Oct 9-11, 2001 Insights and Lessons Learnt from the Past Continued…and the Present in Delhi
OK, I haven't written in a couple of days now and am a little behind on mail but I am now in Delhi and this place is horrible and hot and don't feel like sitting to write...but I will try to catch up a little bit before I go back to my air conditioned hotel.
Tuesday...October 9th (still in Mcleod)
After reading something by the Dalai Lama now I had an even greater insight into that ice cream tart incident I mentioned yesterday. It says when someone hurts you or angers you...not only to see it from the other persons point of view which is obvious...but to think
what opportunity it gave you to grow or something positive from YOUR point of view. Up until today I had actually not seen anything positive from my point of view in the incident...when all of a sudden it dawned on me...just now...and I burst out laughing...Am still smiling as I write this... I was given the opportunity at a VERY early age to learn
that you "cannot fool Mother!!"..a fact which probably made the next 15 years of my life a lot easier for me (or maybe you CAN fool her but you've got to be very clever and subtle to do it...so I was forced to develop some very useful tools for the rest of my
life!!)
Thursday - Oct. 11th 5:15 AM
I am now sitting in the airport waiting for Shlomo. I have to fill in the last couple of days from leaving Dharamsala, train ride, arriving in Delhi (yuck!) coming back "home" to hotel, spending the WHOLE DAY out shopping with Darya, missing real food from McLeod...finding Smadar and Gitit here, my phone calls from Chanale Aviva and Shai, cards with Darya and eventually going to sleep ...seems like a week just went by!!
Anyway, sitting here in the QUIET of the airport, with piped in regular airport music and
around (much quieter than Ben Gurion) I can almost imagine I am not in Delhi. And it certainly doesn't look frightening like it did when I arrived just about
2 months ago. As a matter of fact, I've found out that I can cope even with Delhi...it's just a matter of knowing the rules...I guess every big city has its
own rules and once you know them, you've got it made. Darya and I managed beautifully yesterday between Rickshaw drivers, guys trying to drag us into their shops "just to take a look", dirty beggar children pulling at our legs, crossing the street which is pure kamakazi for sure...and of course shopping and eating and finding our way safely home. It is not a city I can say I like, but at least it is no longer a frightening nightmare...It is only a reflection of how I have also changed after being on my own for 2 months...Nothing fazes me...I am very tired right now after not sleeping on the train all nite and sleeping only a few hours last nite. I really need to rest today..but I realize now that anytime I come back here from now on I will feel comfortable. Maybe not thrilled with BEING in Delhi, but also not terrified of being here. It's again a very lovely feeling of growth and inner strength and self confidence. I've even learned the Hindi word which I guess means like "go away and leave me alone" and it works on those annoying hanging on beggars and hawkers who follow you sometimes for blocks on the street. When I finally remember to say it instead of just saying "no", or ignoring them...they back off..chelo...have to use it more often I guess!
I see on the board that Shlomo’s flight has just arrived...I guess he will be out soon...it is not a big "balagan" here
2 PM...we are now sitting in a very swanky restaurant after resting for a couple of hours. Shlomo got here with no problem. We hired a rickshaw to take us around and first we went and fixed my ticket at Royal Jordanian...who "don't anticipate any problems in the near future"
Then we went to check a a fancy hotel for $100 just to see what we could get...but it is not worth the money...better to spend that money on fun things and stay in the cheaper hotel which has everything we need.
Now we are in the Main Bazzaar which is no where at all like people frightened me into
believing...actually quite nice to walk around here..
Well, I will write some more tomorrow but we are now going back to the hotel...the driver is waiting for us and we have to meet him in 10 minutes.
...more tomorrow...in 2 days we are off to Udaipur in southern Rajastan.
Tuesday...October 9th (still in Mcleod)
After reading something by the Dalai Lama now I had an even greater insight into that ice cream tart incident I mentioned yesterday. It says when someone hurts you or angers you...not only to see it from the other persons point of view which is obvious...but to think
what opportunity it gave you to grow or something positive from YOUR point of view. Up until today I had actually not seen anything positive from my point of view in the incident...when all of a sudden it dawned on me...just now...and I burst out laughing...Am still smiling as I write this... I was given the opportunity at a VERY early age to learn
that you "cannot fool Mother!!"..a fact which probably made the next 15 years of my life a lot easier for me (or maybe you CAN fool her but you've got to be very clever and subtle to do it...so I was forced to develop some very useful tools for the rest of my
life!!)
Thursday - Oct. 11th 5:15 AM
I am now sitting in the airport waiting for Shlomo. I have to fill in the last couple of days from leaving Dharamsala, train ride, arriving in Delhi (yuck!) coming back "home" to hotel, spending the WHOLE DAY out shopping with Darya, missing real food from McLeod...finding Smadar and Gitit here, my phone calls from Chanale Aviva and Shai, cards with Darya and eventually going to sleep ...seems like a week just went by!!
Anyway, sitting here in the QUIET of the airport, with piped in regular airport music and
around (much quieter than Ben Gurion) I can almost imagine I am not in Delhi. And it certainly doesn't look frightening like it did when I arrived just about
2 months ago. As a matter of fact, I've found out that I can cope even with Delhi...it's just a matter of knowing the rules...I guess every big city has its
own rules and once you know them, you've got it made. Darya and I managed beautifully yesterday between Rickshaw drivers, guys trying to drag us into their shops "just to take a look", dirty beggar children pulling at our legs, crossing the street which is pure kamakazi for sure...and of course shopping and eating and finding our way safely home. It is not a city I can say I like, but at least it is no longer a frightening nightmare...It is only a reflection of how I have also changed after being on my own for 2 months...Nothing fazes me...I am very tired right now after not sleeping on the train all nite and sleeping only a few hours last nite. I really need to rest today..but I realize now that anytime I come back here from now on I will feel comfortable. Maybe not thrilled with BEING in Delhi, but also not terrified of being here. It's again a very lovely feeling of growth and inner strength and self confidence. I've even learned the Hindi word which I guess means like "go away and leave me alone" and it works on those annoying hanging on beggars and hawkers who follow you sometimes for blocks on the street. When I finally remember to say it instead of just saying "no", or ignoring them...they back off..chelo...have to use it more often I guess!
I see on the board that Shlomo’s flight has just arrived...I guess he will be out soon...it is not a big "balagan" here
2 PM...we are now sitting in a very swanky restaurant after resting for a couple of hours. Shlomo got here with no problem. We hired a rickshaw to take us around and first we went and fixed my ticket at Royal Jordanian...who "don't anticipate any problems in the near future"
Then we went to check a a fancy hotel for $100 just to see what we could get...but it is not worth the money...better to spend that money on fun things and stay in the cheaper hotel which has everything we need.
Now we are in the Main Bazzaar which is no where at all like people frightened me into
believing...actually quite nice to walk around here..
Well, I will write some more tomorrow but we are now going back to the hotel...the driver is waiting for us and we have to meet him in 10 minutes.
...more tomorrow...in 2 days we are off to Udaipur in southern Rajastan.
posted by Jane @ 8:04 PM
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