Thoughts on Hyderabad

I’ve been loving this experience so far, but Hyderabad has definitely not been easy. In Delhi I was surrounded by the other fellows and had a very regimented orientation schedule. However, when I got here last week I was essentially all alone to figure things out and settle in as quickly as possible. So the challenging part is just figuring out how things work - overcoming the language / cultural barriers - and creating a routine. As a result I haven't been able to explore the city much, but I have seen parts of it while commuting and walking around.

 The office I've been working out of for the past week is in Charminaar which is the the old part of the city. It's definitely a place with a lot of character, history...and..Muslims (over 70%).  The Muslim thing is only an issue  because its currently Ramadan and that's creating havoc in this area for me (and who else do I care about?). It's so crammed with people and rickshaws during the day that I can barely breathe half the time. Worse - there is almost nothing to eat in the area because nothing opens till past 4. It's a little awkward at the office trying to ask people where I can go for lunch when they are all fasting. The few places that are open are really dirty and unhygienic (I've already gotten sick twice) so I'm for the time being just taking very simple peanut butter (no jam!) sandwiches to work and surviving off of those.


That being said, I do actually like Charminaar. There is some beautiful architecture (below) and my NGO has taken me on visits to some of the slums in the area which has been really eye-opening. Starting next week I'll be moving to an office in a newer part of town, Begampet, which will make life a little bit easier.