YAY! My turn to post. It's a somewhat cooler day in Kolkata, but not really there's just bit of wind intermingling with the scortching heat. We survived election day playing games inside and enjoying each others company and the quiet and peaceful Sudder Street, which to be honest was unreal and kinda weird. Anywho, today as we head into our last full week here, we are venturing to Kali's Temple and a few other places to see in the area. But that's not what I want to tell you about. Although I know Christine already posted about ShiShu Bhavan I wanted to tell you a little bit more about our day there. So here I go... :)
ShiShu Bhavan is just down the street to the Mother House so we do not have to enjoy many different methods of transportation or the hustle and bustle of all the crazy traffic. Our walk home through the busy streets and neighborhoods is one of the most intense illumination of senses. Non-the-less Christine and I just walk our exhausted feet into a large building compound right on the main road. The two huge metal doors are painted rustic orange and only one sports the name Missionaries of Charity: ShiShu Bhavan. We go in the side door to the right, greet a few Massi's and Sisters along our way and continue on to the left down a hallway towards the toddler house. As we enter around 8am, the Massi's are gathering for their morning prayer and we sit with them under the rotating fans as the screaming and yelling of the kids comes from the back. Occasionally one of our kids will meander out to say hello and then get hustled back into their room. At first sitting with the Massi's was honestly really quite awkward. They sit there look straight at you and point to things. You know they are definitely talking about you in a different language that I obviously don't understand and then they laugh. Now, its almost comforting to hear them talking and to sit with them as they all say "Good Morning Auntie" and hold your hand for an extended period of time and tell you to sit down next to them.
The Massi's pray together and sing the most beautiful songs that I will never understand, but love to hear, right before our day gets started. When prayer is finished the head Sister, Sister Joan of Arc, will come out and give the Massi's directions and make sure that they are all there. Christine and I brace ourselves for what we are about to enter into. If you look forward into the large dark room behind the foyer about 50 cribs lay untouched. On either side of the cribs the kids are running and playing in their appropriate areas. We go almost all the way down, unlatch the gate, and enter the overwhelming room of 5 and 6 year olds screaming. In about 2 seconds you are hunched over with about 3 kids attached and clawing at your back. Kids get so excited to see you and just jump and oh man do they have good grips. It can take almost 5 minutes to detach one. By now I have the hang of it and sit down on one of the tables and say good morning to all of them.
There are about 15 to 16 kids in our classroom. I have become very attached to many of them. Two in particular are twins, Jason and Jackson, If I could adopt them... though my mother would would totally not approve at this stage in my life, I totally would and have many a times contemplated it. Sometimes the two can most definitely be a bit much to handle, but I honestly enjoy the challenge. After the first few days Jason jumped into my lap with his tummy lying on my legs. I began to just gently run my fingers up and down his back for almost 20 minutes and he was perfectly content and very calm. Ever since then every morning we come in he has jumped into my lap and slaps his back and says "Auntie" and points to his back. So I just rub his back and enjoy that simple peace while the other crazy monkeys are climbing up walls, running around, and most often hitting each other. We spend almost the next 20 minutes in there until the Massi's either tell us what to do or we decide to take them to school.
What happens next is always a toss up. Some mornings we will go to the park next door to the Toddler House, while other days we will go up to the school. The park is always an experience. Your name, Auntie, is called more than you can count. You push children on the many different types of swings, chase them, collect leaves with them, and get really really really dirty. School is also an experience. Some days we will teach them small words, letters, or objects. I have fallen in love with drawing and writting with chalk for the kids. Today I drew a face, and we went through all the body parts on a face. We had them point to their own ears, eyes, mouths etc. and then we had them help us spell the words outloud. Then we sang Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes and that was a huge hit. The kids knew the words and were so excited to sing along. Then we give them a piece of construction paper and asked them to draw a face. Some were quite interesting while others just drew what they saw on the board. Other days Christine and I bring in dental coloring books, regular coloring books, and play dough. Their little faces light up like the sun when they recieve something new, although sharing can some times be quite the struggle.
No matter what the activitiy however, I really enjoy the joy they bring me and what I can share with them. I can see it in their faces and I can tell by their crys that the yearn for something more and something better. The first day we were at ShiShu Bhavan I was working with Jason he had a fit and the Massi told me to leave him alone. As I mentioned in one of my emails, I challenged myself to stick with him. I can't help it, I saw it in his eyes, he wanted to learn. By the end of that first day he and his brother had written their ABC's out on the board all by themselves! Success. It was such a warm feeling. What helped them get by was encouragement and lots of high fives. Our kids LOVE high fives. It is the most simple and greatest reward that the children just die for. When they have drawn something new, completed a picture, or built the eiffle tower with play dough, they will run over point to what they have done, put it in the other hand and whip their right hand up to hit mine. Sometimes, I'll let you in on a secret, they have only even drew a line or nothing has even changed and they still run over for rewards. The smiles that come across their faces when they do so are just SOOOOO big and full of love.
Our day is split up into to two sessions. One session then break for chai, then another session. We change their clothes and then help to feed them lunch. Once they are settled and almost all are chowing down we head out into the big room of cribs and change the top sheets on all the beds. Then just before we leave the kids run out, climb up and jump into their cribs two by two and lay down for a nap. If we are still there at this point, I love to go around and give each child a kiss on their forehead. I will kiss my hand then stick the kiss on their foreheads. Again this is a moment of small presents, but their faces just rest with joy. Their heads will perch up and their high energy will drop and a small smile will just curl up on their face. Then my morning is done and Christine and I head home.
I told our SMC group last night that a lot of the reason why I do service and my every day goal in life is to make people smile. A smile, though small and simple, can do wonders in a persons day and to a persons heart. These children that I work with every day at ShiShu don't always understand me since we have a strong language barrier, however, a smile does more than words. To see these children smile makes my heart melt with warmth and love. Although I don't know them to well and they have no idea who I am and will probably forget me, our shared smiles becomes our strong bond. The smiles I give them when I am there may be the only smile they get for that day and every day each child deserves a thousand smiles. No matter how sick, exhausted, and over-worked I feel here, I can never go a day without smiling. I have so much to offer, share, and learn that I must always wear my smile.
Though I don't always agree with the ways in which things are done and I am not always in the best of spirits, I know that I must not forget to put on my smile while getting dressed for the day. A smile can most definitely go a long way.
Sending you manys smiles and love from Kolkata.
<3 Claire
Monday, May 31, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
New Places with Older Faces :)
So I decided to post a little insight as to my afternoon on here because I, like a few others before me, have made the crossover today between young and old. In other words, I switched it up from going from my usual ShiShu Bhavan orphanage to Kalighat, Mother Theresa's first home where several of my fellow SMC group members frequent daily. Kalighat is a home for the sick and the dying, much different than my usual mornings spent coloring and discovering how many animals I can create with Play-doh. I prepared myself for the worst before going because despite being twenty years old I'm still plagued with the child-like fear of old people. This, combined with the graphic descriptions Heather, Jerry, Eric, and Helen usually give of the open wounds and sores or scares of TB, made me anticipate the worst.
Even walking into Kalighat, I immediately sensed a very different atmosphere. I am used to being greeted by screaming children climbing on top of me like a jungle gym, but at Kalighat the majority of the patients are confined to their beds all day long. Some beckoned me over as I walked by, but several could not even talk and tried to motion with feeble limbs something they wanted, the ones who could talk spoke no English. I felt lost and confused, concerned the patients urgently needed to sit up, eat or drink something, go to the bathroom, or some other necessity that I might miscomprehend and result in a crisis. Heather must have come to my rescue 9 or 10 times, constantly assuring me everyone was fine and simply wanted to talk. She was also excited to introduce me to her aforementioned favorite, Agnes. However, Agnes was in a grumpy/miserable mood this afternoon and in between crying shooed us and the other volunteers away. I helplessly tried lifting several patients to give them their medicine, but didn't know if I was hurting an unseen wound or ache on their fragile bodies.
Just when I had lost all hope in my ability to aid anyone at Kalighat, two women in beds next to each other beckoned me over. I began my struggle with understanding what they needed, but instead one reached out just to hold my hand as the other one rested her head in my lap. I sat for a few moments, unsure of whether this too might be body language for breathing or some other illness; but eventually realized the women just wanted to be in my company. I relaxed my posture, settling into content silence with the two. The one in my lap shifted trying to get comfortable, noticed my handhold with the other woman, and broke our two hands apart. I smiled and when she looked away reached for the other's hand again, which the first woman soon dismissed again! We played this game back and forth for a few minutes before I got up to hand out dinner. Something must be in the mango's here, because Agnes was a different woman after hers. Heather and I spent the rest of our time there joking around with her. Her sly laughter was contagious, as were the tricks she pulled on us grabbing our aprons and undoing our shoe buckles. Once she began talking she wouldn't shut up! Despite the fact that it was all in Bengali, I felt entertained nonetheless by her animated storytelling.
It certainly was a drastic change for me to go from being around new life to old life in a matter of a few hours, but my afternoon at Kalighat showed me that even the sick and dying in Kolkata have unique and positive outlooks on life. People like Agnes try to embrace their situation as best as possible by spreading cheer throughout the volunteers which is very admirable when considering the circumstances they are in. Though my energy was not quite as high in Kalighat as I'm used to, it was challenging and yet insightful to channel it in a different way and I'm really glad I was able to experience Mother Theresa's "first love" today at Kalighat.
