coming home

Our bedroom for the next two months.

We got assigned our homestays yesterday, and that was sort of a stressful process. We knew that we'd be placed with an Indian family somewhere in Delhi, but they didn't tell us if our family would have kids or pets or anything until the 11th hour. In fact, we didn't know who our roommate would be until the last minute either. We were all watching the Bollywood movie "3 Idiots" in the Program Center as our host parents came to pick us up. Sarah, my roommate, and I were the first ones to leave. It was like being a puppy and waiting for someone to adopt you. Simultaneously sad to be leaving the group but totally excited to have a home, all at the same time.

I'm in the Lajpat Nagar neighborhood. It's right near a big market, which is not going to be good for my wallet, and we're only a 15-minute walk from the Metro. Our host mother is the cutest woman. This isn't her first time at the rodeo, though. In fact, I believe we're at least her third set of host daughters with SIT. Auntie-ji can cook up a storm, has beautiful long hair and loves watching "Comedy Circus." In fact, we all watched "Comedy Circus" last night. A lot was lost in translation, since the show is in Hindi, but I still giggled. Fun fact: Spit takes are funny, no matter what continent you're on. Our host mother also has a daughter who is 19 and a student at Delhi University.

Our building.

As I mentioned, I'm sharing a room with another girl from our program. There was a rumor floating around that the roommate pairs might have to share a double bed, but that's fortunately not the case. My one complaint, if you can call it a complaint, is that the bed is very, very firm to the point that I'm sort of sure that it's a table with some padding on it. Koreans like firm beds too, so I'm relatively used to it, and I'm just grateful to have a bed and a host family in the first place. We've got a lovely balcony, too. One fact of Indian life that I'm still adjusting to is the noise. From our window, you can hear car horns beeping; packs of dogs barking; a man riding his bicycle, ringing the bell and chanting; and shouting. Shouting from kids, from parents, from everywhere. We're also pretty sure we heard a flock of pigeons fling themselves at our window this morning.

I'm trying hard to act like I'm part of the family rather than just a paying guest, but I still don't know where that balance is. I'm sure I'll be walking the tightrope throughout the next couple of months, but I'm glad I finally have a place to rest my head. (The food is delicious, too, but I have to learn how to say no to second, and sometimes third, helpings. Auntie-ji likes to make sure we get enough to eat, and she's a mean cook.)

Our neck of the woods in Delhi.