last day in Kolkata for awhile

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Alright, so it looks like I'm leaving tomorrow for the countryside. Looking forward to the over night train ride. I may be out of touch for a week or so, but I think I might have access to the internet out in Raiganj. Really am not sure. Today I walked back on Park Street and AJC Bose to the place where I am staying. There was a bit of a rainstorm that kicked in about 5 minutes in to the 30 minute walk. I was the only white skin I saw the whole way. Lots of locals looked at me like I was crazy, or with a look of amused compassion. I pointed at myself to a few and told them "ferangi pagol". Instead of laughing, chuckling, or even smiling they just nodded knowingly. One man (not a street person) asked me for some of my water. I obliged. Right by the intersection of Park and AJC Bose there are a bunch of auto parts stalls.

Here are a few random observations of an American in the City of Joy:

The streets kids actually become a little more aggressive if you tell them "bas", or "thamun" instead of speaking English. Usually a older man will yell at them to stop of they follow you for more than 30 seconds.

When walking alone, people either smile at you, ignore you, or try their English greetings with you.

There is a noticeable difference in tone between someone greeting you for kicks and someone trying to get at your cash.

Usually, it is lone teenage males standing in one place who spit before you walk by and "mean mug".

Alot of the street kids look like they are of the same prototype. There is the 7 year old girl with short hair, the 1.5 year old boy with a shirt and no pants (accompanied by a female adult, or sometimes the 7 year old girl), and the very persistent and energetic 4 year old boy.

The buses only come to a complete stop for women and foreigners.

If I don't carry a water bottle down Alimuddin and wear a baseball hat, I am less noticeable as a foreigner. (I got a double take about 45 minutes ago).

Skin tone of the locals varies from as light as a Greek or Turk (rare) to that of about an American of half African and European ancestry (most common) to dark as a West African, with the orange/red hair phenomenon sprinkled throughout. In addition, there are some Filipino looking folk, presumably from India's far east.

In the internet place where I am, there is a piece of paper posted on the wall saying that it will cost 4 rupees per minute to call the United States, U.K, France, or Spain, and 9 rupees per minute to call Bangladesh.

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Comments

[Aunt Pat]

All about perspectives
Brendan....Keep the blogs coming! I am enjoying reading about your travels. A lot can be learned about a person through their writing and I am enjoying learning about you.