Love,
Christine
Even walking into Kalighat, I immediately sensed a very different atmosphere. I am used to being greeted by screaming children climbing on top of me like a jungle gym, but at Kalighat the majority of the patients are confined to their beds all day long. Some beckoned me over as I walked by, but several could not even talk and tried to motion with feeble limbs something they wanted, the ones who could talk spoke no English. I felt lost and confused, concerned the patients urgently needed to sit up, eat or drink something, go to the bathroom, or some other necessity that I might miscomprehend and result in a crisis. Heather must have come to my rescue 9 or 10 times, constantly assuring me everyone was fine and simply wanted to talk. She was also excited to introduce me to her aforementioned favorite, Agnes. However, Agnes was in a grumpy/miserable mood this afternoon and in between crying shooed us and the other volunteers away. I helplessly tried lifting several patients to give them their medicine, but didn't know if I was hurting an unseen wound or ache on their fragile bodies.
Just when I had lost all hope in my ability to aid anyone at Kalighat, two women in beds next to each other beckoned me over. I began my struggle with understanding what they needed, but instead one reached out just to hold my hand as the other one rested her head in my lap. I sat for a few moments, unsure of whether this too might be body language for breathing or some other illness; but eventually realized the women just wanted to be in my company. I relaxed my posture, settling into content silence with the two. The one in my lap shifted trying to get comfortable, noticed my handhold with the other woman, and broke our two hands apart. I smiled and when she looked away reached for the other's hand again, which the first woman soon dismissed again! We played this game back and forth for a few minutes before I got up to hand out dinner. Something must be in the mango's here, because Agnes was a different woman after hers. Heather and I spent the rest of our time there joking around with her. Her sly laughter was contagious, as were the tricks she pulled on us grabbing our aprons and undoing our shoe buckles. Once she began talking she wouldn't shut up! Despite the fact that it was all in Bengali, I felt entertained nonetheless by her animated storytelling.
It certainly was a drastic change for me to go from being around new life to old life in a matter of a few hours, but my afternoon at Kalighat showed me that even the sick and dying in Kolkata have unique and positive outlooks on life. People like Agnes try to embrace their situation as best as possible by spreading cheer throughout the volunteers which is very admirable when considering the circumstances they are in. Though my energy was not quite as high in Kalighat as I'm used to, it was challenging and yet insightful to channel it in a different way and I'm really glad I was able to experience Mother Theresa's "first love" today at Kalighat.
Love,
Christine
This place, Kolkata, India, is alive. Everywhere you look you see life. You see the motions, hear the noises, and smell the smells. The smells are constant from the potency of drying meat out in the hot sun literally cooking hanging in the open shops, to the smell of warm chai at Mother House, to the smell of rotting flesh and ammonia at Kaligaht. Smells are everywhere. These smells are constantly changing and being overwhelmed by other senses. For a city where very little changes, the smells, sights, tastes, and noises are forever changing.
The city seems to be at a constant sprint, treading hopelessly deeper into despair. The situation is so complex it is sometimes hard to see a solution or hope. And then there are moments when the simple smiles of the kids at Brother Xavier's, Sabera, and even at Daya Dan when all seems hopeful again. The kids have such enthusiasm and life in their eyes and smiles that one cannot help but be hopeful for this city of living contrasts.
Tomorrow, the people of Kolkata will go to the polls and vote in a Congressional election. For days, candidates have drawn crowds in the street shouting over large megaphones about change. The people are excited even though when you ask them about politics they will shrug it off and say they do not care. Although the people of Kolkata will not always openly voice it, they do seem to truly care about the future.
Here it is easy to get caught up in the simple and not so simple day to day tasks. It is hard enough for many just to survive from day to day. The election seems to allow the locals to escape the present for a moment and dream of a better tomorrow. As satisfying as it is to be volunteering and helping out a little here, it is nice to see the people excited and motivated to change their own lives. One can only hope that the resources, provided by people like Brother Xavier's and Sabera, will be able to aide the people in improving their own lives.
-Jerry
The city seems to be at a constant sprint, treading hopelessly deeper into despair. The situation is so complex it is sometimes hard to see a solution or hope. And then there are moments when the simple smiles of the kids at Brother Xavier's, Sabera, and even at Daya Dan when all seems hopeful again. The kids have such enthusiasm and life in their eyes and smiles that one cannot help but be hopeful for this city of living contrasts.
Tomorrow, the people of Kolkata will go to the polls and vote in a Congressional election. For days, candidates have drawn crowds in the street shouting over large megaphones about change. The people are excited even though when you ask them about politics they will shrug it off and say they do not care. Although the people of Kolkata will not always openly voice it, they do seem to truly care about the future.
Here it is easy to get caught up in the simple and not so simple day to day tasks. It is hard enough for many just to survive from day to day. The election seems to allow the locals to escape the present for a moment and dream of a better tomorrow. As satisfying as it is to be volunteering and helping out a little here, it is nice to see the people excited and motivated to change their own lives. One can only hope that the resources, provided by people like Brother Xavier's and Sabera, will be able to aide the people in improving their own lives.
-Jerry
Friday, May 28, 2010
Our Tounge Ties
Namaste all!
So I finally ventured out of the hotel today to send some of you postcards after a 48 hour dizzyspell and have had a lot of time to think when I'm not sleeping the day away, reading, or joining the group for meals. Although I've missed a little bit of fun the past 2 days @ Sabera and clubbing, they have all been great with filling me in and allowing me to experience it through them. We share through reflection every evening in different ways and it's always a great way to see where everyone's at, the days experiences, and overall response to the work and life we're partaking in, in Kolkata. Mom & Dad--I went aganist the normal Meghan ways and actually slept and did nothing and am feeling 100% this evening :) All is good and ibuprofen took care of business.
Since I have had ungodly amounts of time to think, I have been thinking about missing my site and the boy I work with one-on-one a lot. The site I volunteer at is Daya Dan. This home houses children who have been adopted and have phsyical and mental handicaps. Mom told me before I left that I probably couldn't handle it emotionally (as tears are a regular thing for me even in VT!), but I've been pleasantly surprised that my connection with these children has morphed itself into endless energy with them with no tears as of yet. The structure of the floor I am on (which is for the higher functioning boys) involves prayer, meditation, laundry, cleaning, a 2 hour 1-on-1 Tutoring or Physical Therapy block, and then play time before lunch which turns into the American volunteers teaching the kids how to dance to Disney music vs. the Sister's choice of Praise and Worship tunes. Each boy has his own case and story, but I was pleasantly surprised here that they do not label the children with their story like we sometimes do in the states--the bio's are available to us though for accuracy when teaching and working with them. They challenge the boys to do everything themselves and if they physcially can't walk, you witness often a younger and older boy taking hold of the immobile child's arms and legs and moving him where he needs to be! I sit back often while watching this and am amazed that a 6 yr old who is often physically handicapped in his own way doesn't hesitate to offer his "brother" that helping hand multiple times a day.
The floor I am on is really only for long-term volunteers so those I work with have been there or plan to be there for over 6 weeks. They do this so the boys PT and tutor plans can actually make progress. I was pleasantly surprised when we were getting placed that the sister asked if I felt comfortable teaching a 9 yr. old boy 1-on-1 for the entire 3 weeks. I was delighted--what more could I ask for? Although I hesitate to share his story, it is hopeful to see how a setting like this home can be so positive to his learning. Dilip is 9 and was adopted by the sisters 2 years ago. They took him in and after being assessed he was diagnosed with hyperactivity and autism. He was also mute until his adoption because he was toungue tied until he had a procedure to correct it.
When he was trailing off during our lesson on learning Cat, Dog, and Car he stared off into the depths of the fan blowing overhead...I waited the usual 30 seconds until he returned his attention and he touched his lip. He had a massive canker sore inside his mouth. All morning he had been chipper, but was touching it constantly--I just hadn't thought anything of him touching his lip. Until he pulled his lip down I had no idea-he did not complain once. I myself HATE canker sores and know how annoying they can be. After touching his lip he proceeded to touch my lip (all silently). He wanted to see that area of my lip to see if I had what he had. I shook my head no after showing him that area, but he immediately stuck his hands into my mouth to open my teeth wider. I was confused, but went along with it as he needs 10-15 min. breaks and we'd only been off the lesson for about 5! Kids always love looking at adults teeth so what the heck--I let him go at it. Immediately he started pushing on my own tounge tie and he released his hands laughing so joyously screaming "Auntie's toungue! Auntie's toungue!" Inside I was laughing to myself because my silly tounge tie has never had a purpose in my entire 22 years besides being the butt of jokes between my siblings, and the few people who know about it, as something they will cut in the middle of the night! He then motioned for me to unhinge the hooks that hold his desk tray on, I let him out of his desk (which he's a runner w/ a lot of energy so that was risky but I knew he needed to do something and god forbid it was bathroom related!) He embraced me with the most gentle hug I think I have ever received and kissed me on both cheeks.
