Kolkata 2009

Good Byes!

2009-06-07T05:34:00.000-07:00

So it is my job to close out the trip.

Julia and I are sitting in our favorite internet cafe as the group is headed for a long an exhausting trip back to the US, so all parents out their be prepared to pamper some jet lagged amazing students. They all definitely deserve it!

How do you ever conclude such a trip like this, its hard to say. I think everyone that sees Kolkata will be forever changed. Their is a deep sadness that overcomes you, but at the same time a sense of joy and amazement. As I sit in the 105 degree weather never do I think or anyone else the group truly think that they hated it here. Its hard yes, frustrating yes, but a place that you will forever love.

One thing I have gained walking away from this trip is having the privileged of knowing 9 incredible people. Each person brought something unique to the table. Traveling to such a different place like this it is important to surround yourself with good, strong willed, calm and collective people. Which is just what we had. To see everyone in action at all the service sights, I think for you parents, siblings, children, partners you should all be proud of the passion that everyone presented in their work. Never did anyone shy away from a situation.

For our last day we relaxed and enjoyed our favorite parts of Kolkata, The Blue Sky Cafe and Dream's family. All the women on the trip each got a henna tatoo done by Dream's wonderful daughter and after that we had our final meal in non other then the BSC. We took pictures, arm wrestled, carried each other, and ofcourse did a serious amount of laughing. Sam, Chico, and Ajit are three men that made our expirence it Kolkata a lot brighter. Everyday we knew we were in for some kind of laugh during our many meals at their cafe.

So I recommend to everyone following the blog, don't ask the incoming people how Kolkata was...This is something impossible ever to answer. Instead be prepared to sit down and listen to the stories everyone will bring back with them. Plus like good Indian culture we all learned how to take it slow and talk, talk a lot, possibly about the same thing over and over again. So don't be alarmed if everyone is extra chatty. Also if someone doesn't let go of you hand during a handshake for lets say five minutues, also please don't be alarmed. I think we have all grown very used to have little to no personal space! And also, you may want to have a wool sweater for them because 70 degrees may freeze their bodies after three weeks of 104.

So thank you everyone for following our blog, your words and comments made us feel good and inspired us that we were here for the right reasons. I don't think I will ever be able to put into words what Kolkata is or how I feel about this city. So please just keep listening to our stories. Kolkata is about the human faces that walk these streets everday...Only when you begin to hear from the people can you understand the complexities that exist. So please just listen to the funny and sad, the gross and beautiful, the depressing and the hopeful.

I would just like to end with this Paul Simon song (You Can Call Me Al) it sums up alittle of Kalkata and I listened to it everyday pretty much.

A man walks down the street
It's a street in a strange world
Maybe it's the Third World
Maybe it's his first time around
He doesn't speak the language
He holds no currency
He is a foreign man
He is surrounded by the sound
The sound
Cattle in the marketplace
Scatterlings and orphanages

If you would like to follow Julia and I's journey feel free to stay tuned to this blog. We will probably not post religiously but their will be atleast a few coming your way!

So Peace and Love
Nemaskar!

Derek.

Not ready to say good-bye

2009-06-06T07:54:00.000-07:00

Namaskar Everyone,
Today is our last full day in Kolkata, I can't believe it! Before starting the trip I thought that 3 weeks would be more than enough time to spend here, but now that I am here it seems as though it is not nearly enough. This city is so rich with culture and I feel as though even though we have had a great experience here and have done a lot I can't help but feeling that there is so much more to see and do. Going into our last day I feel like I am finally starting to get used to things here, the people, the smells, the sights, the sounds (constant car horns), and feeling comfortable being uncomfortable (for the most part) and now it is nearly time to end this tremendous journey. But I must say though that our limited time here is my only regret, because I couldn't have asked for a better three weeks.
Yesterday was my final day at Shishu Bhavan, which was bitter sweet. I will miss that place greatly, I will miss the beautiful children, the sisters and the massies, but I will forever cherish the time that I had there and the wonderful connections that I was able to make. Even though I was sad to leave I couldn't have had a better last day with the kids. All day I felt like I had finally really found a grove and was getting into the swing of things just in time to leave. But even though it is time to go, my time here has taught me so much and for that I am grateful. I have learned patience and understanding, as well as love and respect. And above all a strong appreciation for my health and my wonderful family. Seeing these kids living in an orphanage who struggle every day with both mental and physical disabilities has reminded me how fortunate I am to have been born with good health and into a family that loves and supports me and has been able to provide a safe place to live, food whenever I am hungry, and the support and love that all kids crave and deserve. But Shishu Bhavan has been positive in the sense that these kids still seem so happy and optimistic and even though my time with them has been brief I feel as though I was able to bring a little bit of love and joy into their lives.
Today we made our second journey to the New Hope New Life Orphanage with Brother Xavier. This was an amazing way to end our trip because it is such a happy, hopeful place. The children get so excited for us to come and are so happy to share that time with us. I am so impressed at what Brother Xavier has done for these kids and all on his own initiative. They are such beautiful and amazing kids and they all have had tough lives prior to their adoption into the orphanage but they are still so happy and hopeful for their futures. Many of these kids would have been sold into prostitution or be living on the streets had it not been for Brother Xavier graciously bringing them into his life, but now they have have a safe place to live, food on the table and a great education which will provide them with good opportunities and a bright future. None of the kids dwell on the fact that they do not have a "normal" family, rather they consider each other their brothers and sisters and all look out for one another and love each other unconditionally. I was so happy that we could spend our final day with these kids because they are so wonderful and truely appreciate us coming. This trip was an extremely hopeful and positive way to end our trip, and although I was sad to leave I felt happy leaving knowing that these amazing children all have bright futures ahead of them.
Although my time here is coming to an end I am so grateful for the time I have been able to spend here. I have learned so much and grown so much as a person, and hopefully have made a positive difference in some way in my time here. I have met so many remarkable people and done so many amazing things and I will miss this crazy but beautiful place more than I ever thought possible.

Life is unpredictable.

