minister on October 31, 1984, just after his mother passed away that same day. While campaigning for elections in 1991, he was assassinated by a suicide bomber. Rajiv’s son, Rahul Gandhi, is also now in politics. Right now he’s the Vice President of the Indian National Congress (one of the two major political parties in India). His mother, Sonia Gandhi, is the President of the Congress Party.

Seeing some of the sights in New Delhi

A few weeks ago, in a scurry to see some monuments before Karin left to go back to the US, we took a day off from work to see some sights in Delhi. Although we were originally going to take one of Delhi’s busses around, one of Karin’s co-workers offered to bring us instead. And I soon learned that she’s a history buff so it was great to hear stories about Delhi’s history that were not boring at all!

In the next few weeks though, I still plan to visit the other monuments and museums that I didn’t have a chance to see this past weekend, and will take advantage of the public bus. New Delhi has a great hop-on hop-off bus that takes you to a variety of monuments around the city. So forget the hassle of finding an auto rickshaw or finding parking, the stress is taken away!

Our first stop was Humayan’s Tomb or as I call it, the prelude to the Taj Mahal. Karin & I paid our Rs 250 (about $4 US) while her co-worker paid Rs 10 (about 16 cents) for the entry fee.

Humayan was the second Mughal Emperor of India, and the tomb was built by his widow 14 years after he died. It cost 1.5 million rupees to build the huge temple. I found out that with Mughal architecture (including the Taj Mahal) they build a smaller “doorway” in a sense that masks the larger architecture. So when we first entered Humayan’s Tomb, we saw a much smaller building, still with some tombs but then after a little walkway and some nice green grass, we saw the gorgeous two-leveled tomb. Believe it or not, the tomb actually has about 150 graves of the ruling family and other important people.  

As we were leaving, we saw hundreds of school girls come running in and we were very happy to leave. Although that didn’t stop the girls from staring at us as we were walking out and yelling “Miss, miss!” in attempts to get a wave out of us.

After we left, we decided that going to India Gate would be best since it was only a few kilometers away. But with the Delhi traffic, a few kilometers means nothing because we easily sat in traffic for a good half hour without moving an inch. Cars even began driving over the raised median strip to make a u-turn or drive on the opposite side of the road! Never a dull moment in India.

When we finally got to India Gate, we realized that parking was impossible. So instead, Karin’s co-worker dropped us off and we decided to meet up with her later. The monument itself was huge! I have to say though, I was more in awe of all the beautiful fresh flowers lining the bottom of the gate than the gate itself. The British looking costumes of the guards was a sight to see too.

After meeting up with Karin’s co-worker, we decided to grab some lunch at a country club she has membership to then go see Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum. After finding out that we were inappropriately dressed for one of the restaurants at the country club, we finally settled on a casual restaurant with a lunch buffet. The food was delicious! Since I have vegetarian food every day of every week, I don’t often have really good meat dishes. So having some yummy chicken masala dishes was just what I needed! I only wish I had taken pictures.

I'll be blogging about my visit to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum up next!

To Rajasthan I Go!

On this trip to India, I knew I wanted to see more of north India since I had seen a lot of south India back in 2008. Even in 2008 when I was living in Mumbai, I knew I wanted to visit Rajasthan some day. It's a region in northern India that is known for their gorgeous colored buildings (think pinks, blues and yellows) and their mirrored embroidery. The fabrics and handicrafts that come from this region are known around the world. They're just gorgeous!

Once I started to research places to go in Rajasthan and how easy or not so easy it was for a white woman to travel alone, I began to have some fears about traveling alone. The culture and "social climate" is a lot different in the north compared to the south. In order for me to actually enjoy myself on the holiday, I knew I would have to book an organized tour. I'm not always one to want to book a tour through a company but with northern India, I knew it was safer and less of a hassle to do it this way. The beauty with booking through Intrepid Tours is that each tour is 12 people or less, which allows you to still travel with others but also not travel with 3 tour busses. 

Once I shelled out my credit card, I got so happy that I was actually going to Rajasthan! It'll be an amazing 15 day adventure for sure. And with the majority of my Master's degree work out of the way by end of January, I'll actually be able to enjoy myself!