There is something beautiful about spending time with someone you can connect with on a deeper than surfaced level. Who knew my tounge tie would bridge our relationship from just another volunteer here to teach him his ABC's and 123's to someone to greet enthusiastically each morning from his favorite spot in the MCDonald's like ball pit! I knew my time with Dilip so far had been more than wonderful, but this moment gave me even more excitement for the next week and a half with him because of the simple excitement his discovery had on him! The remainder of the morning as the other volunteers happily danced to "Under the Sea", Dilip placed his feet on my feet, wrapped his arms into a tight embrace around my back and said, "Auntie dance. Dilip dance." We danced for about 20 straight minutes without a care in the world! Each day we dance now the same way after the end of a morning filled with structure and activities...what more could I ask for?
-Meghan
P.S.-Sumeya (or if someone in Mrs. Orlando's class can tell her!) I found you the best Indian Chocolate...just wait!
So I finally ventured out of the hotel today to send some of you postcards after a 48 hour dizzyspell and have had a lot of time to think when I'm not sleeping the day away, reading, or joining the group for meals. Although I've missed a little bit of fun the past 2 days @ Sabera and clubbing, they have all been great with filling me in and allowing me to experience it through them. We share through reflection every evening in different ways and it's always a great way to see where everyone's at, the days experiences, and overall response to the work and life we're partaking in, in Kolkata. Mom & Dad--I went aganist the normal Meghan ways and actually slept and did nothing and am feeling 100% this evening :) All is good and ibuprofen took care of business.
Since I have had ungodly amounts of time to think, I have been thinking about missing my site and the boy I work with one-on-one a lot. The site I volunteer at is Daya Dan. This home houses children who have been adopted and have phsyical and mental handicaps. Mom told me before I left that I probably couldn't handle it emotionally (as tears are a regular thing for me even in VT!), but I've been pleasantly surprised that my connection with these children has morphed itself into endless energy with them with no tears as of yet. The structure of the floor I am on (which is for the higher functioning boys) involves prayer, meditation, laundry, cleaning, a 2 hour 1-on-1 Tutoring or Physical Therapy block, and then play time before lunch which turns into the American volunteers teaching the kids how to dance to Disney music vs. the Sister's choice of Praise and Worship tunes. Each boy has his own case and story, but I was pleasantly surprised here that they do not label the children with their story like we sometimes do in the states--the bio's are available to us though for accuracy when teaching and working with them. They challenge the boys to do everything themselves and if they physcially can't walk, you witness often a younger and older boy taking hold of the immobile child's arms and legs and moving him where he needs to be! I sit back often while watching this and am amazed that a 6 yr old who is often physically handicapped in his own way doesn't hesitate to offer his "brother" that helping hand multiple times a day.
The floor I am on is really only for long-term volunteers so those I work with have been there or plan to be there for over 6 weeks. They do this so the boys PT and tutor plans can actually make progress. I was pleasantly surprised when we were getting placed that the sister asked if I felt comfortable teaching a 9 yr. old boy 1-on-1 for the entire 3 weeks. I was delighted--what more could I ask for? Although I hesitate to share his story, it is hopeful to see how a setting like this home can be so positive to his learning. Dilip is 9 and was adopted by the sisters 2 years ago. They took him in and after being assessed he was diagnosed with hyperactivity and autism. He was also mute until his adoption because he was toungue tied until he had a procedure to correct it.
When he was trailing off during our lesson on learning Cat, Dog, and Car he stared off into the depths of the fan blowing overhead...I waited the usual 30 seconds until he returned his attention and he touched his lip. He had a massive canker sore inside his mouth. All morning he had been chipper, but was touching it constantly--I just hadn't thought anything of him touching his lip. Until he pulled his lip down I had no idea-he did not complain once. I myself HATE canker sores and know how annoying they can be. After touching his lip he proceeded to touch my lip (all silently). He wanted to see that area of my lip to see if I had what he had. I shook my head no after showing him that area, but he immediately stuck his hands into my mouth to open my teeth wider. I was confused, but went along with it as he needs 10-15 min. breaks and we'd only been off the lesson for about 5! Kids always love looking at adults teeth so what the heck--I let him go at it. Immediately he started pushing on my own tounge tie and he released his hands laughing so joyously screaming "Auntie's toungue! Auntie's toungue!" Inside I was laughing to myself because my silly tounge tie has never had a purpose in my entire 22 years besides being the butt of jokes between my siblings, and the few people who know about it, as something they will cut in the middle of the night! He then motioned for me to unhinge the hooks that hold his desk tray on, I let him out of his desk (which he's a runner w/ a lot of energy so that was risky but I knew he needed to do something and god forbid it was bathroom related!) He embraced me with the most gentle hug I think I have ever received and kissed me on both cheeks.
There is something beautiful about spending time with someone you can connect with on a deeper than surfaced level. Who knew my tounge tie would bridge our relationship from just another volunteer here to teach him his ABC's and 123's to someone to greet enthusiastically each morning from his favorite spot in the MCDonald's like ball pit! I knew my time with Dilip so far had been more than wonderful, but this moment gave me even more excitement for the next week and a half with him because of the simple excitement his discovery had on him! The remainder of the morning as the other volunteers happily danced to "Under the Sea", Dilip placed his feet on my feet, wrapped his arms into a tight embrace around my back and said, "Auntie dance. Dilip dance." We danced for about 20 straight minutes without a care in the world! Each day we dance now the same way after the end of a morning filled with structure and activities...what more could I ask for?
-Meghan
P.S.-Sumeya (or if someone in Mrs. Orlando's class can tell her!) I found you the best Indian Chocolate...just wait!
Hey Everyone!
Thanks for following our blog! Today I'm writing my first post which seems a little crazy since we've already been here for almost two weeks. Time is flying. I have spent all of my time thus far at Kaligaht, the home for the destitute and dying. My first few days there were quite challenging, but I've since gotten into a pretty steady routine. All of you who know me will not be surprised to hear that two little old ladies have stolen my heart. There are close to 60 women living in the women's ward at Kaligaht. Some of them are elderly women, others are young girls with severe wounds and many are severely malnourished. Maya and Agnes have beds right next to one another and I have built some pretty great relationships with them considering they both speak hindi and not a word of english. Maya is a sweetheart, she's probably in her 70's and I've been helping her walk to get exercise. She also likes to have me sit down on her bed and hold her hand. Then she will take my hand kiss it multiple times and pull it to her heart. We have a system of hand gestures and faces that allow us to communicate. Agnes is a riot, when I'm sitting with Maya, she will start tugging on my apron strings. She also likes to stick her tongue out at me and laughs when I make faces back at her. Seeing her big toothless smile makes my day. Wednesday she started playfully biting (gumming really) my arm. Sadly she has severe breast cancer, she has an open wound in her side that the tumor sticks out of. They clean it daily and Agnes hardly flinches, she is so strong. Today I sat and held her hand while they did it and I wanted to cry for her. As soon as it's over she's back to her usual jokes again. She is a truly amazing woman. I think the wound care is the hardest thing for me. I've never personally done it, I could never, but some of the women wail so loudly that I really hurt with them.
Kaligaht is not all sad. There are a few younger girls that have pretty intense wounds, but are doing really well. I have no doubt that they will leave Kaligaht at some point. That gives me hope. It's also nice to know that the older women I am so found of are being taken care of. I try to look at the positive side of things... though they are at a place where they will one day die, it's better that they have a roof, a bed and 3 meals a day than to be out on the street alone. I also like that I can help to put a smile on their face or make them laugh. I tend to be a pretty clumsy person, it makes for some good laughs for the women. Two days ago a slipped on what I hope was water and fell right in front of a woman's bed. She was a tiny little thing, skin and bones really and she let out the loudest laugh I've heard in awhile. Today I accidentally stepped on a bed pan (luckily it hadn't been used) and startled Maya and Agnes with all the clatter, but then they both laughed at me. I kind of felt like Patch Adams when he's walking down the hospital ward with the bed pans on for shoes.
One more story, I don't want to make this too long. Earlier in the week one of the sister's was yanking an elastic out of a woman's hair. She got impatient and said "You, come here and do this." So i went over and tried to pull the rubber band out as gently as I could. It wasn't a hair elastic, just a regular rubberband and had already been broken and retied twice. When I finally got it out it had quite a bit of hair stuck in it. I brushed her hair for her and put it back up. The next day I brought a real hair elastic for her, showed her and put it in her hair. She was beaming when I gave it to her. You would have thought I'd given her some great gift. The last few days she's called me over and taken my hand everytime I come in. It really struck me how greatful she was for something as small as a hair tie. She is one of the women that gives me hope. She's probably mid thirties and is missing her middle finger. It must have been cut off. Her whole hand is bandaged, but she seems to be doing really well. That in a nutshell describes part of my time spent at Kalighat.
I should also mention on a completely different note that we went out dancing Wednesday night for Rachael's birthday. We went to a club called the Underground. We arrived around 11 which apparently is really early. I invited a few Asian volunteers that come to Kalighat with us in the morning and they said they might come out. I didn't think they would, but i gave them my room number and told them to come by at 10. Six of them came out with us, we were 17 total. We had a really fun night rocking out to Spice Girls, Lady Ga Ga, Michael Jackson and Justin Bieber among others. Dancing in India was quite an experience, there are still those creepy guys that are in every club, but because India's culture is more reserved they all danced a few feet behind us and never actually touched/tried to dance with us. We also had a few guys in the group that were good about watching out for all of us. Surprisingly none of the girls got hit on... the only person who did was Derek. He didn't seem impressed. I'll leave it at that. : )
Hope all is well at home.
