Making the Best of the Situation

     Just when we thought weaving through the Kolkata streets on a tuk tuk was as wild as it could get, this past Tuesday the Loreto Schools sent a large bus over to pick us up from BMS. That was simply mayhem. As sweat dripped down the sides of our faces on the steamy bus, I took in the sights on our way to Sovabazar, the red light district. There, we would go visit our last MAC, which is a term for the pop up schools placed by the Loreto School. They must be referred to as MAC’s because if they are called schools the government would shut them down.

     Stepping off the bus the 104 degree weather felt like a breath of fresh air. Following a new teacher, we walked to the MAC for children’s whose parents are involved in the red light district. In Kolkata, children who have parents in the red light district are not allowed to go to schools because their parents partake in something that is “illegal.” This creates an ongoing cycle, as forms of prostitution are their only way to survive and provide for their family.

     Women lined the streets as they looked for customers and children wandered as their homes tend to be occupied by different men. We stepped into the one room MAC where we all introduced ourselves and the 12 students did the same. Over about a half an hour we taught body parts, the alphabet, and numbers, while making sure to include the hokie pokie and head, shoulders, knee’s, and toes.

     Jumping back on the large bus, all the students happily joined us as we headed for the organization’s center. There, students learning to be bakers made us delicious pizza and many of our questions were answered.

     The Loreto School, in simple terms, is constantly making the best of the situation. We learned that the MAC we had visited hours prior is the only MAC that has two sessions in the day as those students have no other choice but to be on the streets for the day. While some students disappear and teachers know there is a possibility some of the students will be forced into involvement in the red light district, they hope by getting them off the street for five hours, those chances will lessen.

     The other four MAC’s our group visited last week have two hour sessions five times a week. These schools are mostly for children who are child laborers. In this situation, teachers also know that when not at school, some of the children are child laborers, working in restaurants, sweat shops, really anything. There is not much the teachers can do about this because if they stop students from working they will not be able to get food on their plate at the end of the day. By the students having some source of education, the teachers hope to, what they call, “mainstream” these children into government schools. This would then end the cycle of child labor and these kids may one day become educated parents, who could hopefully get jobs and provide for their families.

     The Loreto School has taught me an incredible amount in just my three visits there. While teachers know they are not ending the issues of prostitution or child labor, they are making the best of the situation for each of their students.

(see above a photo I took on our bus ride to Sovabazar on Tuesday!)

Isabelle Risse ‘20

Life-Long Learning

Have you ever been in a crowd packed so tight that your feet almost come off the ground completely? Me neither, until yesterday. I now know what it’s like to be inside a can of sardines, but on the surface of the Sun and also all of the sardines are moving.
Am I being dramatic?
Not as dramatic as you think, to be honest.

We loaded ourselves into a metro car that we definitely did not think we’d fit into or ever get out of and rode it 7 stops to the outskirts of the city where we were greeted by a gentle, giant man named Brother Xavier, and got into a van. We weaved through traffic until after a while the smog was clearing, city buildings were shrinking to small stone homes, and the road was turning from pavement to dirt. We stepped out of the van and through a gate to a path lined by smiling children waiting to greet us, and into a colorful oasis built on the principles of education, equality and opportunity.

 "If we cannot find peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other" - Mother Teresa

Brother Xavier's school has 300 students who live there during the school year, and about 600 students in total. The opportunities presented to children at no cost to them or their families is unlike anything else in Kolkata. 75% of his students continue on with studies at a college or university after they graduate, and the students leave the school with supplementary education either working in bakeries, as beauticians, book making and binding, wood-working, and other skills which expand the possibilities that lie beyond their school years. When we met some of the students in the school's summer program, all we did that day was play, talk and hang out with them. But I think there is more to it than that. While watching a volleyball match between some students, I learned about the aspirations of one boy to pursue a career in engineering, and about how he dreams to provide for his future family in the way his father couldn't. I learned on a long, hot walk of the facilities that almost all of the food at the school is made or grown by the students and employees themselves. Through chalk drawings alone, I carried a full conversation with a child with whom I do not share a language.

