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