from yesterday....soaking feet but happy as a lark!

My feet are rain soaked and covered in pasty mud from the city’s dirty streets. I have happily spent the day trekking through the old shopping centre of Delhi with the new arrivals from the University of Utah. They are a group of students traveling to Kotwara (which is a small village in the jungle, they will be building a school). I must admit that at first I was apprehensive to share my India with them. India does that to you, it makes you possessive and protective as a mother with her child. Once the city’s breathe has been inhaled, a piece of it is stuck in your soul, you are a part of it, and it is a part of you….India is not just a shape on a map with political lines stating what belongs to whom and whom belongs to what. It is a country of faces, stories, tears, laughter, sadness, happiness, dirt, silk, and grim….India is mine, and like all things that belong to me, I am careful with whom I share it with. Yet, my apprehension was for the most part unnecessary. The group is down to earth and eager to learn all there is to know about Delhi and the surrounding Indian states. I must tell you, it was actually quite refreshing to be able to show them everything that I have written about. I took them to Ekta Vihar, Lodi Gardens, and lastly Vasant Vihar. By the time that we were finished, the time was past 11:00 p.m. and we were soaked from the surprise rain storm that chose to gift us with wet clothes, muddy feet, and a chill. However, the experiences we had that evening will be something that I feel all of us will never forget. 17 additional students, five rickshaws, two local buses, and a cold walk in the dark is close to an Indian wedding welcome. ~K