Love,
Heather
Thanks for following our blog! Today I'm writing my first post which seems a little crazy since we've already been here for almost two weeks. Time is flying. I have spent all of my time thus far at Kaligaht, the home for the destitute and dying. My first few days there were quite challenging, but I've since gotten into a pretty steady routine. All of you who know me will not be surprised to hear that two little old ladies have stolen my heart. There are close to 60 women living in the women's ward at Kaligaht. Some of them are elderly women, others are young girls with severe wounds and many are severely malnourished. Maya and Agnes have beds right next to one another and I have built some pretty great relationships with them considering they both speak hindi and not a word of english. Maya is a sweetheart, she's probably in her 70's and I've been helping her walk to get exercise. She also likes to have me sit down on her bed and hold her hand. Then she will take my hand kiss it multiple times and pull it to her heart. We have a system of hand gestures and faces that allow us to communicate. Agnes is a riot, when I'm sitting with Maya, she will start tugging on my apron strings. She also likes to stick her tongue out at me and laughs when I make faces back at her. Seeing her big toothless smile makes my day. Wednesday she started playfully biting (gumming really) my arm. Sadly she has severe breast cancer, she has an open wound in her side that the tumor sticks out of. They clean it daily and Agnes hardly flinches, she is so strong. Today I sat and held her hand while they did it and I wanted to cry for her. As soon as it's over she's back to her usual jokes again. She is a truly amazing woman. I think the wound care is the hardest thing for me. I've never personally done it, I could never, but some of the women wail so loudly that I really hurt with them.
Kaligaht is not all sad. There are a few younger girls that have pretty intense wounds, but are doing really well. I have no doubt that they will leave Kaligaht at some point. That gives me hope. It's also nice to know that the older women I am so found of are being taken care of. I try to look at the positive side of things... though they are at a place where they will one day die, it's better that they have a roof, a bed and 3 meals a day than to be out on the street alone. I also like that I can help to put a smile on their face or make them laugh. I tend to be a pretty clumsy person, it makes for some good laughs for the women. Two days ago a slipped on what I hope was water and fell right in front of a woman's bed. She was a tiny little thing, skin and bones really and she let out the loudest laugh I've heard in awhile. Today I accidentally stepped on a bed pan (luckily it hadn't been used) and startled Maya and Agnes with all the clatter, but then they both laughed at me. I kind of felt like Patch Adams when he's walking down the hospital ward with the bed pans on for shoes.
One more story, I don't want to make this too long. Earlier in the week one of the sister's was yanking an elastic out of a woman's hair. She got impatient and said "You, come here and do this." So i went over and tried to pull the rubber band out as gently as I could. It wasn't a hair elastic, just a regular rubberband and had already been broken and retied twice. When I finally got it out it had quite a bit of hair stuck in it. I brushed her hair for her and put it back up. The next day I brought a real hair elastic for her, showed her and put it in her hair. She was beaming when I gave it to her. You would have thought I'd given her some great gift. The last few days she's called me over and taken my hand everytime I come in. It really struck me how greatful she was for something as small as a hair tie. She is one of the women that gives me hope. She's probably mid thirties and is missing her middle finger. It must have been cut off. Her whole hand is bandaged, but she seems to be doing really well. That in a nutshell describes part of my time spent at Kalighat.
I should also mention on a completely different note that we went out dancing Wednesday night for Rachael's birthday. We went to a club called the Underground. We arrived around 11 which apparently is really early. I invited a few Asian volunteers that come to Kalighat with us in the morning and they said they might come out. I didn't think they would, but i gave them my room number and told them to come by at 10. Six of them came out with us, we were 17 total. We had a really fun night rocking out to Spice Girls, Lady Ga Ga, Michael Jackson and Justin Bieber among others. Dancing in India was quite an experience, there are still those creepy guys that are in every club, but because India's culture is more reserved they all danced a few feet behind us and never actually touched/tried to dance with us. We also had a few guys in the group that were good about watching out for all of us. Surprisingly none of the girls got hit on... the only person who did was Derek. He didn't seem impressed. I'll leave it at that. : )
Hope all is well at home.
Love,
Heather
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Hey everyone out there, thanks for following the blog...this is Derek...so to start off, this is my second time in Kolkata. Yes, I am back in this beautiful insane city. I am back, I am back, I am back. The only way I can explain my feels is a very intense deja vue, being able to walk into a dream. As your family and friends come home, its important to remember that this place never leaves you....I don't know, memories strike me at the oddest times. So to be back, well thats quite the trip.
So, I sit and talk way too much, when I got back to Sudder St. All the folks that live on this never ending circus of a street remembered me and greeted me with open arms, but not to long after that are they up to their old tricks again. Trust is always difficult in the section of the city where we stay.
So let me paint a picture of Sudder St. As you make a right out of the hotel, their is a nice a woman selling hardboiled eggs. On the opposite their are three taxis (that never move) where the men sit on them and drink chai. After that theirs the side walk noodle stand, followed by a bag man, and then three junkies. Back to the opposite side, theirs man that lets you pop a balloon with a small shotgun for one ruppee. The reason I am telling you this is because it was exactly the same last year. In fact mostly everything is exactly the same. This city never really changes, people just keeping doing what they do.
Okay where to next....so much happens in one day for me its hard to know where to even start. Today we visited the Sabera Foundation. An orphanage for girls only that had parents involved in prostitution in Kolkata. The Sabera Foundation was an hour and half ride outside of the city. Beautiful remote country side. Lush lush green jungles. Life their is a lot slower and people are a lot friendly. Always surprised to see a caravan of Americans!!! Such a relief from being in Kolkata. After leaving in Kolkata, you really pick up and appreciate silence. At Sabera, we hung out with the girls. They speak very good english, so you can really learn a lot about their lives. This girls have such great outlooks on life for coming from such very difficult situations. In India, all children call foreigners auntie and uncle. I am sually bad uncle, crazy uncle, or smelly uncle. I usually chase all the girls, wipe sweat and BO on them, splash water. I just cause trouble...I sat on a banana today and terrorized everyone, smc and sabera a like. I also found a giant cockroach that I chased people with. I am very good at being a little brother! Yeah, I have a lot of energy all the time so we just run and run and run. So this is the third time I played basektball in India. I am play more basketball here then I have played in the past few years in the US...
Well all I can say is that you should all be very proud of your family and friends. Kolkata is not an easy city in any regards. You need patience for everything. Just to by a shirt can be an hour process. Involving haggling, chai tea, sitting and talking about sports and politics. Life is very very slow and very very fast all at once. Well I could go on and on and on about this place.
Just sit and listen to your family and friends when they need to talk. Their are so many emotions....
Well thats all for now.....scattered I know...take care!!!
So, I sit and talk way too much, when I got back to Sudder St. All the folks that live on this never ending circus of a street remembered me and greeted me with open arms, but not to long after that are they up to their old tricks again. Trust is always difficult in the section of the city where we stay.
So let me paint a picture of Sudder St. As you make a right out of the hotel, their is a nice a woman selling hardboiled eggs. On the opposite their are three taxis (that never move) where the men sit on them and drink chai. After that theirs the side walk noodle stand, followed by a bag man, and then three junkies. Back to the opposite side, theirs man that lets you pop a balloon with a small shotgun for one ruppee. The reason I am telling you this is because it was exactly the same last year. In fact mostly everything is exactly the same. This city never really changes, people just keeping doing what they do.
Okay where to next....so much happens in one day for me its hard to know where to even start. Today we visited the Sabera Foundation. An orphanage for girls only that had parents involved in prostitution in Kolkata. The Sabera Foundation was an hour and half ride outside of the city. Beautiful remote country side. Lush lush green jungles. Life their is a lot slower and people are a lot friendly. Always surprised to see a caravan of Americans!!! Such a relief from being in Kolkata. After leaving in Kolkata, you really pick up and appreciate silence. At Sabera, we hung out with the girls. They speak very good english, so you can really learn a lot about their lives. This girls have such great outlooks on life for coming from such very difficult situations. In India, all children call foreigners auntie and uncle. I am sually bad uncle, crazy uncle, or smelly uncle. I usually chase all the girls, wipe sweat and BO on them, splash water. I just cause trouble...I sat on a banana today and terrorized everyone, smc and sabera a like. I also found a giant cockroach that I chased people with. I am very good at being a little brother! Yeah, I have a lot of energy all the time so we just run and run and run. So this is the third time I played basektball in India. I am play more basketball here then I have played in the past few years in the US...
Well all I can say is that you should all be very proud of your family and friends. Kolkata is not an easy city in any regards. You need patience for everything. Just to by a shirt can be an hour process. Involving haggling, chai tea, sitting and talking about sports and politics. Life is very very slow and very very fast all at once. Well I could go on and on and on about this place.
Just sit and listen to your family and friends when they need to talk. Their are so many emotions....
Well thats all for now.....scattered I know...take care!!!
Pictures
Here are just a couple of pictures of highlights from our trip so far...
