I cannot stop smiling.
We are at the Marriott Hotel in New Delhi for the weekend. It's a nice break. There is A/C and a pool, which is spoiling me a little bit. It is also giving me time to reflect on this last week and actually write more about it...
Telma and I got a drink tonight and our server stayed and talked with us for a good 30-45 minutes while we sat outside. It was so great, I don't think I've ever had such a conversation with a waiter or waitress before. He had lived in the U.K. for about 4 years while he went to school, so he was able to relate to a lot of what we said. We got to chat about a lot of the little nuances that we have seen here, and honestly, the whole time I was smiling. Sometimes near tearing up because I have loved it so much.
We have been here in New Delhi for about 10 hours so far. Again, I am loving the A/C and comfortable accommodations, but all I can think about is how I wish my host family was here with me .I am glad that Velma is here, and I am anxious to hear more about what she thinks of it all. She is 15 (almost 16!) and has only been to New Delhi 2 times in her life. I also doubt that those 2 times were spent in a nice hotel, etc. I hope that she can enjoy herself and her time here. She has spent a lot of time on her phone, and we think she is talking to friends, telling them about her stay. She has been more quiet and shy than normal, and I think she may feel a bit out of place or overwhelmed. I just hope that this will prove to be a good experience and a fun memory for her to look back on.
Back to Faridabad though...it will be strange, and less joyful, to wake up tomorrow without hearing the sounds of bathtime. Bathtime at our house has become one of Katy and my favorite times. The 4 boys take a bath in the mornings in a tub in the backyard (They call it the "backside," which lead to some confusion for us at first...). So we get to hear a lot of splashing and laughing. They usually bathe 2 at a time. The barrel that they use for baths also doubles as a great toy during the day. They climb in and do log rolls back and forth across the courtyard. But in the morning, it's all business. Some of my favorite picutres have come from bathtime. And I am convinced that there is no better way to wake up, in the whole wide world, than to hear them splashing around and laughing and yelling. It is impossible to wake up and be anything but happy.
Mowgli and Simon in the tub
The other night though, it got even better. William is the oldest boy. Which means that he is usually picking on his brothers and dunking them in the bathtub, etc. So Katy and I figured that he needed to be picked on a little bit. Also, most of our nights are spent "fighting" with our brothers, and no matter what, they always claim that they win. So we checked with Gil to make sure it was okay, and then we set it up so that we could dunk William in the bath tub at night. We got him into the backyard and then picked him up and put him head first into the tub. After all was said and done, Katy and I ended up getting in the tub for fun too and we all ended up soaking wet. And so the boys of course claimed that they again won.
I miss them so much already. It feels too quiet not having them screaming and climbing all over us. I cannot even think about what it will be like in 2 months when we have to leave, so please don't ask me to. I will be a wreck.
I really love the Indian attitude and way of life so far. This includes so many different things, but one of the ones that has really stood out, is their sense (or lack thereof) of entitlement. Like I have said, our house is rather small, only two bedrooms for all 7 family members. And right now those 2 bedrooms are both occupied by the volunteers. So the family has their one bed and 2 cots in the living room, and couch to sleep on. We asked Velma what they do when they don't have volunteers and they have the whole place to themselves; do they have specific sleeping spots? She said they don't, that whoever goes to sleep first will just go into one of the bedrooms etc. Such a contrast to what we know! They don't have their own "room" or "space." Even though the siblings fight a lot(more on this later), it is never about what is mine or yours. We have bought some treats (pop and chocolates) for them a couple of times, and they are so good about sharing. And they want to share with us too. They don't have a sense of ownership, in a very good way. This has been so cool to be a part of, and it's kind of rubbing off. Between us 4 volunteers, we are always mixing and sharing what we have brought or bought. It might be because everything here is so cheap so it's not that big of a deal to pay for each other on some things, but I think some of it is just that Indian mentality to share everything.
