0420: we wake up with the birds while it is still dark out and lay in bed wondering if it is 2am or if the sun will show up any minute. It is very unusal to sleep through the night while our bodies are still adjusting so if it is 4am and this is the first time we're awake, hurray!
0450: get out of bed and try to remember to use the water bottle for brushing our teeth. Using sink water would be an almost fatal mistake. It's too early to have that kind of danger awaiting! We wouldn't die, but apparently, it would feel like it.
0520: begin the twenty minute walk to the Motherhouse as the streets of Kolkata are waking up. Tip-toe past hundreds of people sleeping everywhere: on top of taxis, rickshaws, on the sidewalks. We watch people brush their teeth and spit into the gutter. The walk is always full of smells but luckily it is not too bad in the morning because the meat in the market has not been out in the hot air for too long. Avoid: rats, groups of young boys, women trying to get you to let them do henna, and the taxi wash because you just might get another shower. You also get to play a fun game as you attempt to cross main roads: Frogger and we are the frogs.
0545: arrive at Motherhouse. Make sure to remain in silence and take off our sandals before entering the chapel. Also, make sure to drink water or else you will be super thirsty half way through mass. This morning was a bit different because Ally and I were the lectors for mass. Mass is beautiful and you don't even notice you are sitting on a (very clean) cement floor.
0700: have breakfast with the other volunteers, anywhere between 30 and 80 of them in the volunteer "lounge" where we can be noisy. Excellent. Breakfast is a very delicious glass of chai, a piece of white bread, and a mini banana. The banana is a bit longer and a bit thicker than a man's thumb.
0730: pray and go with the Missionary's blessing to your respective destinations. Our walk is about 35 minutes through markets and along the rail road tracks. Again, we have learned to avoid small groups of boys who think it is a fun game to hit you and run away. By the train station is the most intense poverty. Garbage is EVERYWHERE, like snow in Minnesota in January.
0800: Arrive at Kalighat and put away your bag in a locked volunteer cabinet. Put on your apron ASAP because SM. Florentine will definitely find you if you don't. We start laundry right away unless you get pulled to an odd-job like feeding someone breakfast. I fed someone breakfast yesterday and it was hard because she would collect the food in her mouth instead of swallowing it. Critical thinking nursing skills are coming in handy in those kinds of situations (also it is handy if you know the Hindi word for swallow which I think is "gilo"). You had better work fast otherwise you will get "fired" and a masi will take over (a hired Indian worker). Laundry is fun...you can't mess up too much. There is an assembly line with two people at each bucket. First you throw a bunch of clothes/linen into the bucket and "dance" (step on it like you're making wine). Then you swish and twist in a particular way depending on the item, and toss it into the rinsing bucket. Lastly, you toss it into the disinfecting busket. Everything gets hung out to dry on the roof.
0900: help hand out medicine. This is a good way to learn (and slaughter) people's names. There are about 50 different kinds of oral medicines and everyones prescriptions are handwritten in two different books. Then it is chai time! This is EVERYONES favorite part of the day. We hand out tea and biscuits. Yesterday, I kindly helped a diabetic have very sugary tea. She's still OK today but now I know!
1000: we get to have chai time with the other volunteers now. It's a nice time to relax and chat. Today there was a very heated political discussion. When it got really bad, I interjected asking the males, more tea? No one, NO ONE, can resist more chai.
1100: take the laundry off the line or help hand out lunch. I have been folding the laundry because the woman in charge is picky and everyone else gets fired. We are getting to be good friends and she was very happy to hear I will be here for two months. It's hard when people come and go because they have such a specific way of doing things.
1200: we leave Kalighat and walk a short way to catch an auto-rickshaw. This is like a golfcart/motorcycle that seats six people and is, quite possibly, the best way to get around. Ever. It is the most fun I have all day. It costs us about a quarter each to take the 10 minute ride home.
The afternoons are filled with eating, emailing, blogging, reading, praying, and most importantly, napping.
0500: walk to the Motherhouse for adoration and a communal rosary. This is one of the best parts of the day because it gives you a great time to reflect on the day.
0700: eat dinner at Blue Sky cafe, a well-established street vendor that someone has already tried and not gotten sick at, or buy something from the grocery store.
0800: shower, read, practice guitar (I can play whole songs now and I just started learning! Ally's a great, patient teacher)
0900: lights out!
0450: get out of bed and try to remember to use the water bottle for brushing our teeth. Using sink water would be an almost fatal mistake. It's too early to have that kind of danger awaiting! We wouldn't die, but apparently, it would feel like it.