Girls from Sabera Foundation putting on a show
An example of the absurd amount of people in Kolkata (taken at New Market)
Some boys at Brother Xavier's
Anne handing over the donation check to Brother Xavier himself
A woman washing in the street
The group during a walk in the park on one of our first days
Girls from Sabera Foundation putting on a showAn example of the absurd amount of people in Kolkata (taken at New Market) Some boys at Brother Xavier's Anne handing over the donation check to Brother Xavier himself A woman washing in the streetThe group during a walk in the park on one of our first daysI'll try to add a video of the crazy traffic later! -Rachael
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
10 Minutes
Today was my 6th morning with my Kolkata women friends. My co-volunteers and I arrived to unlock the padlocked room at 8:30am, after greeting the first 10 or so women who met us at the entryway to the building. In this small room, which is also a den for children's lessons, staff's English tutoring sessions, and weekly shock therapy with the psychiatrist, we find our supplies in the lonely drawer beside the 2 vinyl cots that line the walls. Each day, I fill my wick-away fabric capri pockets with the key ingredients for my morning shift: a bottle of nail polish, pair of nail clippers, sheet of "bindis" (traditional sticker dots for the forehead), pair of latex gloves, ballpoint pen, and a small bottle of lotion. In my arms, I carry a "Doodlepad" of paper, and a box of crayons. Other preparations include drinking at least 1 liter of water, arranging my headband for maximum possible sweat-catching, and reviewing my limited Bengali vocabulary.
I walk out onto the circular patio/sidewalk area that provides a welcomed shade between the homes' rooms and a small courtyard. The house has 2 floors, and is home to over 300 women with mental illness and developmental delays, all of whom have arrived here by way of transitional homes of either prison or a hospital. They will live here for the rest of their days and be cared for my the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, the Indian "massies" (similar to house-mothers), and the foreign volunteers from all over the world.
Until we meet for our chai tea and biscuit break at 10am, my co-volunteers and I immerse ourselves in a unique and meaningful style of companionship. I walk along the 1st-floor-right section, my adopted usual area, and greet as many women as I can with a mixture of English "Good morning" or "Hello", and the Bengali "Namascar" or "Kamanacho". I offer a hand to shake, or a touch on the shoulder, or a small wave -- and to all try to offer my genuine affection through my eyes and smile, with faith in this back-up to more traditional communication. In the distance I walk of perhaps 50 yards, I greet about 40 barefoot women, the contrast between their brightly colored dresses and beautiful dark skin filling the path. Some are lying on the cement floor, others are sitting on the old wooden chairs or cement benches, others are standing in their own space, and still others are walking slowly around the 1st-floor-right atmosphere.
I try not to have "favorites", but of course I find it impossible not to find a special connection with some of the women. My Spanglish brain has yet to master many Hindi/Bengali names, but I find that is less important than I had thought: The striking silver-haired woman with the purple tunic has the warmest gaze I have ever seen, and we sit and hold hands in companionable, comfortable silence in the way of childhood friends. I make sure to visit Veronica, wheelchair bound and around 80 years old, to practice her English and exchange short stories. My round-faced friend with the terribly broken front tooth hesitates to let my hand go after we meet -- and to be honest -- I hesitate to let hers go as well, receiving so much energy from the manner in which her face lights up. I stop to sit with the beautiful, tall, long-haired women with wavy hair, who openly serenades me as I cut and paint her finger and toe nails, both with traditional Hindi tunes and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".
As you can see, there is too much to say. Above I have described only about 10 minutes of my "typical" day and emotions here in Kolkata! But, I have hibernated from the sweltering temps and humidity for more than my share this afternoon, and must move on to other chores of market shopping (haggling style) and finding out more about where the "laughter yoga" takes place.
Much love from all of us in India!!!
Anne/Ani
I walk out onto the circular patio/sidewalk area that provides a welcomed shade between the homes' rooms and a small courtyard. The house has 2 floors, and is home to over 300 women with mental illness and developmental delays, all of whom have arrived here by way of transitional homes of either prison or a hospital. They will live here for the rest of their days and be cared for my the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, the Indian "massies" (similar to house-mothers), and the foreign volunteers from all over the world.
Until we meet for our chai tea and biscuit break at 10am, my co-volunteers and I immerse ourselves in a unique and meaningful style of companionship. I walk along the 1st-floor-right section, my adopted usual area, and greet as many women as I can with a mixture of English "Good morning" or "Hello", and the Bengali "Namascar" or "Kamanacho". I offer a hand to shake, or a touch on the shoulder, or a small wave -- and to all try to offer my genuine affection through my eyes and smile, with faith in this back-up to more traditional communication. In the distance I walk of perhaps 50 yards, I greet about 40 barefoot women, the contrast between their brightly colored dresses and beautiful dark skin filling the path. Some are lying on the cement floor, others are sitting on the old wooden chairs or cement benches, others are standing in their own space, and still others are walking slowly around the 1st-floor-right atmosphere.
I try not to have "favorites", but of course I find it impossible not to find a special connection with some of the women. My Spanglish brain has yet to master many Hindi/Bengali names, but I find that is less important than I had thought: The striking silver-haired woman with the purple tunic has the warmest gaze I have ever seen, and we sit and hold hands in companionable, comfortable silence in the way of childhood friends. I make sure to visit Veronica, wheelchair bound and around 80 years old, to practice her English and exchange short stories. My round-faced friend with the terribly broken front tooth hesitates to let my hand go after we meet -- and to be honest -- I hesitate to let hers go as well, receiving so much energy from the manner in which her face lights up. I stop to sit with the beautiful, tall, long-haired women with wavy hair, who openly serenades me as I cut and paint her finger and toe nails, both with traditional Hindi tunes and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".
As you can see, there is too much to say. Above I have described only about 10 minutes of my "typical" day and emotions here in Kolkata! But, I have hibernated from the sweltering temps and humidity for more than my share this afternoon, and must move on to other chores of market shopping (haggling style) and finding out more about where the "laughter yoga" takes place.
Much love from all of us in India!!!
Anne/Ani
Iced Mauve
Hi Everyone! I can't believe how fast time is flying! I feel like we just got here yesterday yet I find myself becoming much more comfortable with the city, the Call to Prayer no longer wakes me up at 4 AM, I know how to navigate around and I am getting the hang of haggling. On the other hand, you can never be completely comfortable in a city like Kolkata for many different reasons. I am never surprised by what I see here. Just yesterday as I was walking to the train I saw a heard of over 200 goats being hearded down Sudder Street with taxis honking all around it.
Yesterday was the first day people started going to afternoon sites. Most of us are either going to Kalighat or Daya Dan for the afternoons.
The site that I have spent my time at is Shanti Dan, which is home to over 200 women with mental illness. Most of these women were taken off of the street or from jail. In India, similar to the US (but on a much larger scale), people who are homeless with mental illness are arrested and jailed because they are seen as a disturbance. Once they get to jail there is no hope for them to get the treatment they need. Luckily in the US there are places to help with this, but Shanti Dan is one of the only places here. Most of what volunteers do consists of simply spending time with the women because they rarely get positive, individual attention. The masis, who kind of have a nurse/caretaker role, do not give much attention to the women and when they do it is usually in the form of corporal punishment. There is also a home for children who are half orphans as the sisters say, which means they have parents but either a parent is sick or dead or divorced so the parent cannot care for the child. The sisters are also in the process of building a home for children with HIV/AIDS on the compound.
Shanti Dan is such a nice place to be at because it is a little removed from the city and the women are wonderful and always great you with a smile. Once we get there I grab my nail polish and baby lotion and I never make it far before a woman takes my hand and requests a mani or pedi. At first I wasn't so sure about doing nails all morning and wanted to do something more stimulating with the women because most of them sit or sleep all day, however as the morning went on I realized how much the nail painting, massages and smiles are to the women. Almost all of the women speak Bengali and were very surprised and responsive when I said the very few Bengali phrases I know, but beyond that there is not much verbal communication between us. However, this does not mean that we still do not communicate because the physical communication that happens when I am massaging these woman's feet and hands (using the technique that my mom did on me when I was little) is deafening. There are so few times at home when I give someone my complete, undivided attention whether it is because I am distracted by my phone, computer or future task but with the women, they have my full attention and the connection between us is very powerful. They joke with me and even bring me tea during their tea time. Before, the women would repeat "tea, tea" when it was time for the volunteers to take our tea brake but now they want to keep me around for theirs. One of he most powerful moments on Saturday was when a women, Anjali, who I massaged earlier that day came up to me before I left, grabbed my hand, made me sit down in front of her and started to squeeze my arm. At first I didn't get what she was doing but then she worked her way down my arm and started to massage it, and them the other one. I was so overwhelmed by her gesture that I almost cried. Iced Mauve has now become my favorite nail color because it makes the women so happy and reminds me that no matter what material goods people have, loving attention is one of the most valuable things in life.
Tonight we are going out dancing to continue my birthday celebration and tomorrow we are heading to the Sabera Foundation.
Thanks for all of the comments- we LOVE sharing them during our nightly reflections! Thanks for all the birthday wishes too! It was a birthday like no other, complete with boys from Brother Xavier's singing "Happy Birthday" and flaming chocolate.
Namaste,
Rachael
Yesterday was the first day people started going to afternoon sites. Most of us are either going to Kalighat or Daya Dan for the afternoons.
