January

With sudoku games on the lids and micro greens salads, this is not the airplane meals I remember as a kid. Go KLM!
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I arrived back in Delhi on January 5th I think. With the time difference and almost 24hrs of travel, it does get a bit confusing. It is cool here, but not as cold as I had expected. The general lack of heat and no hot water in the apartment does make the discomfort from the cold a bit more acute though. Yes...that's right...I said apartment.

My good friend Abby had an opening in her apartment, which is about a 3min walk from JNU's main gate, so my first weekend back, I moved or "shifted" as they would say here. The place is a haven. I liked the hostel well enough, but having some space of your own is always more like a home, than a hall you share with 100 other people. A kitchen is also something I cannot live without for long. Anyone who knows me knows how much I cook and enjoy cooking so being able to fix a meal here is a real treat for me. Not to mention I finally get to take advantage of the cheap and abundant local produce.

This is a very quintisencially Indian photo I took on one of my sightseeing days with Kata. The ambassador car and Indian Parliment in the background...defiinatley back in Delhi
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With a new semester comes new friends and new classes too. There are many students from the U.S., all over Europe, pretty much everywhere. Kata, from Austria is an acquaintance of Petra and Sandra, friends of mine from last semester. Kata goes to school in  Salzburg,Austria, and lived also in California for a year, but this is her first time in Asia. She has been a real joy to get to know and show around a bit.

I think I pretty well have my new classes picked out - always a lengthy process here at JNU. One of the new students from the U.S. I was talking to was frustrated with the long admissions process and said "I just didn't think it could take this long." I didn't mean to, but I involuntarily just laughed at that comment. I guess I've been here long enough to know and somewhat accept the slow pace of things.

This is the large inner courtyard of Jama Masjid, the mosque in Old Delhi. The place is a serene haven in the madness of Old Delhi streets. The flocks of pigeons swooping overhead make it look like a scene out of movie.
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With Kata here, I've been showing her many parts of Delhi that I know and love, but she has returned the favor by making me go to some of the big historical and tourist sites I kept saying I would go see "some day." We went to the Qutab Minar, Humayun's Tomb, Jami Masjid, and the Baha'i House of Worship. These are all Delhi landmarks that most tourists cover the first day they are here. It only took me 6 months, but I finally made it, and must admit they are all very impressive architectural and historical sites.

A line of pigeons getting a drink from the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Muslims need to wash before their five times a day prayers, so the fountain is here to provide for that.
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Rotary has, as always, kept me busy with numerous events since I've been back. The District Conference was happening the first weekend I came back so I spent two days there finding out more about the amazing people and projects that Rotary is involved with in the area. There is a Group Study Exchange here from Belgium that I've been able to talk with some as well. For any of you out there who are young professionals, this is a great program to look into where you go overseas with a Rotary sponsor for a month to visit another country and see what people working in your profession are doing.

Holy goats! Actually they are. These carefully jacketed little guys will be bought for sacrifices and live around the walls of the mosque.
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One of the highlights of this week has definitely been the visit of Anet Satvedi and Dwain Massie. Dwain has know my grandmother, Barbara Shepherd, for more than 60yrs. Anet is the pastor of the Albion First Methodist Church in Albion, Illinois where Dwain attends. So, Dwain, at age 87 (!!!, go him) came to visit India with his pastor. We met for lunch at Lodi Garden Restaurant, took a walk around the garden, visited my apartment and the University, then attended a Rotary meeting together. Dwain has had perfect attendance at Rotary for over 50yrs so heaven forbid we should break that now.

They are just so stinking cute! I'm glad Christians don't have to sacrifice anything:)
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It was such a joy seeing someone from home here in Delhi. It was very strange, but very nice. Like having your grandfather come visit. When I fell 3 years ago and hurt my back, Dwain shipped overnight to me the last of his roses from his garden, loving wrapped in pink tissue paper. It was October and there were only 3 left. He's forever endeared himself to me for that. He continued the rose link by bringing me an obviously dead specimen of red rose yesterday. But then he said "I've been carrying it around for 3 days," so, I'm keeping the beautiful little dead rose on my desk. Anything given with that much love can't be thrown out.