It's not the heat, it's the humidity.

Okay, so it's the heat too. Delhi is really freaking hot. But the humidity is much worse....I walk outside and I start pouring sweat. My bathroom is much worse, however, because it's a small enclosed space on the top floor. Thank god for cold showers. Delhi and Mali have about the same weather, actually, which I didn't realize before coming here (they are almost the same latitude). So if you're ever wondering how hot India is during Monsoon season, it's Africa hot (lol).

Anyways, this week was the last week of IES orientation. We had the professors of different IES courses come in and talk about their respective courses, and we also visited different universities in Delhi. Unfortunately, our trip to Ramjas College of Delhi University was cancelled - nothing here is very organized and there was some sort of miscommunication. Apparently, Ramjas College is not a very rigorous college - Mia-ji (the director of IES [sidenote: the suffix -ji is added to show respect for elders]) said that Ramjas is more of a 'cultural experience' than a learning experience. I really want to take a class there because 1. I'm not really here for the academics, so I'm not really feeling putting a lot of work into a class and 2. It is on the main campus of Delhi University, which has many different colleges, and I imagine it to be much more fun than a smaller university. We did succeed in visiting JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) and Kamala Nehru College (a part of Delhi University but not on the main campus). JNU has a beautiful green campus but rigorous academics - it's an upper-level social sciences university. I'm not planning on going there haha. Kamala Nehru College is a small liberal-arts women's college. It seems pretty cool - there are many extra-curricular activities and it would be nice to be in a "safe space." I may take one class there but I definitely want a co-ed Indian university experience as well (hotties say what!).

The day our trip to Ramjas was cancelled, three of us from the program went to the Gandhi Memorial Museum and Raj Ghat, which is where Gandhi was cremated (ghats are cremation grounds). The museum was spectacular - there were hundreds of photographs spanning Gandhi's entire life and most, if not all, of his worldly possessions. Gandhi was quite the handsome fellow in his younger years haha. I learned quite a bit about his life that I was not aware of, such as details about his time spent in South Africa assisting the Indian population there. The museum had various articles, such as two of Gandhi's teeth, his spectacles, bedding that he and his wife used to use, some of his clothes, and the clothes he was wearing when he was assassinated. The bloody cloths were set apart from the rest in a glass case behind a railing - it was actually quite emotional viewing them. Why anyone would want to shoot such a remarkable man escapes me, but I suppose I shall learn that in one of my classes when we discuss Gandhi and why he evoked such hatred in some. I even got to hear a recording of Gandhi's real voice - the quality was not great but his voice is so humble and ... well ... cute. Raj Ghat was just down the road. We had to remove our shoes to enter the site of his cremation, which now has a marble memorial and an eternally burning flame. According to Lonely Planet, Raj Ghat has become sort of a place of pilgrimage for some, which was evident by the hordes of tourists pouring in from all over the world.

On a lighter note, yesterday a few of us went to a huge mall nearby, which contained in its food court A MCDONALDS. I of course had to eat there and was (thankfully!) talked into getting something not offered in the states. I ordered a McSpicy Paneer and it was absolutely delicious. For those of you who don't know, paneer is a sort of "cottage cheese" used in many Indian foods. Think the curds in American cottage cheese together in one big block without the milky juice. Anyways, the McSpicy Paneer is a vegetarian sandwhich consisting of a deep-fried paneer patty breaded in a spicy coating on a bun with lettuce and orange-ish "creamy sauce." The US could really take a few lessons from Indian McDonalds. The fries were normal and of course only Coke, Sprite, and Fanta were offered as drinks. I'm excited to see how the Subway and KFC are here (as far as I know, those three are the only chain restaurants that exist here).

Today, my host mom and I had to go back to Lajput Nagar (a shopping area) to exchange some pants I bought - they gave me tight pants instead of the loose, flowy ones worn with the salwar-kameez. They were exchanged no problem (or no hassles as my Indian mom says xD ), but as we were walking back to get an auto (the short word for autorickshaw) she saw a kurta (shirt) she liked in a different store so we had to stop there. I'm glad we did because this store was quite an experience! First, we had to take our shoes off, which was no big deal, as I've had to do that in a few other stores here. Then I see that the majority of the store's small floor is covered with sleeping pads - I'm guessing the shop keepers live there as well? Anyways, they invite us to sit down, which my mother does so I follow suit. The whole time I'm wondering what people would think if this happened in an American store, as the pads were stained with who knows what. I'm not picky so I didn't mind, but I can definitely think of a few people here who would haha. So we're sitting there and the shopkeeper is showing my mom the kurta in various colors and sizes, and all of a sudden this boy (maybe 13 or 14 years old) brings us two glasses of water on a tray. My mom picks up the water and drinks it, so I do too. I only drank about 1/4 of the water, as I wasn't sure if it was filtered or not. I hope that wasn't rude - my mom drank almost all of hers. I feel like I'm pretty good at observing the locals and doing as they do though, so I'm not too worried about it. Plus I'd rather be rude than get sick. My mom is really funny though - as she was waiting for the guy to find the right colored shirt in the right size, she says to me “I'm hoping they don't have my size so I don't have to buy it!” I really enjoy my host family - every day we hang out in my mom's air-conditioned room on her bed (it's just her, myself and my host brother who is in his last year of college) and talk for hours. My mom and brother have a very relaxed, joking relationship, which makes me feel really comfortable in the house. I already feel as if I'm getting off to a great start with them. I'm definitely trying to learn from my previous mistakes with my host families in Chile and change what I can. Granted, I couldn't communicate very well for the first few months in Chile so I already have an advantage here. I hope the rest of my stay goes as well as this first week has!

Another thing about India:
Indians are very energy-conscious! They never leave lights on if they are not in the room. Each outlet has its own switch - you must turn it on when you plug something in in order to get electricity to it, and turn the switch off when you are done using it. They don't use dryers or hot water. There is hot water, but one must turn it on and wait half an hour for it to heat up. I don't bother with it, as they bathe in cold water so I do too (and it's a much welcomed break from all the heat!). I guess when it starts getting colder we will use it. They also take bucket-baths (I do not - I like my shower but I cut it down to 5 minutes).

This weekend we are taking a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal (!!!), Agra Fort, Itimad-ud-daulah, Mehtab Bagh, and Akbar's tomb. I'm not quite sure what all of these are yet, but I will definitely update once I am back!
xoxo