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!!!