First impression of India

It is really something special about walking out of the air conditioned airport, and to enter the Indian air for the first time; the heat, the humidity, the smell of the traffic and humans and garbage and fire, the sounds of a strange language and traffic in crowded streets.

My first impression of India is actually quite as I expected. Our plane landed on Monday the 31^st at 06.30, and we met a man from IDEX at the airport. We went by taxi to a hotel in Delhi, where we met the rest of the group of 16 volunteers before driving to Jaipur, The Pink City. Indian traffic is crowded, with pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, scooters, cars, rickshaws busses and trailers. And along the road we could see people sleeping in shelters or only on a blanket. Poverty is striking, but after a closer look, much of what seems to be garbage or ruined homes are not. In many cases, the houses are not finished, and about to be built. What immediately gives the impression of being an all surrounding mess, are peoples’ lives, and it is the strangeness that makes it look messy to us.

And so far most here are strange; the food, the bathrooms, the classrooms, the traffic, the beds and all the people. But the food is tasting great, the bathroom is working with shower and water closet, it’s nice to sit on cushions in the classroom, we survived the traffic (I actually did not think that I was going to die even once in seven hours), it is so hot that we don’t need more blanket on the bed, and the group of volunteers are very nice even though I don’t know them very well yet, and IDEX are taking rally good care of us; herding us like a flock of sheep.

I will not start to work before Monday. Until then we are taking some classes in Hindi language and culture, and about the work and locations in Himachal. We are also being “herded” around to some attractions, like Taj Mahal on Saturday and Amber fort and elephant riding tomorrow, Thursday. Here in India it is perfectly fine to be “herded” in the beginning. I believe I am going to have enough chances later on to get lost on weekend excursions.