Delhi, I'm back

After the never-ending trip from Canada to Delhi I finally arrived a week of so ago. After leaving Brazil, I had to process it all, leaving my street kids, my teacher, my friends and moving on. I guess over the years this had been what my life was about, a series of goodbyes and new start-ups! Arriving at Delhi airport (revamped in th elast few years Commenwealth Games oblige) is always a shocking moment. It's the middle of the night, you are stunned from that long trip and then suddenly your are ran over by a truck! Well, almost! Then, a driver (standing in that hallway amongst the thousands of drivers with signs written in all types of scripts except chinese) picks you up and sweep you away in this old black cab. In the middle of the night, you exit the airport grounds and move in direction of your resting haven for the night. Then again, for having been here many times now, I do know and I do see all theses people sleeping on the side of the roads, in trucks, on the ground, in rickshaws, in trolleys, a kind of silent film of Delhi's reality. It's September and I know again that it shouldn't be so hot for this period of the year. I say shouldn't because I am aware that this kind of weather does have repercussion on other states of the country that are soon to suffer from all this. I get to my place for the night and have one thing to dream about, I am a day closer to seeing them again. This of course, being my friends, my community, my kids. I haven't seen them for a year and I must admit that I missed them a lot.
Following day,in the morning I get going.. Hop in a cab, and Pappankalan here we come! As soon as I turn the corner in Dwarka where the high-rises for Indian middle-class families are, I smell the dust and a mixture of cooking oil from the samosa maker on the side of the road. The heat makes me sweat or am I plain nervous to be back. I guess it's both a mixture of extreme heat of the midday sun and anticipation of the moment where I will get out of the car to see their little faces again. A few minutes later, I'm there....I get out, and they run towards me to shake hands while they scream Hello Sir ji! Hello Sir ji! , They run in all direction like crazy ants who have just found some sweet treat. I walk towards the class and they follow just like before holding strongly my hand. Once in the room, Shahrukhan walks up to me and ask: "Sir ji why did you take so long to come back, had you forgotten us? " At that moment, I swallow my tears of joy and say to him:" Shahruk, of course I hadn't forgotten any of you, now I'm back." For which he said: " But for how long?" I said:" A year." They started cheering. I guess I couldn't have had a better welcoming if I had asked for it.