A week in India

Rickshaw Accidents: 1

I have no idea how I can possibly share what I am experiencing here in Kolkata. I always get a little overwhelmed when I try to write to someone about this whole experience, because there's just so much to say but I'm not really sure even how to put it into words. Our first week has been so great. I have been blown away by the beauty of the people of India. A friend asked me before I left what I was nervous about, and the only thing I could think of to say was, "I'm scared of crying myself to sleep every night." Kolkata doesn't really have the reputation of being a happy place, and I never expected to find such joy among so much poverty. But I have. When the people here smile, they smile with their entire faces and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I've never felt so welcome in any place I've ever been. It would take me forever to explain this past week, so I think I will just include my favorite parts of the past few days, so here goes....

*On Wednesday, after teaching school in our neigborhood, Shelly and I decided to explore Kolkata on our own. We successfully took the local train into Central Kolkata and explored the city on rickshaws, motor carts, and taxi's. We played with beautiful children, saw Mother Teresa's home, and walked around this huge, filthy city all day. My eyes were wide the entire time as I tried to take in India.
**I have no idea how to explain the local train except to say that it is MADNESS. Picture about a 150 women crammed into a car the size of a bedroom, half of them hanging out the door and little men squeezing through chanting, all trying to sell something. I laughed the entire ride to KOlkata our first time. In Kolkata, someone bought us two bouqets of roses, and so on the train ride back home we handed them out to the women around us on the train. They loved it, and we were immediately friends with them all. A lady even bought us bangles! It was a great ride.
**the train ride home yesterday from Kolkata, I somehow ended up sitting in the middle of a huge group of older Indian women. These people have no shame and will stare a hole in you. These women were so great, and even though we couldn't speak the same language, we just laughed together and had a great time the entire ride. I somehow managed to find out how many children they all had, if they were boys or girls, and lots of other interesting things about them. I could tell they were discussing something about me, and I kept hearing "England" something. I finally realized they were trying to find out where I was from, and I said "oh, no.. AMerica!" and they all screamed AMERICA!! and started patting me on the face and grabbing my hands. It was so funny. They just chatted away the rest of the ride and played with my hair until I had to get off. WHen I turned around at the door, they were all just smiling and waving and yelling, "bye! bye!"
**We went yesterday to one of Mother's Teresa's home in Kolkata called Prem Dam. It's a house for older people with disorders, almost like a hospice. They've made this beautiful garden inside the walls, with bird cages and beautiful flowers all around. The men just sit outside all day, but they are so content! We were walking through because we were at a meeting, and I saw a man sitting alone with two tumors, each the size of a big melon, on his neck. I went and sat next time to him and he just smiled and smiled. I introduced myself in Bengali to him, and he just reached out grabbed my hand. He couldn't speak, but Shelly came and sat and we just talked and talked to him and sang him silly songs. He could clap along with us and he would get so tickled when we would forget the words of the song we were singing or do a silly dance or something. And then he would just sit there and clap his hands with ours and smile. We sat with him for probably thirty minutes, singing the Hokey Pokey while he would dance along, or some other stupid American song that he would find hilarious. Shelly and I prayed for him while we were sitting there, and he just rubbed our hands then entire time and smiled. When we finished, his eyes were watery and he was just looking at us and smiling. I hope I meet this man again and can spend more time just sitting with him.
**I went to Sealdah Station this afternoon to hand out food to the children, and while we were waiting about three of the street kids came up and started to play with us. They were beautiful!! Shelly and one of our teammates, Jessica, and I played with these precious little kids for over an hour. We just laughed with them and made silly faces and held hands in the middle of the station for so long, and I could hardly stand to tell them bye. THey live in the station, and they were so dirty. But their smiles were perfect, and I cannot wait to go back and play with them again. It was so obvious that they wanted to be loved. One of the little girls, Rupaya, sat next to me and sang me all kinds of songs about Jesus that someone had taught her before. It made me sad to know that she had no idea waht she was singing about, but I know that her songs and especially her voice are beautiful to God.

I could write all day about this week, but it's gettig late and I need to get home. Tomorrow SHelly and I wil start volunteering with one of Mother Teresa's homes in Kolkata. It's called Kalighat, and it's a house for the destitute and dying. If you know anything about Mother Teresa's work in Kolkata, you probably know about this house. They bring in people off the streets who are about to die and clean them and bath them and just love them so they don't have to die alone. We will go in the afternoons here and just sit with the people and give them massages and brush their hair and just try to make them feel loved and comfortable. I'm really excited, but I would be lying if I didn't say I'm a little nervous. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we try to show the love of God to the people of this huge city. It seems an impossible task everytime I think of it... but luckily we serve a God who always does the impossible. Goodbye for now from dirty, but beautiful, India!