October 06, 2015

Everything is Harder Here

Amy Jicha Fellowship

Everything is harder here.

I’m tired, can I please just~

Go to one store for everything

But, it is so overcrowded. And overstaffed. And promotional. And hectic. And far.

Buy what I want for the new apartment

But, do they even sell that here? I haven’t seen a fitted sheet.

Get a fair price

But how much higher will my “foreigner’s” charge be? Is haggling worth it?

Eat when I’m hungry

But, I don’t want to revisit the hospital with a stomach infection. Takes too much time.

Drink tap water

But, that’s beyond hazardous. I must find a bottle. And throw it away. And cringe at the waste.

Recycle this

But there’s no receptacle. And I am so, so thirsty. It’s either me or Mother Nature, right?

Avoid the beggars

But they reach in the auto, sometimes slapping my forehead with their empty hands.

Stop the incessant honking

But I really need to get to work, everyone. So please, step out of my driver’s way.

Separate work and home

But my co-workers message me at night. Deadlines and conversations don’t sleep.

Smell fresh air

But that open sewage wins the battle.

Find space

But elbows and motorbikes feel the same way.

Go unnoticed

But if I cover my head and look down, it helps. Fewer comments.

But really,

Because everything is harder here, I don’t~

Go to one store to get everything

Because, I go to the market stalls. Wallas know their products. And their customers.

Buy what I want for the new apartment

Because, I buy just what I need. Mostly. And some pretty bed sheets.

Get a fair price

Because foreignness looks like money, as travel is expensive. So I pay a bit more. Seems fair.

Eat when I’m hungry

Because there are too many choices. And friends to wait on.

Drink tap water,

Because almost no one in Delhi can do so safely. And that’s the bigger issue.

Recycle this

Because people will sort the trash long after I’m gone. Adding containers won’t help. Might hurt.

Avoid the beggars

Because they are motivated. So the motivation becomes my focus.

Stop the incessant honking

Come on. That’s impossible.

Separate work and home

Because my office door is not a magic portal that causes our work to stop mattering.

Smell fresh air

Because those roasting onions, garlic and chilies are so distracting.

Find space

Because, evidently, there are a lot of us on this planet. And some people have grown accustomed.

Go unnoticed

Because I am a Fellow, purposely placed out of context and in the thick of what I love.

From our peaceful terrace. — our peaceful terrace

Author

Amy Jicha

While pursuing her degree in journalism, Amy spent summers as an intern and contractor at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. and New York. She concentrated on copy editing for travel books and then photo editing for Adventure Magazine before graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill with a focus in Photojournalism and a minor in French. She "briefly" returned to her hometown in the Great Smoky Mountains for a summer as a whitewater raft guide, whereupon she took a grant-funded position as a coordinator for special victims in the District Attorney's Office. Amy came to love the unique dynamics of these challenging cases and enjoyed coordinating multi-agency collaboration and policy review, while supporting victims in crisis. Amy and her colleagues secured funding from the Department of Justice for a domestic and sexual violence unit for an additional seven years, which is still in place. She brings a passion for under-served populations and aims to facilitate their passage through complex systems during difficult circumstances.

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amyjicha

While pursuing her degree in journalism, Amy spent summers as an intern and contractor at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. and New York. She concentrated on copy editing for travel books and then photo editing for Adventure Magazine before graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill with a focus in Photojournalism and a minor in French. She "briefly" returned to her hometown in the Great Smoky Mountains for a summer as a whitewater raft guide, whereupon she took a grant-funded position as a coordinator for special victims in the District Attorney's Office. Amy came to love the unique dynamics of these challenging cases and enjoyed coordinating multi-agency collaboration and policy review, while supporting victims in crisis. Amy and her colleagues secured funding from the Department of Justice for a domestic and sexual violence unit for an additional seven years, which is still in place. She brings a passion for under-served populations and aims to facilitate their passage through complex systems during difficult circumstances.

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