2009-06-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

Kolkata is real. Instead of hiding behind false fronts, here the truth basically smacks you in the face. It's a confusing reality, though- difficult but somehow inspiring, filthy but beautiful, impoverished in so many ways but rich in so many others. It's as if everything here is simultaneously exactly what you think it is and exactly the opposite of what you think it is. Each question always leads to another, and you never know what might happen next. However, despite the unpredictable nature of life here, there are a number of constants that we encounter everyday.
We see rickshaw drivers pulling heavy loads, people carrying huge bundles on their heads, men riding bikes with bundles of chickens tied together by their feet hanging off the bike, people sweeping the streets and carting the garbage away. We hear the beeping of cars, busses and motorcycles, the scratchy voice of the Muslim call to prayer, the ringing of rickshaw bells, the barking of dogs, the sizzling of food being fried at sidewalk vendors, people laughing, people yelling, people saying "hello auntie" or "hello madame", "Mother House? Mother House?", "Shoot my gun? Only one rupee!", "please sister, milk for my baby". We see people sleeping on the streets, children running around, people bathing, herds of goats trotting down the street, people sitting over hot stoves making chai tea, people smashing the little ceramic cups that the chai tea is served in, and geckos scurrying about. We see people selling garlands of flowers, cups of freshly pressed sugarcane juice, slabs of freshly slaughtered meat, sling bags, postcards, sparkly bracelets, underpants, t-shirts, wallets, nail polish, and any doodad and knicknack you could think of. This is all in one moment.
How do we process everything here? Our senses are constantly bombarded, our emotions are constantly pulled in all different directions, and our thoughts are constantly turned upside-down as each moment brings something new to think about. I think it'll take a while to think things through, but I don't know if there are answers to the innumerable questions that arise each day, or if there are even words to describe the complete experience of Kolkata. There's only so much that can be conveyed through language, most of it you have to experience to understand.
It's crazy how fast these three weeks went by- I can't believe we're already done with our service and the rest of the group is going home, it seems like everyone was just starting to get into the groove of this crazy place. I spent most of my days volunteering at Shanti Dan, a home for women who have been abused and women with physical and cognitive impairments, many of whom have been previously incarcerated. Walking into the complex was like walking into an oasis- passing through the gate we saw lush vegetation, beautiful trees full of jackfruit and giant limes, cows grazing, and fish jumping in the little pond. Inside the home, the women sat on the porch surrounding the pretty courtyard. Many of the women at Shanti Dan are capable, so they wash their own clothes, make their own beds and clean the facility. However, the majority of the women's time is spent sitting around doing absolutely nothing, so the main job of the volunteers is to spend time with the women, and to give them the love that they so desperately need. I cut and painted nails, played catch, sometimes picked their lice or cut their hair, and sat and listened to their stories (despite not being able to understand each other's language). I massaged their hands with lotion, thinking about the stories they held in their hands. Some of their hands were babysoft, some hard and calloused, some delicate and fragile, some large and strong, some with missing fingers, some with scars, some with perfect nails, some with diseased nails, some twisted, and some shaky. I wondered about babies their hands had held, the food their hands had prepared, the housework their hands had done, the people their hands had loved, the saris their hands had wrapped, and the lives their hands had lived and touched before going to Shanti Dan.
The women there were so loving towards us, and I loved being able to spend time with them. But even at Shanti Dan there are innumerable contradictions both in the home and in my view of the home. Every morning the sisters give pills out to each woman, so many of them are kind of out of it during the day. Every Tuesday a doctor comes to do electroshock therapy on some of the women. And often there is at least one woman with a chain and padlock around her leg- locked either to a chair or a bed. Why?? Aren't there more effective ways of treating these women? Only a few of the women at Shanti Dan spoke English, but one of them said to me one day, "Sister, I read the Bible. I read the Bible so I don't have to think." Reality is not easy for these women. And I'm going to miss them.
The rest of our group left for the airport a little while ago, and I'm going to miss them, too. We really lucked out in having such a dedicated, hardworking, open and thoughtful group of people, and we all grew together while sharing in this experience. I can't believe it's over. I'm feeling a lot of different things, but I suppose that that's to be expected, considering Kolkata is involved. I'm sad that the group is gone and that I'm leaving the women at Shanti Dan and our other friends in Kolkata, but I'm excited to start a new adventure with Derek. On Tuesday we're off to Darjeeling, so I'm really looking forward to seeing a different part of India, and to be able to contextualize Kolkata a little more in relation to something else. Who knows what tomorrow will bring...

It's hard not to love it here...

2009-06-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

I walk down the streets here, in the muck and the dirt, amidst the crazy masses of people and I wonder at why I love this place. I see the uniformed police officers holding their sticks, standing next to a man who is missing his legs, lying in the dirt and trash, and I want to scream at the injustice of this place. And yet there is something that draws me here. I see women who have been set on fire by their husbands for apparent disrespect, left with nothing but brutal scars and enormous pain, and I just want to cry on their behalf, to bear a little pain for them. Sometimes this place is horrible and unfair and I hate it. I hate the way women are treated, the way men grab at us on the streets, the way dogs are kicked and animals are starved and pregnant, the way children run barefoot in the garbage, and the way women hold their naked babies, begging milk for their young bellies. I hate how giant the problem is, how every solution that I wonder about, dissolves quickly in my mind before I can utter it.

But as I said, I hate and love this place. Why do I love it here? Why am I drawn in? It is not pity for the pain that keeps me somehow loving it here. Pity would not be enough. Any foreigner who walked these streets could not help but to feel sorry for the pain and suffering that is here, but that is not the point. It is sad, it is hard, but that is not the point. There is something more here. There is rawness and human spirit. Their is resiliency and laughter, of all things. There is adventure and flexibility. I want to dare to say there is even joy here.

People are deeply spiritual, finding much meaning around them. They work so hard and are grateful for a job. And people smile, people always smile. I cannot put coins in everyone's open hands, but I offer a "Namaste" or ask them how they are, saying "Kamanachen?" and they warm up. They open their hearts and we connect for the tiniest moment. They open up to a white, middle class foreigner who knows so very little about their way of life. And we find ourselves laughing together, laughing with often very few words to speak, but laughing still, despite the city, despite our differences.

I find myself strangely missing Kolkata already. I will miss the bus ride to Kalighat, the men giving up their seats and the ridiculous traffic. I will miss the women at Kalighat, their sweet faces and how they smile when I hold them. I will miss our group, the reflections each night, the meals shared together, the inside jokes that will be hard to explain when we get home, the "family outings," all of us marching down the street together. I will miss the awesome adventure in every moment here. After all, most days in Vermont you do not get raw meat dropped on you from a bird, have your cab break down multiple times, get to haggle with street vendors, see men peeing in the road, have your hand kissed by strangers, and have to squat over a toilet hole.

~~However, I do have to admit that there are some luxuries that I am looking forward to in good ol' Vermont. Top on my list at the moment is Cabot cheddar cheese, followed closely by fresh, raw vegetables! I am also looking forward to remembering what it feels like to stay clean for longer than five minutes after a shower and to pee in a decent toilet that even flushes! :-)

Waking up early in Kolkata...

2009-06-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

Today is Thursday June 4th, our day off from working at Mother Theresea's homes. Usually we get to sleep in a little extra, but today we decided to wake up at 5:15 so we could get to the park. I don't remember the last time I woke up this early, but I never feel tired in Kolkata. We went to go to a Laughing Yoga class, and I'm so glad we did. Laughing Yoga combines some yoga stretching with laughing exercises, loud and silent. It was hilarious and so much fun!

Then we went on a tour with Sampson from the Blue Sky Cafe, where we eat all our meals. We went to the Howrah Bridge and the Flower Market, where we were given beautiful necklaces made of real flowers. They smelled so good but I was so nervous about us getting stung by the bees that swarmed them! Then we went to three Jain temples which had beautiful mosaic tiles and mirrors. We went to a potters colony and saw hundreds of clay sculptures that were in the process of being put together and painted so that they could be shipped all over the world. Most of the sculptures were of Hindu gods, and are usually bought for festivals where they are then dropped back into a river, as a way of giving a gift back to the gods. We also went to the Tagore House where the Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore was born. After a failed attempt to get into the Marble House, we went to the Indian Coffee House, where legendary intellectuals have sipped some java.

