Notes to Self (and Others)

I feel it's necessary for me to take a moment to clarify: This journal-of-sorts won't just be about the beauty and splendor I see on my trip. For all intents and purposes, I will be documenting the whole experience, and that means the good, the bad, and the ugly. While I'm sure that overall it will be a positive one, I don't wish to mislead my friends and family (and any other readership I may have or garner later) by just mentioning some things and leaving out the rest, thereby muddying the truth. I won't be harsh, but I will be blunt and honest. That said...

You've never seen pollution and poverty until you've seen Delhi. I am utterly amazed and humbled by the fact that people subsist in such conditions, with smog so thick that there's virtually no visibility and the air such a sickly yellow/beige hue. The amount of shacks, shanty towns, and slums is beyond belief, and the rubble and construction on the roads is everywhere. It was like living in a Christian Childrens' Fund commercial, and I can only imagine that that's what the other side of the wall in the Palestinian areas is like after seeing them from afar on my trip to Israel...

I know it's a stretch to say this, but even with the rough living conditions and hardship I've been through both growing up and now, I don't think I can complain any longer about having been homeless, or the amount of construction and the hassle it causes back in Tally. It breaks my heart to see people in such conditions, generating great compassion for my fellow human beings at such a sight around every corner. Expect me to come back and be much more active in organizing relief efforts and trying to feed the hungry, etc. Places like TheHungerSite.com and FreeRice.com now mean more to me than ever...

OM MANI PEME HUNG!

More about my bus ride to Dharamsala in the next entry...