Visiting the CCF National Office - Delhi...

The staff at the CCF office in Delhi was very friendly and helpful. A German couple was also visiting. They had just returned from meeting their sponsored child. They spoke only a little English, but fortunately, a girl in the office had been studying German and was able to translate quite well. We were treated to a nice lunch, where I caught my first glimpse of a red carrot. (It must be something that is unique to the Delhi area or north India, because even the people in the south had trouble believing me...) The German lady refused to eat a thing, because she had become sick from the water a day or two before. Little did I know that I'd know exactly how she felt before too long... It was during this lunch that I discovered that 100 rupees was way to much to have paid for a ride to the office. "You shouldn't have paid more than 40 rupees! Didn't he turn on the meter?" "What meter?" I thought... I knew that I had a lot to learn.

The ride back to my hotel in Connaught Place wasn't as much fun... It's not so much fun when you think about the fact that you're being ripped off just because of the color of your skin. (A fact that I hadn't yet accepted...) Also, nodding and smiling at people didn't seem so great after two men on a motorcycle started following us and bothering me. I was a little worried that they'd follow me to the hotel. Fortunately, my driver was a good guy and made them go away - twice. But, when we arrived at my hotel, I realized that he also hadn't turned on the meter. (Stupid me... Again, I hadn't checked.) Exasperated, I asked him how much. For the first time, I heard a line which became quite an irritant to me, "As you wish..." Well, I figured that 40 rupees was the fair price. I told him I'd add 10 for making the bad guys go away, and I'd add another 10 if he'd show me how the meters worked. True to form, I then told him to use the extra money to buy something nice for his kids.

I spent the rest of the day wandering around Connaught Place. It's the center of New Delhi, and has lots of shops and businesses. It's a little confusing, but since the area is essentially shaped like a wagon wheel, it's difficult to get truly lost. I quickly began gaining an understanding of how to be friendly to strangers without allowing them to walk all over you. Each street corner had a well-dressed young man who when they saw you would position themselves to start walking alongside you, offering "free information". "Free information" was the last thing I wanted. I turned them down politely, which worked pretty well. (By the end of my trip, as soon as I would see them, I'd say "No!" and hold up my hand signaling them to stay away. - This wasn't quite as polite, but very effective...)

Another eye-opening experience for me was a little boy who was begging. I hadn't yet begun carrying my little candy bag, and so I had nothing that I was willing to give him. It was a crowded area, so I knew I'd be in trouble if I didn't just keep walking. He was such a cute little boy, and was clearly in need. As I walked past, essentially ignoring him, I saw a woman sitting on the ground nearby holding a baby. She was most likely his mother, and also was begging with her hands and her eyes. I was very proud of myself for walking by without bursting into tears. I knew that nothing that I could do at that moment would make a real difference in their lives. After being proud of myself for a moment, I realized how truly sad that was... The fact that in order to protect myself emotionally and physically, I had to ignore some of the neediest people on the planet was a difficult thought to comprehend.