DELHI-rious

I have been in India for the past month, and the time I have spent here has already demonstrated to be incredibly rewarding, as well as full of surprises and challenges. During the first weeks of adjustment to the new environment, city and culture I kept my mind open to anything that came up, proving to be an excellent strategy to enjoy even the sometimes frustrating things that came up. Then as my weeks of orientation came to an end, I felt more comfortable and closer to the community and to this “new life” I am living in Delhi for 10 weeks.

India is an enchanting nation! Filled with paradoxes, in India you can experience in the same day the heartbreaking reality of poverty as well as the travel in time to learn about the luxurious lifestyles of the maharajas. The diverse forms of cultures and traditions have merged in this land for centuries, creating the richest and most interesting history I have read about. Everywhere I go, wherever I see, I have something to learn. The history of the cities and watching how daily life takes place in India is hypnotizing. The blend of the chaotic traffic, the beautiful ancient architecture, the mouth-watering smells coming from out from the street restaurants, and the undecipherable Hindi words beings spoken, make each walk down the street an exciting adventure.

My work experience with Chintan has been truly exciting. Being able to work with a local NGO I have seen some places that few Indians have access to, and tourists don’t even know about. Visits to the field might be exhausting due to the heat, but there is always time to enjoy, sit and regroup energies to focus back on the summer project. Cassidy and I are developing a sustainable business plan to revamp the door-to-door trash collection system Chintan has organized. We have designed maps of the bureaucratic neighborhoods where the service is provided and we are currently conducting surveys to analyze the household’s satisfaction level. After collecting all the necessary quantitative data we will continue to draft our analytical recommendations to make the program more effective and more beneficial for waste pickers.

To end with a fresh note, I must say that the monsoon is here! I don’t think I have never been happier of watching raindrops, or should I call them buckets, of water fall from the sky. It is much cooler now and it makes life easier in some ways, but harder in others: it is not as hot as it was in June, but streets get flooded and life just gets messy. I will be commenting more on the progress of my work with Chintan, my life experiences and the rains on my next post.

Namaste, Ignacio