After our break, we viewed a temple from the outside because it was closed, and we went to another which was open, where Kate and Katie had a blast scaring away all the piegons. Unfortunately, poor Valerie got pooped on, but she took it like a champ. After we were done looking around we loaded all ten of us back into our cramped tour SUV and headed back to Blue Sky. It was a long and sweaty day, but I wouldn't have changed a minute of it. Kolkata is infamous for the slums and poverty, but the city has many hidden treasures, such as its temples, its spirituality, and its people. I'm glad we were able to take a day to view new parts of the city, because now I love Kolkata even more.

Messages, Flat Tires, and Rice Gruel

2009-06-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hey again,

So I am writing for my second time, right now my back is sticking to the computer chair and I can't stop sweating!

I had a long today...good day but I am right now exhausted so this might be short...

So I just wanted to let everyone know about a little place called Prem Dan, thats where I work everyday and I am the only guy so I am the only person who works with the men. Prem Dan is for sick and older men. Its a nice place, the men unlike the women get to be outside all day. Surrounded by trees, bird cages, a garden. A lot of the men can walk, some can speak english. Its an interesting mix of people. My day usually consists of doing laundry, washing the patio with buckets. After cleaning I go out and give messages to the old men. They are always asking for oil messages. I have seen a lot of old Indian upper thigh. Prem Dan is the biggest of all the Mother Teresa homes so it usually has a good amount of volunteers. Usually for our chai break their are people from Spain, Japan, France, South Korea, South Africa, Holland, etc. It has been great meeting so many different people from all over the world. Everyone has a good story to tell.
The after our break we hand out food, and do dishes, and that has been my everyday schedule their.

So today on my way home I took an autorickshaw (three wheeler) on the way home it got a flat, and I was just left in some random spot. I had to haggle the price for the fair because thats what you doing with everything in India so I only had to pay 5 ruppees instead of the usual 8...roughly 50 cents. cheap. I made it home took me a little bit but I made it.

Everyday something crazy happens in this city. Well I am really hot and tired. sorry for the short one thanks for following the blog.

Derek

Same Same But Different

2009-05-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

Same Same But Different...this saying is printed on many of the 40 rupee (90 cent) t-shirts for sale at the internet cafe right next to our hotel. This cafe is an NGO and a portion of the sales of their products goes to programs for education and medical care for the poor of Kolkata. We've all talked about what the saying on this shirt means and have at different points in our time here had experiences or moments that feel the same but different from our lives.

Service work: Everyone on this trip has participated in service work and volunteer programs. The students on this trip have an incredibly high level of dedication to the service sites we have been working with. A typical day at the Missionaries of Charity homes goes from 8:00 am - Noon. There are afternoon shifts available but most volunteers are tired out from the heat and exertion of one shift so they don't return in the afternoon. Not so for our group. Students on this trip have regularly returned, after a delicious lunch at the Blue Sky and a quick rest or stop at the internet cafe, for an afternoon shift at one of the homes. Even at Nicco Park, when the heat was so intense and we were all feeling it more than the children, our group persevered and found it in themselves to run through the park and on rides sweating like we've never sweat before!

Service here feels more intense, whether it be due to the heat, or more likely the level of suffering and despair we encounter. One student commented that the service work here doesn't come with all the accolades you often get at home. It makes you realize that service is not about you at all, but is about the people and the places we serve. The service work here often has less tangible outcomes than some of our work at home may provide. The extent of poverty here is so great, the number of kids coming to brother Xavier's orphanage continues to rise, and the goals of the missionaries of charity are not to bring significant transformation to people's lives but simply to ease people's suffering and give them respite from the streets. Sometimes we struggle with this as a group, feeling like it is all so overwhelming, yet for people here it is part of life and they don't feel despair over it like we do. They do what they're capable of doing each and everyday.

The People: I was reading the intro to the lonely planet guidebook and the first thing it said to be sure you have when traveling to India is patience, flexibility and a sense of humor. It is the best advice they could have offered and we've all needed to call upon these attributes a lot during our time here. If we ever lost sight of these qualities the people of Kolkata model them everyday for all of us. The people here are incredibly patient as we stumble through the few Bengali phrases we know and ask to learn more from them. All of the people we have connections with have been so flexible accommodating our schedules, our stomach issues, our exhaustion, and our dietary needs. As far as time and planning goes, Kolkatans are so able to be in the moment and trust the process. Our need to know what the weather will bring the next day is often responded to in the following way, "When we wake up tomorrow we will know what the weather is." Good point, eh! I guess in a place like Kolkata the resources are not there to prepare for weather so people do what they can to survive when the weather arrives.

As for having a sense of humor, we are presented with examples of this everyday. I so appreciate the cab driver to Dreams who got very lost but kept on searching for Dream's home, laughing throughout the journey, Michael at the Astoria hotel, always making jokes with the straightest of faces, the children at Brother Xavier's laughing and making us all smile, and the people Sue and I observed at Rabindra Sarovar getting their daily dose of Laughter Yoga at 6:15 in the morning. (We hope to join a session one or two times this week!) People are not so concerned with controlling situations or rushing around to be on time for things-that just doesn't seem to be a part of life here. People here are "moving and doing" a lot of the time but they are also able to "just be" and to let things progress as they will. They are survivors here in this city of heat, humidity, crowds, poverty, despair and hope. I am not sure I could survive here and I admire and honor that about the people here.

The animals: The circumstances for animals in Kolkata has always been a struggle for me. I know I am experiencing them with my own cultural bias, yet I can't help but have intense emotional reactions to what I see around me. Dogs and cats are everywhere on the streets; most are flea and mange infested and many are pregnant and none are spayed or neutered. They scavenge off the street and you can often here the cries and growls of dogs in the evening, most times I think it is a female dog scaring off a male dog trying to impregnate her. They sleep under cars, in the middle of streets, anywhere they can and the noise of traffic doesn't stir them. I talked with someone about the dogs and he is very happy to have them on the streets. He sees them as protectors, who can sense when strangers are well or ill-intentioned. Dogs also help manage the garbage through their scavenging. And many people do feed the dogs and the dogs do attach themselves to people or locales around the city. Michael at the Astoria has about 8 or 10 street dogs that he feeds everyday and he knows of a women who cooks up meals everyday for some of the dogs. People also have dogs as pets, though it is a rare sight to see someone out walking their dog. We have seen newly born kittens that the mother cat carried up a ladder in the internet cafe to put in a display case to keep them warm and away from other predators. Chickens are transported across town hanging upside down on bicycle handles on their way to the market. Someone in Vermont told me that chickens actually like being upside down, it is hypnotic and soothing for them. I hope so because to me it just looks like a wild and frightening ride! Horses at the Maidan ( a large park near our hotel) graze on the park grass with their legs tied together. An animal welfare organization comes regularly to check their health and give them injections. Cows are sacred to Hindus and are dinner for some others here. They roam the streets freely and are often on the median strip of a busy multi lane road. The herds of goats roaming the city are painted different colors depending on who their owner is and we've all walked over or near goat tails strewn on the street after a slaughter. The animals, too, are survivors. Their environment, their day to day life, and their experience of humans is different from the animals we have in our lives yet it is their life here in Kolkata.

As I sort through what feels so different and so familiar about my experience here I always keep in mind my background and experiences and how those influence my reactions and thoughts. I strive to remain open hearted, to suspend judgement and to seek to understand the many dimensions to this place. These images and experiences will remain with me long after I leave here and I hope to continue to try and make sense of it all.

