Living in Delhi

After two weeks in Rajasthan, I came back to Delhi about a week ago. The plan is to live in Delhi for a month or two while I volunteer. There’s the perspective you have from just being a traveler, and another perspective from actually living in a place.

Delhi was my first stop in India, and I didn’t have high hopes—a friend who’d traveled here mentioned that she just got a bad feeling from Delhi. And the city met all my low expectations. Pahar Ganj, the backpackers’ district, was dirty and filled with people constantly calling out to me. I also got majorly hassled by touts when I ventured to Connaught Place by myself. I was supposed to meet with the charity on Jan. 4, but I pushed back the start date because I had to get out of Delhi.

Now that I’m back, I’m realizing the city isn’t as charmless as I initially thought. When you go places that aren’t in the guidebook, you realize Delhi has big green parks, wide avenues, and night markets where everyone’s not calling out, “Where are you from? Japan?” It has a public transportation system that's far better than those in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., the last two cities I lived in. The metro is beautifully clean, cheap, and efficient, complete with a women-only carriage.

It’s only been one week, but I may just like it here.