Today I left the comfort of luxury accommodations, personal drivers and room service to make my trek by airplane to one of the oldest cities in the world; Varanasi.
Decked out in traditional Indian clothing, hair pulled back, nose ring and no make up, my driver to the airport was surprised I am a westerner. He said he thought I was an Indian from the area he is from, Rajasthan. As we sit in Delhi morning traffic, two young kids come up to the black BMW and start knocking on the back window where I am sitting. Right away the driver tells me to ignore them because if I give to them it will draw a crowd of other beggars. The more they knock on the window for my attention, the more guilty I feel for ignoring them. When we are finally able to drive away, I have tears flowing down my cheeks because so much of me wanted to hug these kids or give them the bottled water that was provided for me in the car. The driver looks at me through the rear view window and says, "Miss, this is India. You can not change. Sometimes you close your eyes or else your heart will break to pieces if you see everything."
I thanked him for the advice and explained I was flying to Varanasi to volunteer with children from the untouchable caste for 4 weeks. His demeanor become more serious as he warned me to never go outside at night or be alone. I asked if he had been there and he said he has been there many times because he is Hindu.. Seeing that I am nervous he changes the subject and for the duration of the ride to the airport he speaks of the beauty of Rajasthan. He said it has a much lower crime rate and that I should visit one day.
Upon arrival at the airport, he retrieves my bags from the trunk of the car and then asks me if he can do one last thing for me. He places his hands on my shoulders and granted me a Hindu prayer for my safety. Although I am not Hindu, I appreciate his kind gesture.
As I sat in the airplane looking out at the land, I finally realized, I am in India! I have been dreaming of this day for so many years and now I am here. The first few days I was dealing with the time zone change, buying more outfits of appropriate clothing and adjusting to the new way of being treated as a woman alone so I didn't really take time to appreciate how far I have come.
Varanasi is the next chapter in this journey where I can learn from others while I grow as a person.
Decked out in traditional Indian clothing, hair pulled back, nose ring and no make up, my driver to the airport was surprised I am a westerner. He said he thought I was an Indian from the area he is from, Rajasthan. As we sit in Delhi morning traffic, two young kids come up to the black BMW and start knocking on the back window where I am sitting. Right away the driver tells me to ignore them because if I give to them it will draw a crowd of other beggars. The more they knock on the window for my attention, the more guilty I feel for ignoring them. When we are finally able to drive away, I have tears flowing down my cheeks because so much of me wanted to hug these kids or give them the bottled water that was provided for me in the car. The driver looks at me through the rear view window and says, "Miss, this is India. You can not change. Sometimes you close your eyes or else your heart will break to pieces if you see everything."
I thanked him for the advice and explained I was flying to Varanasi to volunteer with children from the untouchable caste for 4 weeks. His demeanor become more serious as he warned me to never go outside at night or be alone. I asked if he had been there and he said he has been there many times because he is Hindu.. Seeing that I am nervous he changes the subject and for the duration of the ride to the airport he speaks of the beauty of Rajasthan. He said it has a much lower crime rate and that I should visit one day.
Upon arrival at the airport, he retrieves my bags from the trunk of the car and then asks me if he can do one last thing for me. He places his hands on my shoulders and granted me a Hindu prayer for my safety. Although I am not Hindu, I appreciate his kind gesture.
As I sat in the airplane looking out at the land, I finally realized, I am in India! I have been dreaming of this day for so many years and now I am here. The first few days I was dealing with the time zone change, buying more outfits of appropriate clothing and adjusting to the new way of being treated as a woman alone so I didn't really take time to appreciate how far I have come.
Varanasi is the next chapter in this journey where I can learn from others while I grow as a person.
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