Some of these nuanced interactions may not seem like much, but I am realizing that educating ourselves on the lives and circumstances of others is essential if we want to accomplish anything in this world, and that the idea of 'service' is more fluid that I think. Service is easy to digest when you can see the impact; building a house, serving a meal, painting a mural, cleaning a building, etc. That visible impact is not always so clear in our work at the Mother Teresa homes and in the schools we have visited. I am starting to feel that intangible piece of the service we do- the responsibility to each other which Mother Teresa stressed. I think we can all agree that educators provide a crucial service to this world, but not until now am I really recognizing that allowing oneself to be educated can also be a service. We are physically here, being of service to those we work with for these three weeks in Kolkata- but why should it end here? The lessons I am learning from people who may not think they are teaching, the perspective I am gaining from discomfort, and the humanity I am finding in places I didn't know I could is what will allow me to be of service well beyond my time here, I hope.

-Nichole Ciccarelli, '18

Without Sight

Two days ago, the group was working with the Freeset organization, cleaning and moving furniture from one building to another.  Once we had moved all the furniture out of the first building and cleaned it, we loaded it onto a small cart, which was then biked over to the other building.  A few people in the group walked along with the furniture and biker to the other building.

While waiting for that small group to return, so that we could load more furniture, the rest of us were standing outside in a small alleyway.  There were people walking by left and right, motorcycles whizzing by, and dogs running every which way to find food. At one point, a blind man walked through this small alleyway, passing right by a few members of our group.  I did not really think too deeply about this at the time, as it was a very quick, passing moment, but in the few days since, I've been thinking about it quite a bit.

I simply cannot imagine being blind in the city of Kolkata.  Not that I can imagine being blind anywhere, but in Kolkata, this feeling is amplified - with the all cars, the people, the bikes, the bumps in the road, and just the overall chaos.  Organized chaos, in a way, but chaos nonetheless.

So that got me thinking about how different this city would seem if I was blind, or if I was missing any one of the five senses.  But especially sight.  This city is chalked full of things to see, whether it be a child running around with no clothes on, looking too small and thin, or a game of cricket happening in the middle of the street. Or maybe even seeing a seemingly random cow walking down the street next to you.  I think it would be extremely difficult to experience all of Kolkata without sight.  But even smell or hearing too.  The honking, the yelling, the call to prayer, the sound of slapping down and chopping fish.  The smell of burning trash, street food, raw meat laying out in the heat. All of these aspects seem so essential to me, as they all work together to make Kolkata what it is.  All of your senses here are on full alert and it is nearly impossible, at least for me, to imagine not experiencing any single one of them.

- Kalli Opsal '19
 

Obey the traffic rules

That’s what is deftly painted on the back of the tuk tuks here, and even some of the busses. However, it seems that the traffic rules consist of honking to announce your presence and speeding as fast as possible to worm your way through tiny spots in the traffic. It seems like unruly chaos when you first experience it, then you get over your American in a foreign country discomfort and you feel the rhythm to it.

This is almost a perfect metaphor for the service experience I’ve been having. At first, I walked into the women’s section of Shanti Dan, the home for women and girls with differing mental and physical abilities, absolutely overwhelmed. All the women had lice, and therefore, shaved heads. There were women draped all over the cool cement hallway in various states of consciousness. Honestly, I felt inadequate to be providing care due to my limited experience and my fear of the women. But just like growing accustomed to the wild traffic, I started to understand the rhythm and order at Shanti Dan. From hanging the laundry just right to becoming Auntie Sophie to several of the older women, I’m understanding the routine.

Apart from the mother homes, we’ve been working with the Loreto schools and with a fair trade clothing company called Free Set. Both have been eye opening service sites, requiring patience and open minds to reflect on the intricacies and ironies of international service.

From the moment we stepped out of the doors into intense humidity, heat and stares of Kolkata, I realized this trip is all about immersion. Experiencing a foreign culture requires some sensory overload that comes from being dunked headfirst into the hustle and bustle of their everyday life. Slowly, you come to understand and adapt to the routines and customs. You can say the same for service, at first, you feel intrusive and awkward, but day by day, you start working more and more with the people you are serving and it becomes more of a team approach to the same problems.

