Restoring What Has Been Stolen

Namaskar from India!

      Due to technical difficulty this post is a day late in posting, but as with everything we have experienced here, I've taken what's been thrown at me.  

     All is well with us in the hot, humid, and incessantly honking city of Kolkata! Yesterday we had the opportunity to sleep in since we weren't going to our Mother Teresa houses. Instead, on the agenda was a tour of Freeset, an organization that works to get woman off of the line in the red light district and teaches them skills in bag and shirt making. We took a bus and an auto-rickshaw to get there--public transportation is always an adventure here! Upon arriving, we sat intermingled with the women for devotion before they went off to their respective areas to start the day. David, an intern from the UK, gave us a tour of the building showing us the different offices, sewing rooms, printing areas, and training room. We watched for a bit while women sewed bags with lightening speed. It was an awesome experience to see these women working first hand and learning about the work they do.  

     During our visit, we were fortunate enough to meet with Meena who was one of the first women to work for Freeset when it started in 2001. Today, her role in the company is to visit women who are still on the line and help them see a better future for themselves by working for Freeset. The determination she shows and the devotion she expresses towards these women is beyond admirable. To hear what she had to say about women on the line and the struggles and obstacle she faces was very moving. Allison ended the conversation in a way that was very powerful to me. She said that as a mother of two daughters, thank you for looking out for daughters. Meena, we will not forget yours and the other women's mission. We will carry your message with us always. 

     The visit to Freeset was powerful and very moving. The company's work to help these women is a happy reminder that there are good people and successful efforts to promote change. The entire visit was inspiring and in my opinion difficult to convey in words. Overall, the group had a wonderful time at Freeset and we're excited to share our stories about it with the many people we meet! If you're a Saint Mike's student reading this, look out for some Freeset bags and accessories at the International Market this December!! 

    After our visit, we headed to Blue Sky Cafe for lunch. This was our third visit to this cafe which the MOVE group has been going to for years. We all love visiting it because it offers a variety of different types of food from Indian to Chinese and even American and the people who work there are awesome! Abby and Lauren tried one of the banana, peanut butter, honey, and sugar crepes which looked delicious. You can bet that many of us will be trying the "pancakes" during our next visit! Our afternoon was relatively low key and relaxing. Marlyn, Abby, and I ventured out to buy stamps and postcards which was interesting. Like many things done in India, this was a process done with many different lines to stand in. We had to buy stamps in one line and stand in another to get them stamped and  sent out! After we headed to a shop called Sunshine where we know the owners. We browsed around a bit and enjoyed chai with them. The three of us headed back to BMS and hung out with the rest of the group. A small group of us decided to play Banagrams and munched on snacks we brought from the US (yummm Goldfish!) before heading to dinner. I guess all those years of family Scrabble have finally paid off. Overall, it was a really great day. 

    It's crazy to think we're almost at the halfway mark of our trip. In my opinion it has been amazing and I hate to think about leaving on June 9th! But until then, I'm looking forward to all the experiences to come! Shoutout to my Mom, Dad, and brothers...can't wait to share all the stories in person! Hope all is well stateside!

Namaste,

Steph