Me with my brothers: Mowgli, Me, Ely, William, and Simon :)))))
We are at the Marriott Hotel in New Delhi for the weekend. It's a nice break. There is A/C and a pool, which is spoiling me a little bit. It is also giving me time to reflect on this last week and actually write more about it...
Telma and I got a drink tonight and our server stayed and talked with us for a good 30-45 minutes while we sat outside. It was so great, I don't think I've ever had such a conversation with a waiter or waitress before. He had lived in the U.K. for about 4 years while he went to school, so he was able to relate to a lot of what we said. We got to chat about a lot of the little nuances that we have seen here, and honestly, the whole time I was smiling. Sometimes near tearing up because I have loved it so much.
We have been here in New Delhi for about 10 hours so far. Again, I am loving the A/C and comfortable accommodations, but all I can think about is how I wish my host family was here with me .I am glad that Velma is here, and I am anxious to hear more about what she thinks of it all. She is 15 (almost 16!) and has only been to New Delhi 2 times in her life. I also doubt that those 2 times were spent in a nice hotel, etc. I hope that she can enjoy herself and her time here. She has spent a lot of time on her phone, and we think she is talking to friends, telling them about her stay. She has been more quiet and shy than normal, and I think she may feel a bit out of place or overwhelmed. I just hope that this will prove to be a good experience and a fun memory for her to look back on.
Back to Faridabad though...it will be strange, and less joyful, to wake up tomorrow without hearing the sounds of bathtime. Bathtime at our house has become one of Katy and my favorite times. The 4 boys take a bath in the mornings in a tub in the backyard (They call it the "backside," which lead to some confusion for us at first...). So we get to hear a lot of splashing and laughing. They usually bathe 2 at a time. The barrel that they use for baths also doubles as a great toy during the day. They climb in and do log rolls back and forth across the courtyard. But in the morning, it's all business. Some of my favorite picutres have come from bathtime. And I am convinced that there is no better way to wake up, in the whole wide world, than to hear them splashing around and laughing and yelling. It is impossible to wake up and be anything but happy.
The other night though, it got even better. William is the oldest boy. Which means that he is usually picking on his brothers and dunking them in the bathtub, etc. So Katy and I figured that he needed to be picked on a little bit. Also, most of our nights are spent "fighting" with our brothers, and no matter what, they always claim that they win. So we checked with Gil to make sure it was okay, and then we set it up so that we could dunk William in the bath tub at night. We got him into the backyard and then picked him up and put him head first into the tub. After all was said and done, Katy and I ended up getting in the tub for fun too and we all ended up soaking wet. And so the boys of course claimed that they again won.
I miss them so much already. It feels too quiet not having them screaming and climbing all over us. I cannot even think about what it will be like in 2 months when we have to leave, so please don't ask me to. I will be a wreck.
I really love the Indian attitude and way of life so far. This includes so many different things, but one of the ones that has really stood out, is their sense (or lack thereof) of entitlement. Like I have said, our house is rather small, only two bedrooms for all 7 family members. And right now those 2 bedrooms are both occupied by the volunteers. So the family has their one bed and 2 cots in the living room, and couch to sleep on. We asked Velma what they do when they don't have volunteers and they have the whole place to themselves; do they have specific sleeping spots? She said they don't, that whoever goes to sleep first will just go into one of the bedrooms etc. Such a contrast to what we know! They don't have their own "room" or "space." Even though the siblings fight a lot(more on this later), it is never about what is mine or yours. We have bought some treats (pop and chocolates) for them a couple of times, and they are so good about sharing. And they want to share with us too. They don't have a sense of ownership, in a very good way. This has been so cool to be a part of, and it's kind of rubbing off. Between us 4 volunteers, we are always mixing and sharing what we have brought or bought. It might be because everything here is so cheap so it's not that big of a deal to pay for each other on some things, but I think some of it is just that Indian mentality to share everything.
Carly, I love the blog! I love hearing about your life in India! Continue posting as much as you can so we can get to know your new family as well! Love you and am praying for you!
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