That moment of intense culture shock and being super lost

Day 1- May 13th 2014 Mahipalpur- New Delhi, India

“Holy crap I am definitely in India” was one of my first thoughts, as I leave the gates of the airport and enter into a overwhelming feeling of culture shock. Sitting in the back of the cab, my cab driver holds the piece of paper I handed him with the address to the hostel right in front of his face while driving. Two trucks come with centimeters of my window as they create their own lane and the driver continues to ask me questions even though I have no idea what he is asking. Luckily I am from New York and have become used to this situation. After only one wrong turn and one big U-turn on a major road that’s causes a big yet also casual scene I finally get to my room.

I set down my backpack and decide to leave the room and explore Mahipalpur an area outside of Delhi for the afternoon. I wander around the alleyway size streets as every 3 seconds I hear a car or motorbike honk. It was intense hearing car horns coming from ever which way, smells of spices I’ve never smelt before and looks from almost ever single local as I walk around the streets trying my best to blend in.

After getting lost for a few hours down the tiny streets filled with people, I sat down on the side of a park as I listened to sounds of children yelling and playing. I watched the sun go down over the fields of New Delhi and felt a sense of comfort like I was at home.