There Are Places I'll Remember All My Life....

The Beatles sang "There are places I'll remember all my life...." I wonder if they were singing about Kolkata. Though I highly doubt it, I feel like if they had been to Kolkata, they certainly would have written a song about it.

I on the other hand will not be able to write a song about Kolkata...in fact it's hard for me to even find the right words to capture this city and my experience at all. I have travelled and lived all over the world, yet of all the places I have been, no other city is quite like this one.

The cars, the traffic, the noise (OH THE NOISE!!), the smells, the heat, the wonder, the beauty, the people, the fact that each moment every sense is being used! There was the good with the bad, the memories I'll hold onto for the rest of my life, and those that will haunt me.

Give me a week to process my journey and my experiences and my feelings about life after Kolkata and I'll be able to provide more insight. I will be continuing my summer blog from home. But as for now, All I can say is so long old chums...so long my new friends....so long Kolkata. Mom your baby's coming home!

What Exactly is this Public Service Stuff Anyways?

I have always had a very clear and defined idea of how I wanted to devote my life to public service. Growing up in the developing world I have always envisioned a life where I would travel deep within the souls of countries to work and live among the people. I have always had a passion for working with refugee youth who I have always considered to be among the most vulnerable populations of the world. This and only this has been my idea of what public service was. Since being in Kolkata I have had to reevaluate my notion of public service...as I've seen that my body and lungs won't put up with my global nomad habits and desires. So now Im asking...what exactly is this public service stuff anyways? How do I find a new place for myself in this sector? How do I tell my heart to feel strongly about another direction when I have been so focused on going somewhere else? So family your worst fears may be over...I may be putting my dreams of going into the deepest darkest places on hold for a while...but I think it may take a while to find the light in something else.

The Hospital Part Deux

So just because I said the first time that Ruby General Hospital was the bees knees didn't mean that I was in the mood to return!! I thought things were going fine for the most part...while I had been living with an elephant on my chest (a very huge elephant Joe) for the past 6 weeks I thought it was going to be manageable. But the last couple days I have been feeling worse and last night at about 10:30 Jay and Molly piled into a taxi with me and ushered me over to Ruby.



So there I was sitting in the emergency room that is technically outside as it only has 3 walls barely breathing and before they could treat me for anything Molly had to actually go out and buy the medecine. Thats when I knew it may be about time to go home.



So I will be ending my adventures early folks to go home and get these lungs of mine fixed. "I already know" to all the people who are whispering "I told you so!" As of July 3rd I will be working state side...continuing my project of creating a 3rd and 4th grade curriculum. I've had an amazing time...a time that will surely stay with me the rest of my life and I have fallen in love with my students who break and rebuild my heart daily with their laughter and tears. So I will leave my heart in India along with these girls (as my soul was given away a long time ago to West Africa) but I am taking my lungs with me to get fixed.

This Bollywood star got Bamboozled

We are all looking for our 8 minutes of glory...our time in the spot light....our moment to shine. They say that every minute a star is born...well guys my star was born right here in my very own city of joy. The story I am about to tell Is completely true...pictures will follow (when Molly can get them off her camera). While some of the choices made may not have been my wisest...at least I made it home in one piece with a story to tell.

Thursdays are holidays at the Loreto Day School. So Molly and I set out early to make an attempt at the new market to see what wonderful trinkets we could come home with. However we never quite made it to market, to market that day. Instead we wound up on the scene of a Bengali Mafia movie playing the mobsters girlfriends. Luckily kissing is not allowed in Bengali movies or we would have been seriously out of luck.

So they say a star is born everyday, but they also say a sucker is too. I guess in this case I am both. So on our way to market, Molly and I run into a man named Jack who tells us about his movie and promises two things 1) we will be back by 4pm and 2) he will pay us 1000 rupees each for our two scenes.

So Molly and I climb into the back of Jack's car (in hindsight not the greatest idea). About half way to the movie set I start thinking about how dumb we were to just get into the car with a total stranger and I began to imagine myself being sold into some kind of bondage. Luckily Jack was telling the truth about one thing...there really was a movie set. Unfortunately Jack was lying about having us home by 4 and about paying us.

After being on set till 8:00 at night we were finally done working! and once we were returned home Jack suddenly forgets to pay us. So with no money in hand Molly and I returned home with nothing to show for our day except the knowledge that we could very well be the next leading ladies of Bollywood. Dean do you think you could preview my acting debut as a Clinton School program?

