We have been told several times now that plans change and we may need to be flexible. We did not get our week schedule during orientation, and the group was not quite sure what we were going to do the day before startng our work schedule.
Waking up this morning I knew three things to be certain:
1. I was going to master instant coffee
2. Ache lal was going to make breakfast
3. We were going to finally leave the apartment
I am still working on my instant coffee mix to hot water ratio- this morning was pretty strong (which ended up not being a bad thing).
Breakfast consisted of warm “puffy” nan (Ache lal refilled the table’s plate at least 3 times) with a potato soup and fresh apples. Everything tasted great- but we did bring out our stash of peanut butter to go with the apple slices.
Sanjay (the CFHI program coordinator) came over around 10:30am to give us our schedule for the week, guide us to the metro, and set us off on our first excursion in Delhi. The original plan was to exchange money and potentially visit the Lotus temple/ gardens- but things change. Instead, Sanjay guided us to the metro and then into the city to meet with Hema (CFHI program director) and her husband, who were giving a tour of one of the spice markets in Delhi. We received a brief explanation of various Indian spices and Teas from the owner of the store, and I picked up some tasty souvenirs. Hema’s husband then guided us to the top of the building to gaze over the spice market. From our view we had our first real glimpse of the poverty and privilege in India- we saw the laborers working behind the scenes, the people forced to sell trinkets, and then the tourists buying products. We spoke with our guide for a while about his opinions of the problem for the nation and then reflected on the reasons we chose to come to India to learn about public health. I personally think India is a great place to have a public health rotation due to the shear amount of people. I am excited for what I will learn this week.
After walking back to ground level- we partnered up and rode rickshaws (video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlGjQMcYVF8) to the nearby Sheikh temple. We met with a group of tourists from Virginia and prepared to enter the temple by putting scarves over our heads and taking off our socks and shoes. We then walked to the front of the temple and stepped into the water to cleanse our feet before entering. It was beautiful on the inside, and filled with people worshiping. We walked through quickly so we did not disrupt the process.
After leaving the temple, and finding our shoes, we jumped back on our rickshaws and headed to a place to eat lunch. We were taken to a trusted tiny street restaurant where were ordered stuffed parathas. We ordered several flavors, like cheese, potato, lemon, and cashew, and then ate them family style.
After lunch we headed back to the metro station and then headed back to the apartment. We were on our own and surprisingly did not get lost on the way back!
We did a lot during the few hours we were out in Delhi- all unplanned and last minute, but it turned out great! The only thing we didn’t figure out was exchanging money. Luckily we will not need money tomorrow for our first day rotation.
I have high hopes for tomorrow’s coffee too.
- Megan