0520: begin the twenty minute walk to the Motherhouse as the streets of Kolkata are waking up. Tip-toe past hundreds of people sleeping everywhere: on top of taxis, rickshaws, on the sidewalks. We watch people brush their teeth and spit into the gutter. The walk is always full of smells but luckily it is not too bad in the morning because the meat in the market has not been out in the hot air for too long. Avoid: rats, groups of young boys, women trying to get you to let them do henna, and the taxi wash because you just might get another shower. You also get to play a fun game as you attempt to cross main roads: Frogger and we are the frogs.
0545: arrive at Motherhouse. Make sure to remain in silence and take off our sandals before entering the chapel. Also, make sure to drink water or else you will be super thirsty half way through mass. This morning was a bit different because Ally and I were the lectors for mass. Mass is beautiful and you don't even notice you are sitting on a (very clean) cement floor.
0700: have breakfast with the other volunteers, anywhere between 30 and 80 of them in the volunteer "lounge" where we can be noisy. Excellent. Breakfast is a very delicious glass of chai, a piece of white bread, and a mini banana. The banana is a bit longer and a bit thicker than a man's thumb.
0730: pray and go with the Missionary's blessing to your respective destinations. Our walk is about 35 minutes through markets and along the rail road tracks. Again, we have learned to avoid small groups of boys who think it is a fun game to hit you and run away. By the train station is the most intense poverty. Garbage is EVERYWHERE, like snow in Minnesota in January.
0800: Arrive at Kalighat and put away your bag in a locked volunteer cabinet. Put on your apron ASAP because SM. Florentine will definitely find you if you don't. We start laundry right away unless you get pulled to an odd-job like feeding someone breakfast. I fed someone breakfast yesterday and it was hard because she would collect the food in her mouth instead of swallowing it. Critical thinking nursing skills are coming in handy in those kinds of situations (also it is handy if you know the Hindi word for swallow which I think is "gilo"). You had better work fast otherwise you will get "fired" and a masi will take over (a hired Indian worker). Laundry is fun...you can't mess up too much. There is an assembly line with two people at each bucket. First you throw a bunch of clothes/linen into the bucket and "dance" (step on it like you're making wine). Then you swish and twist in a particular way depending on the item, and toss it into the rinsing bucket. Lastly, you toss it into the disinfecting busket. Everything gets hung out to dry on the roof.
0900: help hand out medicine. This is a good way to learn (and slaughter) people's names. There are about 50 different kinds of oral medicines and everyones prescriptions are handwritten in two different books. Then it is chai time! This is EVERYONES favorite part of the day. We hand out tea and biscuits. Yesterday, I kindly helped a diabetic have very sugary tea. She's still OK today but now I know!
1000: we get to have chai time with the other volunteers now. It's a nice time to relax and chat. Today there was a very heated political discussion. When it got really bad, I interjected asking the males, more tea? No one, NO ONE, can resist more chai.
1100: take the laundry off the line or help hand out lunch. I have been folding the laundry because the woman in charge is picky and everyone else gets fired. We are getting to be good friends and she was very happy to hear I will be here for two months. It's hard when people come and go because they have such a specific way of doing things.
1200: we leave Kalighat and walk a short way to catch an auto-rickshaw. This is like a golfcart/motorcycle that seats six people and is, quite possibly, the best way to get around. Ever. It is the most fun I have all day. It costs us about a quarter each to take the 10 minute ride home.
The afternoons are filled with eating, emailing, blogging, reading, praying, and most importantly, napping.
0500: walk to the Motherhouse for adoration and a communal rosary. This is one of the best parts of the day because it gives you a great time to reflect on the day.
0700: eat dinner at Blue Sky cafe, a well-established street vendor that someone has already tried and not gotten sick at, or buy something from the grocery store.
0800: shower, read, practice guitar (I can play whole songs now and I just started learning! Ally's a great, patient teacher)
0900: lights out!
"no one, NO ONE can resist more chai"
ReplyDelete:)
Wow! What a beautiful eye opening day! You guys are all amazing! I agree with McKenna... NO ONE can resist more chai! haha! :)
ReplyDeleteokay, I'm still getting used to this blogging, but Laura you wrote this right? you made me laugh at least 3 times :). And hopefully I'm not making a fool of myself asking this but, what is "SM. Florentine"? It was very cool to see what your days are like!! I also liked the critical thinking part :)
ReplyDelete