Me and My Dad

I'll admit I'm a daddy's girl. I have been one forever. For those of you have known me a while, you may heard the many "me and my dad" are doing this or "me and my dad" are doing that. Despite the frequent attempts of my mother to change my grammar, one thing has always remained and that is "me and my dad"

Me and my dad have done a million things together. Me and my dad used to go and get ice cream on school nights, me and my dad played soccer together, me and my dad went on a tour of Boston, My senior year of high school, me and my dad went on a tour of Cote D'Ivoire and now I have one more thing to add to my list of me and my dad things....me and my dad toured Kolkata!

On this way home from Indonesia to the states for the summer, my dad spent a few days with me in Kolkata. We toured the city from sun up to sun down. From the craft museums to Science City we saw it all. Then to replenish our souls after a long day we kicked back for the evening with a couple of kingfishers and some good conversation.

Unforturnately my dad is not as internet saavy as I am and so he booked himself into a less then stellar hotel. The place was pretty much creeptastic but for 25 bucks a night I guess we got what we paid for. At least there was an air conditioner. And we were so tired by the end of the day's adventures that we both fell asleep instantly.

Oh in 24+ years, me and my dad have done some amzing things together...but I don't think any of those will compare to our Kolkata adventure.

Can I have a redo please

You know hoe somtimes you know from the minute you wake up that it isnt going to be a good day. Well Tuesday I had one of the those days..and to the extreme. I should have known from the sheets of rain pouring down when I first opened my eyes that I should have just stayed in bed. The rain was foreshadowing my day...I've been in enough English Lit classes to have missed this obvious sign.

The day started with me not being able to find a taxi to make it to work on time. No taxis were willing to stop in the rain! As the day progressed I would eventually find myself in water up to my armpits trying to wade from one end of the city to the other. Caught in the rain, the taxi made me get out and walk to my destination. So there I was, water up to my armpits, tears streaming down my face, people staring, and me trudging along. One man even took my picture...as if I was a sight to see! Honestly, it was the first time since I have been here where I actually thought...I just wanna go home!

Of course, two days later and much drier, I am embaressed to have thought that but for those couple hours all I kept thinking was..could I get a redo please on my day!

Science City

When I was a little girl I was fascinated my science. I mean I was head over heals in love with the stuff. I think I was a mad scientist for halloween every year from Kindergarten to fourth grade. While I am not as passionate about science now as I used to be, when I found out Kolkata had a science city I knew I had to go (it aslo helped that they had a life sized dinosaur at the gate that I had been dying to take a picture with).

Unfortunately, what I found was not that impressive. While I had been warned time and time again not to get my hopes up to high, in my mind I had envisioned a sort of ultimate science city wonder..a place where all your science dreams could come true. I had built the place up so much in my mind (to Jay's amusement as he was one of my warners) that when I finally got there there was no place Science City could go but down. The one exhibit that I couldnt get enough of was the Hall of evolution which took you on a long hot walk through a poorly lit building past moving plastic dinosaurs all the way up to the "neandrathal men"

There was one wonderful part about science city and that was the cable car ride that you could take from one side of the park to the other. From up in the air the park looked great and the view of the city was actually quite pretty. So while my wildest science fantasies were not met, I suppose I can just chalk my day up to another Kolkata experience.

More scenes from Kolkata

Some of the Loreto Class 4 girls who taught in summer school

More class 4 girls.

A little piece of home.

I pass this sign all the time and just think it's funny

The vegetable market

Besides cars, taxis, buses, and trains, this is how people get around.

Our street at dawn, before the hustle and bustle begins

Flat Stanley at BBQ. Don't be fooled by the restaurant

name like we were. It's still just curry.

A Little Piece of Home

So sometimes when you are away from home for a while you start to get these aches and pains that can only be associated with a slight case of home sicknesses. On phone calls from friends and family you start to get a bit teary eyed, you begin to miss your wonderful but usually annoying boyfriend more than before and you even miss your own cooking. On such an occasion you try and find something that reminds you of home. Today was one such occassion, and so like an good hearted American girl when i saw that Sex and the City was playing at the local movie theatre AND it was English..I couldnt pass up the opportunity. So guys--thats what I spent my morning doing watching Carey, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda enjoys their lives in the big apple. And let me tell you for that 2.5 hours I felt like I was home again. After the lights came up I was back at the school for my evening class and the rest of my daily routine here in Kolkata, but for that short period it felt nice being home.

