Sick, just Sick

View from Kwality Hotel - first day - Taken with disposable Kodak camera- Photo by Grace

I wake up too early. The glow outside has just begun to work its way through the smoggy cloud cover, burning a hole into my diseased brain. I have the traveler's illness; Shakes, chills, fever, and nausea. India waits outside for me, and I sit inside trying not to shiver so hard. Ugh! The waiting is almost worse than the flu-like symptoms. It will all pass, but ugh the waiting.

Outside the pigeons and dogs make more noise than the people. The animals here are such an integral part of the landscape, that I feel they must be mentioned frequently. They own the trash strewn streets, as much as the human locals. The dogs sleep in the middle of the dizzying road ways, deaf and blind to the suicidal rush around them. The cows that carry the carts seem so large to me. Their prominent shoulder blades and full horns piercing the sky, as they meander down the road. The fat pigeons' coo is constant, like an alarm clock that keeps going off after each hit of the 'snooze' button. Delhi's creatures are all so incredibly street savvy, and here I sit unable to walk the streets with half the amount of ease.

Neighborhood Rickshaws -Taken with disposable Kodak camera - Photo by Grace

Prayers, whistles, and calls of vendors permeate the thin walls. We are up in the trees, in an apartment for ex-pats, in a room we are renting for the week. We are sitting pretty, since we are not sure where we might be next. TG has found someone who might want to hire him. Dr. Joshi, is helping to head up an internationally funded project that focuses on India's agriculture in rural communities, and how to help prevent the negative impact that climate change can have on these farming villages. TG spends his days researching, between his sweat induced dizzy spells, and taking care of my whining ass.

Down an Alley - Taken with disposable Kodak camera - Photo by Grace

It's all to be expected. Two days of international travel through infested airports and recirculated air, then arriving in a country that is known for its unsanitary conditions, of course we are going to be ill, and at least it is not worse. TG has a meeting with some more of the heads of this project sometime this week. By new year's eve perhaps we will be in good health, TG will have a job, and we will finally be able to begin to tackle India. I light a candle and say a prayer, hey it can't hurt.