The call to prayer and the growl in my stomach is reminding me it is 12:30 and time to head to the Blue Sky. Hope you are all well and thanks for reading!
peace

2009-05-31T09:02:00.000-07:00

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.

Nicco Park!

2009-05-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

Sue is updating today, but I thought I'd step in too so I could write a little bit about our EPIC experience at Nicco Park.

At 9:30 this morning Brother Xavier came to our hotel with a bus filled with FIFTY children from New Hope, New Life. Just getting onto the bus was an experience with all of the children crying, "Auntie!!!" "Uncle!!!" and beckoning us to come and sit with them on the ride there. One of the things that I noticed first is that going to an amusement park in India is a little different from one in the United States in that people seem to dress up for the park! The boys all wore button down shirts and slacks while the girls were dressed in beautiful, glittering salwar suits. A salwar suit is a traditional outfit for young women in India. It is a long flowing skirt over baggy pants with a scarf to match.

Once we had arrived at the park, we broke into groups of 8 or 10 children with 1-2 volunteers for each. We took a small train ride around the park and next hit up the carousel. After the carousel the children (mostly the boys) began to scatter. Initially we were worried because our groups were falling apart, but then an older boy told us that the older boys would look after themselves and we should just make sure to keep track of the little ones (read: and the girls.) It was true though, everyone was remarkably well behaved, although they ran and ran and ran around the park, to rides, to lunch, in the brief rainstorm, etc. etc. etc. I couldn't believe how much energy they all had. Needless to say, we are all POOPED!!!

We had a little trouble getting the whole group together at the end, (one boy was missing for a bit...) but in the end, we all were back together and on the bus! 50 orphans, 8 volunteers and Brother Xavier. By the time we reached our hotel, most of the bus was sleeping. The day had worn them all out! Hopefully they'll all sleep well tonight! :)

In other news: Annie, Val, Sue and I picked up our own salwar suits today. We went in on Wednesday to pick out our fabric and be measured and they were ready for us this afternoon! They are all gorgeous, although we have yet to see Sue try hers on. ;-) I think some of the other girls want to get one too. It's a great souvineer and mine only cost me 830 rupees (which is like $16 or $17 dollars.) India is a very inexpensive place to travel...

That's enough from me today! Back to the Missionaries of Charity Tomorrow! We only have five more days with them, (Sunday-Wednesday and Friday). Time is FLYING. Thursday we are going on a tour of the city. Saturday we are back at Brother Xavier's. Sunday we HEAD HOME. Crazy.

Shanti Dan

2009-05-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

This is Sue signing on Annie's blog. Suffice it to say--I didn't register myself so I'm connecting through Annie.

It seems impossible we've been here for 2 weeks--one to go. I've been working at one of the Mission of Charities' home named Shanti Dan. It is a home for mentally disabled and abused women. Shanti means "peace"; dan means "gift of." Each day I try to think about those words as Julia and I take the long bus ride out there. What does it mean to have the gift of peace?

At first working with the women of Santi Dan created more turmoil in my life than I had imagined. Everything from fear of hurting one of the women to misunderstanding what they were telling me created an uncomfortable state of being. Slowly I've established a routine with the backdrop of uncertainty. When we first arrive we are greated by smiling women in bright flocks walking through a courtyard around a path to the door--"Auntie, Auntie." They hug us and pull us to them. Sometimes I sing to them; other times I talk; always I listen. What are they telling me? I rub their backs, their arms, their hands-sometimes applying cream, rubbing it into their body. Some like gentle touch; others deep message. I know who likes which now after these two weeks. We love music singing to the radio or making up songs, swaying with the music, our arms embraced, moving from side to side. We always look into each others eyes and sometimes I feel the connection. It's hard to know exactly what they need or want but whatever I do seems to be accepted and that is an amazing gift. These women have no place else to reside; they are from the streets although many of them know English and are educated. Something has happened in their lives to bring them here--an accident, genetic disorder, circumstance of life. it reminds me of what it was like when institutionalization was popular. They receive medical attention and have some psychological consultation. Some of them tell me: "I am now well." And when I ask them if they will be leaving, they answer "no." This has become home. Sometimes I walk with them in the courtyard looking at the flowers grown by the Sisters, talking about the limes on the trees. They smile and tolerate my idle chatter, holding my hand as I walk pulling this way and that. And when I get ready to leave, they hug me, holding on, touching my face. I say I will be back; they shake their head in understanding not quite believing but hoping. With our palms held together, we say "namaste"--I recognize the self in you.

I have learned many things while being here both about Indian life and about ourselves. The Indian people believe in simple material comforts and rich spiritual accomplishments. The nurturing of relationships, tolerance, social harmony and hospitality are paramount. India is a collective culture where ideals of humility and self-denial are respected. People do things through acquaintances and friends; privacy is not important here. Something we have noted on Sudder street is the lack of care and decoration in dwellings. India, even when it can afford it, is not the land of the house and garden makeover that is we see in the US. At the risk of generalizing, Indians admire the simple life and the purtiy of the soul, and do not necessarily feel that outward trappings are important. I think this is why the dirt and sensual bombardment of sights, sounds, colors, smells--we find so upsetting, don't disturb the residents here and why they accept "life in the streets." There are many thing I have noticed while being here about myself. I have learned:

to refrain from judgment because there is probably another way to interpret happenings
a smile is the universal symbol of acceptance
privacy is overstated
hospitality and kindness are central to a connected life
slowness is essentail to absorbing life
to suspend disbelief because possibilities are everywhere.

My time in Kolkata assures me of some things. This I know:

human touch is powerful. And so we rub backs, apply cream, massage arms...
laughter connects people. And so we tell jokes, point out humorous situations, laugh at our clumsy attempts to do the right thing.
people like to tell stories. And so we listen....to words in different languages, even when meanings escape us..and we hear their stories in their eyes, their intonations, their expressions. Their lives will not go unnoticed by us and so they become part of the web of what it means to be human.

There are things I still wonder about, such as does service come before love? Does meaning arise out of service? How exacty does one give and accept the gift of peace? We don't have all the answers yet but we are trying to absorb different cultural influences into our own philosophical and spiritual framework. It is hard and difficult and tiring and time consuming. This experience gives us the chance to develop our own qualities of patience, tolerance, and understanding, and to some degree to discover our limits. It is a dynamic experience where we are served as much as serve.

2009-05-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

Today was an eventful day, Katie and I woke up at the crack of dawn (or the call to prayer) to go to mass at the Mother House at 6am. After, we all had breakfast, sang the songs and were on our way to our houses. A couple people stayed home, but they're on the way to recovery.

At Shishu Bahvan we got to cut up these new fruits, which I forget the name, but they are prickley on the outside, and look like a grape with a huge pit on the inside. We also got to work on our favorite art project for the Sisters.

In the afternoon we got to go to Kalighat, which was a whole different experience than Shishu Bahvan. We were thrown into a room full of sick, dying women, and it was a great experience, that I feel is really hard to describe. The women are all so thin and very weak, but our love and presence brought a smile to their faces. A few of us got over our feet fears, and massaged some feet.

It's so hard to describe the scenery here, and I think we could all agree that you have to just see it. The smells, the sounds, the heat, the tastes, the happiness in the poverty and despair, the trust, the faith. Everything is just so beautiful.