I get by with a little help from my friends

I am always amazed at the spirit of giving that exists in this school and in this city.  Besides the "credit" that stores give out to strangers I am always touched by how giving the girls at the school can be.  I am working in particular with four of the sweetest girls around: Samouna, Maya, Chaya, and Meena.  Everyday from 5-7pm we sit up in a classroom and read fabulous Dr. Seuess Books and discuss life in general.  And it never fails that they have some treasure to give me.  Whether it is a string bracelet or a piece of fruit the generosity they exhibit is amazing.  If you think about these girls who often times have nothing and yet are willing to share what little they have with me, a perfect stranger on all accounts, it becomes a very humbling experience.  I would like to say that I would do the same thing.  That I would give up my last sip of juice or my last slice of orange to someone, even if that was all I had.  But I am just not convinced I would.  I can safely say, that these four girls, these four nine year olds have taught me a grand lesson on giving and on love in general.  

A Sunday in the City

Sundays are an amazing day here in Kolkata. For one day out of the week the streets become easier to navigate and you can walk quite freely down the sidewalk without too much fear of running over someone. Today was no exception. With little to do most Sundays since that is our official day off from the school, Jay and I spent the morning roaming the streets looking for a little action. The walk was long and hot, but we rewarded ourselves at the end by checking out the "starbucks" of Kolkata called Barista where I sampled a delicious mango smoothie...absolute tastey deliciousness! With the remainder of the afternoon ahead of me, I think I'll now head home for a cat nap of sorts.

On a different note...my bag has arrived! FINALLY! almost two weeks later we have been reunited, and not a moment too soon. I was running out of clean underwear and I am not ready to experience laundry yet. That my friends is for another day...but certainly not on a Sunday in the city.

I've been sprung from the joint....and I LOVE JAY

So as the title explains...after 5 days of air conditioning, curry, pajamas, and DVDs I have been sprung from the joint (aka Ruby General Hospital). And not a moment too soon! What with the strike for two days, then the fact that they lost my shoes (so I had to wear bedroom slippers home) I never thought I was going to make it home today...there was even a time I was feeling a bit bamboozled. But I am home now and welcomed very lovingly by Cecilia and Richard as well as the girls at the school who asked me constatly "where you was auntie?" Its nice to know I've been missed.



As far as my love for Jay goes....I am probably only one in a million who loves Jay here in Kolkata! However my love differs in that I don't love Jay in the "I want to spend the rest of my life with him" or the "Uncle, you have wife?" way. I love Jay in the Mr. T "I pitty the fool" who doesn't have Jay at their service project site this summer way. He has been amazing while I have been away in the hospital making sure i had everything I needed and making sure i felt a little less scared and alone. So if you have a chance let Jay know today how great he is!



As for my bags...still no word as of this afternoon but I am back to my constant hounding of Emirates and British Airways. I am hopeful that in the nexy couple days I will be reunited with my bag...Im dying to know how his mini vaca in the London airport was! So until then..

LIFE

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is a beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realise it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is costly, care for it.
Life is wealth, keep it.
Life is love, enjoy it.
Life is mystery, know it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tradgedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it!

---Mother Teresa

Home Away from Home

After being away from home for a while you begin to try and search out ways to make your place feel like your old one. In the last couple of days I have found two such examples of how I am finding my own home away from home.

The first comes to me at the hospital. Today is day 5 of my stay here at good old Ruby General Hospital and the nurses and I have finally worked out a system. Each morning when they come in to wake me up..we go through a routine where I beg for just 5 more minutes of sleep and in turn they give me about an extra half hour. This routine reminds me of home when I would beg my dad for just 5 more minutes before getting up for school.

My second vision of home come in the form of a man named Mr. Trivedi. Before I left Chicago my dad had given me Mr. Trivedi's number as an in case of emergency contact that I never expected to use. Being a friend of a friend of my dad I expected this number to have been given to me out of general curtousy and nothing else. I couldn't have been more wrong. On my second day in the hospital I recieved a phone call from Mr. Trivedi who in turn came for a visit and quite graciously invited me to think of him as my family here in Kolkata. I couldnt be more greatful to Mr. Trivedi who has provided me with some sort of friendly face in a city where I know no one.

I have heard that I am going to be sprung tomorrow morning if th strike in the city is called off. Hopefully this happens as Jay and I have plans to try out the Kolkata BBQ restaurant.

