thoughts from today...

With today being Sunday, the large majority of shops were closed, and the streets were slightly more tranquil than normal. There were significantly less people walking around, and significantly more kids on the street begging. It's impossible to pass on by without feeling a deep sense of sadness. They yell, "auntie, auntie...help please, please help" and your heart shatters into a million tiny pieces. Unfortunately, for many of them this is simply a task they've been manipulated into completing. If you've seen the movie Slumdog Millionaire, the depiction of the children is not far from reality. I was fortunate enough to capture this little guy in all his glory.

I also got lucky when I spotted the most precious little girl on the street. I frantically reached for my camera and turned it on hoping I would be able to catch her in time. So not to offend her mother and the other women with her, I remained inconspicuous and just barely lifted my camera high enough as I passed by which explains the slight blur. Why was I so anxious to get the shot?

If you look closely, she is wearing a tattered Santa Claus hat. She and her hat made my day.

yesterday.

Yesterday was full of adventures. We took an official tour of the hospital, and spent a good deal of time on the children's floor where we got to love on little ones recovering from cleft palate surgery, waiting for cleft palate surgery, or those suffering from thalassemia or leukemia. This was the most emotional thing I've experienced so far. Moms, aunts, sisters, and cousins-most too poor to afford even a fraction of treatment-sat on these hospital beds holding their little loved ones.

This precious one put on quite the show for us. It may not look like it in these photos, but she is very, very sick with leukemia. A woman from our team ended up sitting on a bed with another sick child and her mother. After talking for a long time, tears began to well up in the mother's eyes as she talked about her child. We are planning to go back to see the children today even though that wasn't on our agenda.

After we left the hospital we wandered around the streets for hours. This was quite the experience. Drivers honk their horns incessantly, and the streets are utterly chaotic. At one point, we had stopped at an ATM to take out cash. Suddenly the streets were quiet. There were no cars on the road, and guards kept everyone on the sidewalks. We went to see what was going on, and one-by-one a slew of government cars began to fly by. Come to find out, the Prime Minister was driving through. We ended up stopping in at a lovely dessert shop/cafe where we intended to grab a quick treat. After devouring our delicious pastries, we decided to stay for dinner. Three hours later, we headed back to our home. Today is our last semi-calm day, and tomorrow we hit the ground running. We will be working at Stars which is a slum school in the area. Our team will be evaluating the children which I'm thrilled about. Ultimately, we will be presenting our thoughts/recommendations for bettering the conditions at the school. Can't wait!

I took the following photos yesterday as we walked around the streets. A little piece of the history of the city helps explain some of the architecture. Kolkata is the capital city of West Begal. It is a colonial city developed by the East India Company and then the British Empire. It was the capital city of the British Indian Empire until 1911. The city was infiltrated by a European philosophy. There was a time when the streets of the city were washed EVERY single day. Over time, urbanization began to devour the very heart of this once immaculate city. The most beautiful buildings have deteriorated over time, and nothing has been done to restore them. It's incredibly sad; however, the contrast of formerly spectacular architecture blended with decay makes for interesting photos. Enjoy.

a few more photos....

kolkata

Hello all. We arrived safely in Kolkata yesterday morning around 9am. The drive from the aiport to Mercy Hospital was an adventure. For the first time in my life I actually think I might have a sliver of appreciation for Highway Patrol in the States. It's pure madness on the roads here, and I love it. Signs along the road say things such as, "Alert today, alive tomorrow," and let me tell you, they are neither kidding nor exaggerating. After getting settled in at the visitor center (our home for the next two weeks) we enjoyed a delicious lunch. I left for this trip expecting to lose a few pounds...I was mistaken. One of the sweet men who works here told us yesterday, "We want people to weigh themselves at the airport when they arrive, and again when they leave. If you gain weight, we have done our job and we are very happy. If you lose weight, you must come back again soon so we can feed you more." :)

After lunch we headed over to the hospital which is about 100 yards from the visitor center. Mercy Hospital has been serving the people of Kolkata since 1977. I'm amazed and overwhelmed by the selfless work of the Buntains. The walls of the hospital are lined with photos of children who would not be alive without the service of the hospital. After leaving the hospital we walked around the streets for a while, and then ventured over to one of Mother Teresa's homes where we signed up to volunteer later this week. There are six homes throughout the city. We will be working with street children as well as spending time in hospice care. The thought of holding the hand of someone who could be dead within weeks, days, or even hours, is overwhelming.

We arrived back at the visitor center, and we were all losing steam quickly. At that point we had been awake for two days straight, and we were all incredibly weary. We decided to take a nap around 4:30pm. We woke up at 6:30am this morning. I wish I could say that 14 hours of sleep made me feel refreshed...I would be lying. My head still feels foggy, and my body is angry at me, but I'm too excited to care about fatigue. In about an hour we will have orientation with another group who just arrived last night from Hawaii. I am anxiously anticipating all that will take place over the next couple weeks.

This part of India is incredibly dark and complex. People don't smile. I've traveled quite a bit, and I've seen my share of poverty. It all pales in comparison to the streets of Kolkata. I've interacted with individuals from third world countries that are stricken by poverty and yet an underlying happiness exists in their lives. An aura of joy and gratefulness hovers over them. This is far from true in Kolkata. These are sad, lonely people in need of so much love. We met a nice man on the plane ride from Amsterdam to Delhi. He was born in Bangalore, but has lived in the States for years. He's an incredibly brilliant and wealthy engineer. He knew nothing of Kolkata. He has never been. The dichotomy of wealth and poverty in this country is unprecedented. Some individuals from our group experienced deep sadness from what we have seen thus far. I, on the other hand, feel incredibly hopeful. I've felt strangely at peace since we arrived. I don't look at the darkness of this city from a negative perspective. Instead, I see all the opportunities to help. Being a part of such a beautiful vision-even if only for two weeks-is a privilege unlike any other. I am getting the sense that my connection with this city will last well beyond these two weeks. I have a heart for this place. As we walked back to the visitor center yesterday, my eyes locked with a little boy on the street. His ratty clothes, dirt-smeared body, and bare feet did not draw me to him. It was his face that enraptured me. He was smiling. As I walked past him, he maneuvered in and out of food stands, jumped over dogs, and quickly brushed past people to keep up with me. I couldn't stop staring at him. His infectious smile was the first I had seen since our arrival. It filled me with so much hope.

The pictures included are snapshots from the bus on the way to the hospital, and a few from the rooftop of the hospital. I will continue to update this as often as possible.

Love to you all.

airport.

Arrived at the airport 4 hours early...thrilling. Luckily SeaTac's Christmas gift to its patrons was free wifi for the time being. I'll be updating this as often as possible over the next couple weeks. I'm not much of a blogger. To be honest, I'm not enough of a narcissist to be good at this kind of thing. Regardless, here I am. For the purposes of this journey, it seemed fitting. More than anything, I know my sweet parents will appreciate knowing I'm alive and well.

Time to get through security. Farewell America.