I hope all is well, Congrats Heidi!!! That's so exciting. Love and miss you all!!

<3 Kate

Sabera Foundation

2009-05-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

Our group had a king's welcome when we arrived at the Sabera Foundation on this hot and sticky day. Each one of us received a bindi and a flower, and then walked down a red carpet lined with children who threw flower petals up into the air. It was beautiful and we appreciated the warmness of the children and the staff. We toured around and then spent some time with the handicapped children, many who had cerebral palsy and could not speak. However, when we took out the beanie babies we brought from home, their faces lit up and you could tell they were happy for the attention. Then we had a dance party with the kids that could walk and stand on their own. We were sweating bullets but it was so much fun. We even had the masis (helpers) dancing too!
Next, we drove over to the other part of the school where they had the older boysand girls who were sent to Sabera by their parents. They are on summer break for 15 days right now, and the girls are allowed to go home during this time period. However, if the parents don't pick them up then they can't go home. There were quite a few girls who were left at the school for their vacation which is sad, but they were sent to the school to get them away from a bad area. Though they didn't get to go home, it may be a blessing in disguise. Plus, the girls that stayed get to do lots of fun activities. Tomorrow, they will be going to the ocean for a few days. Every week they get to go to the mall and see a movie. They have also visited Nico Park, the amusement park in Kolkata.
This Foundation is a very impressive establishment which employs an on-staff nurse, a doctor optometrist, physical therapist, and counselor. We toured some of these facilities which were very clean, and well equipped. Sabera Foundation is sponsored by Pfeizer, and other well known organizations, as well as celebrities.
The girls had also been working on another activity this summer. Several of the teen girls performed several Indian-style dances. They were reallly impressive especially since we later found out that they found out we were coming only the night before! They were very humble and modest when we complimented them, partially because this style of dance is something that is common place for them, but very unique to everyone else all over the world. I felt really lucky to have this experience. All the girls did so well and were so beautiful!
Later we were served a feast of Indian food, which included rice, a type of nan, paneer, and dal. It was all delicious, and the chicken looked good, but I wasn't brave enough to try it but Nicole did and said it was good. Our host, Lucky, and all the masis made sure we were well fed. We left soon after, but not before giving our emails to some of the girls we were talking with. They were all so smart and excellent conversationalists! They are in an establishment that will provide them with bright futures, and I am so thankful for that.

Congratulations Heidi!!

2009-05-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

Today we found out that our dear friend Heidi, director of MOVE, had a baby boy! It's almost unreal to be receiving news like that from so far away, but so exciting!!

We have been in Kolkata for exactly one week today. It feels like time is flying by, none of us can believe that there is only one Wednesday left after today. We're all hitting our stride, so to speak, but there are still things around every corner that throw us off. For example, you can have your entire day planned out and have it come to a halt by 1. a cyclone, 2. exhaustion, or 3. need for a bathroom in close proximity. Still we've learned to take these things in stride and be adaptable with our plans. Sometimes you even plan to go out but get to the quiet sanctuary of your air conditioned, peaceful and spacious hotel room and realize that your mind needs a rest. That happened to me today; I had grand plans of exploring the city after my morning volunteer time, but ended up sitting in our room watching Indian soap operas with my roommates. I guess other people felt it too, we had a party of four people (Derek, Julia, Kate and me) throwing beanie babies around and bowling with our empty water bottles and just being goofballs.

Julia took Derek and I to the 'new market', a sort of indoor market place in an empty warehouse. Derek had a pretty easy time, but Julia and I were barraged by vendors and coolies trying to show us to various stalls or sell us 'many nice pots, nice plungers madam!' It's so different than what I'm used to, I probably won't go back but its no problem. I'm glad for the experience.

Some of us are also volunteering in the afternoon now. It's not something we can do every day, but it's nice to switch it up. I usually work with older patients at Prem Dan, and yesterday I trekked over to Daya Dan to hang with the kids there. What a difference! We had such a great experience with the kids. I held a young boy with a type of cerebral palsy which makes his muscles 'soft'. I sat on the floor with him on my lap and moved his arms and legs in time to the music that was playing. It ws very beautiful and sad - much like what Val said in her post yesterday. Oh I probably shouldn't say this, so skip ahead if you have a weak stomach. As we were walking back from Daya Dan, we were talking about how nice the experience was and enjoying eachothers company, when all of a sudden we came upon a cart filled with at least seven severed cow heads topped with intestines! Quite ironic, and completely Kolkata.

Tomorrow we head over to the Sabera school. It's a great organization - the children who attend are from the redlight district. It's mostly young girls but there are boys there too. The children can board there and go to school; it provides such great opportunities for children who would otherwise be forced into prostitution or be unable to gain an education. I'm sure you'll all hear about it in tomorrow's post! Best wishes to everyone at home. Namaste ~ Brittany

Place of Contradictions

2009-05-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

The only way that I seem to be able to describe Kolkata is that it fits every adjective one can think of. It is a crazy place of many contradictions. It is beautiful and sad and exciting at every turn. Each day holds a new adventure or ten, as the case may be. The harder things are, the more we learn to laugh together, finding joy in the simplest of things, which is fitting I think.

When we walk along the street, there are always so many eyes, watching us, wondering at our foreign faces. In a city of much desperation, everyone wants something and we feel the immensity of this on a daily basis as we trek down the streets. I have been amazed at the ingenious and clever ways that people try to get you to stop by their shops, put rupees into their open hands or buy food for them. One man told us the other day that it was his birthday and entreated us to buy him a cake, just a little one, he said smiling. A shop-owner and friend nearby yelled back that the man claims it's his birthday everyday! Another man today began following us in the market, saying, "Remember me? Don't you remember me, friend?" Mothers ask us to buy milk for their babies and young women beg us to let them do henna on our hands and feet. There is a man that we pass everyday who has a board of balloons and a BB gun who says that we can shoot for just one rupee and we get a prize. Sometimes I wonder where people get these ideas. Everyone wants to convince you that they are selling the best product, can show you around the city like no one else, and for only a small fee. Like I said, it is a crazy place.

I work in Kolighat, Mother Teresa's first home, built in 1952. It was started for the "dying and destitute," a place for people to be taken care of with dignity. It is a difficult place, one that truly breaks my heart. The women there are so frail, in such need of gentle care and a kind spirit. The women who are able to speak thank us, while some others put their palms together over ther heads to say, "Namaste": the divine in me greets the divine in you. I have come to believe in a beauty between women, a sort of spirituality that is unspoken but beautiful. There is something very powerful in the help of one woman to another, especially cross-generationally and cross-culturally. We may be extremely different, but we share a unique femininity.

Some of the women at Kolighat are old, while others are quite young, suffering from extreme ailments. One woman, Krishna, I have built a connection with. Her eyes are bright and her short hair is a deep black without any specks of gray. Her smile is lovely with perfect teeth. I move her gently, as she cannot walk. I lift her arms to exercise her and massage her weak legs. She does not speak, but I sing to her and talk to her as I hold her. A few days ago, I looked into her eyes and told her that she was beautiful. Her face lit up with a huge, contagious smile. It was incredible. Later, she told me with hand motions that she is twenty. I am struck that she is younger than me, enduring so much. I hold her and I pray for peace.

