Yesterday morning, on our 45 minute drive into work, Noelle ate an orange one slice at a time and spit the seeds out of the rickshaw into the dusty hazy Delhi air. “Simple pleasures,” she said “Spitting orange seeds out of the rickshaw makes me happy. If you don’t find even the littlest things to make you happy here, you’ll go mad.”

This morning I bought 3 oranges for 15 rupees (30 cents US). I spit my orange seeds out of the rickshaw as I watched the India Gate monument come into view then fade out again.

During computer class, a girl pressed a little pair of blue & silver earrings into my palm and whispered “present!”.

When I left school, the very first driver I flagged down knew my road, didn’t get lost & didn’t rip me off. He got me home 10 minutes early.

And when I went to a new market, I stumbled on a bakery that sold chocolate brownies. I bought a box. The look on the other girls faces: priceless.

Simple Pleasures.

Ok, earrings & brownies are MORE than simple pleasures. But India is a hard place. I think I’m pretty thick-skinned… I can deal with the dirty beggar children who pickpocket, the lewd and grabby teenage boys, the traffic & choking on exhaust, the filthy squat toilets, an even the total lack of organization. But I’m glad I was reminded to not just “survive” Delhi, but to make a concerted effort to enjoy it… especially the litle things.