Humility

I don't even know where to start. I am on sensory overload. Delhi is a city of contrasts. It is ugly and beautiful at the same time, though often the beauty is less defined. On one hand, it is big and dirty- poverty is everywhere. On the other, people are kind, hardworking, and a vivid portrayal of what it means to be alive.
In some ways, it feels like I've jumped back in time. Everything is about 3 decades behind what is familiar in the US. While there are some very nice roads, they an anomaly. People seem to be building things everywhere, surrounded by the remnants of whatever it was they tore down. While the men all wear western clothing, it is very rare to see women in anything other than a sari. They are very elegant, even as they sit sideways behind their husbands on the ubiquitous motorcycles dominating the streets. I have not seen a single woman wearing a helmet, though they seem to be popular with the men.
If people aren't on motorcycles (sometimes entire families of 4 on ONE CYCLE), they are in very small cars, or in motorized rickshaws they call 'tuk-tuts.' It's hard to walk more than 5 feet without and equal number of 'tuk-tut' drivers asking if you want a ride. They look like 3 wheeled motorized bikes- a little scary considering they share the road with such crazy drivers, and don't have horns like everyone else (who use them not to tell people not to hit them, but to announce that THEY will hit you if you don't get out of the way.) Stoplights are the worst. It is when the street children are most evident. Yesterday, 2 little boys approached- one playing a drum, and another who had a painted mustache and bow-tie on his face, danced and did cartwheels. After their performance, they draped themselves on the windows of our car. It is so hard not to question why them and not me. Why were they born in this very poor country where there opportunity is limited from the day they were born? It is an entirely humbling thought. Later in the afternoon, we were approached again by another little girl. As soon as the car stopped, she was at our window. Tiny and dirty. I was sitting in the middle, so saw her first on Hallie's side of the car. She must have seen that the other window was open because we blinked and she was gone...only to hear Kim yelp seconds later as she was met with little arms reaching for her. She seemed to be looking at my large half-full water bottle, so I lifted it up and gave it to her. As we drove off, I watched her carry her carry it way like it was a treasure, just a little water.
We have only one meeting today, so we plan to visit some temples. We went to a Hindu one on Wednesday, which was really interesting. We had to leave our shoes at the door, and I was informed that since my shirt did not have long enough sleeves, I would need to borrow a scarf to cover my shoulders. It was a beautiful orange scarf that I enjoyed wearing, careful not to imagine all the indecent shoulders it had covered before my own. The temple itself was magnificent; huge, ornate, and clean. I know very little about the Hindu faith, though I really believe that God speaks many languages, and was clearly speaking very loudly to the people who built and maintained this temple. Another very humbling experience. We plan to visit both another Hindu temple, as well as a Buddhist one today.
I could go on and on, but will save it for later. It's almost 8 am, and its time for a shower.