I cannot believe the last day of service has arrived already. I still remember our ride from the airport, all of us seating in the taxi, some of us basically on top of each other and others with "big purple SMC bags" on their lap, full of donation! The first thing that shocked me was how crazy the traffic is here in Kolkata. Cars were coming towards each other in all directions; I really did not understand how the drivers could know what side of the road to drive on so that they would not hit other cars, buses, motorcycles or people walking in the middle of the streets. The second thing that I observed is the extreme poverty in the streets of Kolkata after a "45 minute ride"only. I have seen poverty in many places, especially at home, in Haiti, working in rural areas of the country. I knew that India was a very poor country; however, I didn't think that it would have been so much different then other developing countries I visited. It is really hard to put into words the level of poverty that exists here, in Kolkata. There is not a street you walk by where you don't see people seating or sleeping on the floor with a plastic bag next to them that probably contains all that they have. One of the major problems is the extreme overpopulation and the lack of resources available to 3/4 of the population.
I decided to work at "Shanti Dan", the site where mentally challenged women were taken care of. It was my first working with mentally challenged individuals. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but after 2 days, I became very comfortable in such an environment. I painted their nails, cut their nails, and gave them hand and feet massage with lotion... I enjoyed every second of the time I spent with them. During the second week, I met a 19 year girl who works in the sewing room. There, she spends the day making dresses for the women. We talked more than once about her life until the day she asked me to give her English lessons. She learned a lot for such a short amount of time. As we became close, I thought more and more about ways to help her, maybe how I could become a sponsor... When I left, I got her contact information as she also took my phone number and home address so that she can send me cards and pictures, she said. I am looking forward to be part of her life as well as doing my best to come back here to help more when I am done with my studies in public health; I will have much more to offer to the people of Kolkata.

~Anne-Christele~