For all you out there that are wondering what I'll be doing around Rajasthan, here's a snapshot of my trip:

Days 1-2 Delhi

Chaotic Delhi is awash with historical sites, museums and markets. Visit the wonderful walled city of Old Delhi and see one of its most impressive buildings, the Jama Masjid. Join the crowds to explore the bazaars; everything is for sale here from fireworks and silks to copper and spices.

Day 3 Agra

Travel by train to the Mughal city of Agra. Learn the tragic love stories and mysterious legends of the Red Fort. Visit the iconic Taj Mahal - constructed from marble and inlaid with jade, crystal and sapphire, it must be seen to be believed.

Day 4 Rural Heritage Stay

Journey to rural Rajasthan to stay at a royal family residence. Explore the village, meet villagers and chat with traditional craftspeople for a unique insight into local life.

Days 5-6 Jaipur

Visit the Amber Fort en route to Jaipur, Rajasthan's 'Pink City'. Jaipur is bursting at the seams with markets filled with jewellery, textiles and folk-based arts. After bargaining for souvenirs, there's an opportunity to laugh, shout and cheer with locals at a lively Bollywood film.

Day 7 Ranthambhore National Park

Safari into the heart of the Indian bush to discover lakes and ruined palaces. Keep an eye out for deer, monkeys and reclusive Bengal tigers.

Day 8 Bundi

Journey through rural Rajasthan to Bundi. Admire stunning murals at the palace that presides over the town's Brahmin- blue rooftops, explore the enchanting alleyways and experience life in remote Rajasthan.

Days 9-10 Rural Heritage Stay

Journey through rural Rajasthan to the quaint city of Bassi. Spend the first night in a beautiful fortified mansion then spend the second night in a deluxe tent camping under the stars.

Days 11-12 Udaipur

Rolling hills, white marble palaces and lakes come together to make Udaipur the most romantic city in Rajasthan. Visit City Palace, one of the largest royal palaces in India.

Days 13-14 Pushkar

With India's only Brahma temple and a holy lake, Pushkar is the place to rub shoulders with pilgrims and sadhus (holy men). For a change of pace, take a camel ride into the desert and witness a magical sunset among the dunes. In free time, shop, explore or head to a hilltop temple for views over the town. A hot chai at the top makes the effort worthwhile!

Day 15 Delhi

Come full circle on return to the hum of Delhi.

Paa-nee

We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.  ~Thomas Fuller

Paa-nee. Water. In so many ways, life revolves around it. I know for one, that after a long day in Delhi, a shower or bath makes me feel like new again. Or during that hot day in the city, being able to have a cold, filtered glass of water makes all the difference. Just being able to quench your thirst.

This past Sunday evening, I went to take a bucket bath and realized that the water pressure was slowly dying down. So I figured I would just take a bath on Monday instead. But I woke up on Monday to find that there was no water at all. The same was true for when I woke up in Tuesday. And after a few days with no water, my thoughts went to my life back in Opuwo, Namibia when I would have jugs and bottles filled to the brim with water just in case anything like this would happen. But I wasn't prepared for such a thing here. I took my water-filled life for granted. It's funny, I feel like everywhere I go, I always have at least one blog post about water. In the U.S., it's so easy to take it for granted. Bottled water, sparkling water, 20 minute hot showers, long relaxing baths, ice cubes in your summer drink.....After living abroad for a while now though , I've come to dial my life down to the basics. It's been so refreshing being able to focus on the things that truly matter in life. Because after a while, who really needs sparkling water anyway?

By Monday though I needed to figure something out. Luckily I had some baby wipes with me and used that as a temporary solution to a bath. Then tried to wash my hair with the one liter bottle of water that I had. Man, I milked that water for all its worth! I'm just glad it's not December or January yet, because washing your hair with cold water in the winter is no fun at all!

Both Monday and Tuesday after coming back from work, I would try to motion to the young woman that's living with me that the water in the rest of the flat was working but not in my bathroom. I think she understood but the language barrier makes it difficult. Finally today on Wednesday after coming back from work, I was desperately ready for a good bucket bath. I was able to talk with the young woman's husband who speaks some English about my troubles with my water. He understood right away. I found out that with the water shut off earlier in the week, it had made air bubbles in the water tank on the roof. He let the water run for half an hour and what do you know but not only did I now have hot water flowing, but my shower head was working too!

When I first moved into the apartment here, I thought I wouldn't have hot water and of course not a hot shower. But six weeks after being here in Delhi, I had my first hot shower in the apartment. And it was the best one I've had in a while.