Hauz Khas

Hi friends and family! We arrived safely in Delhi at 3:30 a.m. local time with luggage in hand! As we exited the airport and took in our few first breaths of Indian air, we were greeted by our in-country team (Anita, Prachur, and Rajan) with fragrant jasmine leis. You can imagine the stares we, a large group of American girls, received from locals passing us by. 

We arrived at the hotel, slept for a few hours, and awoke to a delicious Indian breakfast. That was followed by introductions, gifts from the India team -beautifully stitched bags, colorful scarves, and chocolate cookies. Then we participated in an interesting discussion with our facilitator Swati Dogra about Indian facts and issues. Did you know there are currently over 1.2 million elected female politicians in India?

After lunch and another napping opportunity, we set out on the bus for Hauz Khas village. The drive over to the village was particularly eye opening. After driving one block from the hotel, I noticed tarps set up on the side of the road which appeared to be shelters that people lived in. I expected each to be home to maybe one or two people, but as I looked closer I noticed entire families, small children included sitting admist the make-shift homes. 

We participated in a heritage walk in Hauz Khas village - an area of South Delhi with tombs from the Tughlaq and Lodi periods. The most impressive building was the Islamic College which is called a madrasa. Over the past decade, the area transitioned from a quiet village to a booming commercial and residential area. We watched locals playing badminton in the grass, kicking a soccer ball, and participating in evening prayers. There was even a monkey running around. 

On our way back to the bus, we stopped  for sodas at a restaurant called Social. We came back to the hotel, had dinner and group reflections. We are now headed to bed. It has been a very long but incredible day and I can't wait for tomorrow!

-Emily