The site that I have spent my time at is Shanti Dan, which is home to over 200 women with mental illness. Most of these women were taken off of the street or from jail. In India, similar to the US (but on a much larger scale), people who are homeless with mental illness are arrested and jailed because they are seen as a disturbance. Once they get to jail there is no hope for them to get the treatment they need. Luckily in the US there are places to help with this, but Shanti Dan is one of the only places here. Most of what volunteers do consists of simply spending time with the women because they rarely get positive, individual attention. The masis, who kind of have a nurse/caretaker role, do not give much attention to the women and when they do it is usually in the form of corporal punishment. There is also a home for children who are half orphans as the sisters say, which means they have parents but either a parent is sick or dead or divorced so the parent cannot care for the child. The sisters are also in the process of building a home for children with HIV/AIDS on the compound.
Shanti Dan is such a nice place to be at because it is a little removed from the city and the women are wonderful and always great you with a smile. Once we get there I grab my nail polish and baby lotion and I never make it far before a woman takes my hand and requests a mani or pedi. At first I wasn't so sure about doing nails all morning and wanted to do something more stimulating with the women because most of them sit or sleep all day, however as the morning went on I realized how much the nail painting, massages and smiles are to the women. Almost all of the women speak Bengali and were very surprised and responsive when I said the very few Bengali phrases I know, but beyond that there is not much verbal communication between us. However, this does not mean that we still do not communicate because the physical communication that happens when I am massaging these woman's feet and hands (using the technique that my mom did on me when I was little) is deafening. There are so few times at home when I give someone my complete, undivided attention whether it is because I am distracted by my phone, computer or future task but with the women, they have my full attention and the connection between us is very powerful. They joke with me and even bring me tea during their tea time. Before, the women would repeat "tea, tea" when it was time for the volunteers to take our tea brake but now they want to keep me around for theirs. One of he most powerful moments on Saturday was when a women, Anjali, who I massaged earlier that day came up to me before I left, grabbed my hand, made me sit down in front of her and started to squeeze my arm. At first I didn't get what she was doing but then she worked her way down my arm and started to massage it, and them the other one. I was so overwhelmed by her gesture that I almost cried. Iced Mauve has now become my favorite nail color because it makes the women so happy and reminds me that no matter what material goods people have, loving attention is one of the most valuable things in life.
Tonight we are going out dancing to continue my birthday celebration and tomorrow we are heading to the Sabera Foundation.
Thanks for all of the comments- we LOVE sharing them during our nightly reflections! Thanks for all the birthday wishes too! It was a birthday like no other, complete with boys from Brother Xavier's singing "Happy Birthday" and flaming chocolate.
Namaste,
Rachael
Monday, May 24, 2010
A Breath of Fresh Air
Namaste, everyone!
Sorry we have not posted the past two days! We spent all day Sunday at Brother Xavier's New Life, New Hope orphanage and then spent the evening celebrating Rachael's birthday! Happy Birthday, Rachael! And then last night (Monday) when I went to the Internet Cafe to finish my post there was a fire next door! Yikes! So, the internet cafe we all normally use and make phone calls home from still does not have power! :( I have discovered a new internet cafe to complete my blog, though.
I have completed my first four days working at Mother Teresa's first home and first love, Kalighat. It is a hospice for the dying destitute, both men and women. Females work with females and males with males. I will be working here five days a week with four other wonderful peeps from our group. This experience has been extremely challenging for me. The first day I didn't stop shaking the entire time I was there due to the intensity of the atmosphere and the Sisters can be a bit strict. The female ward is filled with 50+ women who are dying of numerous different causes. Some have huge wounds all over their bodies, some are can barely move on their own, some are so skinny all you see is skin and bones... the room wreaks of extremely strong disinfectant- way worse than any hospital you've ever been in- and the sound of suffering constantly echoes. We start off our day there by doing laundry by hand and washing dishes. This process is extremely meditative and soothing. Today, I spent a lot of time hanging up laundry to dry on the roof and I loved every peaceful second of it, even though I was completely sweating through both my shirt and pants (it is definitely 100+ degrees today with full humidity!) Once those chores are complete we help the Sisters distribute medications to the patients and then feed them lunch.
I have been assigned to help a woman who is completely paralyzed on the left side of her body do exercises with both her arms and legs, by using the mobile limb to lift the paralyzed limb. Making this woman smile validates my purpose at Kalighat. She often will give up mid exercise and start to cry. It is difficult to communicate when I barely know two words of Bengali. Somehow, through touch, eye contact and being present with the person, we can begin to understand each other. To soothe her I will put her hand in mine and hold it against her heart. The Sister insisted she stayed on the floor today next to her bed to do her exercises, probably so she would stay awake. However, with her on the floor it make it very difficult and uncomfortable to move her. Once I finally did move her I noticed she had stool all over her. I cannot put into words how difficult this experience is... The other volunteers and SMC folks that are with me are so incredibly strong and are handling this extreme experience like champions with grace.
Now for the breath of fresh air. If you been following this blog, you are aware that the streets of K0lkata are certainly not filled with fresh air... we all have black buggers (hope that's not too graphic for you) and then breathing in disinfectant every morning at Kalighat... venturing out to Brother Xavier's is a breath of fresh air: physically, mentally and emotionally. The children are filled with such wonderful energy and their faces bring us all such joy. The orphanage is about 30 minutes outside of chaotic Kolkata in a beautiful and peacful village. Brother Xaiver took us on a tour on Sunday showing us the villiage and all of the different boys and girl's homes. It's amazing how self sufficient and sustainable the orphanage is! They have their own huge garden for vegetables and different topical fruits, which is surrounded by huge banana trees! Then they have chickens and water buffalos for milk. The children help with a lot of these tasks and upkeep...what great learning experiences! It's just incredible. Speaking of learning... the 12 of us split up into four groups and taught the childrens lessons on American English, creative writing, drawing and painting. I taught the creative writing lesson to a group of 12-13 year old boys with Meg and Claire. We were so impressed with their english speaking and writing skills They were great students!
I think I speak for the group by saying we are starting to get the hang of our life and purpose here in Kolkata. Thank you everyone for your support and following our blog. It's so wonderful to read comments and emails from people from home. I miss everyone tons!
Love,
Katie
P.S. I am going to attempt to upload photos... hopefully it will work!
Sorry we have not posted the past two days! We spent all day Sunday at Brother Xavier's New Life, New Hope orphanage and then spent the evening celebrating Rachael's birthday! Happy Birthday, Rachael! And then last night (Monday) when I went to the Internet Cafe to finish my post there was a fire next door! Yikes! So, the internet cafe we all normally use and make phone calls home from still does not have power! :( I have discovered a new internet cafe to complete my blog, though.
I have completed my first four days working at Mother Teresa's first home and first love, Kalighat. It is a hospice for the dying destitute, both men and women. Females work with females and males with males. I will be working here five days a week with four other wonderful peeps from our group. This experience has been extremely challenging for me. The first day I didn't stop shaking the entire time I was there due to the intensity of the atmosphere and the Sisters can be a bit strict. The female ward is filled with 50+ women who are dying of numerous different causes. Some have huge wounds all over their bodies, some are can barely move on their own, some are so skinny all you see is skin and bones... the room wreaks of extremely strong disinfectant- way worse than any hospital you've ever been in- and the sound of suffering constantly echoes. We start off our day there by doing laundry by hand and washing dishes. This process is extremely meditative and soothing. Today, I spent a lot of time hanging up laundry to dry on the roof and I loved every peaceful second of it, even though I was completely sweating through both my shirt and pants (it is definitely 100+ degrees today with full humidity!) Once those chores are complete we help the Sisters distribute medications to the patients and then feed them lunch.
I have been assigned to help a woman who is completely paralyzed on the left side of her body do exercises with both her arms and legs, by using the mobile limb to lift the paralyzed limb. Making this woman smile validates my purpose at Kalighat. She often will give up mid exercise and start to cry. It is difficult to communicate when I barely know two words of Bengali. Somehow, through touch, eye contact and being present with the person, we can begin to understand each other. To soothe her I will put her hand in mine and hold it against her heart. The Sister insisted she stayed on the floor today next to her bed to do her exercises, probably so she would stay awake. However, with her on the floor it make it very difficult and uncomfortable to move her. Once I finally did move her I noticed she had stool all over her. I cannot put into words how difficult this experience is... The other volunteers and SMC folks that are with me are so incredibly strong and are handling this extreme experience like champions with grace.
Now for the breath of fresh air. If you been following this blog, you are aware that the streets of K0lkata are certainly not filled with fresh air... we all have black buggers (hope that's not too graphic for you) and then breathing in disinfectant every morning at Kalighat... venturing out to Brother Xavier's is a breath of fresh air: physically, mentally and emotionally. The children are filled with such wonderful energy and their faces bring us all such joy. The orphanage is about 30 minutes outside of chaotic Kolkata in a beautiful and peacful village. Brother Xaiver took us on a tour on Sunday showing us the villiage and all of the different boys and girl's homes. It's amazing how self sufficient and sustainable the orphanage is! They have their own huge garden for vegetables and different topical fruits, which is surrounded by huge banana trees! Then they have chickens and water buffalos for milk. The children help with a lot of these tasks and upkeep...what great learning experiences! It's just incredible. Speaking of learning... the 12 of us split up into four groups and taught the childrens lessons on American English, creative writing, drawing and painting. I taught the creative writing lesson to a group of 12-13 year old boys with Meg and Claire. We were so impressed with their english speaking and writing skills They were great students!
