JB in Delhi!

Yes, I am wearing leggings. Let the mockery begin.

Today is my second day in Delhi and most of my time has been spent trying to figure out exactly where I am. I got in Wednesday at midnight, and have already spent approximately 3 hours wandering around lost trying to get to and from work. I have also paid about 5 times the going rate for a bike rickshaw several times, once I hit the point where I admit I am lost and need help. I've been overpaying because I am clearly white, unprepared to haggle in Hindi, and I didn’t have small bills yet. My experience so far is exactly what I was told it would be by former PHRGE fellows and the guide books, so I try not to get upset when the driver stops to ask for directions or claims he cannot give me any change.

Once I get a better grasp of the city, I am hoping to walk to work in the morning when it’s daylight and to take some combination of rickshaws and/or the metro on the way home. I usually love finding my own way, but google maps doesn’t work because there are a million small winding roads and no street signs.

It’s a crazy, noisy city, but I feel quite safe walking around, or at least, safer than I expected to feel. People do stare, and I’ve encountered one persistent beggar woman, but mostly I am walking through neighborhoods and a few parks. The streets are crowded with cars, motorized 3 wheeled autos, bike rickshaws, motorcycles, and bicyclists, so most of my energy is spent watching where I walk and occasionally dashing across the street.

This is a very dull post about transportation and getting lost, and I hope to have something exciting to write about next time. I wanted to let everyone know that I’m alive and well, and getting lost is pretty much all that has happened to me so far. I did get a few assignments at work today and I will be doing research on sterilization and late term abortion when there are significant birth defects in the next month. It looks like I will be traveling to Uttakarhand, a state that borders Nepal and China, next week for a few days for a fact-finding.

I have work tomorrow :( as most Indian offices work a half day on Saturday. I am planning to have dinner with colleagues on Saturday night, and perhaps go to a soccer tournament on Sunday that I learned about from an expat listserv. The next post should be more interesting.

In the meantime, you can reach me through email and skype (Julia.butner). I am 10.5 hours ahead of the east coast. I also have a cell phone here, so if anyone has vonage (17 cents/minute to India) or a similar calling card and wants to talk by phone, let me know.