Today was full of hope and new life, written in the midst of the dirt and grime. On the way to the homes this morning, I saw two tiny kittens, white and fluffy, barely newborn and not browned yet from the harsh city that is their first entrance into the world. On the way home from work, I saw a newborn baby, its umbilical cord still attached, laying in bright fabric on the side of the road. Next to him, his mother cooked some food in a pan, looking up at the foreigners who walked by.

All around there is life and there is death. There is sorrow and there is laughter. Old men are sleeping and children are running down the street with old tires. There is newness and there is the smell of everything old. It is a city of so much. Yesterday, the heavy rains came with a cyclone, reaching 75 miles per hour in some parts! Today, trees were down and men spoke of their homes falling to the ground in bits. "Yesterday is bad," one man said, "my home is finish. But today is good. I rebuild." That is Kolkata.

This Crazy Life

2009-05-25T06:26:00.000-07:00

The rains have come to Kolkata in full-force and there is rumor that the monsoon season is coming early. It started raining yesterday and poured most of the day today. Hannah and I had a crazy walk back from Daya Dan during which not even our Saint Michael's Ponchos could keep us dry! (Thanks to our friends in admissions for providing these for us!) We walked up the street to the Metro, which was strangely empty for mid-day and got off at our usual stop: Park Street. (I feel like I'm in Boston again!) All of the vendors had shut down for the day and soon enough, it was easy to see why: tarps were blowing all over the place, wires hanging from the powerlines and I saw a tree branch snap and fall in front of the car due to the heavy wind! We arrived back at the hotel safe, sound and thoroughly drenched. There was a wind advisory in effect between 4 and 6 and so we stayed inside just to be careful. The weather seems to have lightened up since our journey this afternoon. Thanks to the rain, the air is much cooler today. Weather.com says it's about 75F which is chilly for India. 100% humidity and the ten day forcast doesn't look much drier.

In other news: we lost a hockey bag full of beanie babies in the back of a cab yesterday and they have since been returned! We came with three bags full, which might have been over-doing it a little bit...

Daya Dan was pretty good today, a little bit easier than the last time we went. Mainly, I worked in the phsyical therapy room with some of the children. They each have a portfolio that shows how to do exercises with their bodies. It felt good to be doing something for the children, but part of me doubts my physical therapy skills. It has to be good to just get some of them moving though. Many of the children at Daya Dan have cerebral palsey and many of those children are immobile as a result of that and other disabilities. We didn't make it to every child, but hopefully now that Hannah and I know where the binders are, we can rotate on the days that we go. Funny anecdote: Jack Johnson was playing for most of the morning.

Not much to report for the rest of the day as we were shut up in the hotel. I read the newspaper a bit and hung out with the group. We're about to go have a reflection in about 15 minutes and then dinner for those who are hungry. There are some mild-stomach issues going around the group. Annie, Sue and Brittany just went to the store for some coca-cola.

To echo Derek's post yesterday: Brother Xavier's was amazing! :)

Hope everyone is well at home! <3 Nicole

Brother Xavier's

2009-05-24T06:22:00.001-07:00

So this is my first blog of the trip.

Today was a fun day for all of us. Mother Teresa's different houses can sometimes be depressing but today we were given some hope for the children of Kolkata.

We all took a wild ride in an ambulance through the streets of Kolkata to the outskirts of town to Brother Xavier's orphanage, Missionaries of the World. The orphanage is located outside of Kolkata's center city. The orphanage was surrounded with lush green, basically we were in the center of a jungle! We were greeted by a ton of smiling screaming children, ages 3 - 16, both boys and girls. As all the women on the trip walked in they boys greeted them with smiles and handshakes. I walked in last and was recieved with screaming, jumping, and some tackling!

We gave all the children beanie babies, bubbles, and dum dums. It was a little chaotic because everyone wanted one, but then we saw older kids passing toys to the youngins and the children trading lollipops mid licks...Then we played and sweat, you can imagine playing soccer in 100 degree weather. I think all of us could agree that we had a lot of fun. I without camera but all of the women on the trip let the children run around and take pictures of everything. Some of them took some funny self portraits.

The Brother Xavier gave us all a tour of the place. I was blown away. He has been working on an amazing garden and grows most of his own food. He recently purchased four buffalo so he now produces his own milk. He is extremley progressive, and teaches the children many languages, has them do yoga every morning. He even has a child psychologist on the grounds to listen to the children. I know all of you seen it, Slumdog Millionaire, well all the children there have seen it too. He felt it was important for the kids there to see the movie.

Afterwards he walked us around the surrounding village which is hidden underneath an array of giant palmtrees. It was calm and serene very different from our Sudder Street circus...I think you would all fall in love with this place.

We then took the ambulence home and some how ended up in the middle of a wedding procession. We were waving and throwing thumbs up to everyone around.

One great thing about this trip has been conversations. I have been meeting people from all over the world. Japan, Spain, Nepal, and various parts of India. Slow conversation is the way of life. Fun scenario today, Julia and I were on the roof of the hotel and we met a family from North East India. They were very kind and invited us to some grape and juice and a snack...but the snack was dried whole fish (eyes and all) and yes I ate them probablly too many. We will see where my digestive system takes me in the next few days.

Well that is all for me, I am going to go outside and enjoy the rain of India, its finally somewhat cool... I hope you are all doing well in the US.

Take care
Derek

no problem

2009-05-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

Day 4 and still having solid poops. Woohoo! (you might be thinking- that's inappropriate for a blog, but to you i say what the Indians say, "it's ok, no problem"). So yeah. Yesterday I stepped in a bag of poop (?!), and the day before that a bird pooped right on my head. But neither of those experiences really grossed me out at all. What did gross me out, however, was walking next to one of the giant piles of trash yesterday. They tend to be pretty smelly (garbage and other rotting stuff in 100+ degree heat and extreme humidity generally are), so i usually like to walk by as fast as i can. But yesterday as i was walking briskly along, trying hard not to gag, I managed to suck a bug or a flying piece of something right up my nose and into my thoat. talk about gag. I went straight to the Blue Sky Cafe and ate the spiciest thing i could to try to kill it.
Kolkata is a crazy place. I remember thinking last year that i'd never be able to forget any of what i saw, that it would just be imprinted in my memory forever, so i was surprised when i was walking around to realize that i had forgotten about a lot of things until i saw them again this time. there's so much to look at, and so much going on everywhere. even after being here before, i still feel like it's so different that it seems semi-impossible for what i'm seeing to be real life for the people who live here. so many people sleep on the sidewalks, or on top of their food stands, in taxis, or under their rickshaws, etc. The men/boys bathe in faucets on the sides of the road, soaping up in their dhotis (men's wrap-around skirt things), and the women get up to bathe early in the morning before everyone else gets up. I see men getting their nose-hairs clipped on the steps of buildings, and sitting and drinking chai/reading the morning paper in plastic chairs on the side of the road. i'm sure there's a word for privacy in Bengali, but I can't imagine it gets used often. lives here are lived in the open, and lived together.
Some things about Kolkata are so ugly- the poverty, the filth, the living conditions... but at the same time Kolkata is so beautiful. When i returned to the US last year after being in Kolkata I remembered thinking that the city had been beautiful, but besides thinking of the people who lived here i couldn't really verbalize anything else that i thought was beautiful about it. Now that i'm here i see things everyday that remind me why i think this place is beautiful. Today I waited at the bus stop with a few other people and a brown cow. The greeting people use to say hello is namaste, which means: the divine in me bows to the divine in you. Yesterday was Kate's birthday, so some of the waiters at the Blue Sky bought her a birthday cake from a bakery, and everyone sang to her and ate some cake. The guys at the Blue Sky are so incredibly kindhearted and sweet to all of us. Despite not having much in the way of material goods, so many people here seem genuinely happy. it's pretty incredible.
There are these beautiful trees with crazily overlapping/gnarled trunks and roots, growing out of everything- trash piles, pavement, brick/cement walls, etc. and when i think about them i feel like in some ways they're the perfect representation of what kolkata is. with the environment they're in (trash, cement, etc.) it seems that all odds are against them and that it'd be impossible for them to survive. but they do. and they flourish. all the different roots that are intertwined as the trunk (i don't know which is which for these trees) are arranged in ways that seem chaotic and confusing, and can't be broken down into roots, trunk, and branch categories. nothing here is clear-cut like that. but everything here somehow goes together in a way that works, and despite the chaos, the people flourish. Whew, I just way extended that metaphor. Maybe you understand, probably you don't, and if you don't understand then you're starting to understand more. You're probably thinking "what?!" Don't worry, it's ok. No problem.