I think I speak for the group by saying we are starting to get the hang of our life and purpose here in Kolkata. Thank you everyone for your support and following our blog. It's so wonderful to read comments and emails from people from home. I miss everyone tons!
Love,
Katie
P.S. I am going to attempt to upload photos... hopefully it will work!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Streets, Sounds, Sights, and Cyclones!!!
Forenote: Yesterday's post was done by Meg, she forgot to sign!
So we are at Day 4 and the streets of Kolkata are still overwhelming. As I type this post, Cyclone Laila is making her way through the city bringing rain, thunder, lightning, and general chaos- if you know Kolkata you know additional chaos not necessary! However, I think we are all becoming accustomed to the constant honking of cars, taxis, auto rickshaws, mopeds, bicycles, and people as we make our way through the crowded roads. It is difficult to walk on the Sudder Street sidewalk because it is so crowded with bodies- people selling things, begging, resting, sleeping, and just living. Every few steps we find a person or family resting on the pavement. Along with these Sudder Street residents we have also come to find there are many challenges we face by being fortunate American tourists in Kolkata. Mainly, to give or not to give: that is the question.
As a group we have settled in-between this question by happily donating our leftover Blue Sky Cafe meals. Of course, this is not enough, and thus lay our decisions. We have already each experienced some form of it, some of us more so than others and through our own experiences we are faced with a choice to make based on what we feel is best; though it is not as black and white as it sounds.
This morning I was walking to ShiShu Bhavan, the Missionaries of Charity orphanage and school where I have chosen to spend my mornings; and shortly before reaching the entrance a young girl holding a baby approached me and gestured to my water bottle, asking to have it. I paused briefly and considered before ultimately handing it over. The rest of the walk I felt guilty for questioning my decision, What if I get thirsty? I can't have anything to drink at ShiShu Bhavan, or, But she is Indian and can drink out of the street water tap, she doesn't really need the bottled water. I had carefully conserved the almost-full bottle so as to ration it throughout my morning to avoid dehydration. But as I went through my day with the children, I decided to ignore the occasional desire for water and instead satisfied myself by sipping some of the delicious chai tea the massis and Sisters offered me during break. I came to Kolkata to both experience ultimate poverty and despair, and to give whatever aid I could while here. If that means sacrificing a water bottle every so often, I can handle it. Perhaps in a few days I might feel too thirsty to relinquish the bottle, and that's okay too. It is just one of countless choices I will face during my time here, and already I feel more qualified in my skills doing so the longer I am here.
I feel that my days at ShiShu Bhavan have already taught me so much; including giving me the strength to give my water to someone who needs it more. Working with children who have so little and yet are so joyful has brought me so much happiness already. Claire and I work in a classroom of toddlers who are 4 and 5 years old, but the orphanage has 81 children total who are as young as 1 year old. We occasionally stumble into the foyer where the babies play throughout the morning, and upon stepping foot in the room they immediately totter over to us, arms outstretched waiting to be held. I happily pick them up and it is such a simple action, and yet it makes for the most beautiful connection. I am able to fulfill something they unfortunately desperately lack. The Sisters do an amazing job with the children, but babies require the love and affection of two doting parents. Though this is not possible with the ShiShu Bhavan children, everybody does the best they can with them, and if picking them up and spinning them around for a few minutes continues to light up their faces with joy then I know they are gaining a portion of the attention they deserve. I look forward to many more mornings of sharing this connection of mutual joy with these people :)
ShiShu Bhavan aside, this goes for the rest of my experiences as well, after all, they don't call Kolkata the City of Joy for nothing!
-Christine
So we are at Day 4 and the streets of Kolkata are still overwhelming. As I type this post, Cyclone Laila is making her way through the city bringing rain, thunder, lightning, and general chaos- if you know Kolkata you know additional chaos not necessary! However, I think we are all becoming accustomed to the constant honking of cars, taxis, auto rickshaws, mopeds, bicycles, and people as we make our way through the crowded roads. It is difficult to walk on the Sudder Street sidewalk because it is so crowded with bodies- people selling things, begging, resting, sleeping, and just living. Every few steps we find a person or family resting on the pavement. Along with these Sudder Street residents we have also come to find there are many challenges we face by being fortunate American tourists in Kolkata. Mainly, to give or not to give: that is the question.
As a group we have settled in-between this question by happily donating our leftover Blue Sky Cafe meals. Of course, this is not enough, and thus lay our decisions. We have already each experienced some form of it, some of us more so than others and through our own experiences we are faced with a choice to make based on what we feel is best; though it is not as black and white as it sounds.
This morning I was walking to ShiShu Bhavan, the Missionaries of Charity orphanage and school where I have chosen to spend my mornings; and shortly before reaching the entrance a young girl holding a baby approached me and gestured to my water bottle, asking to have it. I paused briefly and considered before ultimately handing it over. The rest of the walk I felt guilty for questioning my decision, What if I get thirsty? I can't have anything to drink at ShiShu Bhavan, or, But she is Indian and can drink out of the street water tap, she doesn't really need the bottled water. I had carefully conserved the almost-full bottle so as to ration it throughout my morning to avoid dehydration. But as I went through my day with the children, I decided to ignore the occasional desire for water and instead satisfied myself by sipping some of the delicious chai tea the massis and Sisters offered me during break. I came to Kolkata to both experience ultimate poverty and despair, and to give whatever aid I could while here. If that means sacrificing a water bottle every so often, I can handle it. Perhaps in a few days I might feel too thirsty to relinquish the bottle, and that's okay too. It is just one of countless choices I will face during my time here, and already I feel more qualified in my skills doing so the longer I am here.
I feel that my days at ShiShu Bhavan have already taught me so much; including giving me the strength to give my water to someone who needs it more. Working with children who have so little and yet are so joyful has brought me so much happiness already. Claire and I work in a classroom of toddlers who are 4 and 5 years old, but the orphanage has 81 children total who are as young as 1 year old. We occasionally stumble into the foyer where the babies play throughout the morning, and upon stepping foot in the room they immediately totter over to us, arms outstretched waiting to be held. I happily pick them up and it is such a simple action, and yet it makes for the most beautiful connection. I am able to fulfill something they unfortunately desperately lack. The Sisters do an amazing job with the children, but babies require the love and affection of two doting parents. Though this is not possible with the ShiShu Bhavan children, everybody does the best they can with them, and if picking them up and spinning them around for a few minutes continues to light up their faces with joy then I know they are gaining a portion of the attention they deserve. I look forward to many more mornings of sharing this connection of mutual joy with these people :)
ShiShu Bhavan aside, this goes for the rest of my experiences as well, after all, they don't call Kolkata the City of Joy for nothing!
-Christine
Friday, May 21, 2010
300 + $8,000= our Thursday
Day Two and SO much has happened. We haven't blogged on our wonderful afternoon yesterday so I will do so and then someone else will touch on all our project sites tomorrow-which were wonderful and humbling for our first day :)
-numbers and exact observation may be inaccurate! only the afternoon through my eyes!-
"the number's behind brother xavier's thursday adventure"
..2 ambulances Brother Xavier's home sent for us to graciously bring us out to his children's home...through the chaos of traffic and bouncing of pot holes we arrived!
.300 children greeted us
..2 intense games of basketball where claps, high-fives, and smiles were the name of the game
.5 children per the 12 of us = a jungle gym of FUN!
..28 hours till we go back for Creative Writing, English class, Drawing, and Painting and an afternoon touch up wall painting project
.77 pictures taken BY the kids with OUR cameras--experimental pictures are ALWAYS the most beautiful :)
..1 intense game of cricket going on IN BETWEEN two intense basketball games
MANY MANY MANY friendship bracelets tied on little arms
.45 seconds before they found out we had brought bubbles...
....10 minutes later all 6 containers of the bubbles were GONE
It's not often we're able to visit a small village of beautiful children greeting us from countries around the world that some of us may have never heard of or ever get the chance to travel to. Many of these children have been brought in from the rural villages of Nepal, islands off the coast of Bengal, to the downtown, chaos of Kolkata. Each one of them greeted us with open arms, multiple hugs and for some kisses. They recognized Derek from last year and he openly picked them up and twirlled them around as the rest of us got adjusted to the energy and love in front of us!
We were able to share with these children, their home mothers (massi's) and fathers, and Brother Xavier an $8,000 check we all worked throughout the semester to fundraise for. Thanks to all of your for you overwhelming support, we were able to offer him a check for an ammount that will go so far in this country. As Anne proudly stepped up to give him our check in a small classroom, we all sat alongside as if we were the students at colorful benchs throughout the room eager to share with him our support. Ironically, Anne's UnderArmour shirt purchased from the lovely SMC Bookstore in good ole' Alliot Hall delivered the check and Brother Xavier with a screenprint that read: "Saint Michael's College. Protect This House." Ironic or not, it was a powerful moment for all of us to know how far Saint Michael's itself has brought this home and how far this $8,000 alone will help to sponsor, feed, clothe, and educate so many of those we shared the afternoon and future days to come with.
And the countdown for each of us is...
