I'm into the last leg of my trip now, and am trying to finish paperwork, expense reports, and the last of my MA requirements.With the time difference I've had to basically become nocturnal in order to be able to call Canada and the US and make arrangements for school and an upcoming conference.

When I posted that I am excited to be coming home, a good friend of mine chastised me that I should be enjoying every minute that I am here till I come back.I would never want to seem ungrateful, no blog posting can convey how personally and academically enriching an experience this has been.Still, I am ready to leave Delhi and come home.I think part of it is being ready to move onto the next phase of my projects.Another part entirely is that I am simply tired of the culture of fear which exists in Delhi.

One of my favorite movies, 'Jab we Met' has a line about young women who are not safeguarded by their families being like 'an unlocked safe'.Even while travelling alone, I have never felt the kind of uncomfortable self-awareness that happens when I'm in Delhi.I'm sure you're thinking, well women work and they travel and they are just fine.True, I moved around the city and went to work on my own in Mumbai and didn't have any issues.In Delhi though, not one person I have talked to who is from the city - ranging from my grandparents to young confident women I know - thinks Delhi is safe.People work, and they travel, but out of necessity.Not one person I know has said to me, yeah take an auto and go into town, it'll be fine.

In order to get into town from this part of Old Delhi there are two options.The first is to flag down an auto, and after haggling for some time he will reluctantly take you to your destination.This is only unsafe because if the autowalla takes a turn off the main road and into a secluded side street, you probably wouldn't know until it is too late.The other option is to walk for ten minutes and then take a rickshaw to the metro station.The subway itself is fairly safe, but to get to the station you have to walk through a construction site, over a rickety bridge and through a slum.

It's a terrible feeling, being dependent on others because you don't feel safe going anywhere on your own.While Delhi is not new for me, I've done my shopping already for the trip and don't really have a need to go into town, I resent that the decision is being made for me.My family lives in Delhi so it will always be a place I return to.But the culture of this city needs to change, because while there will always be crime and violence - Delhi has gotten as bad as it has because the citizens of this city do not stop women from being harassed.Unless it affects you or your family directly then it is just someone else's problem.It is everyone's problem, and a culture needs to be developed which does not turn a blind eye towards female harassment and condones the ill-treatment of women who are doing nothing more than trying to live their lives.