Sensory Overload -but in the best possible way

Namaste Everyone, Today was an early morning for Kate and myself, waking up to a 5:30 am wake up call from Nigal at the front desk. Before being here I didn't picture myself willingly waking up at this hour, but we decided to get up for mass at the Mother House which begins at 6. The mass is not in a fancy church, rather the upstairs room of the very same building that the late Mother Theresa rests. Despite it's simple setting the mass was one of the most beautiful services that I have ever attended. It is a mass with all of the Sisters and volunteers who serve in various homes of the Missions of Charity. Many of the sisters belong to a choir who sing in a way that is so beautiful and pure. Their harmonious voices carrying over even the sound of various horns honking on the street and crows in the window. These background noises are sounds that I highly doubt a choir would have to compete with in any other mass, but it is very signature of this crazy city we are in. Mass was such a nice way to begin the day because it was a great time for me to reflect on the work that we are doing here on a more spiritual level, as well as providing a time for me to give thanks for this remarkable experience, which I am fortunate enough to have.

After mass we went downstairs for our daily breakfast and prayer, and then set off to our various "homes". I work at a home called Shishu Bhavan which is a home for mentally and physically disabled children. In my time there I have been fortunate enough to establish connections with several of the wonderful children who call this place home, but one in particular named Rinku. Rinku is physically disabled and doesn't have full strength or control of her muscles but despite this physical limitation she is extremely energetic and joyful and has one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen. Generally Rinku is not able to feed herself without help and it is faster for the volunteer to just feed her, but one of the sister asked me to try and encourage her to eat by herself and stressed the importance of her becoming self sufficient in this area. So today I really encouraged Rinku to feed herself and despite the extended duration of the meal, by the end she had finished nearly her entire bowl of food by herself, with me cheering for her after every bite. Although this may not seem like a huge accomplishment it is a major step in her progress and I can tell that it was great for her confidence, so I was very proud of her.

After we got back from the homes we had a couple of hours of down time and then we set off in two cabs for dinner at a man named Dream's home. Dream is a local shop owner that has built a with St. Mikes over the last couple of years. And a few days ago he extended an invitation for our entire group to come to his home to have dinner with his family this evening, which was a very touching gesture. The cab ride was a little crazy, as most road transportation experiences are. In fact we like to refer to the driving in Kolkata as organized chaos, with car horns as the most efficient mode of control. We saw a sign on the back of a truck which we felt like summed it up pretty well which read, "follow the traffic laws, honk your horn". After about 45 minutes we arrived in a beautiful little village in a outer district of Kolkata. It was so nice to see a different part of the city, not that Sudder street isn't great but it is definitely nice to get out and see other places since Kolkata is such a big city with so much to see and do. Dream's house was neatly tucked away in this little village and when we arrived his son, wife, three daughters and grandson were all there to greet us. Their house was very modest, by US standards, but just right for his closely knit family, who all seemed over joyed to have us in their home. We got the tour of his home, which was comprised of a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a small bathroom, which although it doesn't seem like much was much more than most families are fortunate enough to have and I think he is very proud of it. We chatted with Dream's family for a bit and after a bit Dream took us on a walk around the village. The village was absolutely beautiful, very green and peaceful, and very refreshing from the typical chaos we see out on the streets every day.. The people all seemed a little shocked to see us, which Dream later informed us was because we were probably the first foreigners to ever tour the village.

When we got back to his house, there was a very nice meal waiting for each of us, which had been prepared by his wife and daughters. This was not something that we had expected, knowing the Dream is supporting his entire family on the very modest and unstable earnings of a shop-keeper on Sudder street. The meal consisting of japady (Indian fried bread) and potato curry was delicious, and needless to say we were all very touched by this gesture and hospitality. After we finished eating it was time to go, because Dream was riding back with us to return to work. So we all said our good-byes to his family and thanks for them welcoming us into their home. I felt very lucky that I was able to have this unique experience of actually going to the home of one of the remarkable people who we have established a connection with here. This was an experience that many people would never get the chance to have and it allowed us to have a very unique perspective of what life is actually like for someone living in Kolkata.

Kolkata is such a remarkable place and every day there is something new to see, smell, hear, do and so many amazing people to meet. I am so amazed by all the experiences and knowledge this crazy/beautiful city and the people who make it so special have offered to me and I can't wait for what is to come.