A week in the life of an asthmatic traveler

For those of you who read my blog religiously (thanks mom) you may have noticed I've been away for a while. Well...it turns out that inside my lost baggage (still hasn't arrived) was my medication for the summer that I would need if I was to surrvive Kolkata. So for the last week I have been experiencing the Kolkata health care system at Ruby General Hospital. As I write this, I have just enjoyed my lunch (day 4 of vegetable curry and rice) and am quite comfortable in the complementary blue and white cotton checkered pajamas. Curry, pajamas, air conditioning, internet....this place sure has any hospital in the states beat. If I had known I would have checked myself immediately into this little piece of heaven and given the heat a miss right from the start. In all seriousness...I have been extremely well taken care of although I don't know what the nurses think of this little american girl who has been watching sound of music on repeat. (They have 5 english DVDs for my viewing pleasure including sound of music and mary poppins)

While I have holed up in the hospital Jay (my amazing classmate) has been doing my dirty work concerning my bags. And it seems to have paid off...after countless phone calls which have included threats and yelling I got news that my bags will be delivered tomorrow morning. While I would love to jump up and down with great joy 1) that wouldnt be good for my asthmatic state and 2) I have heard such things before. I'll let you know the update with the bag as the situation continues to unfold. I have been havng dreams however about the marvelous compensation I am going to be asking from British Airways since it was their incompetence that landed me in this joint.

And finally, my luck continues....the doctor has told me that I would be free to go tomorrow...only for me to find out that the entire city is on strike for two days because of the rising gas prices and there is no possible way for me to get home. Sadly I will be staying at Ruby until Saturday when the strike it over.

I will have more to report once im sprung from this place but as for now it's back to bed to watch the sound of music once again!

Pictures

This is another student in Class 1 with her flat. She is not a Rainbow but a regular school girl.

This is Shabnam with her own Flat that she made. She is a Rainbow in class 1. (5 years old)

This is Flat Stanley with the man who sells me my 5 litres of water each day. The shop is right up the road from where I am staying. This is also one of the places who sells to me "on credit"

This the view from my Window at home...not as lovely as Sanford's view in Cape Town but I like it just fine.

Getting an early morning haircut before heading off for the day!! Jay says he's going to try it one of these days..I'll be sure to get that picture!

Are We Really That Different?

So I guess when people travel to different parts of the world they anticipate and concentrate on the differences that are going to be apparent between their home country and wherever they are going. travelers worry that thier destination will not have the kind of bagles they like, the kind of television shows they enjoy, or the Starbucks coffee they need (this is not the case as Starbucks has taken over the world). When the traveler actually arrives the old fears are hightened when they realise these new people don't look the same, don't speak the same language, and don't follow some of the same customs. They acquire a certain "us" and "them" mentality. It's true that traveling can lead to culture shock and become a bit overwhelming, but when you take the time to sit and talk to and listen to and see "them" you begin to wonder are we really that different?

Since my arrival in Kolkata I have begun to notice and taken mental notes of all the similarities and differences that I have noticed in an attempt to answer my own question. Here is what I have come up with:

Similarities:
1) When the cat's away the mice will play: Like any group of teenagers, the girls at the Loreto Day School take full advantage of the fact that Sr. Cyril is away for the week to watch all the trashy music videos they are forbidden to watch normally. That is certainly similar to all the tomfoolery I got into when my parents were out and about.

2) Everyone is able to recognise how hot Kolkata is: It came as quite a relief when the women at the school expressed how difficult it was to sleep at night because of the heat. I didn't want to be the only one complaining about the heat...this place is on fire!

3) Need for other people: I don't quite know how to explain this one--Like everywhere else people have a need to be heard, to be seen, to be touched. Like any other child, the girl's at the school want to feel loved and appreciated.

Differences:
1) Stores allow you to take things on credit: In the past two days three different stores have given me the opportunity to essentially start a tab with them. After never having saw me, a man at the market said he took my word that I would be back to give him the money I owed. That would never happen at home.

2) People are more relaxed: There doesn't seem to be much of a hurry to get anywhere. Not to mention the fact that people are always "taking tea" I could easily have a cup of tea 10 times a day as each store I enter or person I meet offers me a cup. People want to sit and drink and talk.

I don't know...maybe we are all too different, maybe you have seen the overwhelming evidence that we can not possibly all exist together on the same planet. Maybe the children in LIttle Rock and Chicago want and need completely different things from the children elsewhere around the world but so far I haven't seen that. So I encourage you today, wherever you are to take the time to sit and talk to and listen to and see "them" and maybe you'll discover they really are a lot like "us"

To Market To Market to buy....

