To Beer or not to Beer

This afternoon we were told Indian women rarely drink alcohol and they will usually drink soft drinks when out. Drinking is generally frowned upon. Now, I haven’t had any alcohol at all since arriving here and I understand going out to drink blows the allowance although beer can be bought in bottle shops for 40 rupees. I don’t want to sound like an alcoholic but in the UK alcohol is such a big part of our culture from socialising in pubs to eating out with some wine. I’ve asked myself if I could go dry for the year and although most of the time I won’t want a beverage, I can imagine a cold beer in 40 degree heat on a weekend relaxing with some new friends or having a beer in front of an episode of Gavin & Stacey would go down a treat.


After our classes today, all the staff and volunteers went to dinner. I’m so enjoying the food: huge pancakes called dosas, potato dishes spiced with mustard seeds, mixed thalis, eye wateringly hot chutneys and oh so sweet lassi drinks. I’ve managed to be vegetarian so far which isn’t hard as there are plenty of great cheap restaurants that don’t even serve meat. I’d like to be able to last as long as possible without any illness or food poisoning. This seems like some kind of rite of passage in turning into a Delhite or more culturally correct, a Dilliwa (Delhi is known locally as Dilli and wa means person).

After dinner a few of us went for beers. My new Deaf colleague was there so although I did some social interpreting (tiring when you don’t yet fully know the language) it was good to relax. The beer was 200 rupees. Put into perspective, my daily allowance is 285. The bar was in the more hip district of Haus Khas compared to our accommodation on Lodhi Road so that accounted for the price alone. I loved the retro furniture and the fact I was somewhere where I could go if I felt like going somewhere that felt a bit closer to home with its interesting mix of Western and Indian culture. What I loved even more though was the women were...drinking beer. I slurped away happily from that moment on, in the knowledge I could access my savings for the occasional night out.

Back to School

We have now had a day of introductions and a further two days of training. This has been Hindi lessons in the morning which are fun but hard. There are currently 15 volunteers. Another three are due to arrive but are having problems getting their visas approved by their respective Indian Embassies in Ireland, Australia and England. We have been split into two groups to reduce the size of the class. Learning Hindi is fun and although hard not especially difficult compared to any other language. There are many fits of giggles as we get things wrong. We have limited time to learn so I am aiming for 30 minutes every day or so but I am sure this willbe difficult as time seems to evaporate here.

Each trip out for dinner or to Lodhi Gardens takes at least 15 minutes as the road is so packed and busy. Going for a run yesterday meant dodging 6 lanes of rush hour traffic, some open sewers, wonky pavements and road works in order to get to a park where risk of breaking your neck trying to exercise was greatly reduced. I’ve been told we are in the area where refugees used to come to live on arrival in Delhi. This seems like a good way of assimilating all the volunteers into Indian life. We have good parts and not so good parts here. It is not just getting around that takes ages as bureaucracy is a factor. Even getting a pay as you go sim for my mobile has meant copies of passport, visa and a photo. I don’t relish trying to set up a bank account or getting an internet connection. These things seem to take weeks to sort out.

The last lesson for this week was on Indian Sign Language. I was asked to speak briefly about sign languages and then the Deaf chef from the VSO office was drafted in to teach everyone a few signs and chat to the class. It’s a shame there wasn’t more time to prep for the session and to chat to my colleague beforehand. Nevertheless I managed to interpret for the class so they got both an idea of sign language, Deaf awareness and how an interpreter works.

A Wecome to VSO India

After language lessons in the morning we were herded into these fantastically old-fashioned taxis. I sat in the front and got told to pretend my seat belt was on. There was no other end for the seat belt to go. As we sped round roundabouts and our driver aggressively dogged traffic my feet were twitching as if I might somehow be able to hit the brakes should we be heading for a collision.


We arrived at the VSO India Programme Office with a very warm welcome of garlands of fragrant carnations strung about our necks. We were introduced to the office staff. As I was saying my name I looked up and saw a member of staff signing to another so I waved a hello and signified that I knew sign language. The head of the office asked how we knew each other. I said I didn’t but just recognised that someone was Deaf and was saying hello. Therein lies one beauty of sign language and being able to communicate, albeit slowly perhaps with anyone in the world. It turned out the Deaf man was the cook and after a gorgeous lunch of spicy beans, a spinach and paneer (cheese) dish, rice and chapattis we got a chance to chat more.

I was surprised to see a lot of crossover with British Sign Language. I could use the British alphabet which was still used in India alongside another set of differently signed Indian vowels but either signs could be used. Some signs such as ‘mother’, ‘father’ and ‘work’ were clearly taken from American Sign Language and some were quintessentially Indian such as ‘born’, ‘taxi’ and ‘sick’. Of course it is difficult to base assumptions on having chatted with one person so I’m itching to get in the DeafWay office and start meeting more Deaf people.

