Delegation In Delhi after Diwali

So, I guess it’s been a while, almost two months since you read my writing. Maybe more if you’re not an avid reader (more likely that my blogs are somewhat bland, but we’re going to ignore that). For this reason, I’m going to attempt and fill your next ten minutes (it’s a long one) with the most grammatically correct, Indian, and enticing blog post that you will ever witness. Wish me luck.

Well, you may ask, “what have I done in the past month?” Well really it would be easier to list what I haven’t. I celebrated the crown jewel of Hindu holidays, I reconnected with my long-lost Indian heritage and traveled the capital region, and I, finally, represented the god blessed republic of Burkina Faso in what was undoubtedly the most linguistically (due to vocabulary and accents) challenging Model United Nations of the century. However, most of all, I did it all whilst only attending about five days of school. 😉

Diwali (Pronounced Divali) is the star of all the Indian holidays and most probably the best well known to other culture groups around the world. Also called the festival of lights, Diwali is celebrated for different religious reasons throughout the various geographic sects of Hinduism. In Gujarat, it celebrates the birth of goddess Lakshmi from the churning of the ocean. However, throughout the whole religion it lauds the victory of good over evil and resets the Hindu calendar. The celebrations usually last for about five days, with the most eventful being the third, the official new year.

We had three weeks off for Diwali, and my celebrations were not exactly as I expected them to be. On the first day, the fireworks began. Hopefully, I will never know quite what a war zone sounds like, but at least now I have some idea. The pollution was unspeakable. On Diwali day it self the visibility was not more than 50 feet. I guess that’s what happens when six million people light off fireworks simultaneously. They never stopped. On the first night I didn’t do much, just made homemade lamps and spread them. On the second, I went out for family dinner and ate traditional Guju food, which was exciting for the sole reason of getting out of the house. On the third, the most important, I burst fire crackers with my Grandparents, who are the least likely people I would expect to set balls of TNT on fire with. Somewhere in between there I made a Rangoli (Sand drawing) and made a LOT more diyas (lamps), but I don’t quite remember.

I value integrity, so I will be honest about my Diwali experience. I wasn’t quite satisfied. The fireworks were exciting and the Christmas lights in the city were a nice touch to the aesthetic, but I expected it to be a lot different than it was. I see now why they always tell exchange students not to set expectations. By no means did I not enjoy myself, but I expected more from the crown jewel of Hindu celebrations. However, life moves forward, and I am on to my next experience

The reason for my trip to New Delhi was to participate in the Amity International Model United Nations. I have always been somewhat interested in politics, as most of you know, so I was quite excited for it. I was representing the small west African country of Burkina Faso, which is now my favorite country in Africa. Sadly, MUN turned out to be less than I had hoped. Throughout, the three-day event, Amity pulled us out to give presentations at their other schools for underprivileged children, which I thoroughly enjoyed even though I was only able to speak in broken Hindi. But obviously this made it quite hard for me to keep up with the topics of discussion in the conference, rendering me quite incapable. On top of that, an international MUN, where people travel all over the world for isn’t really a place for newbies to the MUN proceedings. However, I did enjoy listening to the other participants yell at each other.

As an exchange student, you have opportunities to connect with the people around you and realize aspects of others that never seemed plausible. On the other hand, you have even more of an opportunity to introspect and realize the history of what makes you, you. That is exactly what Delhi offered me.

For those who are reading this that aren’t that don’t know much, let me share a little personal history. Two generations ago a man from New Delhi, who turned out to be my Grandfather moved to the States to pursue an engineering career that would make him a fortune. He met an American woman and conceived my mother. Due to cultural reasons, he was not allowed to marry my grandmother and they then split up and he lived in New York for the rest of his life, while my mother and Grandmother were away from him in Connecticut. (I didn’t know this, I had always thought he returned to India. It was discovery for me too.) He died around 2008. Long story short, my maternal family has a large connection to India and has never really had a chance to experience it. However, for me, all of this would soon change.

When I traveled to New Delhi I met up with my Grandfather’s brother. I had only met him twice before, and I only vaguely remember one of the two meetings. He showed me around New Delhi for the whole day. The first stop, the most important to me, were the two houses in which my Grandfather was born and raised. I was able to step on the same street that he did when he was a boy. I also saw his school and the college that gave him his engineering degree that would bring him to the U.S. Of course, we also toured different monuments of the NCR region, which I will touch on in my next blog post. This day offered me an experience that was of extreme value for not only me, but my family, and I will be forever grateful for that opportunity.

I have a lot more to talk about, having now passed my halfway point. I plan on writing again next weekend. I guess I’m now closer to home than I am to my departure, but can I really call Colchester home anymore?

My Tour Guide eating and my first Dosa