Ek Saal Dilli Mein

Yet another anniversary… today is one year since I arrived in Delhi.

The last 3 weeks have seen cold, grey, damp, foggy weather, and even some rain on Friday, the first for a couple of months. (It was even cold rain—a first for me in India.) But thankfully the weather was great today, with clear blue skies and enough sun to get the temperature up to about 17C.

Meanwhile at night it’s still down to around 7-8 degrees, and I’ve got 2 duvets on the bed, because the only heating in my entire flat is a little electric blower thing.  Another couple of weeks and it should start warming up again.  By March we’ll all be sweating again and I’ll be getting the air conditioning serviced and ready for months of constant use, day and night.

Anyway… Ek saal Dilli mein. One year in Delhi. I was in a celebratory mood today, although it might  have mainly been due to the very welcome sunshine. I can’t ever remember 12 months  going by so quickly before, and I’ve certainly been extremely busy with work, but I think it’s been a good year.

India now feels totally like home, to the extent that I even forget I’m living overseas most of the time. I still get little pangs of homesickness from time to time, but these are invariably focused around people I wish I could see (but can’t), or food I really want to eat (but can’t)… I was craving good Scottish Kippers and crusty bread for breakfast the other day. *sigh*

My Hindi classes have been a bit sporadic for the last few months, but I noticed recently that I am understanding whatever taxi and rickshaw drivers are throwing at me without having to think about it.  Definitely need more practice though.

And so begins the second year in Delhi, and the fourth year in India.  Chalo.