Greetings from India!

Ah, the first few days in a new place. The sense of adventure; the savoring of the unknown. For the next three and a half months, I will be calling the top country of India my home. Until the end of July, I will be working with a wonderful NGO called Grassroots Development Labratory: Piramal Foundation in Bagar, Rajasthan. Two other interns from Penn are here, Meg-ji and Siler-ji. I will be working as a marketing intern for Mobile Naukri, a brand-new start up that connects job seekers to companies in need of employees through the ever present mobile phone. Following my internship, I will attempt to travel through some parts of India.

I arrived in New Delhi on Sunday night, fresh off a fifteen hour plane ride in which I sat next to a Marine Corps professor and experienced cinematic classics such as "When in Rome" and "What Happened to the Morgans?" Still pondering what exactly happened to the Morgans, I was whisked through customs and baggage claim and hurried through the arrival gate. Indira Gandhi Airport's arrival gate is by far the most animated I have ever seen. Hundreds of drivers jockeying for prime spots were brandishing signs and looking for their clients. Meg and I looked for our driver, which UPIASI so kindly sent for us, when suddenly! An arm connected to a size triple zero body appears, clutching a torn piece of paper that says "Mr. Sarah Souli." We were whisked off to the India Habitat Center to spend the night. Driving through the streets of Delhi, even at midnight, was eye-opening. Entire families ride on motorcycles, narrowly avoiding trucks that seem to double as discotheques. Squatter settlements line the street in make-shift tents. Driving in Delhi is absolutely crazy and not for the faint of heart. However, I oddly felt safer than in the US. If people are so used to hairpin turns and arbitrary lane changes, than the system must work!

After a restful night, Meg and I met up with Siler. We spent a jet-lagged day shopping for salwar kamizs (traditional dresses) in 110 degree heat at Connaught Place. We also made the fatal mistake of going to Old Delhi at noon. We saw the Red Fort and mosque from a distance, but then we had to walk in the streets. Old Delhi is very crowded. Old Delhi is very hot. There are no other tourists in Old Delhi at this time of year or day. Huffing and puffing, we physically and emotionally bushwacked our way through throngs of hand-holding men who have a peculiar habitat of staring at women while refusing to acknowledge their actual existance. Charming. Delhi does have delicious food and very fun rickshaw rides; I wish we had had more time to explore other parts of the city.

On Monday afternoon, we drove five hours into Rajasthan, to Bagar. A small village of about ten thousand, Bagar is located in the Jhunjhunu district, and borders the desert. The staff here is all twenty-something Indians and Non Resident Indians (and a couple of us pale folk). The villagers are extremely kind and friendly to us. I was nervous that there might be some apprehension on the Bagar people's part, and I did not want them to think I was that American girl coming in thinking she could fix everything. So far, that has not been the case at all. It is namaste and chai all around, and I have a great feeling about this place. India seeems to be buzzing with excitement and energy, as though everyone knows something huge is coming soon. I am very grateful to the GDL staff for so quickly including us in their family, and the Bagar people for letting us into their village! More stories to come.

Namaste,
Sarah