India: Part 2

This past week has been a whirlwind of activity that I'm still processing. Last Friday, we took a twelve hour train ride from Delhi to Indore. In Indore, we got to hang out with some amazing people that taught me a lot about what it means to serve and the need for change. After a couple days in Indore, we took another twelve hour train ride to Nagpur. We stayed in a building that's associated with the movement we're working with. We sat in on a meeting of caste leaders in the area. We also got to visit a typical Indian village to see how most Indians really live. Then, a couple days ago, we took a fifteen hour train ride to Agra, which is the home of the Taj Mahal. We got to Agra at 2am and went to a hotel. By 9am, we were at the Taj Mahal.
Seeing the Taj is one of the things that is on my 'Thing to Do in Life' list, but it wasn't how I imagined it. Don't get me wrong. The Taj was BEAUTIFUL! It was really hot though and I almost blew chunks/passed out. The white marble does a great job of reflecting sun light, making the monument one extremely hot place to be on a bright day. We stepped into the shade after seeing the Taj and it had to be twenty degrees cooler, no kidding. Also, the rest of Agra is a tourist trap. My advise to anyone going to see the Taj is to go and see it (and the Agra Fort next to it) and then get out of town fast. Since 1996, Agra has been totally dependent on the tourist industry because they shut down all the factories to cut down on air pollution.
At 8pm yesterday, we got on the train for a two hour ride back to Delhi. Being back in Delhi is kind of a relief. It feels like returning to a sort of home for a while. Tonight, we're going to the American Embassy for what I've heard is a massive 4th of July celebration. I'll miss spending the 4th with my family, but this promises to make one pretty awesome memory.

Happy Indepedence Day!!