Here I am in Dwarka Mor, New Delhi sitting on my bed in the room I have been hiring as a Paying Guest in an Indian Family’s house. It is a small room. Half the size of my own room back in Nepal (I had the smallest room in my own house) with another bed, for my roomie and a cupboard that I have to share with her.
The only pretty thing around the room is the pictures of family and friends I have pasted without my landlord’s consent in the dark Green colored walls. With my bed placed right next to the window- for which I paid extra- all I can see is cows and smell cow poop whenever I try to open the glasses for fresh air. Cows should be India’s national animal instead of Nepal’s!However, ants and a small mouse that is anonymous but always leaves his remains all over the floor at night have been my longest company so far. My previous roommate was kicked out without a day’s notice because she ate too much. Yes, she ate 4 Chapatis for breakfast, 4 for lunch and 6 for dinner. That was quite a much for my landlady to afford. Also, all Indian people eat is Chapatis. They have rice occasionally which is depressing for a Nepali who is accustomed to having rice 2 meals a day. My landlady cooked Pumpkin the whole week. She bought one that weighed 4 Kilos and cooked it every day. One thing I learned, I should not have been brought up like a pampered princess who got to eat whatever she asked for. So the whole week, I survived on Maggie. Not only that week but I buy 20 packets of Maggie every month. I just pray to god I never get sick of it and my tummy doesn’t turn into Maggie as well!
We have a maid called, “Kailashi” who talks to herself and sings in an alien language while she sweeps the floor. She is partially deaf so she doesn’t hear when we ask her to clean well. To avoid the elongated conversation about the cleanliness and the continual news about her husband who left her for another woman, I prefer cleaning the room myself. I skip it on some days when I have a lot of assignments to do but I manage to clean it almost every day. College starts at 9 and we have to be in classes by 8: 55 or else we lose the attendance for that class. I don’t know how I am managing to get up and do things on my own without my mother shouting on top of her voice, pleading me to go to school till last year. Maybe, this is called “Growing Up”. I have missed many of my first classes though! (Guilty smile)
Hindi is another big obstacle that comes my way. Even though I grew up watching Hindi movies and Commercials, I can’t speak Hindi. At all. It takes me almost a minute and more to explain what I had for lunch, or to tell my Landlady that I will be late or anything! Worse, the subject I hate the most (Economics) is taught in Hindi. I literally doze off in that class.
Nepalan is a name that I got in College. A guy calls me China for no apparent reason. But, the college is very good than what I had expected. The friends are welcoming and very eager to know about Nepal and teaching me Hindi. However, some say that commuting with me in English will certainly be beneficial to them! And I love how some of my friends are taking an effort to take me around Delhi to make me familiarize with the whole surrounding.
(Bangla Sahib, the biggest Gurudwara in Delhi)
After a week of the same routine with more than 100 texts per day with friends, I wait for Sunday like anything. Then I hate it as soon as I open my eyes on a Sunday morning. I remember how many clothes I have to wash, how many assignments I have to do and another list of work. Once the Jeans and Towel are washed, the battle is almost over. It might make you laugh but I seriously can’t hold the towel when I wash it. How can the fluffy towel be so heavy when dipped in water? I missed the maid that came over to my house in Nepal then. She washed everything that was in the laundry bag and it was so easy for me just to flip clothes into it. Here, I don’t even have a laundry bag. I collect dirty clothes in a big Polythene bag.
Meeting Nepali friends here is just soo good! I love even just talking to them on the phone. Atleast I just get to talk to Nepali. My friends here teach me how to swear in Hindi all the time! And I swear at someone in Nepali when I dont like them at all! But of course, all for fun!
How could I miss the pleasures I get when I eat meat? From Mc. Donalds to KFC and Dominos, I love them all! They are not as good as portrayed on television but to a person who diesnt get to eat meat ever, its just heaven. :)
And, I know this is abrupt but its 2 at night and I have to sleep!
Sunday tomorrow!
More next time!
<3
xoxo.
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