I was reading over my blog and noticed that I've used the word "incredible" way too many times, so I will try to refrain. It's Christmas Eve and I'm not surrounded by snow-covered mountains, Christmas Carols, or Christmas commercialism, save the emails from stores crowding my inbox. It's rather strange, but I'm sure at church tonight I will be reminded of the Christmas spirit.
Upon return to Delhi I met with another Supreme Court lawyer (and former Amnesty International employee) to gain more insight for my research. Yesterday I got to visit a mall in India, which stands in stark contrast to the independently owned, crowded shops lining the streets of Delhi.
To get to the mall we left the city limits and entered a city called Noida which has recently sprung up as a center for commercialism. Once we left the rickshaw-crowded streets and after being frisked to enter the mall, I almost forgot I was in India... well, that's not quite true. The mall resembled a US mall quite closely, except the music playing was Bollywood, there were no signs of Christmas except for a lone tree decorated in one corner of the mall, and many shops stocked sarees, salwars, and other traditional Indian garb.
I was also treated to my first Bollywood movie in the theatre, and it was quite the theatre! Lazyboy recliners for seats, and an attendant in the ladies room, it was an extravagant affair. We saw the latest Shah Rukh Khan movie, and I didn't need to know Hindi to understand the plot. Definitely a fun experience.
This afternoon I will do a bit of Christmas shopping, visit a Bahai temple, and go to a midnight service at a local Protestant church.
Merry Christmas everyone!
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