Yesterday, I went to a shopping district called Central Market. Central Market is like a art’s craft festival on crack. And it’s a permanent market (as I realized with the shops that had marble floors and stairs). I wish I had taken a picture for you all, but the market was extremely busy (imagine the exodus of a sport stadium X 500%) and I am trying to tame my inner American tourist. That being said, I bought a beautiful white shirt with silver embroidering for 325 rs (about $6). It is really crazy how cheap everything is here. It is also mentally challenging because even if something is rs.1000, in my mind that is a huge number and for America very expensive, where as here it is only about $20.
At the central market I witnessed two horrifically deformed beggars: Both beggars seemed to be mutilated, because I highly doubt they were born with their deformities. (Remember when I mentioned how children are essentially run by pimps who deform them because this brings in more donated money…) The first beggar I saw was belly down on the ground with his legs hooked over his torso in a very unnatural way, like a pretzel. He scooted fourth thought eh crowd like an inch worm. With one arm he would push forward his metal bowl, then inch his body, push-inch-push-inch. It was very hard to see. The second beggar was without half his leg, from just below the knee down. He made the same inch worm like movements, except he was on his side.
Some of the girls and I in the IES group are looking to buy crackers/biscuits, fruit, or nutrition bars to donate to the beggars instead of money.
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Before I went to Central Market, my House Mommy took me to buy towels. (Mom you would LOVE this store. It’s like bed bath and beyond but BEYOND.) The store is called FabIndia and sells house-hold items such as tables, pillows, clothes (saris, tunics, kourtis—[short tunics], exquisite flours for cooking, tea, etc. The towels I bought are pure cotton and they are beautiful. One is pink with designs, the other blue with green leaves.
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And now for the big news! I’m getting married—no no just kidding! The big news is that today I took TWO autos by my self! I had left something at the hotel when I left for my host family and had to go and get it. When I got to the hotel, they gave me my item, but the staff (who had come to recognize the IES group) made me sit down and they served me chai tea (black tea with milk). While I drank my fabulous tea, I read what could be an equivalent to Time magazine, but for India. I read about Sonia Gandhi, who I believe is the prime minister and where India will be at the end of the decade (I guess they mean next decade? Not sure). Anyways, I was quite proud of myself for navigating the streets of Delhi. Delhi does ot work like America (that would be too easy). Auto and Cab drivers do not go by address. Instead, you have to give the either the colony or street you destination is on, and a landmark. So, this morning, to get from my hotel back to the YMCA where my class is, I had to give the street, Nizamuddin East, and a landmark, “Railroad station ke pas” (near the railroad station).
