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Published: January 29th 2008
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there are two pages of photos
We spent most of our time in calcutta working with the sisters of charity, mother teresa organization. wow, does this lady have a story. pretty much all i knew about her is that the world respected and loved her and she did good things for people. literally. coming here educated me on her lifes passion and work, jesus and the poor. when these two loves collide, amazing things happen.
Brief history. she was a catholic nun working in a school as a teacher in 1940's. she would see the devastating lives of the impoverished on the street from her window above. in 1948, at 38 years old, she stepped out of the school and onto the streets with nothing but a nuns uniform transformed into a sarie ( at her attempt to bond with the people) and lived , ate and slept with the poor. she actually had to beg for food herself. she would seek refuge in the school when times got so rough her own health was at serious risk, and then back out to the streets.
her mission was to " love until it hurts" as it says on
her tomb today. she did this in many ways which was particularily unique to calcutta, india. here there is a caste system, where the caste you are born into is the caste you stay in, castes usually do not mix, especially if you are poor, disabled, or have leprosy. people beleive what you are in your life now is a result of your previous life, so if you are poor you are living out the sins of your past life, thats it. so higher caste dont feel the need to help, and the lower caste usually want to work off their past sins so that in the next life , it will be better. ( this is kinda rudementary from information gathered sparatically ) so the poor and destitute here are different than the poor i have ever seen ( and i have lived near hastings!! ) b/c these people have NO government support, no food programs, and NO LOVE ! alot of them are outcasts, untouchables, completely rejected from society. so mother teresa would love these people not by offering money or food or whatever but simply just to spend time with them and take care of them. she
said " being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotton by everybody, i think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat "
she also provided in later years medical centers, orphanages/schools all near slums, and the home for the dying. which is where people go to live out their final hours/days with a little dignity and care. quote " one of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody. " you have to remember the people who die in these homes would die alone if the center did not exsist. they have no family, no one to take care of them or to hold their hand as they die on the street. the sisters of charity go around to the streets in a van and pick people up who are shrouded on the side of the road ( shrouded meaning they pull blankets over thier entire body when they are close to death ) and bring them to the home to get fed, washed and loved.
mother teresa had a special affinity with children. most of the babies/children in the orphanges were abandoned, picked up at train stations.
shishu bavan
This is the outside of the orphanage i volunteered at We also visited a Compassion International site a few hrs away from calcutta in a village. this organization helps over 900,000 children in 24 countries. the site we visited offers school and activites for village children who would otherwise go without. we were invited to a few homes of the people there, it felt like we had a back stage pass into village life! how often do you get to see inside homes in remote villages ? they were immaculately clean ( well thats one thing we all share no matter where you live, you clean up when visitors are anticipated !! ) and well kept. as you can see in the pictures we have, their kitchen is outside with a few essential tools and a sorta underground stove where they burn cow dung as feul. the entire family sleeps on the same bed, which is pretty big, and everything is in that room, clothes, dishes what have you. we heard that if a foreigner talks to a villager, and people find out, he instantly becomes popular and everyone wants to talk to him/her ALL about it. we tried to talk to alot of people!
calcutta is
craziness at shishu bhavan
these kids had endless attention spans, but when it was time to get crazy, they jump all over you! india in all its extremes. i think there might even be an international warning about the air quality there. i and everyone in our group reeped various affects from the pollution, from sore throats , relentless coughs, sinisitus, and black as night feet, as well as snot!! it has soo much poverty concentrated in one area. so our ailments and discomforts seemed so small compared with the sights and faces our eyes would see daily.
We found some amazing churches here as well. its really crazy to see how madly in love with God they are here and how their passion just flows out. it was truly inspiring to see people so free. i would see these stickers around that said " Jesus Christ, freedom from caste " which makes sense why alot of hindu's convert to christianity. i was really wondering about how christianity would go down here, but it seems pretty accepted. this country is a smorgesbord of spirituality and faiths, christianity among them, but alot of people hide there beliefs during stats time apparantly so you wouldnt know it. it was very refreshing to see the God i believe in here in such a different light
than at home, yet its still the same God, just different people. i know its one of the most widely hated and pre-judged religions so that stigma has always sat bad with me. i either felt like i had to defend myself and my beliefs in the way of " its not what you think it is" or " im not whatever bad experiance you have had in the false name of my God " but i have dropped that feeling all together, not that i dont care anymore, i just have a fresh perspective on life and how you choose to live it and what you choose to beleive and associate with. its all about love in the end , and God and Jesus love love love. not to say people who dont believe in the same things i do dont love and dont help other people. its just nice to combine the two. human rights and spirituality. Jesus was the original human rights activist, was he not?
this was a heavy entry, eh? anyways we are onto mumbai to meet my friend christina paris and her family!
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jill
non-member comment
WOW
you guys are still amazing me! Every time I look at your travel blog I am in awe by the new experiences you are having! When are you leaving India?