Since we've arrived in Kolkata, I have been overwelmed and experienced much culture shock. I knew this was a poor area as we were coming to serve the poorest of the poor, but I was not ready for what I saw. Seeing so much poverty in one place without much hope of any change really discouraged me at first. My definition of poverty is rooted in my owe experiences and therefore very relative and had much bias. Yes, these people are poor, but just becasue they live on the streets and do have much to eat or clothing to wear doesn't make them unhappy or inadequate. I have really challenged myself to see the beauty that is Kolkata. This can be seen in many ways.
Each morning we are all assigned to one of the Missionaries of Charity homes. I go to Daya Dan and serve on the ground floor. This is an all boys floor and there are about 20 boys ranging in age. They are all orphans and have no where else to go. Mother Theresa's organization provides a safe place to live, meals, clothes, and interaction with other boys. These boys also all have both mental and physical handicaps that they much overcome each and everyday. I see beauty in their faces when we walk in the door each morning. Some want to give us high fives and they seem genuinely happy that we are there to interact with them. Not many can speak english, but a few know a couple words and can sort of communicate with us. Last Saturday we took the boys the park. That was quite an adventure. Some need to be in wheel chairs, while others needed much support as they walked. We somehow managed to walk the block to the park, crossing a major city street to get there. Each of the volunteers had at least one boy by the hand and in some cases two. I was really struck by the park. I was not expecting a park that I am used to with swings, and open spaces and grass to be in Kolkata. The boys ran around and played cricket, well they like to hit the ball with the cricket bat. They went on the swings and played in dirt. It was beautiful to see them playing and having fun. It was very unexpected, but I really positive experience. The sisters who work at Daya Dan also bring a tremendous amount of beauty to their jobs. It is clear that they love the boys they are serving. Yes, the are strict with them when necessary, but you can see how much they care about those boys. They know all their names, they joke around with them and take care of them.
We visited an NGO called Freeset on one of our first few days in Kolkata. Freeset is an organization that takes women off of the street in the red light district and provides them with a job. They made bags and shirts. They women do not need any experience, they will be shown what to do and all of the women are paid they same, so there is no competition or pressure to be better than someone else. I saw beauty at Freeset at the beginning of the day when all of the women gathered before the work day began and they prayed together and sung songs as one community. Some of the women have children and they pass them around and let them run around without concern because they are in a space.
There is beauty in this city and in these people, you just need to look for it. This has been an incredibly eye opening experience thus far and I'm sure our last week here will bring many more stories and emotions. Quite often I am lost for words when I am trying to describe and experience or place we visited. It's overwhelming being here, but I do feel fortunate to be here on this journey. I am with a wonderful group who have been so supportive to each other throughout our journey in Kolkata.
Thanks to everyone back at home for your thoughts, prayers, and well wishes.
--Matt