Much love,

Sophie Adams ‘18

Prem Dan: The Sequel

When I arrived back in Kolkata, I wasn't sure of which Mother Teresa homes I would want to work in this time. I had such a great experience at Prem Dan last time (a home for men and women in need of long-term care), but I thought for the sake of variety I would try somewhere else. I was thinking about working at Daya Dan (a home for young people with physical and mental disabilities) or Nabo Jibon (a home that, from what I understand, is slightly similar to Daya Dan). We weren't registered yet on Monday morning, so we were assigned sites with a one-day guest pass. At first, Brian and I were assigned Nabo Jibon. I thought that would be a good opportunity to experience a new site before we selected our permanent sites the following day. But then, we noticed that the group going to Nabo Jibon had already left, and we were reassigned to Prem Dan for the day.

As we started walking to Prem Dan, memories rushed back into my head from my last visit. This walk is like no other I've ever been on before. It begins very briefly on A.J.C. Bose Road, a very busy and well-known road, before quickly turning onto a narrow and windy alley. The walk continues through roads that are mostly filled with pedestrians--any vehicle larger than a motorcycle isn't going to get anywhere very quickly. Eventually, you cross a busy street to Cobra Burial Ground, an area where there are somewhat more cars. The part of the walk that stands out the most is just before you arrive to Prem Dan. You arrive at Park Circus train station, and instead of crossing the tracks, you walk along them. I can remember the thoughts in my head the first time I did that part of the walk. I was astonished by the amount of people not only walking along the tracks, but living and working too. The last stretch of the walk brings you through a very narrow alley filled with raw meat (a.k.a. meat street). On some days, you even get to see blood running on the ground.

As soon as I walked in to Prem Dan and saw dozens of familiar faces, I knew I was going to stay there for the whole trip. None of the men remember me--I'm just one of who-knows-how-many volunteers that come and go--but their faces have stayed with me, and seeing them reminded me of the lessons I learned working with them two years ago. I wrote a blog post two years ago about a resident who would always ask me to get his wheelchair, and seeing him put a big smile on my face. It wasn't long before I made embarrassing mistakes that had to be corrected by the workers. I love those moments, because it puts me in my place.

My first day back at Prem Dan was exciting because of all the memories it brought me, but it also gave me a fresh start. I've had to reflect on, and talk about, my last trip to Kolkata frequently in order to be a good group leader, but I try not to hold on to that for too long. Going to Prem Dan (and quickly being reminded that I have a lot to learn) showed me that it's time to dive into this new experience. I'm with a great group this year, and I'm excited to make new memories, and learn new lessons not only from Prem Dan, but from the members of my group.

-Nick Rosbrook '18

Arrival to Kolkata

Kolkata here we are!

We have safely arrived to Kolkata and are getting acclimated to the environment. Our plane ride, while quite long, was smooth and relatively comfortable. Upon our arrival, we were ushered to buses where we all packed in and began our drive to BMS. The city was pretty at night, with plenty of colorful lighting to guide our path. We took in the scenes around us as we anxiously awaited our destination.

Sunday was spent dry running routes to important destinations. I think I can speak for the group when I say the weather was nothing short of hot and humid. However, we were all excited to see the area during daylight and trekked along as we took in the sights, sounds and smells of the city. Our senses were on high alert, as the many people, hectic driving, and spicy foods all drew attention. Reflection of the day that evening discussed expectations versus realities of our initial introduction to the culture, as well as general thoughts about the experience thus far.

Monday began our service-work at the Mother Teresa homes. Divided based on need, our group split into small groups, traveling to the various homes to serve the needy. Serving at a home for sick elderly, I was inspired by the dedication of the Sisters and other volunteers to assist the group. The work was difficult in a hot climate, but already rewarding in many ways. Spending the afternoon picking which service sites we would commit to for the duration of our time in Kolkata, we are excited at the opportunities and experiences that await us.

Stay tuned to hear more about our time in Kolkata!

- Brian Shearer '18