For you who are still confused about the time difference- check out the sweet clocks that Annie put on the right side of the blog, down at the bottom.

The City of Joy

2009-05-22T03:42:00.000-07:00

Namaste Everyone!!

First I'll answer some questions on the posts before. We flew with Emirates airlines, which was pretty great. The first flight was very nice, comfortable, not too crowded, and the food wasn't bad either! The second flight was just as good, but I little more crowded, especially for us with long legs!! Also, I didn't notice any poverty when we were in Dubai, we were mainly in the airport and at the huge mall, where I didn't find much other than fancy cars and expensive stores! But also it was dark, but I'm sure, like all cities there is some poverty there.

Okay, so everyone is doing great! We had our first day at the Missionaries of Charity today. I think everyone was still struggling with jet lag, because my whole room, (Brittany and Nicole), was up before the call of Prayer at 4am! (I think you guys were probably eating dinner around that time!) It actually don't mind getting up that early when it's for the call of prayer. I happened to go to the bathroom before the call to prayer and peeked out the window and it was the first time I had not seen people out and about, honking their horns, ringing their bells, etc. After the call to prayer, I got up and went up on the roof, where I have found a really peaceful place to journal, and take snapshots of the city without feeling like I'm being part of what they call, "poverty tourism." The crows were cawing and flying around as people climbed up on their roof to hang their washed clothes. A saw people in the streets gathering by the pump to wash themselves, their taxis, brush their teeth, anything. The taxis are really old, and remind me of the ones in Dirty Dancing Havana Nights.

We then walked to the Mother House where we fuond people from all over the world, South Africa, Spain, Italy, France, a place called Michigan?? haha But it was really cool, we had these tiny bananas, no longer than a finger, a slice of bread, and a cup of delicious Chai Tea. We socialized with the people around us, and then we were all called to say a prayer that hung on a wall, it was beautiful to have everyone from all over come together to pray. We then all peeled off and headed to the different houses, for me and Katie, it was to Shashi Bahvan (Sp?).

So we arrived at the house and met some people from Argentina, Chile, and Japan who we would be working with. We took our shoes off, grabbed an apron and were thrown right to work as the Indian Woman called "Auntie!" and pointed to food and a child. We worked with handicapped children all day, feeding, changing, playing with them. They were absolutely adorable, and it was incredible how you can tell love is being spread even with a language barrier. The funniest part was about 5 minutes in, Johnny, who I was feeding, peed his diaper, and I needed to change i, but it wasn't as easy as taking it off and taping a new one on like in the US, it was an old cloth diaper. First off, I haven't seen a diaper like this in real life, only in pictures where the stork carries the babies, but anyhow, the women were busy working and I had to figure this one out on my own.

After this we exercised the children as they layed on the mats on the floor. Kids from the other class were throwing toys, and the forms of discipline are much different and it reminded me of a discussion we had in one of my Anthropology classes about how different people punish their children differently, and not that one is wrong or better, just different. I then realized my soft talking to the kids might not be somethign they were used to, and that probably saying, "no hunny, you can't do that" wouldn' t be affective as the women are a little more strict with the kids. I found this out when I was trying to nicely feed the kids who clearly didn't want the rice I was trying to feed them, apparantly you have to be a little more forceful, because they do have to eat, and they will eat it once you get started feeding them.

We then were told to go to the roof and hang clothes. I have never seen so many sheets, shirts, little shorts, as hanging on this roof. Katie and I were tip-toe-ing around as our feet were not used to the hot cement from the sun. It was a good time to talk to eachother and reflect on what we had done.

We then had a Chai tea break, and later returned to playing with the children. After this we walked back with our Japanese friends to Sudder Street. The people on the walks anywhere are so friendly. At first, I was a little bit weary as to why they are syaing "Hello" and "Hi", the only English words they know. I realize they may want our money, but saying "Namaste" back and nodding your head usually brings a smile, and even a chuckle from them. They are interested in practicing their English and getting to knwo why we are here. When we tell them we are working at the Mother House, the response is always positive, which is a reinforcement that what we're doing is good.

I don't think Nicole mentioned, but last night we went to Kali's Temple. There was a guy there, not formally dressed, ready to give a tour. Slumdog Millionaire anyone? Man infront of the Colleseum, Dad? He took us in two groups, after we got yelled at for trying to take pictures, into the temple, barefooted. I was in the second group, and as we entered, it was like a mosh-pit of people throwing gifts to Kali as good luck. The guide pushed everyone out of the way, pulled me inside the moshpit right infront of the incense and fire, and Kali, and a guy hanging from a rope poked me in the forehead, I had no idea why but all I said was, "I'm sorry I have no money." Later I found out he had put an orange dot on my forehead, which means good luck, and that I can see the future, according to Sam from the Blue Sky.

The guys at the Blue Sky are the nicest guys ever, and are always so bubbly and happy when we go in. They know our eating habits here, and they pick out great meals when you ask them to decide a meal for you.

We went shopping today as well and got some bangles, bags, and all kinds of things. I think the hardest part is walking down the street, because we basically wear a billboard that says "Hi we're American, we have a lot of money." People come up an beg, and it's often very hard to say no, but the orientation at Mother House helped a lot in telling us that we can't because it adds to the cycle. Some people have been giving away their left over food from dinner. The hardest part is that poverty in America, you can simply walk by the one begger on the road, but here, poverty surrounds you, and you can't escape it.

One amazing thing about this city is how everything works together. EAch part and person fit together, like a puzzle, or like threads in a silk scarf. They all need eachother, and love eachother for that. There is no crime that I have seen yet, people work hard for their money, pulling a rickshaw, running a shop, driving a taxi, and it really is commendable and respected by all in the community, where it seems no one would want to take from anyone else. I'm sure it happens, but it seems that everyone knows everyone, and you wouldn't want to be on the bad side of the whole city. It's funny because if we stop to talk to one person, everyone else nearby surrounds us to try to find out everyone else's business, to find out who we are, why we're here, etc. and this reminds me of my hometown, Holliston, which is a small net community, much like this.

