Good Morning, Delhi!

So, I have officially landed in Asia for the first time. As our Australian ex-pat host put it, "At the deep end." I had heard much about what India would be like but decided to try to come as impressionless and expectationless as possible in order to formulate my own opinion and not merely mirror what others have told me. But let me start at the beginning. The flight from Newark.
For a 13-hour flight it was pretty painless. I was surprised. We had our own entertainment system, with over 300 movies (and additionally, TV programs and music) to choose from. The middle seat next to me was empty. The only "disturbances" so to speak, included my pillow mysteriously disappearing after I had made a trip to the bathroom. This was topped only by my snacks (handed to us in order to survive the hours between dinner and breakfast) disappearing during the last hours of the flight (probably also during a trip to the bathroom, but I didn't realize it until some time later). Perhaps it was the young guy on the other side of the aisle or some random passer-by... I will never know. Nevertheless, my "Indian" experience began the moment I boarded the plane. We were offered Indian food as one of the options. Older generation Indians mulled about in a confused fashion trying to decipher their boarding cards and find their seats. My classmate sat one seat away from a gentleman who seemingly polite (he kept apologizing for making her get out of her seat when he needed to use the bathroom), ended up trying to put his feet onto her lap after taking up all of the middle seat between them. (She glared him down into keeping his distance.) I decided there was no better time than this one to watch a Bollywood movie. I didn't really enjoy it much but at least I can say I have seen one.
Then we landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. I stepped out into the heat and made my way to immigration. The officer didn't ask me anything. I noticed that his nameplate was handwritten with bubble block letters that were filled in pen. It was hard for me take him seriously after noticing this fact. Passport stamped, I moved on.
Our professor was supposed to meet us but he was nowhere to be seen. Then one of my classmates had the smart idea to look at the signs people were holding. Sure enough, our names were on one of them. We stepped outside and made our way to the car. I didn't notice the smog or smell that I had been warned multiple times about. Perhaps, I will today. The scene on the road also did not match what I had been told. I had pictured a madhouse of cars, rickshaws, people, bicycles, and cows. All I saw was quite a bit of traffic and a crazy way of driving. Not to say that the above isn't still coming, but those were my first impressions. Apparently, Delhi is not as smog-filled as it used to be. Our host told us that many of the buses and taxis have switched to natural gas for fuel, which apparently has made a big difference.
I woke up at 4:20 am. Not surprising given the time difference. I dozed on and off till about 8 am. As I got up, an eager Indian housekeeper ordered me to come have breakfast, "Madam, come have your breakfast now." Although I'm sure she didn't mean it that way, it sure sounded like an order and something I should not disagree with. So, I obediently went to have breakfast. Which brings me to something else I had been warned about and experienced already. Indians' inability to say "No". Apparently, this is not because they are trying to be mean, confuse you, or rip you off. They are just trying to save face. It seems inappropriate for them to refuse you anything. So when asking for directions they will assure you you are on the right track although you are not. They will tell you, they have something in stock when they do not. And so forth.
There is plenty of room for misunderstandings. This morning as our host left, she told us she would tell her driver that we may need him to drive us to the World Bank office at some point. Five minutes after she left, the eager housekeeper came over to tell us that the driver is going to the World Bank, now. When my classmate explained that we wouldn't need to go until later, she stubbornly stood her ground, "But driver is leaving now." In the end, all my classmate could do was shrug her shoulders.
And thus begins our Indian adventure.