Stroll in the Park

After a fitful sleep on a brick-hard pillow, all the volunteers that had already arrived met for lunch at the Indian Social Institute where we are staying. This is a residential block with a canteen in the basement serving breakfast and lunch. We were given some cash on arrival which was four weeks worth of allowance to see us through dinners and travel expenses whilst on ICO (in-country orientation).

So meeting for lunch meant going done two flights of stairs to meet everyone in the canteen for, you've guessed it, curry. It was all vegetarian food with one type of curry, one delicious potato dish, plain rice and an amazing lime chutney which blew my head off and didn't compare to any I'd had in the UK. I'm going to enjoy this coming year.

We decided on a stroll after lunch and ended up in the Lodhi Gardens 15 minutes away from our new home. As you can see from the pictures, it's an impressive local park. From current volunteers' pictures that I have found on Facebook, it seems I will be here quite often. No complaints about that here. There's also a jogging track where we saw Indian women dressed head to toe running around. It is only about 30 degrees at the moment and I don't know whether people will run in the heat later when it gets over 40. Especially fully clothed. There's already talk about entering the Delhi half marathon next November and I'm planning my first run here on Thursday.

We are also based down the road from Mehar Chand Market and The Habitat Centre which is Delhi's answer to The Barbican in London. VSO training tells you to take your time in the first few weeks to get used to the area, relax and settle in slowly so as not to induce culture shock.

It seems though that Delhi is similar, in some ways, to other places in Asia. Much horn-honking, you need nerves of steel to cross the road and the food is great. If I get any form of culture shock I imagine it will be a bit later. And I am sure it will happen at some point however much I think it won't.

Arrival and Orientation at the Indian Social Institute

We arrived at 2am at Delhi airport to a few beeping cars but it was fairly quiet other than that. I was surprised but then it was the middle of the night. We were collected by two VSO India office staff who were lovely and very welcoming. After dishing out bottles of water they bundled all of us bleary-eyed volunteers and our luggage into two cars. I sat in a child seat with another volunteer at the back. My first views of Delhi were out of the back of the car through a sunscreen.

My first impression of New Delhi was one of dust and construction. We were all told that with the Commonwealth games approaching in October 2010 the Metro was being extended along with many other building works. This was in keeping with what I had read in guide books that Delhi is under construction permanently.

On arrival at the Indian Social Institute, we were handed out towels, information packs and keys. We agreed between us to meet at a certain time for lunch as nobody was going to get up for breakfast. I didn't bother putting up the mosquito net as it was 4am and I literally fell into bed.

T5 and counting...

I had two other volunteer’s phone numbers who will be on the same flight. There should have been around 10 of us, some connecting from Dublin and Toronto. I was a bit concerned about terminal 5 and the fact I don't have any baggage insurance as it was too expensive for something that didn't cover valuables. Hmmph, was not going to pay up if the policy wasn't going to cover my camera and laptop.

I was dropped off at Heathrow by my parents. We left at 6am from Hertfordshire and still got stuck in the car park that is the M25. An hour early for check in, I bump into another volunteer I'd met a few weeks ago via contact on the VSO message boards. A family goodbye and I was through security. With an hour to go on the flight we had met with the Irish volunteer and another one from the UK. We had lots of conversations about what people packed and what we were likely to miss (the evidence will be on YouTube soon).

Whilst in the queue for boarding we met with another volunteer. The beauty of the two VSO prep courses at Harbourne Hall on the outskirts of Birmingham is you often meet at least one other person that has a placement and is on the same intake as you. So as soon as there were a few of us we were networking quickly. With two intakes every year for most countries it's likely you'll have companions for your in country training. We all have a month together and this is India's biggest cohort at 17 people so it should be interesting!

Packing District

After a weekend away visiting friends before the chaos of packing, I’ve had a pretty stressful week. I only left myself seven days to finish off preparations after work and a weekend of socialising.


The first day was pretty much scanning of as much of my Postgrad folder as possible. It wasn’t urgent but the more I could get done the better. Back-breaking work but boringly necessary. The next few days I’d said I wouldn’t panic but did. I managed a few swimming pool visits to release the tension and the actual packing only took a couple of days. The panic only comes when you think you have to remember all those things you may not get abroad. Delhi though should have anything. I’ve read that hair goop and underwired bras are the worst. Everything else should be fine. I have had several offers of parcels that can be sent at a later date from the UK full of the delights of home.

It’s now the night before I leave. I went for Sunday lunch with a friend to unwind and enjoy a roast beef lunch and some red wine. It was a good move and I’m feeling relaxed, prepared and excited. A 6am start. I’m heading to bed early but I’m pretty sure I won’t be sleeping much!