I am having a great time, and although children folllowing you for blocks and blocks with their hand held out brings me to tears, everytime, I think it's sometime so important to see, and think about, it's healthy to try to search for the answer to this problem and question of poverty that has been pondered for years, and may never be resolved, but can get a step closer, and that is enough.

Anyways, sorry this is so long!! I hope everyone back home is doing well!! Eevrything is great here. Mom, Dad, I had a chorus of birthday singers this morning at 6am, so don't worry, and I couldn't ask to spend my 20th birthday any other way. Kell, think of this from 3:30-12 tonight, it will still be my brithday there, but yours here, so we're sharing a birthday for 9.5 hours!! Anyways, happy brithday to you too!! Bridge- I love you!! I hope everyone stays safe.

Peace, Love, and prayers,
Kate

WE ARE HERE!!!

2009-05-20T22:49:00.001-07:00

Hello friends!

I am writing to let you know that we are in Kolkata, safe and sound! It is 11:16 am here, which I think is nine and a half hours ahead of the east coast.

We had quite the journey getting to Kolkata. Luckilly all of our flights went off very smoothly and our layovers were as painless as possible. Our flight from JFK to Dubai was UNREAL. It was the most outrageous and high-tech flight that I have ever been on. Each seat had its own TV with a remote control and hundreds of movies, tv shows, albums and games to play and listen to. We flew economy, but we still got hot towels, dinner/breakfast, little travel kids with socks and tooth brushes, pillows, blankets and unlimited snacks and drinks! We chatted with a friendly flight attendent who assured us that everything is "bigger and better" in Dubai.

We had a seven hour layover in the city and decided that it would be a good time to ventuer out. We took two mini-van taxis to the BIGGEST MALL IN THE WORLD. On the way, we saw the biggest building and limitless car showcases. We made friends with a woman from San Fransisco who was on her way to a different part of India and she shared in our mall adventure. The mall itself was almost nauseatingly large and I suspect that we probably only saw a small fraction of it. Part of this fraction included an INDOOR SKI SLOPE which I had the pleasure of seeing once on the travel channel. We stopped for some Starbucks and headed back to the airport via some high-tech taxis with GPS meters. Every car we saw was incredibly brand new.

The flight from Dubai to Kolkata was a little less high-tech than than the first, but still incredibly accomodating and equipped with tv screens for every seat. I watched a lot of episodes of Friends on this flight and tried to sleep with no avail. We arrived in Kolkata at about 8:30 in the morning, which was 11pm EST and luckilly ALL OF OUR BAGGAGE ARRIVED TOO!!! Huzzah!!!

We took three taxi cabs to the hotel, a journey of about 25 minutes. These cabs were much different from the ones we saw in Dubai. They were traditional yellow taxi cabs, proabbly from the 1980s and the dashboards were filled with Hindu gods. The traffic in Kolkata is UNREAL, we experienced lots of traffic jams alongside old cabs, some new cars, packed busses, skinny cows and various rickshaws (auto, bicycle and man-pulled). The rural poverty here is incredible and unlike anything I have ever seen. It was sort of like being in one of the poor latin American cities that I have visited, only with about 15x the ammount of people. 15 million people live in Kolkata, in a city that was built for more like 15 thousand.

I expected the city to be a little bit hotter than it actually is, but nevertheless we have still sweat quite a bit. Our rooms are cool with fans and air conditioning, as well as the Blue Sky Diner and this internet cafe. We took quite the walk to one of Mother Theresa's buildings for our orientation yesterday. We experienced many new smells, some good, some not so good, all assaulting our noses at once. There is one corner here that smells overwhelmingly of sewage, but luckilly you can pass by relatively quickly.

Our orientation was helpful. A Spanish woman named Maria, who is a long-term volunteer, told us about all of the different houses that we could work at. Hannah and I are going to be working at Daya Dan which is a home for handicapped children. Other houses include Caligat, home for the dying; Prem Dan, home for the sick and dying; Shanti Dan, home for women and their children, many of which who have been imprisioned; another home like Shanti Dan for men and Shishu Bhavan, a school for orphans who will be adopted. Thursday is the day of rest for volunteers and so we will all be heading to our placements tomorrow morning, after breakfast of bananas, bread and chai tea at the mother house.

Something that was interesting at our orientation was a sheet of paper that we were handed that explains the code of conduct within the missionaries of charity. Part of this explained that the sisters discourage any and all volunteers from giving money to beggars. They said that we should give money to organizations and not directly to people, as it only encourages the begging culture, which is set up almost in a mafia-style fashion. Some of the chidlren that we see begging on the streets have actually been taken to be used as beggars. Many of the children are being sexually exploited as well and so the sisters say that we should not give them anything, as it encourages this exploitation and rewards them for going up to and touching strangers. I agree with this idea, but it is still hard to see all of the begging children and it's hard to find a balance between acknowledging them and trying not to encourage them follownig us.

We went to bed extremely early last night. I was asleep by 730 and despite waking up a few times in the middle of the night I was able to sleep until 8am this morning. The city is EXTREMELY quiet at night time, so different from the busyness of the day. We are in the midst of our second day here and so I will leave you to go explore the city some more! We all have access to our email, so feel free to email us individually if you would like!

Namaste,
Nicole

It's Bikram yoga hot!

2009-05-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

We woke up in Kolkata today! I woke up at 4:30 at the call to prayer but then went back to sleep. No problems getting to sleep though, I was exhausted! At the airport we were tested for Swine Flu, and then we took the craziest cab ride ever to our hotel. Then we took naps and went to the Mother House of Mother Theresa's Missionaries of Chairty. I'm going to work at Daya Dan with Nicole, which is the home for physically and mentally handicapped children. We then went to dinner and I had chili garlic fried rice at the Blue Sky Cafe. It was sooo good! We then had a quick meeting and went to sleep. Its super hot here but thanks to Bikram yoga, I knew what to expect in terms of temperature. Thanks mom and dad!
Love, Hannah

Packalacking!

2009-05-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

Nicole here, reporting from Hinesburg, Vermont where I just recently locked myself out of my Uncle's house and had to climb through a window to get back to my packing! In all seriousness, I am actually quite packed, with my checked luggage already in the MOVE office. The task today is making sure I have a well-stocked carry-on with all of the essentials. (Has everyone packed an extra pair of underwear?) Seriously. In 2007 I went on another International Service Trip with MOVE and the airline lost our luggage for three days. I am going to take a wild guess and say that Kolkata is probably not a place to be without clean underwear... (Neither is the Dominican Republic!)

With all of graduation craziness, it's been hard to focus on Kolkata 100% but it's finally here and we'll be leaving the United States tomorrow! For our crazy-long layover in JFK I am taking a stack of books, a pack of cards, bananagrams and probably some snacks! I am a pretty good sport as far as airports go and so I am looking forward to some of that journey as well. Day 2 in an airport might start to get a little hairy, but it's all good! Our group is armed with the laughing yoga techniques that Julia taught us during one of our meetings.

Testing 1,2, 3

2009-05-13T19:19:00.001-07:00

A week from today we will be in Kolkata. Just testing our blog to see if readers can leave comments on our posts. Here goes!