7 Children waiting for their turn to blow bubbles held by Christine
2 seconds before that Anne's non-fiction books were a hit
8 teenage boys learning Spanish with Helen
20+ great moments captured in photographs by Jerry
15+ hugs for Derek as they welcomed him back into their home after a year
Numerous shared smiles exchanged with Anne-Christele
1 (but probably many more exchanged) witnessed "pick-up-under-the-arms" full body swings by Eric
20+ hugs given by Rachael
12+ girls clapping hands in a circle with Katie as they taught us a song in Bengali
4-5 kids who know how to make the friendship bracelet stitch-Chinese Staircase-all beacuse of Claire!
1 amazing, mean, and competitive 1/2 court 3v.3 game of basketball played with Meghan and Heather
-numbers and exact observation may be inaccurate! only the afternoon through my eyes!-
"the number's behind brother xavier's thursday adventure"
..2 ambulances Brother Xavier's home sent for us to graciously bring us out to his children's home...through the chaos of traffic and bouncing of pot holes we arrived!
.300 children greeted us
..2 intense games of basketball where claps, high-fives, and smiles were the name of the game
.5 children per the 12 of us = a jungle gym of FUN!
..28 hours till we go back for Creative Writing, English class, Drawing, and Painting and an afternoon touch up wall painting project
.77 pictures taken BY the kids with OUR cameras--experimental pictures are ALWAYS the most beautiful :)
..1 intense game of cricket going on IN BETWEEN two intense basketball games
MANY MANY MANY friendship bracelets tied on little arms
.45 seconds before they found out we had brought bubbles...
....10 minutes later all 6 containers of the bubbles were GONE
It's not often we're able to visit a small village of beautiful children greeting us from countries around the world that some of us may have never heard of or ever get the chance to travel to. Many of these children have been brought in from the rural villages of Nepal, islands off the coast of Bengal, to the downtown, chaos of Kolkata. Each one of them greeted us with open arms, multiple hugs and for some kisses. They recognized Derek from last year and he openly picked them up and twirlled them around as the rest of us got adjusted to the energy and love in front of us!
We were able to share with these children, their home mothers (massi's) and fathers, and Brother Xavier an $8,000 check we all worked throughout the semester to fundraise for. Thanks to all of your for you overwhelming support, we were able to offer him a check for an ammount that will go so far in this country. As Anne proudly stepped up to give him our check in a small classroom, we all sat alongside as if we were the students at colorful benchs throughout the room eager to share with him our support. Ironically, Anne's UnderArmour shirt purchased from the lovely SMC Bookstore in good ole' Alliot Hall delivered the check and Brother Xavier with a screenprint that read: "Saint Michael's College. Protect This House." Ironic or not, it was a powerful moment for all of us to know how far Saint Michael's itself has brought this home and how far this $8,000 alone will help to sponsor, feed, clothe, and educate so many of those we shared the afternoon and future days to come with.
And the countdown for each of us is...
7 Children waiting for their turn to blow bubbles held by Christine
2 seconds before that Anne's non-fiction books were a hit
8 teenage boys learning Spanish with Helen
20+ great moments captured in photographs by Jerry
15+ hugs for Derek as they welcomed him back into their home after a year
Numerous shared smiles exchanged with Anne-Christele
1 (but probably many more exchanged) witnessed "pick-up-under-the-arms" full body swings by Eric
20+ hugs given by Rachael
12+ girls clapping hands in a circle with Katie as they taught us a song in Bengali
4-5 kids who know how to make the friendship bracelet stitch-Chinese Staircase-all beacuse of Claire!
1 amazing, mean, and competitive 1/2 court 3v.3 game of basketball played with Meghan and Heather
Thursday, May 20, 2010
First day and a half
So now that we've been here in Kolkata for over 24 hours its about time for a blog post! First and foremost, everyone made it here safe and sound. We are all enjoying our time here immensely.
After our 18+ hours of flights we made it into the Kolkata airport and just stepping off the plane we could feel the humidity filling the plane's cabin. It was a moment I think we had all been dreading. The humidity still continues although I was up a little early this morning and before 8 or so in the morning it really doesn't seem so bad. Maybe I'm adjusting already...wouldn't that be nice.
Once we got our bags from the airport we went outside to catch the taxis into the city. It's about a 45 minute drive into the city from the airport. As a passenger in what is sometimes referred to as the "death seat" in the taxi, I can say that it was quite the experience. Just riding into Kolkata we saw so much. We didn't really have enough room in the trunks of the taxis for all of our donation bags so we had some in our laps or inbetween our legs. Traffic in Kolkata is pretty much a free for all with the only rule being whoever honks first goes first. I was very excited when I saw a turn signal, even though I'm pretty sure everyone else ignored it. No lane markers, limited stop lights, and driving on the wrong side of the street all made for an interesting ride. Also, for those of you at home (you know who you are) who think I get close to cars when I drive, I've got nothin on Kolkata taxi drivers.
Once we made it onto Sudder Street where our hotel is, we lugged all the bags upstairs with the help of some of the Astoria Hotel staff and settled into our rooms including one rooftop terrace! We then made our first trip to the Blue Sky Cafe where we meet all our meals and we met (don't know about the spelling) Sam, Sunni, Ajit, and Chico. They are all very amusing and like to tickle and joke with us. Even after all these years they still put Robert's name on the tab!
We then ventured to Shishu Bhavan which is where we had our orientation for Mother Theresa's homes. Everyone is working at a different home with different people living at each one. I'll let everyone describe their site with their own blog posts once we visit each one. I am working at Khaligat along with 3 other members of the group. It's a hospice and the first home Mother Theresa started here in Kolkata.
Today we have ventured out into the city a little bit more and in about an hour we will be heading to Brother Xaviers! The group is all very excited about this because it is the orphanage that is funded by St. Mikes. It's a little outside of the city, but we should get some good time in just hanging out with them.
Other than that, we have seen some tough things on the street and much of what we had known about ahead of time. It's much harder to see it, smell it, and even touch it. I know that many more of these experiences are yet to come, but I know that I will learn from them all as I already have. I am much anticipating my chance to work in Mother Theresa's homes and spend some time with those who live there. I know there is so much more to learn here and so much more to experience. I think I speak for the group when I say I can't wait to really delve into it!
Well I think that's enough for now. I don't want to make this too long and unreadable! Hopefully we will keep it updated every day. Of course emails are welcome if you want more details!!
I miss everyone at home and hope you are all doing well.
-Eric
After our 18+ hours of flights we made it into the Kolkata airport and just stepping off the plane we could feel the humidity filling the plane's cabin. It was a moment I think we had all been dreading. The humidity still continues although I was up a little early this morning and before 8 or so in the morning it really doesn't seem so bad. Maybe I'm adjusting already...wouldn't that be nice.
Once we got our bags from the airport we went outside to catch the taxis into the city. It's about a 45 minute drive into the city from the airport. As a passenger in what is sometimes referred to as the "death seat" in the taxi, I can say that it was quite the experience. Just riding into Kolkata we saw so much. We didn't really have enough room in the trunks of the taxis for all of our donation bags so we had some in our laps or inbetween our legs. Traffic in Kolkata is pretty much a free for all with the only rule being whoever honks first goes first. I was very excited when I saw a turn signal, even though I'm pretty sure everyone else ignored it. No lane markers, limited stop lights, and driving on the wrong side of the street all made for an interesting ride. Also, for those of you at home (you know who you are) who think I get close to cars when I drive, I've got nothin on Kolkata taxi drivers.
Once we made it onto Sudder Street where our hotel is, we lugged all the bags upstairs with the help of some of the Astoria Hotel staff and settled into our rooms including one rooftop terrace! We then made our first trip to the Blue Sky Cafe where we meet all our meals and we met (don't know about the spelling) Sam, Sunni, Ajit, and Chico. They are all very amusing and like to tickle and joke with us. Even after all these years they still put Robert's name on the tab!
We then ventured to Shishu Bhavan which is where we had our orientation for Mother Theresa's homes. Everyone is working at a different home with different people living at each one. I'll let everyone describe their site with their own blog posts once we visit each one. I am working at Khaligat along with 3 other members of the group. It's a hospice and the first home Mother Theresa started here in Kolkata.
Today we have ventured out into the city a little bit more and in about an hour we will be heading to Brother Xaviers! The group is all very excited about this because it is the orphanage that is funded by St. Mikes. It's a little outside of the city, but we should get some good time in just hanging out with them.
Other than that, we have seen some tough things on the street and much of what we had known about ahead of time. It's much harder to see it, smell it, and even touch it. I know that many more of these experiences are yet to come, but I know that I will learn from them all as I already have. I am much anticipating my chance to work in Mother Theresa's homes and spend some time with those who live there. I know there is so much more to learn here and so much more to experience. I think I speak for the group when I say I can't wait to really delve into it!
Well I think that's enough for now. I don't want to make this too long and unreadable! Hopefully we will keep it updated every day. Of course emails are welcome if you want more details!!
I miss everyone at home and hope you are all doing well.
-Eric
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Our Mission
Before we leave for India... I thought it would be nice to test out the blog and share with everyone our group mission we created this past week.
It is our mission to be present and conscious of the innate dignity of all, while also gaining a better understanding of the global extent of the injustices of humanity. We hope to engage in the service of being through our personal interactions. Upon return, we hope to bring advocacy and enrichment to our communities. Through love and strength, we will actively participate, experience, learn, give, and lose ourselves in others.
In one week, we'll be on our way to Kolkata! Hurray!
Namaste,
Katie
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