A fat pig, jewlery, clothes, dishes, tapestries, food...anything you can name I could have bought today. There was no hokey pokey today, instead I decided to venture out to the new market (Im not sure where the old market went.) This is a place of many wonders and a huge tourist trap. I did get some quality chinese food though in a place that also sold hamburgers and indian curry. The key word I guess in Kolkata is smorgesbourg (spelling?) The idea of how much can we cram together in one place is lovely...it makes the life of the traveler so much more convenient when I can buy my electronics, clothing, and soap in the same place (kind of like Sears)

So I had a learning experience today...after my class with the 9year olds, as they left the class they bent down and touched my feet. I being a stupid american kept looking down at my feet to see if I had something wrong with my polish or if the blister was that noticeable. Apparently, however, touching someone's feet is the highest form of showing respect. Who would have thought one adjective game would have made such a huge impression. I figured then that I was worlds away from St. Ailbe school.

I have arrived ....but guess what!

....MY BAGS HAVE NOT!! apparently they are stuck in London somewhere. Hopefully (keep your fingers crossed) I will have my bags by Friday morning. Stupidly I didn't pack a change of clothes (or underwear) and washing things in the sink each night can only last so long....I just don't want to be the smelly kid in town. Please Air Emarites give me back my stuff.

On another note..I have arrived. I am here. My journey has begun. The school is a fantastic oasis in a city thats big and can be quite intimidating. I am not staying at the school as I originally planned but down the road with a fabulous couple-- Richard and Cecilia. Their house is only a few blocks from the school and in the short five blocks that I walk in the morning I can buy everything I would ever need. Within three feet of each other is a curry stand, a pharmacy, an internet cafe (where i am writing from) a fruit stall, a clothes shop (where I bought a new Indian outfit ) and a "everything" store. The smell of curry first thing in the morning is delightful and there are people out walking it seems at all times of night and day. This might be the city that never sleeps.

I taught a class of 1st graders today...we learned different body parts and then sang the hokey pokey and danced around the class room. Im not sure how much they understood about what I was saying but boy those girls had a good time dancing. I am referred to as "auntie" by all who see me and depending on the time of day I have a girl attached to my hip. The truth of the matter is Im happy to be here. Its amazing.

Ok folks..there is a line one deep...Jay...who needs his turn on the blog. Mom Im fine...Im alive...

REALLY....American Airlines....REALLY

Greetings from Dubai.

I am sitting at the gate waiting to board my third and final flight to finally get to Kolkata. My trip has been crazy...and I would like to thank Amerian Airlines for making the journey all the more horrific. Are you even serious American Airlines..do you specialise in making travelers miserable? Did I just miss that slogan? You are the ugly step sister of all of the wonderous international carriers.

After a 3 hour delay in Chicago because they didn't "have a plane available" I made to London where I boarded my new favorite air carrier...British Airways. The seats are amazing, the food is scrumptous, and I am just generally happy with their service.

So here is what I have been thinking....

1) Why do people assume Im the biggest sucker around. Like the people at the transit desk in Dubai who tried to get me pay 250.00 for a ticket because they said I never had one. When I started to get a little jazzy...all of a sudden guess what shows up..my ticket!

2) If this public service degree doesn't work out...do you think there is a lucrative need for airline critics. I would be fanatastic. And who's to say critiquing airlines isn't a public service

3) I sat next a women on my flight to London who was taking her grand daughter on a trip for her 16th birthday. Apparently she has done this for all of her grandchildren when they turn 16....REALLY!!! Nana you are serious slacking

4) I can't wait to get there.

So Long Fellas

So after a very traumatic morning....I thought I lost my passport....I am ready to go. If you know me, you know this is a big step for me. I am scared of everything, so to go into a situation were nothing is definite is enough to give me a ulcer. I leave for the airport in 4 hours and I think I have everything I need.

So...so long fellas. I'll fill you in when I get situated in my new place.

Leaving on a jet plane

I am a week away from leaving Chicago. I am a week away from leaving my life to set out on what I am expecting to be one of greatest experiences of my life. I am heading to Kolkata, India where I will be working at the Loreto Day School with a group of girls named the Rainbows. I am expected to teach them something, but I have a feeling I will return in August having learned so much more from them.

So now all I am doing is waiting...I almost can't stand it. All week I have been saying goodbye to my clinton school classmates as they head off around the world, and I am still here waiting....

So here is what I know so far...
1) I will be living at the school with the Rainbows
2) I will be eating curry three meals a day
3) The temperature is in 90s but feels like 140 degrees
4) It is monsoon season
5) No matter how prepared I think I am...Im not

Hopefully I will be able to keep up with my blog this summer as I go about my life in Kolkata learning all the tricks of the trade...and hopefully you will read along and keep up with my journey.