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Published: March 16th 2007
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Sunset over the Ganges
From Khardah, it's only a thirty minute walk to a ghat on the holy Ganges river. Kolkata.
Day 3...
Marriage proposals: 0
Curry dishes eaten: 5
SO, i arrived into Kolkata from Taiwan March 13th...of course i got the flight that was arriving into India at 1am.
Probably the most scared i have ever been in my life.
As the escalator to gate E1a in Bangkok went up, over and on its way down into the waiting area i clearly realized i was a) the only female and b) the only non-Indian waiting for this flight. I have never had nerves like this before...
As the plane touched down into Kolkata i was wondering why i had chosen such an unpopular tourist destination...also wondering if the man scheduled to pick me up was really who he was supposed to be.
2am i got out of the airport into a sea of men trying to get me into a cab and luckily, my guy was there with a sign. The only 2 words he said to me were "come" and "sit" (at this point i was concealing an opened ball-point-pen in case i needed a weapon...).
We drove like maniacs through shacks and dirt roads - i gave up on trying to remember landmarks
once i realized that the same signs are on all the streets.
Thankfully, all was alright - and this was just to be my first lesson that India isn't always the scary and unsafe place people think it is.
I am now staying in an apartment in a small villiage about an hour outside of the city - called Khardah.
It's a really nice community of
only a few hundred thousand people...haha...the feeling here is very conservative. It kinda is reminiscent of an old western movie...minus the cowboys, saloons, gun shots....
My very first day i went out into Kolkata with Phil (another volunteer from PQ) and his local freind Paramjit. It was the best day! They took me all over town in rickshaws, cabs, trains, the metro...we ate, we walked and i just couldn't open my eyes any wider.
So far my favourite thing to do here is to people watch and try and get a sense of what the customs and culture are like. I am so used to Taiwan and what those things are over there, so it's really fascinating to compare the two to see what is similar and what things are worlds apart.
Tea Man & Baby
A really good place for Chai in the countryside near my apartment. In terms of culture shock, i really haven't had any...the pollution, noise, horrible traffic, hords of people and staring are all things i have been immersed in for over a year, so they don't bother me. For me the poverty is the biggest challenge. To be honest, i have yet to truly have this reality sink in - it's almost like i can't believe what i have seen...or maybe i don't want to quite yet.
Babies holding babies...mothers offering their children to me....lepers...drug addicts...these people are truly forgotten in this country, despite their strong presence.
Yesterday two nurses (Anne and Katie) and i went to Sealdah train station to look for a few people they have been caring for for the past week. It was my first chance to observe the work that i will soon be trained to help out with.
The first man we approached was sitting in the hot sun - an old pair of crutches sat behind him, and he had one foot covered in an old, wet plastic bag.
As the nurses took off the bag, and the brown slimy gauze that was around his foot...we discovered that he had elephantitis, and that his
ankle had a huge hole in it where maggots had started to eat the dead tissue.
I appologize for how graphic this is...but it's like this. It's what is here, and there is no way to get around it.
We sat with him, they changed the dressing and i gave him my water to drink. It was the worst thing i have ever seen on a human being and also the worst smell i have ever come accross.
I am anticipating alot of these scenarios. Not sure how i will eventually feel about it, but for now i feel too concerned to feel bad for myself. This will not be an easy position for me - esp. since i have no experience with this type of thing...but i really want to try and stick it out, and learn something completely out of my comfort zone.
Well...3 days and i can already go on for ever. India has been amazing so far, and from my initial impressions to now, I love it here. It's got a great feeling and really warm and friendly people who are really supportive of what we (CRAWL volunteers) are doing.
All in all...Kolkata was
a fantastic starting off point - and i am so glad i didn't wimp out and go to a more popular foreign hang-out.
I hope to upload pictures soon - already taken alot! Thanks for all the supportive emails - i may not reply individually, but i will try my best!
This weekend the nurses and i are taking a train down to a beach place called Puri where we'll relax for a few days...should have pictures up for sure after that!
Take care -
Rebecca xo
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Cindy
non-member comment
I chocked on my dan-bing...
Wow, Rebecca. I just strolled in from Saturday morning Pump class and started reading your post as I'm stuffing my face with dan-bing. I know. Totally defeats the purpose. Meh! Anywho, I wasn't expecting such graphic details so soon in your trip! :S I love how strong-willed you are, most people would've probably passed out or ran away by then. I've grown to admire your compassion and selflessness here in Taiwan and I know those people in the streets of Kalkata are in great hands. You're making a difference hun, always keep that in mind and you'll feel empowered to keep going. Big Hugs...